Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Open Big 12 Slate at WVU
September 23, 2013 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 23, 2013
Complete Release in PDF Format
At West Virginia
11 a.m. CT | Sept. 28, 2013 | Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000 cap.)
Television: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 85 | XM Channel 85
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The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens its Big 12 schedule when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va. to battle West Virginia (2-2 overall; 0-1 Big 12) at 11 a.m. CT in Milan Puskar Stadium. It's the Cowboys' first visit to Morgantown since 1928.
On the Air
Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN with Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich on the call.
The game will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline.
In The Polls
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11 in this week's Associated Press poll and is No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. West Virginia is not ranked in either poll.
Ranking Roundup
The Cowboys are the highest-ranked team from the Big 12 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.
OSU was ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP poll, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons that Oklahoma State has secured a preseason AP ranking. The Cowboys were No. 9 going into 2009, No. 9 going into 2011 and No. 19 going into 2012.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Extend the Cowboys' current winning streak to five games, dating back to OSU's 58-14 victory over Purdue in last year's Heart of Dallas Bowl. This is OSU's longest winning streak since rattling off 11 straight wins from the 2010 Alamo Bowl through 2011's defeat at Iowa State.
• Mark the fourth time in the last six years under Mike Gundy that OSU has started the season 4-0. For some perspective on that, OSU had only three 4-0 starts from 1988 until Gundy took over in 2005 (1988, 1997 and 2004).
• Improve the Cowboys to 6-1 in their last seven Big 12 openers. The lone loss came to Texas last year.
• Be the Cowboys' first at West Virginia. OSU lost on its only previous trip to Morgantown in 1928.
• Improve the Cowboys to 13-5 in true road games since 2010, with 10 of those wins coming over Big 12 teams on their home turf.
• Improve the Cowboys to 27-3 in their last 30 games against unranked opponents.
An Oklahoma State Loss Would...
• Be only its fourth loss to an unranked opponent since the start of the 2010 season.
• Snap the Cowboys' current four-game winning streak that dates back to OSU's 58-14 victory over Purdue in last year's Heart of Dallas Bowl.
• Move the Cowboys to 5-2 in their last seven Big 12 openers. Their only previous loss came to Texas last year.
The Series
Oklahoma State and West Virginia have only faced each other four times. The Mountaineers swept a home-and-home series in 1928 and 1929, then the Cowboys returned the favor by claiming a 35-33 win over WVU in the 1987 Sun Bowl and a 55-34 triumph over the Mountaineers in Stillwater last season.
Last Year's Meeting - Oklahoma State 55, West Virginia 34
Starting its third different quarterback in nine games, Oklahoma State bagged a 55-34 win over West Virginia.
Junior Clint Chelf, who began the season as the Cowboys' third-team quarterback, earned his first career start as fellow quarterbacks Wes Lunt and J.W. Walsh watched from the sidelines with knee injuries and Chelf performed well, completing 22-of-31 passes for 292 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.
Chelf was steady throughout the game and the Cowboy offense seldom showed signs of trouble with a new quarterback, churning out 21 first downs and 443 yards of offense in the contest. Receiver Josh Stewart turned in a career day with 13 catches for 172 yards and two receiving touchdowns, plus an additional score on a 46-yard run on a reverse.
Special teams play was a large factor in the game, with OSU's Justin Gilbert taking a kick return 96 yards for a touchdown, Quinn Sharp crushing a 74 yard punt from the back of his own end zone and the Cowboys recovering a muffed kickoff, a muffed punt and tackling WVU return man Tavon Austin on his own eight yard line on a fourth-quarter return.
Connections
• West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen served as offensive coordinator on Mike Gundy's staff at Oklahoma State in 2010.
• While at Oklahoma State, Dana Holgorsen coached the quarterbacks and mentored, among others, Clint Chelf.
• West Virginia special teams coordinator Joe DeForest coached at OSU from 2001-11.
