Game Notes - Oklahoma State Welcomes No. 10 West Virginia For Homecoming

Saturday, October 29

Stillwater, OK

11 a.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

West Virginia

Photo by: OSU Athletics

Game Notes - Oklahoma State Welcomes No. 10 West Virginia For Homecoming

October 24, 2016 | Cowboy Football

Complete Release In PDF Format

Up Next for Oklahoma State Football
No. 10/9 West Virginia
11 a.m. CT | Oct 29, 2016 | Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218)

TV: FOX (Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Jenny Taft)
In Stillwater: Suddenlink 12/112, DirecTV 25, Dish 25, U-verse 25/1025
In OKC: Cox 12/712, DirecTV 25, Dish 25, U-verse 25/1025
In Tulsa: Cox 5/1005, DirecTV 23, Dish 23, U-verse 23/1023
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 136, XM Channel 199
Internet - Mobile App: http://okla.st/osutunein - TuneIn Radio App
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics
                The Oklahoma State football team (5-2 overall; 3-1 Big 12) returns home to take on West Virginia (6-0 overall; 3-0 Big 12) at 11 a.m. CT in Boone Pickens Stadium.

On the Air
                The game will be televised by FOX with Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Jenny Taft 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 outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast free of charge through TuneIn Radio or the TuneIn Radio app.

Ticket Information
                Tickets are available for Saturday's game starting at $90. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting okstate.com/tickets, by contacting the Oklahoma State ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU or by emailing tickets@okstate.edu. On Twitter, the Oklahoma State ticket office is @OSUFanEx.

Homecoming Activities
                Homecoming is a big deal at Oklahoma State. This year's Homecoming theme is "A Cowboy Dream". For a full list of activities, visit the OSU Alumni Association website, orangeconnection.org, but below is an abbreviated look at some of the events planned for the week:

Sunday, Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m. - Orange Fountain Dyeing at Edmon Low Library Fountain
Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. - Harvest Carnival and Chili Cook Off at the Payne County Expo Center
Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 5-7 p.m. - Hester Street Painting between Morrill and Athletic Avenues
Thursday, Oct. 27-Friday, Oct. 28 at Dusk - Orange Ambiance at OSU residence halls and Theta Pond
Friday, Oct. 28 from 5:30-9 p.m. - Walkaround in the Greek Neighborhood and then Homecoming and Hoops from 9-10:30 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 8 a.m. - Sea of Orange Parade on Main Street

Noting the Cowboys In Homecoming Games
                Oklahoma State owns an all-time record of 51-36-7 in homecoming games. The Cowboys have won seven of their last nine and 29 of their last 44 homecoming games.

Gundy Going For Career Win No. 100
                Head coach Mike Gundy enters this week's game with 99 career coaching victories. Only six active coaches have more wins at their current school. A look:

Most wins at current school among active coaches
1. 198 - Bill Snyder, Kansas State (25th year)
2. 184 - Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (18th year)
3. 147 - Gary Patterson, TCU (16th year)
4. 132 - Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (18th year)
5. 113 - Nick Saban, Alabama (10th year)
6. 102 - Kyle Whittingham, Utah (12th year)
- 99 - Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (12th year)
- 89 - Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (10th year)

In the Rankings
                Oklahoma State is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls. West Virginia is ranked No. 10 by the A.P. and No. 9 by the coaches.
                Since Mike Gundy took over as head coach in 2005, the Cowboys have beaten six ranked opponents while OSU was unranked by the Associated Press. Of those six wins, five came at home.

Wins Over A.P. Top-10 Teams Under Mike Gundy
Oct. 11, 2008 at No. 3 Missouri W, 28-23
•              Missouri entered the game averaging 53.4 points and 568.9 yards of total offense per game, but OSU's defense slowed the high-powered Tigers and the Cowboys' balanced offense made MU pay for exaggerating its defensive strategy to stop receiver Dez Bryant.

Sept. 24, 2011 at No. 8 Texas A&M       W, 30-29
•              Texas A&M held a 20-3 lead at half, but a furious rally from OSU fueled by tempo on offense and turnovers forced on defense paralyzed the Aggies in the second half. The Cowboys scored 27 unanswered points to start the second half.

Jan. 2, 2012 vs. No. 4 Stanford W, 41-38 (OT)
•              Stanford dominated on the ground and dominated time of possession in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, but it didn't matter, as six of OSU's seven scoring drives took less than two minutes off the clock.

Nov. 23, 2013 No. 3 Baylor         W, 49-17
•              Baylor entered the game averaging 61.2 points and 684.8 yards of offense per game, but the Cowboys buried the Bears by racing out to a 35-3 advantage through three quarters. OSU held Baylor 44 points and 231 yards below its season averages and the red zone stats were telling - Baylor was 1-for-4 with only a field goal, while OSU was 4-for-4, will all four scores being touchdowns.

Nov. 7, 2015 No. 5 TCU    W, 49-29
•              TCU entered the game ranked second in the nation in both scoring offense (48.9 ppg) and total offense (616.3 ypg), but the Cowboys intercepted Heisman hopeful Trevone Boykin four times and also recorded a goal line stand, plus forced a second turnover on downs in the red zone to cement their victory. OSU won the battle up front, sacking Boykin three times. Entering the game, Boykin had been sacked only five times in his previous eight games.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
                Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game riding a three-game Big 12 win streak. Some of the basics on OSU:

Offense
•              The Cowboys have essentially taken what opponents have given them this season. For example, Pittsburgh brought its safeties into the box and sold out to stop the OSU run game, so the Cowboys beat the Panthers over the top, amassing 540 passing yards and nine pass plays that went for 20 yards or longer. The following week, Baylor put safeties over the top, so OSU adjusted and rushed 55 times for a season-high 213 yards. Texas and Kansas also committed themselves to stopping the deep pass, so the Cowboys rushed 43 times and piled up 555 yards of offense against the Longhorns and rushed 46 times for a season-high 230 yards against the Jayhawks.

