Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - OSU vs. Louisiana
August 24, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Aug. 24, 2011
2011 Starts Now
The Oklahoma State Cowboys will begin their 110th season of college football on Sept. 3 when the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference visit Boone Pickens Stadium for a 6:10 p.m. kickoff. It will be a quick two-step for the Cowboys has Arizona visits Stillwater just five days later for a Thursday night affair.
TV
The season opener will be televised by Fox College Sports. Steve Physioc will call the action with Yogi Roth providing analysis and Desmond Purnell on the sidelines. With FCS picking up the telecast, Oklahoma State is assured of having each of its non-conference games televised in 2011. ESPN will be in town to televise the Sept. 8 game with Arizona (in 3D) and OSU-Tulsa will be featured on FSN the following week.
Quick Recap
Oklahoma State is coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history. In 2010, the Cowboys, despite being picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 South, set a school record for wins with their 11-2 record. They won 10 regular-season games for the first time ever, tied for the Big 12 South title for the first time and went undefeated on the road for the first time since 1945. OSU finished in the top 10 of the national polls (No. 10 in USA Today) for the first time since 1984.
More On 2010
Oklahoma State had four first-team All-Americans (and a school-record nine first-team all-conference picks) a year ago with two of those All-Americans returning in receiver Justin Blackmon and punter Quinn Sharp. Oklahoma State also returns two first-team freshman All-Americans in kick returner Justin Gilbert and linebacker Shaun Lewis. Overall, including specialists, the Cowboys return 19 starters and 37 letterwinners.
Not A Fad
Under Mike Gundy, OSU has done more than just win games in 2010. Over the last three years, since the opening of the 2008 season, the Cowboys are 29-10. That win total is the best ever for OSU over a three-year period and the Cowboys are No. 10 nationally (tied) in wins over the last three seasons
Most Wins Since 2008
1. Boise State 38
2. TCU 36
Alabama 36
4. Ohio State 33
5. Utah 33
6. Oregon 32
Oklahoma 32
8. Virginia Tech 31
9. Texas 30
10. Oklahoma State 29
Penn State 29
Southern Cal 29
Nebraska 29
Topping The Big 12
Oklahoma State has gone 6-2 over each of the last two Big 12 seasons and as a result, OSU has the league's best conference record during that time frame.
Big 12 Standings (2009-2010)
Oklahoma State 12-4
Nebraska 12-4
Oklahoma 11-5
Missouri 10-6
Texas 10-6
Texas A&M 9-7
Texas Tech 8-8
Kansas State 7-9
Iowa State 6-10
Baylor 5-11
Colorado 4-12
Kansas 2-14
Gundy vs. the Big 12
Year W-L Finish
2005 1-7 6th
2006 3-5 5th
2007 4-4 3rd
2008 5-3 4th
2009 6-2 2nd
2010 6-2 1stT
Gundy In Perspective
Head coach Mike Gundy enters his seventh season as head coach at his alma mater with a blossoming resume in Stillwater. He is 47-29 after six seasons but is clearly authoring a sustained period of success at OSU.
• OSU was 12-15 under Gundy after 27 games, but has gone 35-14 since then, including a 29-10 record over the last three seasons and 20-6 over the last two campaigns.
• Gundy's 47 wins at OSU rank third all-time behind only Jim Lookabaugh (58-41-6) and Gundy's college coach, Pat Jones (62-60-3).
• Gundy's .618 winning percentage is third best at OSU. That OSU chart is topped by Hall-of-Famer Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf (.735).
• Perhaps the most impressive part of Gundy's tenure at OSU is that he has built the program with three different offensive coordinators and three different defensive coordinators. Three of his former assistants have left Oklahoma State to become head coaches (Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia, Larry Fedora at Southern Miss and Tim Beckman at Toledo).
• Under Gundy, OSU has gone to five straight bowl games (an OSU first) and won at least seven games in six straight seasons (another school first) and at least nine games in three straight seasons (yet another first).
• Under Gundy, OSU has reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for a school-best fourth straight season.
The Guys To Watch
Oklahoma State has a roster stacked full of potential award winners in 2011. A few to keep any eye on include:
• Levy Adcock: In his first year as a starter he was an all-conference selection and a contender for the Big 12 offensive lineman of the year in 2010. Rivals ranked Adcock as the nation's 17th best player and lists him as a preseason first-team All-American.
