Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Cap Regular Season In Waco
November 25, 2012 | Cowboy Football
Complete Release in PDF Format
Nov. 25, 2012
No. 24/RV Oklahoma State at NR/RV Baylor
Dec. 1, 2012 :: 11 a.m. :: Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000 cap.)
TV: FX (Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt and Darius Walker)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 92; XM Ch. 190
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The Road To Waco
Oklahoma State concludes the 2012 regular season on Saturday when its visits Waco to take on the Baylor Bears. OSU will be playing at Baylor for the first time since 2009. The Cowboys and Bears will be closing the regular season against each other for the first time since 2003.
Television
The Bears and Cowboys will clash on FX with an 11 a.m. kickoff.
The Series
Oklahoma State is 18-12 all-time against Baylor with wins in each of the last six meetings.
• The first series meeting came in 1914. The Cowboys won the opening game, but Baylor won the next nine contests. That streak ended with an OSU win in 1972.
• Since 1972, OSU is 17-3 vs. Baylor.
• During the Big 12 era, Oklahoma State is 15-1 against the Bears.
• OSU is 6-6 all-time in Waco, but 6-1 in its last seven visits.
• The Cowboys and Bears have met twice on neutral fields. In 1942 the Bears picked up an 18-12 win in Oklahoma City. In 1983, Oklahoma State was a 24-14 winner in the Houston in the Bluebonnet Bowl. That game was the final one for Jimmy Johnson as OSU's head coach.
• Mike Gundy is 6-1 against Baylor as the Cowboy head coach. The loss came in 2005 in Gundy's first year as head coach.
Scoreboard
Oklahoma State has not scored less than 34 points in a game against Baylor since 1998.
• In the last six meetings, the Cowboys have reached the 40-point mark four times, 50 points three times and a series-best 66 points in 2006.
• Oklahoma State has scored 114 points in the last two games against Baylor.
• Geography does seem to play a factor in the Cowboy point totals. In the last four games in Stillwater, OSU has averaged 53.5 points against the Bears. In the last four Waco meetings the Cowboys are 3-1 but the scoring average for OSU is 37.8 points per game.
Connections
• OSU head coach Mike Gundy spent the 1996 season in Waco as Baylor's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
• OSU receivers coach Kasey Dunn was on the Baylor staff in 2007, coaching receivers and special teams.
• OSU offensive line coach Joe Wickline held the same position at Baylor in 1997 and 1998.
Last Meeting
Oklahoma State was a 59-24 winner over Baylor last year in Stillwater as Justin Blackmon had a big day with 13 catches covering 172 yards with two touchdowns.
• Joseph Randle ran for 152 yards and four touchdowns, including a scoring jaunt from 62 yards out. It was Randle's last game with four rushing TDs until last week at Oklahoma.
• OSU cruised to the win, jumping to a 42-0 lead before the Bears got on the board with a third-quarter field goal.
• Robert Griffin III passed for 425 yards, but he did not throw a touchdown pass and he was intercepted by Justin Gilbert and Daytawion Lowe.
• Cowboy corner Brodrick Brown recovered two fumbles in the game.
• The Cowboy defense forced five turnovers and the OSU offense covered 601 yards.
• OSU ran for 327 yards, but had the ball just 21:06 of the game.
Texas Time Again
Oklahoma State has won 10 of its last 11 games against Big 12 schools from the state of Texas. OSU is also 13-2 in its last 15 games against conference schools from the Lone Star State. OSU is 2-1 against those schools this year after going 4-0 in 2010 and in 2011 against league schools south of the Red River.
OU Recap
Oklahoma State is coming off a back-and-forth 51-48 loss at Oklahoma in the first overtime game in the 107 meetings of the Bedlam Series. The Cowboys never trailed until the final play of overtime and reached their highest point total in the history of the OU series.
• The Cowboys held a 14-0 first-half lead as well as a 38-27 advantage in the second half.
• In his first career road start, junior quarterback Clint Chelf passed for 253 yards with a touchdown, and he rushed for 63 yards. He also caught a pass covering 36 yards.
