Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Oklahoma State at No. 12 TCU
October 13, 2014 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 13, 2014
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Up Next For Cowboy Football
AT NO. 12 TCU
3 p.m. CT | Oct. 18, 2014 | Amon G. Carter Stadium (45,000 cap.)
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Gus Johnson, Charles Davis & Molly McGrath)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 505, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-Verse 652
In Oklahoma City - Cox 67, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-Verse 652
In Tulsa - Cox 67, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-Verse 652
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 91, XM Channel 91
(TCU Broadcast Feed)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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THE BASICS
The Oklahoma State football team (5-1 overall; 3-0 Big 12) embarks upon the second half of its schedule when it makes its first trip to Fort Worth since 1992 to face TCU (4-1 overall; 1-1 Big 12)
ON THE AIR
The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1 with Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Molly McGrath calling the action. The contest 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 No. 15 in this week's Associated Press poll and is No. 15 in the Amway Coaches poll. TCU is No. 12 in both polls. This week's game marks the 76th time in the last 92 weeks of college football that OSU has appeared in the top 25 of the AP poll, dating back to the 2008 season.
MAKING THE TURN
At the midpoint of the season, Oklahoma State owns a 5-1 record and a 3-0 mark in Big 12 play with its lone defeat a six-point loss at the hands of No. 1 Florida State on a neutral field. The back half of the schedule is loaded with Big 12 contenders, as OSU's final six games will be played at No. 12 TCU (4-1 overall), vs. West Virginia (4-2 overall), at No. 14 Kansas State (4-1 overall), vs. Texas (2-4 overall), at No. 4 Baylor (6-0 overall) and at No. 11 Oklahoma (5-1 overall). The combined overall record of OSU's remaining opponents is 25-9.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE WIN WOULD...
• Make the Cowboys bowl-eligible for the ninth straight season.
• Mark the Cowboys' fourth straight over TCU.
• Mark the Cowboys' ninth straight over a team from Texas.
• Improve the Cowboys to 23-3 in their last 26 games against teams from the state of Texas, dating back to 2009.
• Improve the Cowboys to 12-3 in their last 15 games played in the state of Texas.
• Mark the Cowboys' fifth straight in a Big 12 road game to set OSU's second-longest such streak since the league was formed in 1996. The longest came when OSU won eight straight Big 12 road games spanning from the 2010 season into the 2011 season.
• Improve the Cowboys to 4-0 in Big 12 play for just the second time since the league was formed in 1996. The only previous occurrence was in OSU's Big 12 championship season of 2011.
• Improve the Cowboys to 20-7 in their last 27 road games and 17-6 in their last 23 road games against Big 12 opponents.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE LOSS WOULD...
• Snap the Cowboys' four-game Big 12 road winning streak.
• Mark TCU's first win over the Cowboys since 1992.
• Snap the Cowboys' three-game winning streak over TCU.
• Dip the Cowboys to 22-4 in their last 26 games against teams from the state of Texas, dating back to 2009.
• Move the Cowboys to 11-4 in their last 15 games played in the state of Texas, dating back to 2010.
CONNECTIONS
• TCU co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham played alongside Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State from 1986-87 and served on Gundy's coaching staff from 2005-12.
• TCU running backs coach Curtis Luper played alongside Gundy and Meacham at Oklahoma State from 1986-87 and served on Gundy's OSU coaching staff from 2005-08.
• TCU offensive graduate assistant Bryson Oliver was Joe Wickline's right-hand man in working with the Oklahoma State offensive linemen from 2012-13.
• TCU graduate assistant Ty Linder coached the Oklahoma State special teams and assisted Kasey Dunn with the Cowboy wide receivers as a graduate assistant from 2012-13.
• TCU safeties coach Chad Glasgow played at Oklahoma State from 1990-93 and served as a graduate assistant on the OSU staff from 1994-95.
• Oklahoma State receivers coach Kasey Dunn coached alongside TCU head coach Gary Patterson at New Mexico from 1996-97. Dunn coached the Lobo cornerbacks while Patterson was defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Dunn later rejoined Patterson at TCU in 2003, this time with Patterson as head coach and Dunn again coaching corners.
