Oklahoma State University Athletics
Noting Oklahoma State's Home Openers
September 03, 2014 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER - Oklahoma State opens the 2014 home slate against Missouri State at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium. The Cowboys have won 18 straight home openers, dating back to a 1995 setback at the hands of a Nebraska squad that was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time of that contest and went on to win the national championship.
The Cowboys have scored 56 points or more in five of their past six home openers and the average score of an OSU home opener during that span is 58-17 in favor of the Pokes.
A look at OSU's 18-game winning streak in home openers:
1996 vs. MISSOURI STATE........................W, 23-20
1997 vs. FRESNO STATE............................W, 35-0
1998 vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE...............W, 42-23
1999 vs. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE.........W, 24-7
2000 vs. TEXAS STATE...............................W, 23-0
2001 vs. LOUISIANA TECH........................W, 30-23
2002 vs. NORTHERN IOWA.........................W, 45-10
2003 vs. WYOMING.......................................W, 48-24
2004 vs. TULSA...........................................W, 38-21
2005 vs. MONTANA STATE.........................W, 15-10
2006 vs. MISSOURI STATE........................W, 52-10
2007 vs. FLORIDA ATLANTIC..................W, 42-6
2008 vs. HOUSTON.......................................W, 56-37
2009 vs. No. 13 GEORGIA........................W, 24-10
2010 vs. WASHINGTON STATE..................W, 65-17
2011 vs. LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE.........W, 61-34
2012 vs. SAVANNAH STATE........................W, 84-0
2013 vs. LAMAR...........................................W, 59-3
Without question, the most prominent of those home openers came in 2009, when the Cowboys handed No. 13 Georgia a 24-10 defeat on the same day that Boone Pickens Stadium enjoyed its grand opening celebration. Quarterback Zac Robinson threw two touchdown passes to Dez Bryant and rushed for another and the OSU defense limited UGA to 257 yards of offense in that contest.
Last year's home opener saw the Cowboys roll to a 59-3 defeat of Lamar. 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. A total of 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.
This season marks the third time since 1995 that Oklahoma State has hosted Missouri State in its home opener. In 1996, the Cowboys and Bears tussled to a 23-20 OSU win in overtime. It was the first regular-season overtime game ever played in college football. In 2006, Perrish Cox returned the game's opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to set the tone for OSU's 52-10 win over the Bears.