• Sophomore Josh Stewart had a big day with 11 catches covering 150 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown pass.
• Junior linebacker Shaun Lewis continued his career tradition of coming up big in Bedlam. He had nine tackles, including two for nine yards in losses, as well as a fumble recovery.
• Sophomore Lyndell Johnson picked up his second career interception. He returned it 46 yards to set up an OSU touchdown.
• Junior Joseph Randle ran for 113 yards and four touchdowns. It was his second career game with four rushing TDs and his second straight 100-yard rushing game against the Sooners.
• The OSU defense did not allow a second-half touchdown until four seconds remained in regulation. OU's lone touchdown to that point had been on a punt return.
Making History At Quarterback
On Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma State made some history. Clint Chelf upped his season passing total to 1,058 yards. As a result, OSU becomes the first school in Big 12 history to have three quarterbacks pass for 1,000 yards in the same season.
• Chelf is now completing 58.1 percent of his passes (72-124). He has 10 touchdown throws.
• J.W. Walsh, who has started three games and won two, has completed 66.5 percent of his passes (103-155) with 11 touchdowns to go with his 1,469 yards.
• True freshman Wes Lunt has completed 62.5 percent of his passes (80-128) with six touchdowns to go with his 1,096 passing yards.
The Bottom Line
Clint Chelf got 2012 starts against West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Wes Lunt started the Savannah State, Arizona, Louisiana, TCU and Kansas State games while Walsh started games against Texas, Kansas and Iowa State. In each instance, the starting streak was interrupted by injury. Despite the changing signal callers, OSU's bottom line on offense remains as strong as ever.
• OSU's 3,659 passing yards in 2012 represent the third best total in school history. The Cowboys have to average just 170.5 passing yards over the next two games (including the bowl game) to become the second team in school history to pass for 4,000 yards in a season.
• OSU, as a team, is completing 62.7 percent of its passes.
• The Cowboys have 27 touchdown passes in 2012. Brandon Weeden had 37 last season.
• OSU is No. 19 nationally in team passing efficiency (153.01)
• Each of the Cowboy quarterbacks has won a conference game. Chelf beat West Virginia and Texas Tech. Lunt beat TCU and Walsh beat Kansas and Iowa State.
Door Number Three
Clint Chelf continues to be a Cinderella story. He began the season third on the OSU depth chart and did not see action in a pressure situation until the trip to Kansas State, which was the eighth game of the season for the Cowboys. His play in Manhattan led to starts against West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. He has responded with stellar games.
• Both of his turnovers since week eight have come on passes deflected off the hands of OSU receivers.
• Since taking over for an injured Wes Lunt in the Kansas State game, Chelf is 68-of- 116 (58.6 percent) with nine touchdowns, two interceptions and 1,007 yards.
• Chelf also rushed for 40 yards against Texas Tech and 63 against Oklahoma.
• For the season, Chelf has rushed for 146 yards, including a 38-yard scamper against Oklahoma to set up the Cowboys' first score.
• Against the Sooners, Chelf led OSU in passing, was second in rushing (63 yards) and second in receiving with 36-yard catch of a Joseph Randle pass.
Did You Know?
With just one regular season game remaining in 2012, and a bowl trip, Oklahoma State's current offense could finish the as the most productive (yardage wise) in school history. The current Cowboys average 547.9 yards of offense per game. The school record for total offense per game was set last year with 545.8 yards per game.
The New Trend
Oklahoma State is trying to finish a third straight season with a total offense average in excess of more than 500 yards per game. Prior to 2010, that feat had only been accomplished once in school history. In 1988, with Mike Gundy at quarterback and Barry Sanders on his way to the Heisman, OSU averaged 515.2 yards of offense per game.
Top OSU Offenses
Season - YPG
1. 2012 - 547.9
2. 2011 - 545.8
3. 1988 - 515.2
The Stewart File
In a conference loaded with receivers, Oklahoma State sophomore Josh Stewart is making a serious case for All-Big 12 honors.