• West Virginia defensive graduate assistant Andrew McGee was a two-year letterwinner at cornerback for Oklahoma State from 2009-10.
Notable Streaks Entering the West Virginia Game
• OSU has won four straight games dating back to the Cowboys' 58-14 victory over Purdue in last year's Heart of Dallas Bowl. This is OSU's longest winning streak since rattling off 11 straight wins from the 2010 Alamo Bowl through 2011's defeat at Iowa State.
• OSU has amassed at least 400 yards of offense in its last 11 games and in 28 of its last 29 contests.
• OSU has won the turnover battle in six of its last eight games.
• OSU has rushed for over 200 yards in five of its last seven games.
• OSU has at least one rushing touchdown in each of its last eight games and in 17 of its last 18 contests.
• OSU has at least one touchdown drive of faster than two minutes in each of its last 25 games and in 41 of its last 42 contests.
• Linebacker Shaun Lewis has started 35 straight games.
Coach to Cure MD
The Oklahoma State and West Virginia coaching staffs will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999.
Putting Opponents Away Early
Oklahoma State has outscored its first three opponents, 108-13, in the first three quarters of games this year. Additionally, the Cowboys pitched a fourth-quarter shutout against both Mississippi State and Lamar. Only once this season has OSU allowed more than seven points in a quarter, and that was in the fourth quarter at UTSA, when the Roadrunners scored 28 points after OSU had raced out to a 42-7 lead and had emptied the bench.
Top 20 In Both Scoring Offense and Scoring Defense
Through three games, Oklahoma State ranks in the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense (10th - 45.3 points per game) and scoring defense (17th - 13.7 points allowed per game). The Cowboys are one of only nine teams who can make that claim. They are joined by Arizona, Baylor, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Oregon and Washington.
Perfection - So Far
Through three games, Oklahoma State is perfect in its red zone proficiency - 15 touchdowns on 15 red zone trips. The Cowboys are the only team in the country to have scored touchdowns on every trip into the red zone.
Toughness Downs
One of the most frequent stereotypes used against spread offense teams is that they are defined by skill and finesse and lack toughness and grit.
Well, on third and short (defined here as four yards or fewer to go) - a situation where most defenses are expecting the run - OSU has run the ball 10 times and converted eight into first downs. Similarly, the Cowboys have punched in eight rushing touchdowns of four yards or less this year - again, in situations where opposing defenses are expecting the run.
Balance, Balance, Balance
Perhaps the signature trait of Oklahoma State teams year in and year out under Mike Gundy is offensive balance. There is no better illustration of that than the 2007 season, when the Cowboys rushed for 3,161 yards and passed for 3,161 yards. A look at the balance of this year's team through three games:
• OSU has 110 rushing attempts and 112 passing attempts.
• OSU has scored 10 touchdowns via the run and eight touchdowns via the pass.
• OSU has converted 10 third downs via the run and 10 third downs via the pass.
Spreading the Wealth
Further illustrations of how Oklahoma State's offensive balance through three games this season:
• 10 different players have combined to score OSU's 19 touchdowns this year.
• Of those 19 touchdowns, eight were scored via the pass (to seven different receivers) and 10 were scored via the run.
• 13 different players caught a pass in the Cowboys' wins at UTSA and over Lamar.
• Of those 13 different players to catch a pass in those two wins, 10 averaged 10 yards or more per reception vs. UTSA and eight averaged 10 yards or more per reception vs. Lamar.
• Oklahoma State has 20 offensive plays that gained 20 yards or more from scrimmage. Those 20 plays were made by 11 different players.
• Eight different OSU receivers have five receptions or more this season. No OSU receiver has more than 12 receptions.
Most Players With An Offensive Touchdown
Cincinnati - 12
Oregon - 12
Texas A&M - 12
Utah - 12
Baylor - 11
Louisville - 11
Ohio State - 11
Oklahoma State - 10
Florida State - 10
Illinois - 10
Pick Your Poison
In week one, Oklahoma State ripped off 286 rushing yards in beating Mississippi State. In week two, the Cowboys racked up 518 passing yards in beating UTSA.
