Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Oklahoma State vs. Florida State
August 24, 2014 | Cowboy Football
Complete Release in PDF Format 
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NO. 1 FLORIDA STATE
7 p.m. CT | Aug. 30, 2014 | AT&T Stadium (71,815 cap.)
TV: ABC Sports (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 5, DirecTV 5, Dish 5, U-verse 5
In Oklahoma City - Cox 8, DirecTV 5, Dish 5, U-verse 5
In Tulsa - Cox 8, DirecTV 8, Dish 8, U-verse 8
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
National Radio: ESPN Radio (Bill Rosinski, David Norrie and Joe Schad)
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 91, XM Channel 91
Live Stats: okstate.com
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THE BASICS
The Oklahoma State football team opens its 112th season when it battles reigning national champion and No. 1-ranked Florida State at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the 2014 AdvoCare Cowboys Classic.
ON THE AIR
The game will be televised by ABC Sports with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox 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.
ESPN Radio will be on hand as well, with Bill Rosinski, David Norrie and Joe Schad calling the action.
IN THE POLLS
Oklahoma State is unranked, but receiving votes in both the Associated Press and the Amway Coaches Poll. Florida State is No. 1 in both sets of rankings.
ESPN'S COLLEGE GAMEDAY ON HAND
ESPN's College Gameday program originates from the Oklahoma State-Florida State game this week, marking the sixth time that the Cowboys have been featured by the popular national pre-game show. The show will be set at Sundance Square in Fort Worth.
OSU hosted College Gameday for the 2004, 2008 and 2010 installations of Bedlam plus the 2013 win over Baylor. The 2003 Bedlam game in Norman and this year's neutral site clash with the Seminoles round out the list of OSU's appearances on College Gameday.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE WIN WOULD...
• Improve the Cowboys to 7-0 in their last seven season openers and 10-1 in their last 11 season openers.
• Be its fifth over a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll under coach Mike Gundy.
• Improve the Cowboys to 10-5 in their last 15 games against ranked opponents.
• Mark its first over a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll at game time.
• Mark its third win over a reigning national champion.
• Improve the Cowboys to 16-2 in their last 18 non-conference games.
• Improve the Cowboys to 12-2 in their last 14 games played in the state of Texas, dating back to 2010.
• Improve the Cowboys to 5-1 in their last six neutral-site games.
• Be Florida State's first loss since Nov. 24, 2012. The Seminoles enter the AdvoCare Cowboys Classic on a 16-game winning streak and as winners of 21 of their last 22 games.
AN OKLAHOMA STATE LOSS WOULD...
• Be the Cowboys' first season-opening defeat since a 35-14 setback at Georgia in 2007.
• Move the Cowboys to 9-6 in their last 15 games against ranked opponents.
• Move the Cowboys to 15-3 in their last 18 non-conference games.
• Move the Cowboys to 11-3 in their last 14 games played in the state of Texas, dating back to 2010.
• Move the Cowboys to 4-2 in their last six neutral-site games.
THE SERIES
Florida State holds a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series with Oklahoma State. The teams met twice in bowl games (the 1958 Bluegrass Bowl in Louisville and the 1985 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville) plus in a home-and-home series in 1977 and 1978.
The Cowboys' lone win over the Noles was a 15-6 decision in 1958. The 1985 Gator Bowl matchup between the two teams featured a pair of eventual Pro Football Hall of Famers in Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State) and Deion Sanders (Florida State). Thomas rushed for 97 yards and caught a touchdown pass and Sanders recorded an interception in that contest.
CONNECTIONS
• Oklahoma State offensive lineman Daniel Koenig is originally from Cape Coral, Fla.
• Florida State linebackers coach Bill Miller served as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State under Pat Jones from 1989-94. Previously, he was a graduate assistant under Jimmy Johnson on the OSU staff in 1979 and 1980.