• He is coming off one of the best games of his career in the loss at Oklahoma. He finished the day with 11 catches covering 150 yards. That total featured a 75-yard TD reception that is OSU's longest pass play of the season and a highlight reel, one-handed snag of a Clint Chelf pass that converted a third-and-long into a first down.
• He has four 100-yard receiving games this season, including three in his last five games.
• Against West Virginia he had his second 13-catch day of the season and his receptions covered a career-high 172 yards. That yardage total was the 21st best in OSU history. He also had a 46-yard TD rush against the Mountaineers.
• Stewart already has the fifth best single-season receptions total in school history with 84.
• He enters the Baylor game ninth in the country with 7.6 catches per game.
• Over the last six games, he has 55 catches covering 642 yards.
• He leads OSU in catches (84), receiving yards (1,007) and TD catches (six).
• His season numbers could be much higher. In the season-opening 84-0 win over Savannah State, Stewart had just one catch covering six yards.
• Stewart has a reception of at least 25 yards in eight games.
• He is No. 22 nationally with 91.5 receiving yards per game.
• His 2012 season is already the ninth best (yardage wise) in OSU history at 1,007 yards.
Sophomore Slump Buster
Josh Stewart's 1,007 receiving yards rank fourth all-time among OSU's sophomore pass catchers. He trails only Justin Blackmon's school and NCAA record of 1,782 yards in 2010, Dez Bryant's 1,480 yards in 2008 and Rashaun Woods' 1,023 yards in 2001.
Streaking Receivers
Oklahoma State entered the season with some experienced receivers who have suffered injuries and some inexperienced receivers who have had some big games.
• Isaiah Anderson became the third OSU receiver this season to score at least three touchdowns in a game against Texas Tech. Tracy Moore had four TD grabs at Arizona and Josh Stewart had two receiving TDs and a rushing touchdown against West Virginia.
• Charlie Moore had a receiving touchdown in five straight games. That streak was snapped against Texas Tech.
• Oklahoma State has had a 100-yard receiver in six straight games.
Century Mark Times Five
For the first time in school history, OSU has had five different players record 100-yard receiving games in the same season with Charlie Moore, Josh Stewart, Blake Jackson, Tracy Moore and Isaiah Anderson all accomplishing the feat. In fact, Jackson and Charlie Moore have reached the 100-yard mark twice in 2012 while Stewart has done it four times.
At The Box Office
The Texas Tech game concluded the home season at OSU and thanks in part to another new season ticket sales record at OSU (48,876), OSU had its second best year in school history at the turnstiles. For its seven home dates, OSU averaged 56,557 fans. That average is just 652 below the record of 57,229 set last season.
Home Record
The 2012 home season is now in the books and OSU is 12-1 at Boone Pickens Stadium since the beginning of the 2011 season. That record is the best over two years for OSU since the 1931 and 1932 teams went 11-0-1 at home.
Road Challenges
Oklahoma State is 1-3 on the road this season with losses at Arizona, Kansas State and Oklahoma, and a win at Kansas. The Cowboys will be looking to build upon their recent history as one of the Big 12 Conference's best teams away from home. Oklahoma State is 15-5 in its last 20 road games, including a 13-4 record in its last 17 conference road trips.
Big 12 Roll
OSU has been one of the Big 12 Conference's best teams since 2008. Oklahoma State is 5-3 in Big 12 play in 2012.
• OSU has won 16 of its last 22 Big 12 games, 19 of its last 25, 22 of its last 29 and 24 of its last 33.
• OSU head coach Mike Gundy began his career with a 4-12 record vs. the Big 12. Since that time he and the Cowboys have gone 34-15 against the league, raising Gundy's overall Big 12 mark to 38-27.
Big 12 Numbers
Over the last two seasons, as Oklahoma State has gone 13-4 against the Big 12, the Cowboys have been a tough out in Big 12 play. OSU's conference wins have been by an average of 24.6 points and the losses have been by an average of 7.0 points. Two of OSU's conference losses this season have been by a combined eight points.
Seniors With Class
Regardless of what the remaining games have in store for the current Cowboys, the 2012 senior class will go down as one of the most successful in school history. Entering the Baylor game, the seniors have a cumulative record of 39-11. That win total is the second best mark ever at OSU, behind only last year's group, which won 41 games.
