Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Oklahoma State at Kansas
October 06, 2014 | Cowboy Football
Complete Release in PDF Format 
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AT KANSAS
3 p.m. CT | Oct. 11, 2014 | Memorial Stadium (50,071 cap.)
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Craig Bolerjack and Ryan Nece)
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 and Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 93, XM Channel 199 (Kansas broadcast feed)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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THE BASICS
The Oklahoma State football team (4-1 overall; 2-0 Big 12) faces its first true road game of the year when it travels to Lawrence to square off with Kansas (2-3 overall; 0-2 Big 12) at 3 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Stadium.
ON THE AIR
The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1 with Craig Bolerjack and Ryan Nece 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. 16 in this week's Associated Press poll and is No. 18 in the Amway Coaches poll. Kansas is unranked. This week's game marks the 75th time in the last 91 weeks of college football that OSU has appeared in the top 25 of the AP poll, dating back to the 2008 season.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE WIN WOULD...
• Mark the Cowboys' fifth straight over the Jayhawks and their 10th in the last 11 series meetings.
• Be the Cowboys' sixth straight over the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Kansas hasn't beaten OSU in Memorial Stadium since 1994.
• Mark the Cowboys' fourth straight in a Big 12 road game to match 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. The Cowboys won four straight Big 12 road games spanning from the 2008 to the 2009 season.
• Improve the Cowboys to 3-0 in Big 12 play to mark the fourth time during the Mike Gundy era that OSU's conference record was perfect through three games. The Pokes previously accomplished that feat in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
• Improve the Cowboys to 19-7 in their last 26 road games and 16-6 in their last 22 road games against Big 12 opponents.
• Improve the Cowboys to 36-4 in their last 40 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE LOSS WOULD...
• Snap the Cowboys' four-game win streak over Kansas that dates back to 2007.
• Mark only the second loss for the Cowboys against the Jayhawks in the last 11 series meetings.
• Be the Cowboys' first to Kansas in Lawrence in 20 years.
• Snap the Cowboys' three-game Big 12 road winning streak.
• Be only its fifth loss to an unranked opponent since the start of the 2010 season.
CONNECTIONS
• Oklahoma State defensive back Jerel Morrow attended Emporia HS in Emporia, Kan., where he was ranked as the top player in the state of Kansas his senior year by ESPN.com and by Rivals.com.
• Oklahoma State defensive end Trace Clark attended Wichita Collegiate School, where he was ranked as the state's No. 2 player his senior year.
• Oklahoma State running back Raymond Taylor was a teammate of Trace Clark at Wichita Collegiate School.
• Oklahoma State cornerback Bryant Reber hails from Leawood, Kan., and attended Blue Valley HS.
• Oklahoma State fullback Britton Abbott attended Liberal HS in Liberal, Kan.
• Oklahoma State running back Rennie Childs and Kansas receiver Darious Crawley were teammates at Cypress Ridge HS in Houston, Texas.
• Oklahoma State receiver Keenan Brown and cornerback Chris Hardeman come from the same Alief Taylor HS program in Houston that produced Kansas cornerback Greg Allen.
• Oklahoma State receiver Blake Webb and Kansas receiver Tyler Patrick both attended The Woodlands HS in The Woodlands, Texas.
• Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph and Kansas defensive lineman Keon Stowers both attended Northwestern HS in Rock Hill, S.C.
• Kansas offensive coordinator John Reagan and defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt were on the Oklahoma State coaching staff under Bob Simmons in 1996, with Wyatt coaching the defensive line and Reagan serving as a graduate assistant on the offensive side of the ball.
• Oklahoma State offensive line coach Bob Connelly and Kansas defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt were on the Alabama coaching staff together from 2003-06, with Connelly coaching the offensive line and Wyatt coaching the defensive line.
• Oklahoma State defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements coached the defensive line under Mark Mangino at Kansas in 2008.
• Kansas cornerback Ronnie Davis attended Midwest City HS in Oklahoma City.
• Kansas linebacker Jake Love played at Tonkawa HS in Tonkawa, Okla.
THE SERIES
Looking at the raw numbers, the Oklahoma State vs. Kansas series is close, with the Cowboys holding a narrow 33-29-2 edge over the Jayhawks in a series that dates back to 1923. It should be noted, however, that Kansas has beaten Oklahoma State only eight times in the last 34 years. OSU holds an 18-15-1 advantage over the Jayhawks in Lawrence and hasn't lost at KU since 1994. The Cowboys were 20-14 winners over Kansas in 2012 in their last trip to Lawrence.
NOTABLE STREAKS ENTERING THE KANSAS GAME
• Oklahoma State has won four straight and nine of its last 10 over Kansas.
• The Cowboys have won five straight over the Jayhawks in Lawrence and haven't lost at KU since 1994.
• Oklahoma State has scored 40 or more points in seven of its last nine meetings with Kansas.
• Oklahoma State has scored 20 or more points in 57 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 40 games and in 56 of its last 57 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 26 games.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 38 of their last 39 games when winning the turnover battle.