• Oklahoma State receiver C.J. Curry and cornerback Darius Curry grew up in the Atlanta area (Flowery Branch), as did Florida State linebackers Terrance Smith (Decatur) and Ukeme Eligwe (Stone Mountain).
• Both Oklahoma State and Florida State boast Heisman Trophy winners, with OSU claiming 1988 winner Barry Sanders and Florida State claiming 1993 recipient Charlie Ward, 2000 winner Chris Weinke and 2013 honoree Jameis Winston.
• Weinke and former Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden both played several years of minor league baseball before turning in exceptional careers in college. The two quarterbacks made contact during Weeden's time at OSU and remain in touch.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE ANTHEM SINGER
Singing the national anthem on game day is former Oklahoma State defensive tackle Larry Harris. Harris lettered at OSU in 1974 and 1975 and went on to a seven-year career in the NFL after being selected in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.
After his playing days concluded, Harris moved on to a career in opera and has excelled as an award-winning baritone who has performed around the globe.
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. NO. 1
Entering the AdvoCare Cowboys Classic against top-ranked Florida State, Oklahoma State has faced the No. 1-ranked team in the Associated Press poll 10 times, most recently in 2008.
The Pokes remain in search of their first win over a team ranked No. 1, though OSU had near-misses in 1983 with a 14-10 loss to Nebraska, in 2000, with a 12-7 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma and in 2008 with a 28-24 setback at Texas.
The 2008 date with the Longhorns in Austin marked the only previous time during the Mike Gundy era that OSU faced the nation's top-ranked team.
GIANT KILLERS
Oklahoma State has more than held its own against elite competition since 2008 under coach Mike Gundy. During that time, the Cowboys have toppled four teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll, with three of those wins coming over teams ranked in the top five. Particularly notable is that three of those four wins came away from Stillwater. Those notable results:
2008 at No. 2 Missouri ...................................... W, 28-23
2011 at No. 8 Texas A&M ..................................W, 30-29
2011 vs. No. 4 Stanford (Tostitos Fiesta Bowl) .......W, 41-38
2013 vs. No. 3 Baylor ........................................W, 49-17
OSU AGAINST THE REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPS
The AdvoCare Cowboys Classic duel with Florida State is Oklahoma State's 16th all-time matchup against a reigning national champion. Two of the previous such contests resulted in OSU victories. The Cowboys dumped 2000 champ Oklahoma by a 16-13 score in 2001 and handed the 1975 champion Sooners a 31-24 defeat in 1976. Both those wins came in Norman.
When the Cowboys take on the Seminoles, it will mark the third time that OSU has opened a season by facing the reigning national champion. The Pokes started 1965 by taking on 1964 champ Arkansas and started 1995 by battling 1994 champ Nebraska.
NOTABLE STREAKS ENTERING THE FLORIDA STATE GAME
• Oklahoma State has won its last six season openers.
• Oklahoma State has won 15 of its last 17 non-conference games.
• Oklahoma State has won 11 of its last 13 games played in the state of Texas.
• Oklahoma State has scored 20 or more points in 52 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 35 games and in 51 of its last 52 contests.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 19 consecutive games when not committing a turnover.
• The Cowboys have forced at least one turnover in 21 straight games.
• OSU has either won or tied the turnover battle in 20 of its last 24 games.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 34 of their last 35 games when winning the turnover battle.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
When Oklahoma State takes on No. 1 Florida State, the Seminoles will be OSU's fifth consecutive ranked opponent and the sixth ranked opponent in the last seven games for the Cowboys, dating back to last year. A look at OSU's last seven games:
11/2/13 at No. 15 Texas Tech ..................................W, 52-34
11/9/13 vs. Kansas ................................................W, 42-6
11/16/13 at No. 23 Texas ........................................W, 38-13
11/23/13 vs. No. 3 Baylor ........................................W, 49-17
12/7/13 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma ....................................L, 33-24
1/4/14 vs. Vs. No. 9 Missouri (AT&T Cotton Bowl) .........L, 41-31
8/30/14 vs. No. 1 Florida State (in Arlington, Texas) ...... --
OKLAHOMA STATE IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Oklahoma State is 15-2 in its last 17 non-conference games, dating back to the start of the 2010 season.