Seniors Again Next Year
A pair of Cowboys who will not be departing the program as seniors are receiver Tracy Moore and running back Kye Staley. Both of those student-athletes are planning to return next year. Moore suffered an injury at Kansas and qualifies for a redshirt season. Staley has been awarded a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after losing two seasons to injury early in his career.
By The Numbers
If Kye Staley and Tracy Moore return to Oklahoma State next season, it would mean that the three touchdowns scored by Isaiah Anderson against Texas Tech are the only three 2012 touchdowns that won't return for the 2013 season.
The Tech Win
Oklahoma State's victory over Texas Tech helped Oklahoma State...
• Reach the seven-win mark for the seventh straight season to continue a school record.
• Reach five conference wins for a fifth straight season to continue a school record.
• Assure itself of a plus-.500 conference season for a fifth straight season. That streak ties a school record set in 1984 through 1988.
• Guarantees OSU a seventh straight winning season for the first time in school history.
Another Win Would...
Another victory in 2012 would...
• Give Oklahoma State eight wins in five straight seasons for the first time ever.
• Give Oklahoma State at least six conference wins for a fourth straight season to continue a school record.
• Give Oklahoma State 49 wins over the last five seasons, 40 wins over the last four seasons and 31 wins over the last three seasons.
Nifty at 50
Oklahoma State enters the Baylor game third nationally in scoring with 45.64 points per game after totaling 162 points against its last three conference opponents. The new surge in points comes on the heels of five straight games below 40 points for the Cowboys. In 100 games under Mike Gundy, OSU has...
• Scored at least 30 points in 71 games
• Scored at least 40 points in 41 games
• Scored at least 50 points in 22 games
• Scored at least 60 points in eight games
• Scored at least 70 points twice
• Scored at least 80 points once
Numbers Crunch
• Oklahoma State is No. 23 nationally, converting 47.1 percent of its third downs into first downs.
• OSU is No. 11 nationally with 26 first downs per game.
• OSU is No. 5 nationally in red zone offense with 56 scores on 61 trips.
• The Cowboy defense is No. 22 nationally in rushing yards allowed (124.36 per game).
• The OSU defense is No. 28 nationally in third-down efficiency, allowing just 34.97 percent of opponents' third downs to be converted into first downs.
• The OSU kickoff return unit is sixth nationally, averaging 26.6 yards per return.
2011 And 2012
It has been well documented what OSU is missing from the 2011 season. However, the young guns in the Cowboy lineup have held up well under the offensive expectations that now engulf the OSU football program. Below are the final numbers of the 2011 Big 12 champions as compared to the 2012 Cowboys.
2011 // 2012
Scoring 48.69 // 45.64
Passing 387.2 // 332.64
Rushing 158.6 // 215.3
Total Off. 545.8 // 547.9
Walsh Is Back
Oklahoma State redshirt freshman quarterback J.W. Walsh returned against Texas Tech in special situations. He rushed six times for three yards (including a sack) with a two-yard touchdown run. He also tossed a two-yard TD pass to Kye Staley to start the Cowboy scoring. He added a two-yard TD run against OU to up his season total to five rushing touchdowns.
Starting With Starts
Against Oklahoma, true freshman receiver Blake Webb became the 19th Cowboy to make his first career start in 2012. OSU has started eight different offensive linemen, nine different receivers and three different quarterbacks. On the other side of the ledger...
• OSU's defense has nine players who have started every game.
• Brodrick Brown leads OSU with 38 consecutive starts.
• Offensive lineman Lane Taylor leads OSU in total starts with 47.
• The only true freshmen to start games in 2012 are quarterback Wes Lunt and receivers Blake Webb and Austin Hays.
Injury Wire
The last time the Cowboys fought the revolving door at quarterback was back in 2005, during Mike Gundy's first year as the OSU head coach. During that season, Donovan Woods started two games at quarterback before being moved to defense, where he became a multi-year starter. Bobby Reid started five games and Al Peña started four games in `05. Peña and Reid both saw action in seven games during the season.