The point? Oklahoma State's offense is built to succeed in a variety of ways. If an opposing defense is bent on taking away the Cowboys' passing attack, OSU has the weapons to win with its running game. If an opposing defense loads up against the run, the Cowboys unleash a passing attack that has ranked in the top seven nationally in each of the past three seasons. This has been a theme since the Cowboys went to their current offensive system in 2010.
The Big 12's Best
• OSU leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally by allowing only 0.67 sacks per game.
• OSU leads the Big 12 and the nation with its 100 percent conversion rate in the red zone.
Front Seven Making Plays Against the Run
One way to look at a team's run defense is to see who is making the tackles. If the tackles are coming from the front seven, then chances are that team's run defense is better than it would be if the tackles are coming from the secondary.
In Oklahoma State's case, the tackles are coming from the front seven. A look:
Leading Tacklers on Running Plays
1. Caleb Lavey, LB - 15
2. Daytawion Lowe, FS - 11
3. Tyler Johnson, DE - 10
4. Shaun Lewis, LB - 9
5. Calvin Barnett, DT - 8
6. Joe Mitchell, LB - 6
Kris Catlin, LB - 6
Ryan Simmons, LB - 6
9. Jimmy Bean, DE - 5
10. Emmanuel Ogbah, DE - 5
Turnovers are Back on the Menu
Forcing turnovers has been at the core of Oklahoma State's defensive identity for years. In fact, OSU ranks second nationally with 135 turnovers forced from 2009 through the present, trailing only Oregon's 138. The Cowboys led the nation in takeaways as part of their Big 12 championship season of 2011, but slipped in that area in 2012.
Through three games in 2013, turnovers are back to being a significant factor in OSU's success. The Cowboys 1.33 turnover margin ranks second in the Big 12 and 11th in the nation. The Pokes have intercepted four passes and recovered one fumble while committing only one turnover of their own this season.
Last Time Out - Oklahoma State 59, Lamar 3
Oklahoma State dominated Lamar in all three phases of the game en route to a 59-3 victory over the Cardinals in Boone Pickens Stadium on Sept. 14.
Jeremy Smith rushed for three first-half touchdowns and Josh Stewart logged 176 all-purpose yards, highlighted by a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown and a second punt return of 41 yards, to lead the way for OSU. For the second consecutive week, 13 different Cowboys caught a pass.
The lone points allowed by the OSU defense came when Lamar's Justin Stout kicked a 44-yard field goal following a Cowboy turnover that gave the Cardinals the ball at the OSU 30-yard line.
Stewart Earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
Oklahoma State receiver Josh Stewart earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his performance against Lamar.
Stewart scored on a 67-yard punt return and took a second punt back 41 yards to set up an OSU touchdown in lifting the Cowboys to a 59-3 win over the Cardinals. Stewart finished with 114 punt return yards for the eighth-highest single-game total in OSU history. His 67-yarder marked OSU's first punt return for a touchdown since Josh Cooper had a 66-yarder against Troy on Sept. 11, 2010. It was also OSU's longest punt return since 2009.
This is the first time Stewart has been recognized as the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, though he was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week following last year's game against West Virginia.
First-Timers
Through three games this year, seven players have made the first starts of their respective careers for Oklahoma State - defensive ends Jimmy Bean and Tyler Johnson, linebacker Ryan Simmons, offensive linemen Travis Cross, Chris Grisbhy and Paul Lewis and receiver Jhajuan Seales.
All tolled, 23 players have seen the first game action of their OSU careers this year, highlighted by five true freshmen - receiver Marcell Ateman, kicker Ben Grogan, safeties Deric Robertson and Jordan Sterns and running back Rennie Childs.
