Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Ten Reasons Why The Win Over TCU Mattered
November 08, 2015 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State picked up one of the most impressive wins of the college football season when it handed No. 5 TCU a 49-29 beating in Stillwater yesterday. The Cowboys held a 35-9 lead in the third quarter before the Horned Frogs were able to make the game appear as if it were closer with some late scores.
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12 play, which keeps the Pokes firmly in the hunt for a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
• Made it so the Cowboys are one of only six unbeaten teams remaining in college football.
• Marked the fifth time that the Cowboys have beaten a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since 2008.
• Marked the 17th time that the Cowboys have beaten an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll since Mike Gundy took over as head coach in 2005.
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-0, marking just the third time in school history that the Cowboys have been undefeated after nine games. The previous occasions came as part of the two most successful seasons in school history – 1945 and 2011. The 1945 squad finished 9-0 and won the Sugar Bowl, and the 2011 squad went 12-1, won the Big 12 championship and missed out on a spot in the BCS national championship game by just 0.0086 of a point in the BCS computer system. The 2011 team went on to beat Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Was the Cowboys' 11th consecutive win dating back to last season, marking OSU's longest win streak since the Pokes rattled off 11-straight wins from Dec. 29, 2010 to Nov. 18, 2011. Eleven-straight wins matches the second-longest winning streak in school history. The Pokes won 13 straight from 1944-46 and 11 straight from 2010-11.
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0 at home this year and 43-9 in their last 52 games played in Boone Pickens Stadium dating back to the start of the 2008 season.
• Was the Cowboys' fourth in their last five meetings with TCU and their third in four meetings over the Horned Frogs since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Improved the Cowboys to 26-6 in their last 32 games played against teams from the state of Texas dating back to 2009.
• Marked the seventh time in the last eight seasons that OSU has won at least five home games.
There were several notable performances in the game, including receiver James Washington's five catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns, but here were some of the finest in each of the three phases of the game:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
QB | 6-4 | 220 | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 16-of-24 passes for 352 yards with five touchdowns against no interceptions in OSU's 49-29 victory over No. 5 TCU, which was perhaps the most impressive win for any team in college football this season. Playing on the biggest stage of his career to date, Rudolph set career highs with five touchdown passes and a 258.6 passer rating. His five touchdown passes matched the fourth-highest single-game total in school history and were the most ever for a Cowboy facing a ranked opponent. Rudolph didn't pile up his numbers by inching the ball down the field - he averaged 22.0 yards per completion, 14.7 yards per attempt and had touchdown passes of 48 yards, 50 yards, 82 yards and 74 yards. In his last three games, Rudolph has thrown eight touchdowns against just one interception. He has passed for 2,834 yards this season, a mark that ranks fifth in school history and his the second-most ever for an OSU sophomore, trailing only the 3,145 yards from Josh Fields in 2002.
Defense
Chad Whitener
LB | 6-1 | 240 | Redshirt Sophomore | Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield/California
Chad Whitener was one yard away from notching two interception returns for touchdowns against Heisman Trophy-hopeful Trevone Boykin and TCU as part of Oklahoma State's 49-29 win over the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs. As it was, Whitener logged a career-high 12 tackles and picked off two passes – one of which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown and the other of which he returned 23 yards to the TCU one-yard line to set up a J.W. Walsh touchdown run on the very next play. Whitener's two interceptions made him just the 10th player in school history to pick off more than one pass in a game. Whitener, who came to OSU as a walk-on and was thrust into the starting lineup when Ryan Simmons was lost for the season in week five, has 52 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions on the season.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor
P | 5-11 | 195 | Redshirt Freshman | Castroville, Texas/Medina Valley
Zach Sinor punted nine times against TCU, with six of those nine punts downed inside the 20 yard line, three downed inside the 10 yard line and two downed inside the TCU five yard line. Field position was a vital component of the Cowboys' win over the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs, as the average start for an OSU drive was the 34 yard line, while the average start for a TCU drive was the 23 yard line, thanks largely to the work of Sinor and the OSU punt cover unit. His six punts downed inside the 20 matched a school record set by Barry Vincent against Colorado in 1991. Of Sinor's nine punts against TCU, only one yielded a return of more than two yards.