• Brodrick Brown: Turned in the nation's top defensive play a year ago and is no doubt a contender for all-league honors as a junior.
• Justin Blackmon: Was an All-Everything selection of a year ago and America's most decorated receiver.
• Josh Cooper: Will put the wraps on a very productive career in 2011 and is a member of the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list
• Grant Garner: A Rimington Award watch list member and one of the most intelligent players on the OSU roster. He has already earned a degree in business and like his quarterback, is married.
• Shaun Lewis: A freshman All-America linebacker in 2010 and a starter as a true freshman
• Markelle Martin is one of the country's most underrated players. He is athletic, physical and smart while ruling the secondary. He has been voted a preseason All-Big 12 player. The Sporting News recently named Martin as the best NFL safety prospect in college football.
• Quinn Sharp: The Cowboy punter is a returning All-American and has one of the biggest legs in the country after setting an OSU record last season in punting average. He could handle all of OSU's kicking duties this fall. He has led the nation in touchbacks on kickoffs each of the past two seasons.
• Brandon Weeden is the reigning All-Big 12 quarterback as selected by the media and the conference coaches and is a Manning and O'Brien watch list member.
Uniform Note
Oklahoma State will sport a new look in 2011 - actually 48 new looks. OSU has partnered with Nike this season to play in Nike Pro Combat uniforms. OSU will have its choice of 48 different combinations with helmets of white, black and gray, jerseys of black, gray and orange (for home games), and pants that are black, white, orange or gray.
Starting With Starts
Oklahoma State's 2011 roster features 27 players with starting experience, including 13 who have started at least 13 games. Heading into last year's opener, the Cowboy roster had just 16 players who had started a game.
New Starts
Based on the depth chart, Oklahoma State will have nine new starters in the lineup against Ragin Cajuns. That list includes OL Michael Bowie, WR Hubert Anyiam, RB Joseph Randle, FB Kye Staley, DE Richetti Jones, DT Christian Littlehead, LB Caleb Lavey, LB Alex Elkins (or Joe Mitchell) and DB Justin Gilbert.
The Depth Chart
Oklahoma State's first two-deep of the season includes 50 players (accounting for starters at tight end and fullback and a couple of either/or backups on defense). There are some numbers worth noting for the first week.
• OSU's top 50 shows incredible balance with 15 seniors, 14 juniors and 16 sophomores making the two-deep. The freshman/redshirt freshman class is represented by just five players. Those numbers represent a big change for OSU. Heading into last year's season opener, the depth chart included 14 freshmen, nine sophomores, 13 juniors and 12 seniors.
• The freshman force figures to be small but important. True receiver Josh Stewart, true freshman safety Isaac Maselera and true freshman defensive tackle James Castleman join two redshirt freshmen, offensive lineman Daniel Koenig and defensive lineman Christian Littlehead on the depth chart.
• If you are looking for the youngest area of the team, it's linebacker. James Thomas, listed as the backup to Shaun Lewis, is the only senior in the group. The only junior is junior college transfer Alex Elkins. The other four players are sophomores.
Opening Acts
Oklahoma State is 64-40-5 all-time in season openers, including 5-1 under Mike Gundy. The Cowboys haven't dropped a season opener since a 2007 loss at Georgia. In their first home games of the season, OSU has an all-time record of 76-28-5. OSU has won a school-record 15 straight home openers, dating back to 1995 against Nebraska.
• OSU is 20-4 in September under Mike Gundy.
• OSU is 19-4 in regular-season non-conference games under Mike Gundy.
Series Talk
Oklahoma State holds a 7-0 series advantage against Louisiana, including last year's 54-28 victory in Lafayette. OSU has outscored UL by a 110-31 count over the last two meetings (56-3 in 2003 and 54-28 last season). OSU is 4-0 against Louisiana when playing in Stillwater. The Cajuns last visited OSU in 2003. In the four previous meetings in Stillwater, Louisiana has scored a total of 30 points.
Tightening The Belt
Oklahoma State is 23-2 all-time against the Sun Belt Conference. North Texas is the most frequent opponent from that league with OSU winning 10 of the 11 contests against the Mean Green.
Last Year In Lafayette
Oklahoma State had to come from behind to knock off Louisiana last season on a Friday night (Oct. 8) in Lafayette. The Cowboys trailed 21-17 at the half, but erupted for 37 points after intermission to post a 54-28 victory.
