Oklahoma State University Athletics
Eight Reasons Why OSU's Win Over UTSA Mattered
September 20, 2015 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER
– No. 25 Oklahoma State was a big winner over UTSA, claiming a 69-14 win over the Roadrunners in Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday. The win improved the Cowboys to 3-0 on the year. Among the notable items to come from the win:• The Cowboys, who entered the game with one forced turnover on the season, forced seven turnovers, which tied for the third-most in a game in school history. The last time the Cowboys forced seven turnovers in a game was against Baylor in 2000.
• Making those turnover numbers more impressive is the fact that UTSA entered the game having only turned the ball over twice on the year, ranking 31st nationally in fewest turnovers.
• The 55-point margin of victory was the sixth-largest for OSU during the modern era (1945-present). Four of those top six marks have come under Mike Gundy. It was also the second-largest margin of victory against a major college football opponent during the modern era.
• OSU's 69 points scored marked the fourth-most points in a game in school history during the modern era. It was the most points scored by an OSU team since the Cowboys scored 84 vs. Savannah State in 2012.
The Oklahoma State Win ...
• Improved the Cowboys to 3-0, marking the seventh time in 10-plus years under Mike Gundythat OSU has had a perfect record after three games.
• Was the Cowboys' fifth consecutive win, dating back to last season.
• Improved the Cowboys to 21-3 in their last 24 non-conference games and to 7-0 against current members of Conference USA during the Mike Gundy era.
• Improved the Cowboys to 40-5 in their last 45 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
With 12 different Cowboys catching at least one pass, seven OSU players credited with rushing attempts and 31 Pokes recording defensive statistics in the contest, balance was the name of the game. That said, there were standout performers in all phases of the game.
Offense
Mason Rudolph
Quarterback | 6-5 | 220 | Sophomore | Rock Hill, S.C.
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 74 percent of his passes and had a passer rating of 204.9 in leading the Cowboys to a 69-14 win over UTSA in Stillwater last week. Rudolph completed 17-of-23 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Roadrunners. He averaged 16.5 yards per completion and 12.2 yards per attempt. He completed 10 of his final 11 passes to close out the game. On the year, Rudolph has completed 62-of-90 passes (68.9 pct.) for 947 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception. He averages 315.7 passing yards per game and has a season passer rating of 173.39.
Defense
Deric Robertson
Safety | 6-2 | 205 | Junior | Killeen, Texas
One of the central storylines for Oklahoma State's defense going into last week's 69-14 win over UTSA was that the Cowboys needed to force more turnovers. OSU responded in a big way, forcing seven in the contest, and safety Deric Robertson led the way by recovering two fumbles and returning one of them 22 yards for a touchdown. Robertson's two fumble recoveries match the second-best single-game mark in school history. The last time an OSU player recovered two fumbles in a game was 2011. Robertson's work was a vital part of the Cowboys posting the
Special Teams
Ben Grogan
Kicker | 6-1 | 186 | Junior | Arlington, Texas
Oklahoma State kicker Ben Grogan accounted for 14 points in the Cowboys' 69-14 win over UTSA last week. He was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts (of 43 and 24 yards, respectively) and connected on each of his eight PAT attempts. Grogan's performances in the Cowboys' first two games had been criticized, but he rebounded with a perfect outing against the Roadrunners. In addition to his work on placements in the contest, he also kicked off 10 times. Two of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and the other eight yielded an average of only 19.5 yards per return by UTSA.
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