The Oklahoma State Win...
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12 play, which keeps the Pokes firmly in the hunt for a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
• Made it so the Cowboys are one of only six unbeaten teams remaining in college football.
• Marked the fifth time that the Cowboys have beaten a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since 2008.
• Marked the 17th time that the Cowboys have beaten an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll since Mike Gundy took over as head coach in 2005.
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-0, marking just the third time in school history that the Cowboys have been undefeated after nine games. The previous occasions came as part of the two most successful seasons in school history – 1945 and 2011. The 1945 squad finished 9-0 and won the Sugar Bowl, and the 2011 squad went 12-1, won the Big 12 championship and missed out on a spot in the BCS national championship game by just 0.0086 of a point in the BCS computer system. The 2011 team went on to beat Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.
• Was the Cowboys' 11th consecutive win dating back to last season, marking OSU's longest win streak since the Pokes rattled off 11-straight wins from Dec. 29, 2010 to Nov. 18, 2011. Eleven-straight wins matches the second-longest winning streak in school history. The Pokes won 13 straight from 1944-46 and 11 straight from 2010-11.
• Improved the Cowboys to 5-0 at home this year and 43-9 in their last 52 games played in Boone Pickens Stadium dating back to the start of the 2008 season.
• Was the Cowboys' fourth in their last five meetings with TCU and their third in four meetings over the Horned Frogs since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Improved the Cowboys to 26-6 in their last 32 games played against teams from the state of Texas dating back to 2009.
• Marked the seventh time in the last eight seasons that OSU has won at least five home games.
There were several notable performances in the game, including receiver James Washington's five catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns, but here were some of the finest in each of the three phases of the game:
Offense
Mason Rudolph
QB | 6-4 | 220 | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 16-of-24 passes for 352 yards with five touchdowns against no interceptions in OSU's 49-29 victory over No. 5 TCU, which was perhaps the most impressive win for any team in college football this season. Playing on the biggest stage of his career to date, Rudolph set career highs with five touchdown passes and a 258.6 passer rating. His five touchdown passes matched the fourth-highest single-game total in school history and were the most ever for a Cowboy facing a ranked opponent. Rudolph didn't pile up his numbers by inching the ball down the field - he averaged 22.0 yards per completion, 14.7 yards per attempt and had touchdown passes of 48 yards, 50 yards, 82 yards and 74 yards. In his last three games, Rudolph has thrown eight touchdowns against just one interception. He has passed for 2,834 yards this season, a mark that ranks fifth in school history and his the second-most ever for an OSU sophomore, trailing only the 3,145 yards from Josh Fields in 2002.
Defense
Chad Whitener
LB | 6-1 | 240 | Redshirt Sophomore | Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield/California
Chad Whitener was one yard away from notching two interception returns for touchdowns against Heisman Trophy-hopeful Trevone Boykin and TCU as part of Oklahoma State's 49-29 win over the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs. As it was, Whitener logged a career-high 12 tackles and picked off two passes – one of which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown and the other of which he returned 23 yards to the TCU one-yard line to set up a J.W. Walsh touchdown run on the very next play. Whitener's two interceptions made him just the 10th player in school history to pick off more than one pass in a game. Whitener, who came to OSU as a walk-on and was thrust into the starting lineup when Ryan Simmons was lost for the season in week five, has 52 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions on the season.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor
P | 5-11 | 195 | Redshirt Freshman | Castroville, Texas/Medina Valley
Zach Sinor punted nine times against TCU, with six of those nine punts downed inside the 20 yard line, three downed inside the 10 yard line and two downed inside the TCU five yard line. Field position was a vital component of the Cowboys' win over the fifth-ranked Horned Frogs, as the average start for an OSU drive was the 34 yard line, while the average start for a TCU drive was the 23 yard line, thanks largely to the work of Sinor and the OSU punt cover unit. His six punts downed inside the 20 matched a school record set by Barry Vincent against Colorado in 1991. Of Sinor's nine punts against TCU, only one yielded a return of more than two yards.
Players Mentioned
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