• Kendall Hunter ran for 126 yards and Justin Blackmon continued his hot early-season start with 13 catches for 190 yards with two scores. The 13 catches remain a career-best for Blackmon.
• Brandon Weeden, in the first road start of his career, passed for 351 yards (in the books as the No. 13 passing game in school history) on a 29-of-47 effort. He had five touchdown throws.
• Weeden's TD passes went to Blackmon (two), Michael Harrison, Hubert Anyiam and Wilson Youman.
• Dan Bailey converted on a pair of 52-yard field goals.
Lafayette Connections
Joe DeForest, Oklahoma State's associate head coach, special teams coordinator and safeties coach, is a Louisiana alum. The school was known as Southwestern Louisiana when he played football and baseball for the Ragin Cajuns. He earned a degree in marketing from Southwestern Louisiana in 1987. Another connection to the state is OSU's defensive end/tight end Wilson Youman. He hails from St. Martinville, La. Youman's lone touchdown reception last season came in Lafayette.
Home In The Polls
Oklahoma State opens the 2011 season ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press poll and No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches poll. At no time in its history has Oklahoma State been more visible in the national polls than during the Mike Gundy era.
• The season opener against Louisiana will mark OSU's 10th straight game as a member of the Associated Press top 25.
• Including the 2011 season opener OSU has been ranked by AP 32 times in its last 36 games, including 18 games as a member of the top 15.
• Oklahoma State began the 2009 season No. 9 in the AP balloting for its highest preseason ranking ever. OSU tied that preseason ranking in 2011. The 2009 and 2011 seasons are the only two in OSU history in which the Cowboys have made an appearance in the AP preseason top 10.
• In 2010, the Cowboys finished No. 10 in the USA Today poll, marking the first time that OSU closed a season in the top 10 of a major poll since 1984 when OSU was seventh in the final AP vote.
• The highest the Cowboys have been ranked under Gundy came in the second week of the 2009 season when OSU reached No. 5 in the AP.
• Under Gundy, OSU is 21-10 as a member of the top 25.
• Under Gundy, OSU has spent nine weeks (including weeks in which OSU was idle) in the top 10. Prior to Gundy, OSU had spent just 25 weeks in the top 10 of the AP poll in its history. The Cowboys hold an all-time record of 17-9 when ranked in the top 10.
• Under Mike Gundy, OSU has cracked the Associated Press top 10 in four straight seasons, which had never happened at Oklahoma State.
OSU As A Top 10 Team
1945 Season
11-17 (8) OSU 46, Texas Tech 6
11-24 (6) OSU 46, Oklahoma 0
1-1-46 (6) OSU 33, St. Mary's 13*
1984 Season
9-29 (10) OSU 31, Tulsa 7
10-6 (8) Nebraska 17, (9) OSU 3
10-27 (10) OSU 20, Colorado 14
11-3 (7) OSU 34, Kansas State 6
11-10 (7) OSU 31, Missouri 13
11-17 (4) OSU 16, Iowa State 10
11-24 (2) Oklahoma 24, (3) OSU 14
12-28 (9) OSU 21, (7) South Carolina 14**
1985 Season
9-14 (8) OSU 10, North Texas 9
9-28 (7) OSU 45, Miami-Ohio 10
10-5 (6) OSU 25, Tulsa 13
10-12 (9) Nebraska 34, (5) OSU 24
11-9 (10) OSU 35, Kansas State 3
11-16 (10) OSU 21, Missouri 19
11-23 Iowa State 15, (7) OSU 10
1988 Season
10-15 (7) Nebraska 63, (10) OSU 42
2008 Season
10-18 (8) OSU 34, Baylor 6
10-25 (1) Texas 28, (7) OSU 24
11-1 (9) OSU 59, Iowa State 17
11-8 (2) Texas Tech 56, (8) OSU 20
2009 Season
9-5 (9) OSU 24, (13) Georgia 10
9-12 Houston 45 (5) OSU 35
2010 Season
11-27 (14) Oklahoma 47, (10) OSU 41
*1946 Sugar Bowl, **1984 Gator Bowl
Streaking In Stillwater
OSU will carry several team and individual streaks into the new season.
• The most glaring streak is Justin Blackmon's NCAA record of 12 straight games with at least 100 receiving yards with a touchdown reception.