COWBOYS NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY ON THE ROAD
Since 2009, Oklahoma State is 18-7 on the road (.720 pct), including a 15-6 mark in road games against Big 12 opponents (.714 pct.) The Cowboys have won four of their last five road games, with two of those four 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 25 road games and has scored 50 or more points in three of its last five road contests.
LAST YEAR'S MEETING - OKLAHOMA STATE 42, KANSAS 6
Justin Gilbert returned the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and that was all the scoring that Oklahoma State needed in its 42-6 win over Kansas in Boone Pickens Stadium.
The OSU defense locked the Jayhawks down all game, limiting KU to 316 yards of total offense and a five-of-20 showing on third down.
Clint Chelf passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns - two to Tracy Moore and one to Desmond Roland - and making the first start of his career, Lyndell Johnson made eight tackles, two of which were for loss.
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. UNRANKED OPPONENTS
Since the start of the 2010 season, Oklahoma State is 34-4 against teams not ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Starting with the Cowboys' 2012 Heart of Dallas Bowl win over Purdue, OSU has won 11 of its last 12 overall against unranked opponents.
THE NEXT GENERATION IS RISING
For an offense playing with a quarterback who was not the starter to open the season, a completely rebuilt offensive line that has withstood an injured starter and a receiving corps who entered the season with a combined total of six career touchdown catches among the group, Oklahoma State has performed at a level that is better than many would have predicted. The Cowboys rank 22nd nationally by averaging 39.2 points per game, have scored 30 or more points every game this year, have outrushed every opponent they have faced - including Florida State on a neutral field - and have racked up more yards per play than each of their last four opponents.
Similar to past years, the OSU offense can win different ways based on how different opponents choose to defend, evidenced by the fact that the Cowboys rushed for over 200 yards against Missouri State, passed for 315 yards against UTSA and 370 yards against Texas Tech and used a balanced scheme (42 rush attempts and 41 pass attempts) against Iowa State.
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 17.5 of OSU's 33 tackles for loss and 9.5 of OSU's 15 sacks to this point. Thanks in no small part to the defensive line, the Cowboys rank 23rd nationally with 3.00 sacks per game.
BLOCKED KICKS PART OF OSU'S ARSENAL
With three blocked kicks, Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth 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 scored 27 since 2010. With two non-offensive scores through five games in 2014 (Ashton Lampkin returned an interception for a touchdown against UTSA and Tyreek Hill took an kickoff to paydirt against Iowa State), the trend continues. A look at OSU's non-offensive scores since 2010:
OKLAHOMA STATE'S NON-OFFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS SINCE 2010
2010 - Justin Blackmon 7 yd blocked punt return vs. Washington State
2010 - Josh Cooper 66 yd punt return vs. Troy
2010 - James Thomas 63 yd fumble recovery vs. Texas A&M
2010 - Johnny Thomas 26 yd interception return at Kansas State
2010 - Justin Gilbert 93 yd kickoff return vs. Baylor
2010 - Michael Harrison 5 yd blocked punt return at Kansas
2010 - Shaun Lewis 52 yd interception return vs. Oklahoma
2010 - Justin Gilbert 89 yd kickoff return vs. Oklahoma
2010 - Markelle Martin 61 yd interception return vs. Arizona
2011 - Justin Gilbert 96 yd kickoff return at Tulsa
2011 - Justin Gilbert 100 yd kickoff return at Texas
2011 - Josh Stewart 3 yd fumble recovery at Texas Tech
2011 - Shaun Lewis 70 yd interception return at Iowa State
2011 - Richetti Jones 5 yd fumble recovery vs. Oklahoma
2012 - Desmond Roland 80 yd kickoff return at Kansas State
2012 - Justin Gilbert 96 yd kickoff return vs. West Virginia
2012 - Zack Craig 30 yd blocked punt return vs. Texas Tech
2012 - Daytawion Lowe 37 yd fumble return vs. Purdue
2013 - Josh Stewart, 67 yd punt return vs. Lamar
2013 - Josh Stewart, 95 yd punt return vs. TCU
2013 - Justin Gilbert, 31 yd interception return at Iowa State
2013 - Tyler Johnson, 54 yd fumble recovery at Iowa State
2013 - Justin Gilbert, 100 yd kickoff return vs. Kansas
2013 - Justin Gilbert, 43 yd interception return at Texas
2013 - Tyler Patmon, 78 yd fumble recovery vs. Baylor
2014 - Ashton Lampkin, 50 yd interception return vs. UTSA
2014 - Tyreek Hill, 97 yd kickoff return vs. Iowa State
PUNT COVERAGE IS STRONG
Oklahoma State has been solid when it comes to covering punts, as the Cowboys allow only 3.9 yards per punt return to rank 23rd nationally. The Cowboys allowed a 31-yard punt return against UTSA, but OSU's other 24 punts have yielded a total of only eight return yards (0.3 average)
NO TOUCHDOWN ZONE
Through five games, opposing offenses have reached the red zone 18 times, but cashed only seven of those trips into touchdowns against the Oklahoma State defense (38.9 pct.) That leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th nationally.
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 second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally by converting on 95.5 percent of its offensive red zone trips.
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 one fumble this year, a mark that ranks second in the Big 12 and fourth nationally.