Hays Making Plays
In February, one of the last high school seniors added to the Cowboy recruiting class was Austin Hays. The freshman from San Antonio Reagan High School didn't grab the headlines, but he has become one of the most productive freshmen in the Cowboy class.
• In his college debut, Hays had eight receptions for 77 yards with a touchdown against Savannah State, but injury and illness forced him to miss the next three games.
• He returned to catch one pass for nine yards in the rain at Kansas and one for nine yards at home against Iowa State.
• His lone reception against TCU went for 41 yards and set up a score.
• His best game to date has been at Kansas State. He caught a 54-yard TD pass from Wes Lunt in a true-freshman-to-true-freshman connection and he ended the day with four catches for 81 yards.
• He caught just three passes for 49 yards against West Virginia, but his 36-yard grab in the fourth quarter helped key a scoring drive that gave OSU a two-touchdown lead.
• At Oklahoma, Hays made a 27-yard reception.
• He leads the Cowboy freshmen with 20 catches covering 310 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and the two scores, despite playing in just eight games.
• Hays has now started five straight games.
All-America Candidate
As the Cowboys' 2012 season enters its final week, junior running back Joseph Randle has ascended into All-America territory. A look at Randle through 11 games:
• He is the Big 12's leading rusher and No. 20 in the country, averaging 110 yards per game.
• Randle is the Big 12's leading rushing by 35 yards per game.
• He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry in 2012 and has reached the 100-yard rushing mark in seven of the season's 11 games. His seven 100-yard rushing games lead the Big 12.
• He is seventh among all active players with 40 career rushing touchdowns.
• Randle has 40 career rushing touchdowns in 37 college games. The numbers are more impressive when considering he began his career as a backup to All-American Kendall Hunter.
• Over the last two seasons Randle has 38 rushing touchdowns in 24 games.
• He is fourth in the Big 12 Conference in all-purpose yards (128.5 yards per game), despite not participating in the punt return or kick return game.
• Against TCU, Randle carried the ball 32 times. It was the first time a Cowboy back had 30 rushes in a game since Keith Toston against Colorado in 2009.
The Two-Timers
Joseph Randle has reached rare Cowboy air. His 2012 rushing total of 1,212 yards means he is just the sixth Cowboy to rush for 1,000 yards in more than one season. Randle ran for 1,668 yards as a sophomore.
• Two-time All-American and 1977 Heisman Trophy runner-up Terry Miller leads all Cowboys with three 1,000-yard seasons.
• The Cowboys with two 1,000-yard seasons include Thurman Thomas, David Thompson, Tatum Bell, Kendall Hunter and now Randle.
• OSU has now had a 1,000-yard rusher for a sixth straight season and nine in the last 11 seasons.
Bedlam Buster
In his last two games against Oklahoma, Joseph Randle rushed for 113 yards (last week) and 151 yards (last season). He is the first Cowboy to register consecutive 100-yard games against OU since Tatum Bell in 2002 and 2003.
Randle On The Board
Joseph Randle heads to Baylor No. 10 all-time at OSU with 258 career points. He is fourth all-time among OSU's running backs in scoring. He trails only Barry Sanders (second with 330 points), Terry Miller (sixth with 270 points), and Thurman Thomas (seventh with 266 points).
A Look Around
• Oklahoma State has reached the 600-yard mark four times in 11 games, despite playing (and starting) three quarterbacks, including two freshmen.
• OSU set a school record with 742 yards of total offense vs. Louisiana.
• OSU opened the season with three straight games of more than 600 yards of offense for the first time in school history.
• Oklahoma State enters the Baylor game fifth nationally in total offense (547.91), seventh in passing offense (332.64), 20th in rushing offense (215.27) and third in scoring (45.6 points per game).
Seconding the Motion
Oklahoma State's defense continues to be strong down the stretch of games. OSU has outscored its last six opponents after halftime, 126-64.
The Fourth Quarter
Over the last six games, OSU has allowed a total of 28 points in the fourth quarter and has outscored the opposition during that time, 58-28.