Position Updates
Quarterbacks - Coached by Mike Yurcich
Simply put, J.W. Walsh is electrifying. In week one against Mississippi State, the sophomore rushed for 125 yards and engineered three touchdown drives in leading Oklahoma State to a 21-7 win over Mississippi State in Houston. He was the Big 12's leading rusher after that performance. In week two, Walsh set a school record for completion percentage (min. 20 attempts) and accounted for five touchdowns - four passing and one rushing - as part of OSU's 56-35 win at UTSA. Walsh had more touchdown passes (four) than incomplete passes (three) against UTSA and was honored as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. He is the only Big 12 quarterback with a 300-yard passing game and a 100-yard rushing game on his 2013 season résumé.
Walsh Earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after his record-setting performance in the Cowboys' 56-35 win at UTSA.
Walsh connected on 24-of-27 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. His 88.9 completion percentage set a new OSU record for single-game completion percentage, minimum 20 pass attempts. He added a rushing touchdown as well.
A junior from Denton, Texas, Walsh had more touchdown passes (four) than incomplete passes (three) in the game.
Walsh's 239.20 pass efficiency mark in the contest was good for the fourth-best single-game mark in school history. He started the game by completing 10 consecutive passes, then had two incompletions, then completed 10 consecutive passes again. By the time his day was done at the 9:47 mark of the third quarter, OSU held a 42-7 lead.
Walsh and ESPN's QBR
In the Total QBR system produced by ESPN Stats & Information, J.W. Walsh compares favorably to some of the biggest-name quarterbacks in college football.
QBR is a number for a quarterback between 0 and 100 that captures efficiency associated with throwing the ball, running the ball, drawing penalties, and avoiding sacks and turnovers. It uses the same concept as the NFL Total QBR, dividing the credit on every play between the quarterback and his teammates according to how much the quarterback did. An average score is 50.
Including his performance in OSU's first two games of the year, Walsh has now had a Total QBR of 70 or better in each of the eight games in which he has at least 20 action plays going back to last season. Speaking of last season, Walsh ranked third nationally a year ago in opponent-adjusted QBR among quarterbacks with at least 200 action plays. His 86.1 rating trailed only Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M (90.5 opponent-adjusted QBR) and Marcus Mariota from Oregon (87.8 opponent-adjusted QBR).
Through four weeks in 2013, Walsh ranks sixth nationally with a QBR of 91.1.
2013 NCAA Leaders in Raw QBR
1. Bryce Petty, Baylor - 98.4
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon - 97.4
3. Blake Bortles, UCF - 92.7
4. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville - 92.6
5. Jameis Winston, Florida State - 91.5
6. J.W. Walsh, Oklahoma State - 91.1
7. Brett Smith, Wyoming - 88.9
8. Zach Mettenberger, LSU - 88.3
9. Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion - 88.3
10. Kevin Hogan, Stanford - 87.7
Running Backs - Coached by Jemal Singleton
Jeremy Smith continues to display a trait he's shown throughout his career - the ability to find the end zone. Smith's six rushing touchdowns this year tie him with Baylor's Lache Seastrunk for the conference lead in touchdowns scored. He rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys' season opening win against Mississippi State, but saw his production dip at UTSA, as he rushed for 34 yards on 12 carries. UTSA focused much of its defensive strategy on stopping Smith and the OSU rushing attack, which set the table for the Cowboys to rack up 518 passing yards in the contest. Smith tacked on three more rushing touchdowns in his last outing vs. Lamar.
Receivers - Coached by Kasey Dunn and Jason Ray
Josh Stewart and Tracy Moore are the leaders of the bunch, but make no mistake, balance is the name of the game when it comes to Oklahoma State's receiving corps. Case in point - 13 different Cowboys caught passes in games against both UTSA and Lamar. Redshirt freshman Jhajuan Seales (11 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown) is emerging as a viable weapon on the outside and Blake Jackson (six catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns) has been reliable, making receptions on each of the six passes in which he was targeted. Charlie Moore has also been dependable, making 11 receptions on 13 targets this year.
