Oklahoma State University Athletics
Opener Gives Many Cowboys A Taste Of Home
August 23, 2014 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER - When Oklahoma State plays Florida State in Arlington's AT&T Stadium, the game will be listed as a neutral site contest, but it won't feel that way for many on the OSU roster.
A total of 69 Cowboys hail from Texas. No school outside of the Lone Star State has more. In fact, 26 of those players hail from within a one-hour drive of AT&T Stadium.
Dating back to 2010, OSU has won 11 of its last 13 games played in the state of Texas. Perhaps familiarity with territory has played a role in that success.
Mike Gundy and the OSU coaching staff have long made a priority of recruiting Texas. In fact, located less than four hours from Stillwater, the DFW area may as well count as in-state territory for the Cowboys.
Among the notable current Cowboys that hail from the DFW area are quarterback J.W. Walsh (Denton), running back Desmond Roland (Dallas), defensive end Jimmy Bean (Denton), cornerback Ashton Lampkin (Arlington) and offensive lineman Zachary Crabtree (Mansfield).
Why the strong pipeline from Texas to Oklahoma State? Several factors are in play. Among the most notable are the following:
• Oklahoma State's system, style of play and general blue-collar mindset meshes well with what is prominent in Texas high schools. Among the most common reasons cited by Cowboy football players for why they come to Oklahoma State is some variation of "it feels like where I came from."
• In addition to its annual Big 12 slate, Oklahoma State brings its product into the Lone Star State by playing non-conference games in Texas. The Cowboys played Mississippi State in Houston, UTSA in San Antonio and Missouri in Arlington last season and play Florida State in Arlington this year.
• The sheer size of Texas makes it so that the drive time from Dallas to Stillwater is about the same as it is from Dallas to Austin and considerably less than the drive time from Dallas to Lubbock.
• I-35 connects Dallas to Stillwater, so going back and forth between the two is a convenient, one-step trip.
• Playing in the Big 12, every Oklahoma State game is televised in the DFW area.
Interestingly, the pipeline works the other way as well. A glimpse at the 2014 Dallas Cowboys roster shows a staggering seven (seven!!!) players from Oklahoma State, highlighted by Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant, the most accurate kicker in Dallas Cowboys history, Dan Bailey, running back Joseph Randle and quarterback Brandon Weeden.
So while the AdvoCare Cowboys Classic between Oklahoma State and Florida State in AT&T Stadium may be listed as a neutral site contest, it won't feel like that for many Cowboys who will suit up. It will feel like something else.
Home.