• Of the points allowed, six came on a pair of Kansas State field goals and on a Texas Tech touchdown with 2:51 remaining in a 59-14 game. On the two K-State scoring drives, the Wildcats covered just 27 yards of offense due to kick and punt returns that set them up deep in OSU territory.
• Oklahoma did not score an offensive touchdown in the second half until four seconds remained in regulation.
• The OSU defense has yielded only two fourth-quarter touchdowns since Oct. 13.
TFL
Oklahoma State is No. 24 nationally in tackles for loss with 6.94 per game. That total is second in the Big 12 behind Texas (7.5).
Sacks Appeal
Since the beginning of the 2007 season, the Oklahoma State offensive line has been among the best in the country at protecting the quarterback.
Fewest Sacks Allowed (2007-2012)
1. Air Force - 49
2. Boise State - 57
3. Oklahoma State - 68
Two Minute Warnings
Oklahoma State has had a scoring drive of less than two minutes in 38 straight games. In fact, OSU has 42 scoring drives of less than two minutes through 11 games of 2012. The Cowboys also have 29 scoring drives of five plays or less.
Sharp Performances
Over the last four seasons, Oklahoma State has had a Ray Guy Award winner (Matt Fodge in 2008) and a Lou Groza Award winner (Dan Bailey in 2010). Current Cowboy punter/kicker/kickoff specialist Quinn Sharp is worthy of mention with those Cowboys.
• He is the reigning Big 12 special teams player of the year.
• He has already earned first-team All-America honors as both a punter and a kicker (in two different seasons).
• A year ago, Sharp was third nationally with a punting average of 46.3 yards and he was seventh nationally in field goal percentage (22-of-25).
Hard to Find
Quinn Sharp is averaging 46.2 yards per punt. That number would rank No. 5 in the country if he had enough punts to appear in the NCAA statistics.
The Net is the Thing
Punting averages are great, but net punting is the bottom line in football. OSU enters the Baylor game eighth in the country in that category with an average net of 40.5 yards.
The NCAA's Best
For his career, Quinn Sharp averages 45.9 yards per punt. That number tops all active NCAA players.
Sharp at a Glance
• He is a touchback machine on kickoffs. He has 69 this season to lead the country, after leading the nation in that category each of the last three years.
• Sharp is No. 2 nationally in scoring with 11.82 points per game.
• Sharp's career field-goal percentage of 83.3 is third in the country.
• Sharp is No. 8 all-time at OSU with 275 career points.
• Sharp has 77 career punts in excess of 50 yards, 17 that traveled 60 yards or further and four longer than 70 yards, including a 74-yarder vs. West Virginia.
• Sharp leads the country with 2.09 made field-goals per game in 2012.
• He has converted all 21 of his career field-goal attempts inside 30 yards.
• Sharp has made 23 field goals this season. He had 22 in 13 games in 2011.
• He had a string of 15 straight converted field goals snapped against Texas Tech. He did, however, tie a career long with a 51-yarder against the Red Raiders.
The Other Side Of Special Teams
Oklahoma State has a great special teams tradition with a long history of standout punters, placekickers and return men. Justin Gilbert's name is firmly implanted as part of that tradition. His 96-yard kick return for a touchdown against West Virginia was the fifth of his career. It's a new school record (breaking the old mark of Perrish Cox) and is tied for the most ever by a Big 12 return man with Brandon Banks of Kansas State.
• Gilbert's five career kickoff returns for scores rank second among active players.
• For his career he is averaging 27.6 yards per return for eighth among all active players with at least 15 games played.
• He has 2,116 career return yards to rank second only to Cox, who had 2,804. Gilbert's career total is the fourth best in Big 12 history.
Gilbert And His Friend
Justin Gilbert's 96-yard TD return against West Virginia came on the heels of Desmond Roland's 80-yard kickoff return for a score at Kansas State. It marked the first time in history that OSU returned a kickoff for a touchdown in consecutive games.
The Zack Attack
OSU junior safety Zack Craig blocked two punts against Texas Tech. It was the first time OSU had blocked two punts in the same game since the 2010 trip to Kansas. Craig picked up the second block and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. It was the first blocked punt returned for a score since Michael Harrison turned the trick in that same Kansas game of 2010.