It should be noted that OSU has not just beaten up on non-conference teams that can't compete. The Pokes have faced no fewer than three non-conference opponents that went on to play in bowl games per year during that span (Troy, Tulsa and Arizona in 2010; Louisiana, Tulsa and Stanford in 2011; Arizona, Louisiana and Purdue in 2012 and Mississippi State, UTSA and Missouri in 2013).
OKLAHOMA STATE IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
The Cowboys have won four of their last five neutral site games, claiming a 36-10 win over Arizona in the 2010 Alamo Bowl, a 41-38 win over Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, a 58-14 win over Purdue in the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl and a 21-3 win over Mississippi State in the 2013 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff. The lone loss came at the hands of No. 9 Missouri in the 2013 AT&T Cotton Bowl.
Since Mike Gundy took over the program in 2005, the Cowboys are 7-3 in neutral-site games.
OKLAHOMA STATE IN SEASON OPENERS
Oklahoma State is 67-40-5 all-time in season-openers, including an 8-1 mark under 10th-year head coach Mike Gundy. The Cowboys haven't lost a season-opener since 2007, when a Georgia squad that included Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno handed OSU a 35-14 setback in Athens. Since then, the Cowboys have won six straight season openers, headlined by a 24-10 triumph over No. 13 Georgia in the return game of that home-and-home series in 2009.
OKLAHOMA STATE IN NEUTRAL SITE SEASON OPENERS
The 2014 AdvoCare Cowboys Classic marks only the fourth time that Oklahoma State has opened a season playing on a neutral field. OSU went 2-1 in its previous three neutral-site openers with a 21-13 win over Texas Tech in 1943 and a 21-3 win over Mississippi State in 2013 to go with a 39-36 loss to Louisiana Tech in 2002.
ATTACKING POWER CONFERENCES IN WEEK ONE
For the sixth time in eight years, Oklahoma State opens against a team from one of the power conferences. The Cowboys have gone toe-to-toe with members of the ACC, SEC or Pac-12 to open 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and now 2014. OSU won four of those five season openers vs. Power-conference opposition, with two of those wins coming away from Stillwater.
SEASON OPENERS VS. RANKED TEAMS
This year marks the 12th time overall and the third time since 2007 that Oklahoma State opens a season against a team ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll. The Cowboys won three of their five most recent season openers vs. Ranked opponents.
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
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Oklahoma State roster includes 26 players from within an hour drive of Arlington. 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).
UNDER THE RADAR
Predicted to place fifth in the Big 12 in a preseason poll among members of the media who cover the conference, Oklahoma State enters 2014 with little fanfare or hype. Zero returning All-Americans. Zero all-conference performers. Zero preseason All-Americans. Zero preseason all-conference selections. In fact, the only Cowboy to earn any noteworthy preseason recognition was Tyreek Hill, who hasn't yet played a down for OSU and was tabbed as the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year by the media.
A look at where Oklahoma State was picked in the preseason Big 12 media poll each year since 2009 and where the Cowboys actually finished:
2009 - Picked 3rd in the Big 12 South/Finished 2nd in the Big 12 South
2010 - Picked 5th in the Big 12 South/Finished tied for 1st in the Big 12 South
2011 - Picked 3rd/Finished 1st
2012 - Picked 4th/Finished tied for 3rd
2013 - Picked 1st/Finished tied for 2nd
ROSTER ANALYSIS - RETURNING STARTERS AND LETTERWINNERS
Only six players on the OSU roster - defensive tackle James Castleman, defensive end Jimmy Bean, linebacker Ryan Simmons, receiver Jhajuan Seales, offensive lineman Daniel Koenig and cornerback Kevin Peterson - have more than 10 career starts. That group of six players has combined for 97 career starts entering 2014. The rest of the OSU roster has combined for 47 career starts entering 2014. Only 12 players on the 2014 active roster have more than one career letter to their name.
