Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Ten Reasons Why The Win At Iowa State Mattered
November 15, 2015 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State erased a 17-point deficit to score a 35-31 win over Iowa State in Ames yesterday. It was OSU's fifth come-from-behind win of the year and marked the third time this season that OSU won a game after trailing by at least 15 points. Here are ten reasons why the win was important:
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 10-0, keeping OSU firmly in the hunt for both the Big 12 title and for a spot in the College Football Playoff with only two games to go.
• Made it so the Cowboys are one of only five unbeaten teams remaining in college football and the only unbeaten Big 12 team left standing.
• Marked just the second time in school history that the Cowboys have been undefeated after 10 games. The previous occasion came in 2011, when the Cowboys finished 12-1, won the Big 12 championship and missed out on a spot in the BCS national championship by just 0.0086 of a point. The Cowboys of 2011 went on to beat Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Marked the fourth time during the Mike Gundy era (2005-present) that the Cowboys have won at least 10 games in a season. The Cowboys now have seven 10-win seasons in their history. Gundy has been head coach for four (2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015) and was the starting quarterback for two (1987, 1988).
• Was the Cowboys' 12th consecutive win, dating back to last season, establishing the second-longest win streak in school history. OSU rattled off 13 straight wins from 1944-46 for the school record.
• Was the Cowboys' sixth in their last seven meetings with Iowa State and their second straight over ISU in Jack Trice Stadium.
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0 on the road this year and 11-4 in their last 15 road games, dating back to the start of the 2013 season.
• Marked the first time since 2010 the Cowboys finished the year undefeated on the road. It is also the sixth time in school history that OSU has finished the season unbeaten on the road.
• Extended OSU's road win streak to six games. Six straight road wins trails only the 11-game road win streak that OSU put together from 1943-45 and the 10-game road win streak compiled from Oct. 8, 2010 through Nov. 18, 2011.
• Improved Mason Rudolph's record to 12-1 as Oklahoma State's starting quarterback.
There were several notable performances in the game, not the least of which were the following three:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
Quarterback | 6-4 | 220 | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph was spectacular in the clutch in keeping Oklahoma State undefeated with a win at Iowa State. Rudolph completed 8-of-10 passes on third down for 148 yards and more importantly – eight first downs. He averaged 14.8 yards per pass attempt and 18.5 yards per pass completion on third down. Making Rudolph's showing even more clutch is the fact that the average distance faced on third-down plays for OSU during the game was 8.8 yards. For the entire game, Rudolph completed 24-of-36 passes for 327 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In doing so, Rudolph pushed his season passing total to 3,161 yards – a mark that ranks third in school history behind only Brandon Weeden's 2010 and 2011 seasons and is the most ever for an OSU sophomore.
Defense
Emmanuel Ogbah
Defensive End | 6-4 | 275 | Junior | Houston, Texas
As he has done time and again this season, Emmanuel Ogbah made plays when his team needed him the most. He had two sacks and two quarterback hurries as part of Oklahoma State's important 35-31 win over Iowa State in Ames. Both of Ogbah's sacks came on third-down plays, with the first ending an Iowa State drive with 1:04 left in the first half and the second bringing a halt to a Cyclone drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The timing of Ogbah's first sack was notable because it totally swung the momentum of the game. ISU had scored on each of its previous four possessions and was threatening to run away with the game, but after Ogbah's sack, the Cowboys settled in defensively and stopped the Cyclones on six of their next seven drives. Ogbah's second sack was also a difference-maker, because after Iowa State was forced to punt, the Cowboys went right down field and scored to make it a one-possession game and put all the pressure on ISU. With two sacks Saturday, Ogbah became the NCAA's active leader with 26 career sacks.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor
Punter | 5-11 | 195 | Redshirt Freshman | Castroville, Texas
Zach Sinor made one of the biggest plays of the game when he killed a punt at the Iowa State five yard line with 1:44 remaining in Oklahoma State's win in Ames. The Cowboys held a four-point lead at the time, so Sinor's punt forced the Cyclones to have to drive 95 yards with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts. Thanks to Sinor's punt, the Cowboys were able to dial up pressure and force an interception on the very next play to seal their win.
