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

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Up Next For Cowboy Football
Kansas State
3 p.m. CT | Oct. 3, 2015 | Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218 capacity)

TV: FS1 (Justin Kutcher, Steve Hutchinson & Bruce Feldman)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 505, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 652
In OKC - Cox 67/HD 728, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 652/HD 1652
In Tulsa - Cox 1312, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 1652
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
(Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 199, XM Channel 200
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics

Oklahoma State (4-0 overall; 1-0 Big 12) hosts Kansas State (3-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12 at 3 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

On the Air

The game will be televised by Fox Sports 1 with Justin Kutcher, Steve Hutchinson and Bruce Feldman 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. 20 in the Associated Press poll and is No. 19 in the Amway Coaches Poll. Kansas State is unranked, but receiving votes in both polls. Since 2008, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the Associated Press poll in 69 of its last 94 games played.

Oklahoma State From a Distance

    Off to a 4-0 start, Oklahoma State is coming off a thrilling 30-27 win at Texas in which the Cowboys trailed by three points with 1:34 remaining in the game, yet still won with a pair of field goals before the end of regulation. It marked the second time this season that the Cowboys won despite trailing after halftime.
    The strength of the team is the defensive line, evidenced by the fact that OSU ranks in the top 10 nationally in both sacks (fourth with 4.0 per game) and tackles for loss (seventh with 9.3 per game). Defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean are tied for the Big 12 lead with seven tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Vincent Taylor is third in the league with 6.0. Ogbah, last year's Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, is positioning himself as an All-America candidate again this year, as he has 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and six quarterback hurries in four games this season.
    Offensively, the passing game has been productive, with sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph ranked 10th nationally with 1,237 passing yards. Rudolph is also among the top 20 quarterbacks nationally in pass efficiency, passing yards per completion and yards per pass attempt. Rudolph has been a standout, but J.W. Walsh also factors into the mix - especially by the goal line, as the fifth-year senior has a 220.53 pass efficiency rating on the year, with three passing TDs on nine attempts. He also has two rushing touchdowns. Of his seven third-down rushing attempts this season, six have resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

• Improve the Cowboys to 5-0, marking the fourth time under Mike Gundy that OSU would have a perfect record after five games. The previous three occasions were in 2008, 2010 and 2011. For some perspective on that, OSU had only seven 5-0 starts in 103 seasons of football before Gundy took over in 2005.
• Be the Cowboys' seventh 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' fifth straight over Kansas State in Stillwater. The Pokes claimed a 38-34 win in 2003, a 41-39 victory in 2007, a 52-45 triumph in 2011 and a 33-29 success in 2013.
• Be Mike Gundy's 51st 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 42-5 in their last 47 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.

Notable Streaks Entering the Kansas State Game

• Oklahoma State has won its last six games, dating back to last season.
• Oklahoma State was won four straight over Kansas State in Stillwater.
• Oklahoma State has won 41 of its last 46 over unranked opponents.
• Oklahoma State has won its last nine games when playing as a ranked team facing an unranked opponent.
• Jimmy Bean and Ryan Simmons have both started 30 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 10 of the last 12 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 holds a 37-24 all-time series advantage over Kansas State, including a 20-9 edge over the Wildcats in Stillwater. Of the eight overall matchups since 2003, five were decided by a touchdown or less.
The series dates back to 1908. The two schools met every year from 1959-95 as members of the Big Eight Conference. Saturday marks the 62nd meeting between the two schools. OSU has only faced Oklahoma (109 times), Tulsa (72 times) and Kansas (65 times) more often than it has faced K-State.

Memorable Matchups

Oklahoma State and Kansas State have had a number of memorable matchups during the Mike Gundy era (2005-present). A look:

2006: Kansas State 31, Oklahoma State 27 (Manhattan)
Cowboys led by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, but K-State scored two touchdowns in the final 3:04 to wrestle the game away.

2007: Oklahoma State 41, Kansas State 39 (Stillwater)
The lead changed hands five times in the second half, but K-State was in position to win after taking a 39-38 lead following a touchdown and successful two-point conversion with 1:10 remaining. A Zac Robinson-to-Dantrell Savage 24-yard completion was the key play on a drive that set up Jason Ricks to nail the game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining.

2010: Oklahoma State 24, Kansas State 14 (Manhattan)
With Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Justin Blackmon out of action, an Oklahoma State defense that had been criticized and maligned all year stepped up to deliver the Cowboys to a 24-14 win by suffocating the Wildcat attack. OSU held K-State to 289 yards of offense and forced three turnovers.

2011: Oklahoma State 52, Kansas State 45 (Stillwater)
The highest-scoring game in series history saw K-State take a 38-37 lead with just more than five minutes remaining, but the two teams combined to score three touchdowns in the next three minutes, resulting in a 52-45 lead for OSU with 2:16 left. Quarterback Collin Klein then drove the Wildcats to first-and-goal at the OSU five yard line. The Cowboys broke up two passes in the end zone on first and second down, then forced an incomplete pass with no time remaining to seal a thrilling win.

2012: Kansas State 44, Oklahoma State 30 (Manhattan)
The second-most lopsided matchup of the series since 2003 hardly felt that way late in the fourth quarter when OSU quarterback Clint Chelf drove the Cowboys to the K-State eight yard line and OSU was looking to make it a one-score game with plenty of time to score again, but Allan Chapman picked off a pass in the end zone to preserve a Wildcat win. OSU trailed, 38-17, at halftime, but roared back behind Chelf to put a scare into an undefeated K-State squad that was angling for a national championship at the time.

2013: Oklahoma State 33, Kansas State 29 (Stillwater)
Oklahoma State forced Kansas State into committing five second-half turnovers in a game that featured eight lead-changes. K-State had two drives with the opportunity to take the lead in the last 4:13 of the game, but interceptions by Shaun Lewis and Daytawion Lowe slammed the door on the Wildcats. Kicker Ben Grogan connected on four field goals in the game - three in the second half - to help lift the Cowboys to victory.

Oklahoma State vs. Unranked Opponents

    Since the start of the 2010 season, Oklahoma State is 41-5 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 17 of its last 19 overall against unranked opponents.
    Dating back to a 2013 win over Kansas State, the Cowboys have won their last nine games when playing as a ranked team facing an unranked opponent.

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

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jimmy Bean

Ben Grogan

Emmanuel Ogbah

Mason Rudolph

Ryan Simmons

Vincent Taylor

J.W. Walsh

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jimmy Bean

Ben Grogan

Emmanuel Ogbah

Mason Rudolph

Ryan Simmons

Vincent Taylor

J.W. Walsh

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