• Also on that 2003 staff with Dunn and Patterson were current TCU offensive line coach Jarrett Anderson and Chad Glasgow.
• Oklahoma State receivers coach Jason Ray was on the Wyoming coaching staff when TCU receiver Josh Doctson was a freshman there.
• Oklahoma State defensive lineman Eric Davis and TCU safety Chris Hackett were teammates at John Tyler HS in Tyler, Texas.
• Oklahoma State linebacker Devante Averette and TCU cornerback Corry O'Meally were teammates at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa.
• Oklahoma State receiver Chris Lacy played at DeSoto HS in DeSoto, Texas, which is the same program that produced TCU receivers Desmon White and David Porter and Horned Frog cornerback Nick Orr.
• Oklahoma State long snapper Kaleb Smith was a teammate of TCU quarterback Foster Sawyer and receiver Charlie Reid at All Saints Episcopal School in Fort Worth.
• TCU receiver Cameron Echols-Luper spent part of his childhood growing up in Stillwater as his father, Curtis, coached running backs on Mike Gundy's staff from 2005-08.
• Oklahoma State kicker Ben Grogan was a teammate of TCU kicker Jaden Oberkrom and tailback Kyle Hicks at Arlington Martin HS.
• Oklahoma State defensive tackle Vincent Taylor was a teammate of TCU tailback Aaron Green at Madison HS in San Antonio.
• Oklahoma State cornerback Chris Hardeman and receiver Keenen Brown were teammates of TCU tailback Trevorris Johnson at Houston's Alief Taylor HS.
• Oklahoma State offensive lineman Zachary Crabtree, TCU safety George Baltimore and defensive end Femi Awe all come from Mansfield HS in Mansfield, Texas.
• Oklahoma State safety DeShawn Franklin and TCU safety Denzel Johnson were teammates at Gainesville HS in Gainesville, Texas.
• Oklahoma State receiver Austin Hays and TCU linebacker Ty Summers were teammates at Ronald Reagan HS in San Antonio.
• Oklahoma State linebacker Justin Phillips and TCU offensive lineman Ryan Griswold were teammates at Pearland HS in Pearland, Texas.
• TCU linebacker Paul Dawson played for Reginald Samples - father of Oklahoma State receiver Ra'Shaad Samples - at Skyline HS in Dallas.
• TCU offensive linemen Patrick Morris and Ty Barrett played for John Walsh - father of Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh at Denton Guyer HS.
• Oklahoma State quarterback Daxx Garman and TCU receiver Keaton Duhon both hail from Southlake Carroll HS, though they were not teammates.
• Oklahoma State fullback Teddy Johnson and TCU receiver Nathan Hernandez both hail from Coppell HS in Coppell, Texas.
• Oklahoma State receiver Brendan Fagan and TCU defensive end Josh Carraway both attended Marcus HS in Flower Mound, Texas
• TCU defensive tackle Davion Pierson hails from Oklahoma City and played at Millwood HS.
• TCU offensive lineman Jamelle Naff attended Del City HS in Del City, Okla.
NOTABLE STREAKS ENTERING THE TCU GAME
• Oklahoma State has won eight straight and 22 of its last 25 over teams from Texas.
• Oklahoma State has won 11 of its last 14 games played in the state of Texas.
• OSU has won four straight Big 12 road games - the second-longest such streak since the league was formed in 1996.
• Running back Desmond Roland has scored at least one touchdown in each of OSU's last seven games.
• Oklahoma State has scored 20 or more points in 58 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2010 season. That streak is the longest active streak in the country and the second-longest since Division I split into the FBS/FCS in 1978, trailing only USC's 63 straight games of 20 or more points from Sept. 2, 2002 through Nov. 25, 2006.
• OSU has at least one touchdown drive of faster than two minutes in each of its last 41 games and in 57 of its last 58 contests.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 21 consecutive games when not committing a turnover.