Offensive Help
Zack Craig's touchdown against Texas Tech was OSU's 17th non-offensive score since the beginning of the 2010 season (thanks to OSU radio voice Dave Hunziker, who first started tracking this statistic).
• During that span, the Cowboys have four interception returns for scores (including two by linebacker Shaun Lewis).
• OSU has six kickoff returns for scores during that time frame (five by Justin Gilbert and one by Desmond Roland).
• Zack Craig, Justin Blackmon and Michael Harrison have each scored off blocked punts during the stretch.
• Josh Cooper has a punt return for a touchdown.
• Richetti Jones, Josh Stewart and James Thomas all scored on fumble returns.
The Young Influence
Oklahoma State has been one of the best teams in the country at forcing turnovers since the arrival of Bill Young as defensive coordinator in 2009. OSU's turnover production has dipped in 2012, but the Cowboys are second in the country in forced turnovers since 2009.
Turnovers Forced (2009-Present)
1. Oregon - 129
2. Oklahoma State - 124
3. Boise State - 120
4. Kent State - 119
5. Rutgers - 118
Winning Ways
Oklahoma State has been one of America's most successful college football programs since the beginning of the 2008 season.
• Since 2008, OSU has 48 wins, tied for ninth in the country.
• Since 2009, OSU is ninth with a record of 39-11.
• Since the beginning of the 2010 season, the Cowboys are ninth with a record of 30-7.
• Since the start of 2011, OSU is 19-5 for the 12th best record in the country.
Gundy in Perspective
Head coach Mike Gundy is in his eighth season as head coach at his alma mater. He is 66-34 and is the reigning national coach of the year (Paul "Bear" Bryant and Eddie Robinson awards) and he was named as the 2010 Big 12 coach of the year.
• OSU was 12-15 under Gundy after 27 games, but has gone 54-19 since then, including a 39-11 record since 2009 and 30-7 since the opening of 2010.
• Gundy is now the winningest coach in school history with 66 wins.
• 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 now North Carolina, and Tim Beckman at Toledo and now Illinois).
• Under Gundy, OSU has gone to six straight bowl games (an OSU first) and won at least seven games in seven straight seasons (another school first) and at least nine games in four straight seasons (yet another first).
• The 23 wins during 2010 and 2011 are most ever by OSU in a two-year stretch.
• Under Gundy, OSU has reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll for a school-best four straight seasons.
• Last season, OSU reached its highest ranking ever when it checked in at No. 2 in both major polls. The Cowboys eventually finished third in the final AP poll, USA Today poll and in the final BCS standings.
The Throne Room
For the first time since 1977, Oklahoma State is defending a conference title. The Cowboys claimed the Big 12 championship last year with an 8-1 conference record. The 12-1 season included a Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 4 Stanford. OSU concluded the year with its highest finish ever in the Associated Press, coaches' poll, and BCS Standings (third in all three). Oklahoma State just missed an appearance in the national championship game as Alabama edged out OSU for the second spot in BCS national championship game by the closest margin (between second and third) in the history of the process.
Seniors Among Seniors
Four members of the OSU roster are playing with a college degree in hand. Center Evan Epstein has a degree in business management. Receiver Isaiah Anderson has earned his degree in education, defensive lineman Cooper Bassett has a degree in health promotion and holder Wes Harlan has a degree in business marketing.
A Second Ever
Oklahoma State had some historical numbers at Arizona. The game was the just the second in school history in which the Cowboys had a 400-yard passer (Lunt passed for 436 yards), a 100-yard rusher (Joseph Randle rushed for 123 yards) and two 100-yard receivers (106 for Tracy Moore and 105 for Blake Jackson). The only other time that OSU had four players reach triple digits in those categories was in last season's 66-6 win at Texas Tech. In that contest, Brandon Weeden passed for 423 yards, Herschel Sims rushed for 109 yards, Justin Blackmon had 103 receiving yards and Josh Cooper had 106 receiving yards.