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 10-0, keeping OSU firmly in the hunt for both the Big 12 title and for a spot in the College Football Playoff with only two games to go.
• Made it so the Cowboys are one of only five unbeaten teams remaining in college football and the only unbeaten Big 12 team left standing.
• Marked just the second time in school history that the Cowboys have been undefeated after 10 games. The previous occasion came in 2011, when the Cowboys finished 12-1, won the Big 12 championship and missed out on a spot in the BCS national championship by just 0.0086 of a point. The Cowboys of 2011 went on to beat Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Marked the fourth time during the Mike Gundy era (2005-present) that the Cowboys have won at least 10 games in a season. The Cowboys now have seven 10-win seasons in their history. Gundy has been head coach for four (2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015) and was the starting quarterback for two (1987, 1988).
• Was the Cowboys' 12th consecutive win, dating back to last season, establishing the second-longest win streak in school history. OSU rattled off 13 straight wins from 1944-46 for the school record.
• Was the Cowboys' sixth in their last seven meetings with Iowa State and their second straight over ISU in Jack Trice Stadium.
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0 on the road this year and 11-4 in their last 15 road games, dating back to the start of the 2013 season.
• Marked the first time since 2010 the Cowboys finished the year undefeated on the road. It is also the sixth time in school history that OSU has finished the season unbeaten on the road.
• Extended OSU's road win streak to six games. Six straight road wins trails only the 11-game road win streak that OSU put together from 1943-45 and the 10-game road win streak compiled from Oct. 8, 2010 through Nov. 18, 2011.
• Improved Mason Rudolph's record to 12-1 as Oklahoma State's starting quarterback.
There were several notable performances in the game, not the least of which were the following three:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
Quarterback | 6-4 | 220 | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph was spectacular in the clutch in keeping Oklahoma State undefeated with a win at Iowa State. Rudolph completed 8-of-10 passes on third down for 148 yards and more importantly – eight first downs. He averaged 14.8 yards per pass attempt and 18.5 yards per pass completion on third down. Making Rudolph's showing even more clutch is the fact that the average distance faced on third-down plays for OSU during the game was 8.8 yards. For the entire game, Rudolph completed 24-of-36 passes for 327 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In doing so, Rudolph pushed his season passing total to 3,161 yards – a mark that ranks third in school history behind only Brandon Weeden's 2010 and 2011 seasons and is the most ever for an OSU sophomore.
Defense
Emmanuel Ogbah
Defensive End | 6-4 | 275 | Junior | Houston, Texas
As he has done time and again this season, Emmanuel Ogbah made plays when his team needed him the most. He had two sacks and two quarterback hurries as part of Oklahoma State's important 35-31 win over Iowa State in Ames. Both of Ogbah's sacks came on third-down plays, with the first ending an Iowa State drive with 1:04 left in the first half and the second bringing a halt to a Cyclone drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The timing of Ogbah's first sack was notable because it totally swung the momentum of the game. ISU had scored on each of its previous four possessions and was threatening to run away with the game, but after Ogbah's sack, the Cowboys settled in defensively and stopped the Cyclones on six of their next seven drives. Ogbah's second sack was also a difference-maker, because after Iowa State was forced to punt, the Cowboys went right down field and scored to make it a one-possession game and put all the pressure on ISU. With two sacks Saturday, Ogbah became the NCAA's active leader with 26 career sacks.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor
Punter | 5-11 | 195 | Redshirt Freshman | Castroville, Texas
Zach Sinor made one of the biggest plays of the game when he killed a punt at the Iowa State five yard line with 1:44 remaining in Oklahoma State's win in Ames. The Cowboys held a four-point lead at the time, so Sinor's punt forced the Cyclones to have to drive 95 yards with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts. Thanks to Sinor's punt, the Cowboys were able to dial up pressure and force an interception on the very next play to seal their win.
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