• Brandon Weeden tossed at least one touchdown pass in every game last season (13) and he threw multiple TD passes in 12 of last season's games.
• Josh Cooper has at least one catch in 17 straight games.
• Safety Markelle Martin and offensive lineman Lane Taylor enter the season tied for the team lead with 24 straight starts each.
• The 2010 offensive line of Nick Martinez, Jonathan Rush, Grant Garner, Lane Taylor and Levy Adcock started every game last season.
• The win at Kansas was the only game in 2010 in which the Cowboys failed to force a turnover.
• Sophomore running back Jeremy Smith has rushed for a touchdown in four straight games.
• OSU has completed a pass of at least 40 yards in nine straight games.
Five Guys
Oklahoma State returns all five starters on its offensive line from a team that finished third nationally last season in scoring and yards. (although junior college transfer Michael Bowie was/is making a strong push to take over a tackle spot). Last season, the Cowboys were seventh nationally in sacks allowed per game (.77). The Cowboys attempted at least 100 more passes than anyone else on the fewest sacks allowed chart. As a result of last year's numbers, most prognosticators have OSU blessed with one of the nation's best offensive lines.
Fewest Sacks Allowed (2010)
School Allowed Pass Attempts
1. Air Force 5.0 168
2. Stanford 6.0 379
3. Boise State 8.0 424
Army 8.0 138
4. TCU 9.0 331
San Diego St. 9.0 426
7. Oklahoma State 10.0 532
Navy 10.0 157
Oregon 10.0 395
Another Protection Note
Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Oklahoma State has allowed just 49 quarterback sacks. That number is the lowest in the country for a member of a BCS automatic qualifying conference member and third lowest overall, behind only the running attack of Air Force and Boise State. Air Force has allowed 34 sacks over the same time frame and Boise State has given up 45.
A Budding Tradition
Some other things to consider about the OSU offensive:
• The Cowboy linemen have 76 career starts entering the season, compared to 11 for last year's season opener.
• OSU returns not only All-Big 12 selection Levy Adcock, but also Rimington Award watch list member Grant Garner and two-year starter Lane Taylor.
• Oklahoma State led the Big 12 in rushing every year from 2006 through 2009. OSU did not lead the Big 12 in rushing last season, but the Cowboys actually improved their yards-per-carry from 4.4 in 2009 to 5.0 in 2010.
Careers To Watch
Oklahoma State heads into 2011 with a proven roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, the season opener is a good time to check in on where the current Cowboys rank on OSU's all-time lists.
• Brandon Weeden is already fourth all-time at OSU with 38 career touchdown passes.
• Brandon Weeden has passed for 4,533 yards to rank fifth all-time at OSU. Tone Jones is fourth on that list with 4,812 yards.
• Brandon Weeden is No. 9 all-time at OSU in total offense (4,485 yards).
• Justin Blackmon is already No. 20 all-time in career scoring with 144 points.
• Justin Blackmon is sixth all-time in receiving yards with 2,042 and sixth in receptions with 131.
• Jamie Blatnick has 10.5 career sacks and needs 3.5 this season to enter the career list at No. 12.
• Josh Cooper is No. 16 all-time with 90 receptions and needs just 44 yards to break into the top 20 in that category.
The Young Influence
OSU defensive coordinator and alum Bill Young is beginning his third season at Oklahoma State. In his first two seasons, OSU has gone 20-6, including 12-4 in Big 12 play. And while the Cowboy defense is still evolving under Young, his influence is clear in one very important area: turnovers. In Young's two seasons back in Stillwater, the Cowboys have finished No. 11 and No. 5 nationally in turnovers forced.
OSU's Turnover Factor
Year Turnovers Gained NCAA Rank
2007 19 93
2008 25 42
2009 30 11
2010 34 5
Roadies
Oklahoma State was 5-0 on the road last season and as a result, the Cowboys enter 2010 with one of the nation's longest road winning streaks.
Active Road Winning Streaks
Team Streak
1. TCU 11
2. Virginia Tech 8
3. Oregon 7
4. Army 6
5. Oklahoma State 5
Northern Illinois 5
Three Diplomas
Three members of the Cowboy roster, quarterback Brandon Weeden (business), center Grant Garner (business management), and defensive end Jamie Blatnick (health promotions) have already earned their degrees at Oklahoma State.