• OSU has either won or tied the turnover battle in 21 of its last 27 games.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 38 of their last 40 games when winning the turnover battle.
THE SERIES
Oklahoma State holds a 13-9-2 edge all-time over TCU, with the series deadlocked at 5-5-2 in Fort Worth. The two teams have met twice since TCU joined the Big 12, with both games played in Stillwater due to a scheduling oddity. The Cowboys won, 36-14, in 2012 and 24-10 in 2013. The reason for the scheduling quirk? When TCU gained membership into the Big 12, it inherited Texas A&M's schedule. The Aggies were to face the Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in both 2012 and 2013 after OSU agreed to switch the 2011 contest from Stillwater to College Station.
COWBOYS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY ON THE ROAD
Since 2009, Oklahoma State is 19-7 on the road (.731 pct), including a 16-6 mark in road games against Big 12 opponents (.727 pct.) The Cowboys have won five of their last six road games, with two of those wins coming against ranked Big 12 teams (last year at No. 15 Texas Tech and at No. 23 Texas).
OSU has scored 30 or more points in 21 of its last 26 road games and has scored 50 or more points in three of its last six road contests.
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. TEAMS FROM TEXAS
Oklahoma State is 22-3 in its last 25 games against teams from the state of Texas, dating back to 2009. The Cowboys were a perfect 6-0 against teams from the Lone Star State in 2013, highlighted by convincing road wins at No. 15 Texas Tech and at No. 23 Texas plus a 49-17 pounding of No. 3 Baylor in Stillwater.
The Pokes are 2-0 vs. Texas-based schools this season, with wins over UTSA and Texas Tech.
TEXAS IS COWBOY COUNTRY
The Oklahoma State roster includes 69 native Texans. No school outside of the Lone Star State has more. The list of schools outside of Texas with the most native Texans:
1. Oklahoma State - 69
2. Oklahoma - 46
3. Louisiana Monroe - 33
4. Tulsa - 29
5. New Mexico - 28
6. New Mexico State - 27
T7. Iowa State - 26
T7. Missouri - 26
T7. Louisiana Tech - 26
10. Kansas - 25
HIGH-PROFILE NATIVE TEXANS TO PLAY FOR Mike Gundy AT OKLAHOMA STATE
Dez Bryant - Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl receiver ...................................................................Lufkin
Russell Okung - Seattle Seahawks first-round pick, 2013 Pro Bowler........................................Houston
Brandon Pettigrew - Detroit Lions first-round pick.................................................................Tyler
Quinn Sharp - Three-time All-American kicker/punter.............................................................Mansfield
Kendall Hunter - San Francisco 49ers running back and two-time All-American............................Tyler
Perrish Cox - San Francisco 49ers cornerback and two-time All-American.................................Waco
Markelle Martin - Tennessee Titans safety and 2011 All-American...........................................Wichita Falls
Grant Garner - 2011 All-America center..............................................................................Mesquite
Justin Gilbert - Cleveland Browns cornerback, 2013 All-American and NFL first -round pick..........Huntsville
LAST YEAR'S MEETING - OKLAHOMA STATE 24, TCU 10
Oklahoma State's defense suffocated TCU and the Cowboy special teams produced a punt return touchdown and a timely 50-yard kickoff return to set up a late touchdown that sealed the game in the Cowboys' 24-10 win.
Playing in front of a then-school-record crowd of 59,638 in Boone Pickens Stadium that was energized by Homecoming, the Cowboy defense forced four turnovers, highlighted by linebacker Caleb Lavey's fumble recovery and interception.
Josh Stewart got OSU on the board with a school-record 95-yard punt return and the Cowboys never surrendered their advantage, keeping the Horned Frogs at bay from that point.
DEFENSIVE LINE CAUSING PROBLEMS
Going into the season, the defensive line was considered a strong suit for Oklahoma State and Joe Bob Clements' group has not disappointed, combining to record 22.5 of OSU's 42 tackles for loss and 11.5 of OSU's 18 sacks to this point. Thanks in no small part to the defensive line, the Cowboys rank 23rd nationally with 3.00 sacks per game and 25th nationally with 7.0 tackles for loss per contest.