NEW BEGINNINGS
According to research done by Phil Steele, Oklahoma State has the lowest percentage of returning letterwinners from 2013 of any team in the country. His findings:
Oklahoma State - 54.29%
Louisiana Tech - 55.38%
Kansas - 56.14%
Western Michigan - 56.52%
Arizona State - 56.92%
Georgia State - 58.33%
New Mexico State - 58.73%
Boston College - 59.32%
Tennessee - 59.72%
Kansas State - 60.00%
ROSTER ANALYSIS - RECRUITING
Oklahoma State's roster is among the nation's least experienced in 2014. Preseason prognosticators deemed no Cowboys to be worthy of preseason All-Big 12 recognition. That said, OSU has a stable of talented players who simply lack experience. While difficult to quantify that claim without statistics or on-field performance, it should be noted that OSU's active roster includes 24 players who garnered a four-star ranking or better as recruits according to the databases of Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com.
GUNDY, COWBOYS HAVE RELOADED BEFORE
The primary question that observers have about the Cowboys entering 2014 is can this group maintain the high standard of on-field performance that OSU has become accustomed to in recent years despite all the question marks that come with a depth chart that is heavily populated with unproven players?
Of course, the answer won't reveal itself until the games are played, but OSU's history under Gundy provides reason for optimism. 2008 and 2010 are two preseasons of the Gundy era that mirror 2014. A look:
• Entering 2008, OSU was solid at quarterback with dual-threat performer Zac Robinson and was strong at tight end with an established senior in Brandon Pettigrew. Other than that, question marks abounded going in. As the season progressed, a pair of sophomores, wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter, went on to earn consensus All-America honors and little-known junior offensive tackle Russell Okung established himself as a star before earning unanimous All-America honors the following season. As it turned out, that 2008 roster of unknowns included 24 players who went on to see action in the NFL after their time in Stillwater and the Cowboys went from being unranked in the preseason that year to as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
• In 2010, the Cowboys were picked fifth in the six-team Big 12 South, but a pair of previously-unproven players in quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon exploded onto the national scene and led the Pokes to 11 wins and a share of the Big 12 South title. As it turned out, the 2010 Cowboy squad that was written off prior to the season in part because of a lack of established players actually had 19 who went on to the NFL.
NON-TRADITIONAL STATS TELL THE STORY
It's well known that Big 12 offenses operate at a fast pace, which results in Big 12 defenses being on the field for more plays than defenses from teams in other conferences. That said, how does one accurately judge the quality of a defense when its stats get skewed by the general pace of play? Some notes on the Oklahoma State defense in 2013:
• The Cowboys defended 1,049 plays last year - the highest total in the Big 12 - yet still led the league and ranked 19th nationally in scoring defense.
• Among the teams who finished 2013 in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, nobody defended more possessions than Oklahoma State's 205.
• Oklahoma State ranked 52nd nationally in total defense by yielding 384.9 yards per game in 2013. However, when analyzed on a per-play basis to account for the up-tempo offense played by the Cowboys and by many of their opponents, the OSU defense looked much better, ranking 11th by surrendering only 4.77 yards per play.
• The Cowboys led the Big 12 and ranked sixth nationally in pass efficiency defense.
• The Oklahoma State defense led the Big 12 and ranked third nationally with 21 passes intercepted.
To sum it up, OSU's defensive coaches don't necessarily judge the defense based on traditional measures. Rather, they look at multiple factors when judging their own defense, but high on the priority list are the following: forcing turnovers, yards per play allowed, third down percentage, rush defense and minimizing big plays.
OKLAHOMA STATE SCHEDULE AMONG THE NATION'S MOST DIFFICULT
Oklahoma State came in at No. 12 on ESPN Insider's preseason strength of schedule rating. Similarly, the Cowboys were No. 13 on Phil Steele's preseason compilation of the nation's most difficult schedules.
