A Deep Dive Into Saturday's Oklahoma State-Texas Game

Saturday, September 26

Austin, TX

2:30 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Texas

Photo by: OSU Athletics

September 21, 2015 | Cowboy Football

Complete Release In PDF Format

Up Next For Cowboy Football
at Texas
2:30 p.m. CT | Sept. 26, 2015 | DKR Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)

TV: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Dr. Jerry Punch)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 31/HD 231, DirecTV 206, Dish 140, U-verse 602
In OKC - Cox 29/HD 720, DirecTV 206, Dish 140, U-verse 602/HD 1602
In Tulsa - Cox 1025, DirecTV 206, Dish 140, U-verse 1602
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
(Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius 118, XM 202 (Texas Feed)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics

Oklahoma State (3-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens Big 12 play when it travels to Austin to clash with Texas (1-2 overall; 0-0 Big 12) at 2:30 p.m. CT in Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium. The Cowboys have beaten the Longhorns in each of their last three trips to Austin.

On the Air

The game will be televised by ESPN with Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Dr. Jerry Punch on the call. 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. Fans can listen to the game online at http://okla.st/osutunein.

In the Polls

Oklahoma State is ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll and is No. 22 in the Amway Coaches Poll. Texas is unranked in both polls. Since 2008, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the Associated Press poll in 68 of its last 93 games played.

Oklahoma State From a Distance

Oklahoma State ran through the non-conference portion of its schedule by winning its three games by an average score of 42-12. The Cowboys are one of only three teams in the nation to rank in the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense, joining Georgia Tech and West Virginia.
Among Oklahoma State's strengths early on have been the passing game, defensive line play and covering punts. Sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph ranks in the top 10 nationally in passing yards, yards per completion and yards per pass attempt. He is 12th nationally with a pass efficiency rating of 173.4. Led by junior defensive end and All-America candidate Emmanuel Ogbah, the defensive line has been a significant part of the Cowboys ranking in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense, tackles for loss, sacks and turnovers gained. Despite playing with a freshman punter, OSU has been outstanding in its punt coverage, evidenced by the fact that Zach Sinor has punted 15 times through three games with zero punt return yards allowed.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

• Improve the Cowboys to 4-0, marking the fourth time under Mike Gundy that OSU would have a perfect record after four games. The previous occasions were in 2008, 2010 and 2011. For some perspective on that, OSU had only three 4-0 starts from 1988 until Gundy took over in 2005 (1988, 1997 and 2004).
• Be the Cowboys' sixth consecutive win, dating back to last season, marking OSU's longest win streak since the Pokes rattled off seven straight wins in 2013.
• Be the Cowboys' fourth straight over Texas in Austin. OSU beat the Longhorns, 33-16 in 2010, 38-26 in 2011 and 38-13 in 2013.
• Be Mike Gundy's 50th win over a Big 12 opponent since taking over as Oklahoma State head coach in 2005. None of Gundy's predecessors as OSU football coach won more than 30 conference games. Among active Big 12 coaches, only Bill Snyder (109 Big 8/Big 12 wins in 23-plus seasons at Kansas State) and Bob Stoops (104 wins in 16-plus seasons at Oklahoma) have more than Gundy has amassed in 10-plus years at Oklahoma State.
• Improve the Cowboys to 7-2 in their last nine Big 12 openers.
• Improve the Cowboys to 41-5 in their last 46 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improve the Cowboys to 24-6 in their last 30 games played against teams from the state of Texas, dating back to 2009.

Notable Streaks Entering the Texas Game

• Oklahoma State has won its last five games, dating back to last season.
• Oklahoma State was won three straight over Texas in Austin.
• Oklahoma State has won 40 of its last 45 over unranked opponents.
• Jimmy Bean and Ryan Simmons have both started 29 consecutive games, which equates to starting every game since the start of the 2013 season.
• Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has at least one sack in nine of the last 11 games.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 22 consecutive games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 40 of their last 42 games when winning the turnover battle.

The Series

Oklahoma State and Texas have met 29 times, with the Longhorns holding a 24-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools. Three of Oklahoma State's five wins over Texas have come since 2010.

Oklahoma State's Last Three Trips To Austin

2010: No. 12 Oklahoma State 33, Texas 16 - Brandon Weeden passed for 409 yards and Kendall Hunter had two rushing touchdowns as No. 12 Oklahoma State ended a 12-year losing streak to Texas with an emphatic 33-16 victory in 2010.
    Hunter ran for 116 yards. Justin Blackmon had 145 yards receiving for the Cowboys, including a 67-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
    The Cowboys rolled up 308 yards in taking a 26-3 lead into halftime. Jeremy Smith ran for a touchdown and Weeden connected with Blackmon with a perfect throw for the touchdown that beat good coverage by Texas' best cover cornerback, Aaron Williams.
    In the third quarter, Hunter scampered 37 yards to the Texas 1 on a screen pass. He put the game away on the next play with his second touchdown that made it 33-3.
    The OSU defense did not allow the Longhorns to cross midfield from late in the first quarter until late in the third.

2011: No. 6 Oklahoma State 38, No. 22 Texas 26 - Oklahoma State became the first team to beat Texas in Austin two years in a row since 1911 when the Cowboys scored a 38-26 win at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
    The Cowboys utilized a balanced offensive attack, a stout defensive performance and a kickoff return touchdown from the special teams unit to stifle the homestanding Longhorns.
    The 26 points scored by Texas isn't the best indicator of how well the Cowboy defense played in the contest, because 16 of UT's points were scored with the Longhorn offense only needing to move the ball a total of 15 yards against the Pokes defense, as OSU allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown, the offense took a safety and the Longhorns punched in a touchdown on a 15-yard scoring drive after the Cowboy punt unit turned the ball over deep in OSU territory.
    The Cowboy defensive unit racked up a staggering 13 tackles for loss and forced three turnovers in the game, with defensive end Jamie Blatnick leading the way with nine tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry.

2013: No. 12 Oklahoma State 38, No. 23 Texas 13 - Playing without top playmaker Josh Stewart, Oklahoma State beat No. 23 Texas in Austin, 38-13.
    Justin Gilbert intercepted two passes, returning one 43 yards for a touchdown just before halftime to give the Cowboys a 28-10 lead and effectively put the game out of reach.
    Quarterback Clint Chelf rushed for a pair of first-half touchdowns and passed for an additional two scores to spur the Cowboy offense. Chelf completed 16-of-22 passes for 197 yards and two scores and rushed for a career-high 95 yards in the contest.

Good Starts Under Gundy

Since Mike Gundy took over as head coach at Oklahoma State in 2005, the Cowboys have compiled a 33-7 record in the month of September (82.5 pct).

Oklahoma State vs. Unranked Opponents

Since the start of the 2010 season, Oklahoma State is 40-5 against teams not ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Cowboys have won 28 of their last 29 home games over unranked opponents. The only unranked team to beat OSU in Boone Pickens Stadium since 2010 was Texas last season.
Starting with the Cowboys' 2012 Heart of Dallas Bowl win over Purdue, OSU has won 16 of its last 18 overall against unranked opponents.

Red River Powerhouse

Oklahoma State is 23-6 in its last 29 games against teams from the state of Texas, dating back to 2009. The Cowboys have won nine of their last 11 against teams from the Lone Star State, dating back to 2013.