The Cowboys' 3.00 sacks per game far exceeds last year's average of 1.92 sacks per contest.
BLOCKED KICKS PART OF OSU'S ARSENAL
With three blocked kicks, Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally. Safety Jordan Sterns blocked a punt, defensive tackle James Castleman blocked a PAT attempt and defensive tackle Ofa Hautau blocked a field goal attempt, with all three of those blocks coming in the first half of OSU's win over Missouri State.
Three blocked kicks in a game set a Big 12 record and marked only the second time in NCAA history that a team blocked a PAT, field goal and punt in the same game. Oregon State accomplished the feat in 1996 against USC.
NON-OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS AN OSU STAPLE
Non-offensive touchdowns have been a regular part of the Oklahoma State attack in recent years, as the Cowboys have 28 non-offensive scores since the start of the 2010 season. With three non-offensive touchdowns through six games in 2014 (Ashton Lampkin returned an interception for a touchdown against UTSA and Tyreek Hill took kickoffs to paydirt against Iowa State and Kansas), the trend continues.
PUNT COVERAGE IS STRONG
Oklahoma State has been solid when it comes to covering punts, as the Cowboys allow only 3.2 yards per punt return to rank 14th nationally. The Cowboys allowed a 31-yard punt return against UTSA, but OSU's other 30 punts have yielded a total of only seven return yards (0.23 average).
Consequently, OSU's net punting average is a solid 39.65, which places them third in the Big 12 and 23rd in the nation.
DEFENSE TOUGH ON THIRD DOWN
Third down defense has been an area of strength for OSU. The Cowboys enter the TCU game limiting opposing offenses to a 33.3 percent conversion rate on third down, a mark that ranks 30th nationally.
Perhaps the biggest reason is that OSU is consistently putting its opposition in third-and-long situations (seven yards or more). Of the 100 third-down plays that the Cowboys have defended this season, 57 were third-and-long situations, 18 were third-and-medium situations (four to six yards) and 25 were third-and-short situations (three yards or less).
FIRST DOWN DEFENSE
Another reason for Oklahoma State's success on third down is that the Cowboys are stuffing opposing offenses on first down and consequently putting them behind schedule.
Featuring a defense loaded with seniors in 2013, OSU limited opposing offenses to three yards or less on 249 of 453 first-down plays last year (.550 pct.) The Cowboys have actually improved in that area this year, holding opponents to three yards or less on 110 of 187 first down plays (.588 pct.)
NO TOUCHDOWN ZONE
Through six games, opposing offenses have reached the red zone 21 times, but cashed only eight of those trips into touchdowns against the Oklahoma State defense (.381 pct.) That ranks eighth nationally.
DEFENSIVE SUCCESS ON FOURTH DOWN
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th nationally in fourth down conversion percentage defense by allowing opponents to convert on only 22.2 percent of their fourth down attempts.
GETTING POINTS IN THE RED ZONE
Oklahoma State's defense is one of the nation's best in terms of keeping teams out of the end zone when they reach the red zone, but the Cowboy offense is performing at a solid clip in the red zone as well. OSU is third in the Big 12 and 18th nationally by converting on 92.0 percent of its offensive red zone trips.
FINDING A WAY
OSU is playing with a quarterback who was not the starter to open the season, a completely rebuilt offensive line that has withstood the loss of an injured starter and a receiving corps who entered the season with a combined total of six career touchdown catches among the group, yet is 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the Big 12 and ranks 26th nationally by scoring 37.2 points per game.
Dealing with those issues mentioned above, the offense has looked predictably choppy and uneven at times, but in comparison to the midway point of last season, it should be noted that OSU's averages are up in points per game, rushing yards per game, yards per pass attempt, yards per pass completion and red zone scoring.
PROTECTING THE BALL
The Oklahoma State offense dedicates a period of every practice to working on ball security and it appears that time is paying off. The Cowboys have lost only two fumbles this year, a mark that ranks third in the Big 12 and 12th nationally.