Offensive Line - Coached by Joe Wickline
Always a strength for Oklahoma State under the guidance of coach Joe Wickline, the Cowboy offensive front has been strong despite having several built-in excuses for a letdown season. OSU has a first-time starter at center, lost its projected starting left tackle for the season during fall camp and played against UTSA and Lamar without its starting right tackle, yet still finds a way to perform. Led by left tackle Parker Graham and left guard Brandon Webb, the Cowboys brutalized Mississippi State up front. OSU averaged 7.2 yards per carry against MSU - its highest mark since averaging 9.4 yards per carry in the 2012 season opener against Savannah State.
Defensive Line - Coached by Joe Bob Clements
Through three games, Oklahoma State is allowing only 3.5 yards per rush and the defensive line is largely to thank for that. The play of the defensive line may have been the single biggest contributing factor in Oklahoma State's season-opening win over Mississippi State. Time and time again, the Cowboys won the battle in the trenches, thanks largely to Calvin Barnett, James Castleman, Tyler Johnson and Jimmy Bean.
With the defensive line setting the tone, the Cowboy defense averages 7.6 tackles for loss per game and has seven sacks in three contests this year - five of which belong to defensive linemen.
Linebackers - Coached by Glenn Spencer
With veterans Caleb Lavey and Shaun Lewis in the fold, the backbone of the OSU defense is the linebackers.
If the play of the defensive line wasn't the biggest factor in OSU's win over Mississippi State, then the play of the linebackers was. Lavey had a game-high 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a half sack and Lewis had seven tackles, two for loss and a half sack.
Through three games this season, Lavey leads the team in tackles (21), tackles for loss (3.5) and tackles for loss yardage (16). Lewis and OSU's third starting linebacker, Ryan Simmons, both have an interception to their credit this season as well.
Lavey Earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
Oklahoma State senior linebacker Caleb Lavey earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, after the Cowboys' week one win over Mississippi State. It was the first such honor of Lavey's career and marks the first time a Cowboy has been recognized with the league's weekly defensive honor since Shaun Lewis in 2011.
Secondary - Coached by Van Malone (Corners) and Tim Duffie (Safeties)
Safety Daytawion Lowe and cornerback Justin Gilbert are the two most prominent figures in the OSU secondary. Lowe leads all active Cowboys with 203 career tackles and Gilbert's 21 career pass break-ups are more than twice the total of any other current OSU player.
Gilbert is one of the faces of the Cowboys' defensive improvement from a year ago. Last year, Gilbert was often asked to play soft coverage as part of OSU's general scheme of minimizing big plays from opposing offenses. However, he has been turned loose in 2013 and is using his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and blazing speed to his advantage, routinely winning his man-to-man battles against opposing receivers. He picked off a pass at a key moment in the first quarter of OSU's win over Mississippi State and has disrupted quarterback-receiver timing with his tight coverage in each of the Cowboys' first three games this year.
Special Teams - Coached by Mike Gundy with assistance from Ty Linder
Josh Stewart leads the Big 12 by averaging 21.3 yards per punt return and he scored the Pokes' first punt return touchdown since 2010 when he broke free for a 67-yarder against Lamar. In doing so, he became the fourth member of the 2013 Cowboys with either a kickoff return touchdown or a punt return touchdown in his career, joining Justin Gilbert (five career kickoff return touchdowns), Desmond Roland (one career kickoff return touchdown) and Zack Craig (one career punt return touchdown). No team in America has more players with a special teams touchdown.
Kip Smith has punted 13 times this year, with eight of those punts downed inside the opponent 20-yard line (61.5 percent). That percentage leads the Big 12. Kicker Ben Grogan ranks fourth in the Big 12 in kicker scoring and has converted on all 19 of his point after touchdown attempts. A true freshman, he nailed his first career field goal when he split the uprights from 39 yards out against Lamar.