Defense
•              Defensively, forcing turnovers has been at the center of OSU's success. Through seven games, the Cowboys have forced 16 turnovers (2.3 per game) and have taken two of those back for defensive touchdowns. That does not count the two-point conversion that OSU created against Texas when it blocked a PAT and returned it for a score.
•              Additionally, OSU has consistently worked its way into opposing backfields, averaging 7.6 tackles for loss per game. Of the Cowboys' 18 sacks this season, 15.5 have come from defensive linemen.

Special Teams
•              Special teams have been a strong point for the Cowboys this year. The Pokes have blocked five kicks, have a net punting average of 41.0 yards, are averaging 13.6 yards per punt return and are limiting opponents to 16.8 yards per kickoff return.
•              Punter Zach Sinor is performing at a very high level. His 35 punts this year have yielded only 26 return yards for OSU's opponents. Of his 35 punts, 20 have been downed inside the 20-yard line with only one resulting in a touchback.

                Looking beyond just this season, turnovers and non-offensive touchdowns rank among Oklahoma State's signature traits this decade. In fact, the Cowboys rank second in the nation with 39 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010 and are third in America with 191 turnovers forced since 2010. Only Houston and Oregon have forced more during that time span.
                An explosive aerial attack has also been at the core of Oklahoma State's identity this decade, with the Cowboys ranking in the top 10 nationally in passing yards per game four times since 2010.
                On special teams, the Cowboys have a recent tradition of blocking kicks, as OSU has blocked 18 kicks since the start of the 2013 season to lead the FBS during that time span. The Cowboys lead the nation with five blocked kicks this season.

West Virginia From a Distance
                West Virginia is undefeated through six games and has enjoyed success on both sides of the ball. The Mountaineers rank in the top 15 nationally in both scoring defense and total offense.
                WVU has several solid wins on its résumé, with victories over Missouri, BYU, Kansas State, Texas Tech and TCU counted among its six triumphs, and the play of third-year quarterback Skyler Howard has a lot to do with that. The dual-threat senior averages 303.5 passing yards per game and, according to ESPN Stats and Info, ranks 16th nationally with a season QBR of 77.8. Howard's favorite targets are Daikiel Shorts, Shelton Gibson and Ka'Raun White. Running back Rushel Shell has carried 96 times for 465 yards and five touchdowns, though Justin Crawford and Howard are impactful figures in the run game as well.
                Defensively, Rasul Douglas and Noble Nwachukwu have been playmakers, as Douglas has amassed 32 tackles, three interceptions and four pass break-ups, while Nwachukwu has three sacks and five tackles for loss to his credit. Justin Arndt leads the team with 34 tackles.
                Kicker Mike Molina has successfully converted nine of his 12 field goal attempts, but has yet to make one from beyond 38 yards and has missed at least one field goal attempt in each of his last three games. Punter Billy Kinney averages a formidable 44.0 yards per punt.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Mark the 100th win of Mike Gundy's head coaching career, which would make him one of only seven active FBS coaches with at least 100 wins at their current school. The other six are Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson, Kirk Ferentz, Nick Saban and Kyle Whittingham.
• Improve the Cowboys to 4-1 in Big 12 play, marking the seventh time in the last nine seasons that OSU has won at least four of its first five conference games.
• Mark the Cowboys' second win over an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll this season.
• Mark the sixth time that the Cowboys have beaten a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since 2008.
• Mark the 19th 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.
• Mark the 12th time that the Cowboys have beaten a ranked opponent at Boone Pickens Stadium under Mike Gundy.
• Deadlock the all-time series between the Cowboys and West Virginia at four wins apiece.
• Move the Cowboys to 3-2 against West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Improve the Cowboys to 31-7 in their last 38 home games under Mike Gundy.
• Improve the Cowboys to 41-17 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the West Virginia Game
• Oklahoma State has won 17 of its last 22 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• Oklahoma State has won four of its five home games this season.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by an 89-40 margin in the first quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State's defense has forced at least one turnover in 17 of the last 18 games.
• Oklahoma State holds a 79-35 advantage in points off turnovers this season.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 27 of their last 28 games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 48 of their last 52 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown 26 touchdown passes against just four interceptions in his last 13 games, dating back to the 2015 season.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown just two interceptions in 255 pass attempts this season.
• Receiver James Washington has at least one catch in each of his last 26 games.
• Of Zach Sinor's 35 punts this season, 20 have been downed inside the opponent 20-yard line, with only one touchback. Sinor's 35 punts have yielded only 26 punt return yards for the opponent.
• Running back Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in three of the last four games. The only other Cowboy true freshmen to rush for 100 yards or more three times in a season are Thurman Thomas (three times in 1984) and Andre Richardson (three times in 1994).

The Series
                West Virginia holds a 4-3 series advantage over Oklahoma State, including a 2-1 edge over the Cowboys in Stillwater. OSU won last year's meeting in Morgantown, 33-26. Since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012, the two teams have split their four head-to-head meetings.

Connections
• West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen served as offensive coordinator under Mike Gundy at OSU in 2010.
• WVU offensive coordinator Joe Wickline served as offensive line coach under Mike Gundy at OSU from 2005-13.