Game Notes - Oklahoma State Faces Stiff Road Test At Kansas State

Complete Release in PDF Format

Up next for Oklahoma State football
at Kansas State
2:30 p.m. CT | Nov. 5, 2016 | Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)

TV: ABC/ESPN2 (Allen Bestwick, Mike Bellotti and Kris Budden)
In Stillwater: Suddenlink 5/HD 105, DirecTV 5, Dish 5, U-verse 5/HD 1005
In OKC: KOCO – Cox 8/HD 705, DirecTV 5, Dish 5, U-verse 5/HD 1005
In Tulsa: KTUL – Cox 8/HD 1008, DirecTV 8, Dish 8, U-verse 8/HD 1008
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius 136, XM 199 (K-State feed)
Internet - Mobile App: http://okla.st/osutunein - TuneIn Radio App
--------------------------------------------

The Basics
                The Oklahoma State football team (6-2 overall; 4-1 Big 12) travels to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Kansas State (5-3 overall; 3-2 Big 12) at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

On the Air
                The game will be televised on an ABC/ESPN2 reverse mirror with Allen Bestwick, Mike Bellotti and Kris Budden 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.

Both Coaches Are Synonymous With Their Schools
                Mike Gundy and Bill Snyder have enjoyed success at Oklahoma State and Kansas State, respectively, for a long time now. A look at where both coaches rank nationally among active coaches in terms of games won at their current schools.

Most wins at current school among active coaches
1. 198   Bill Snyder, Kansas State - 25th year
2. 185   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
7. 100   Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State - 12th year

In the Rankings
                Oklahoma State is ranked No. 22 in both the Associated Press poll and the Amway Coaches Poll. Kansas State is not ranked by either organization. This marks the first week since playing Central Michigan that OSU has carried a ranking into a game and it marks the 79th time in the Cowboys' last 110 games that OSU has been ranked entering a game.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
                Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game riding a four-game Big 12 win streak and leads the league with a turnover margin of +1.25. The Cowboys have forced more turnovers than any Big 12 team and rank second in the league in fewest turnovers lost. Some of the basics on OSU:

Offense
• Everything on a stat sheet would point toward Oklahoma State being overly reliant on its passing game, but a closer look would reveal that for the first time since 2013, OSU is a threat to run the ball effectively. The Cowboys rushed 55 times at Baylor, 43 times against Texas and 46 times at Kansas. In Big 12 play, OSU has 12 rushing touchdowns and 11 passing touchdowns. True freshman running back Justice Hill has rushed for at least 120 yards in three of OSU's five Big 12 games.

Defense
• Forcing turnovers has been at the center of OSU's success. Through eight games, the Cowboys have forced 19 turnovers (2.4 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.
• Of the Cowboys' 22 sacks this season, 18.5 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 41.3 yards, are averaging 13.1 yards per punt return and are limiting opponents to 17.1 yards per kickoff return.
• Punter Zach Sinor is performing at a very high level. Sinor has punted 39 times for an average of 43.2 yards per punt. Of his 39 punts, 23 have been downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line with only one resulting in a touchback. Sinor has 11 punts of 50 yards or more. Thanks largely to Sinor, Oklahoma State ranks second in the Big 12 and 15th nationally in net punting.

                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.

Kansas State From a Distance
                Undefeated at home this year and winners in three of its last four overall, Kansas State is averaging nearly 30 points per game in its last four contests. On the year, the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in rushing defense, red zone offense, red zone defense, kickoff returns, time of possession and fewest turnovers lost. The Wildcats' 97.4 percent conversion rate in the red zone also leads the nation and their 102.3 rushing yards allowed per game ranks fifth in America. K-State allows a paltry 3.3 yards per rush and holds a 45-0 advantage over its opponents in points off turnovers.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Improve the Cowboys to 8-1 in their last nine true road games, dating back to 2014.
• Improve the Cowboys to 5-1 in Big 12 play, marking the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Cowboys have won at least five of their first six conference games.
• Mark the 11th straight season in which Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least seven victories.
• Mark the Cowboys' sixth win in their last eight meetings with the Wildcats and their first win in Manhattan since 2010.
• Improve the Cowboys to 39-24 all-time against Kansas State and 18-15 against the Wildcats in Manhattan.
• Improve the Cowboys to 51-6 in their last 57 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improve the Cowboys to 42-17 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Kansas State Game
• Oklahoma State has won 18 of its last 23 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• Oklahoma State has won seven of its last eight true road games, dating back to the 2014 season.
• Oklahoma State has scored at least 20 points in each of its last 24 games - the second-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Oregon's streak of 38 straight.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by a 95-43 margin in the first quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by a 66-30 margin in the fourth quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State's defense has forced nine turnovers in the last three games.
• Oklahoma State's defense has forced at least one turnover in 18 of the last 19 games.
• Oklahoma State holds a 48-7 advantage in points off turnovers in the last three games.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 28 of their last 29 games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 49 of their last 53 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph hasn't thrown an interception in his last 140 pass attempts.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown 29 touchdown passes against just four interceptions in his last 14 games, dating back to the 2015 season.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown just two interceptions in 291 pass attempts this season.
• Receiver James Washington has at least one catch in each of his last 27 games.
• Of Zach Sinor's 39 punts this season, 23 have been downed inside the opponent 20-yard line, with only one touchback. Sinor's 39 punts have yielded only 27 punt return yards for the opponent.
• Running back Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in three of the last five 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).

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)
The 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.

2015: Oklahoma State 36, Kansas State 34 (Stillwater)
After the Wildcats built a 28-13 lead late in the second quarter, the Cowboys rallied to take a 33-28 lead on quarterback Mason Rudolph's 3-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Sheperd with 6:06 to go. The Wildcats responded with a 94-yard drive capped by a Joe Hubener 8-yard touchdown run to take a 34-33 advantage with 3:01 left, but Ben Grogan made a 37-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining to lift No. 20 Oklahoma State to the narrow victory.

Connections
• Much of the career of Oklahoma State defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements was spent under the tutelage of Bill Snyder at Kansas State. During Clements' 16 combined years as a player, staffer and full-time assistant coach at K-State, the Wildcats won two Big 12 championships, four Big 12 North championships, won nine or more games in a season 11 times and won 10 or more games in a season nine times. Clements played defensive end at K-State from 1994-98. He was a member of five bowl teams with the Wildcats, highlighted by trips to the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls. Clements graduated from Kansas State in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in mass communications, then added a master's degree in counseling (student development) from K-State in 2009.
• Kansas State defensive ends coach Blake Seiler was a member of Oklahoma State's 2003 NCAA championship wrestling team before transferring to K-State. Wrestling at heavyweight, he compiled a 13-9 record as a redshirt competing in open tournaments.
• Kansas State co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Del Miller served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Bob Simmons at Oklahoma State for the 2000 season.
• Oklahoma State running back Justice Hill and Kansas State defensive back Dante Barnett both hail from Booker T. Washington HS in Tulsa.
• Oklahoma State defensive end Tralund Webber and Kansas State offensive lineman Abdul Beecham were teammates at Blinn College.
• Oklahoma State running back Chris Carson comes from the same Butler CC program that produced Kansas State linebacker Blake Richmeier, receiver Byron Pringle, tight end Matt Jones and long snapper David Tullis.
• Oklahoma State linebacker Kirk Tucker comes from the same Tucker HS program in Georgia that produced Kansas State defensive back Duke Shelley and linebackers Elijah Sullivan and Justin Hughes.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Game Notes - Oklahoma State Faces Stiff Road Test At Kansas State

Players Mentioned

Chris Carson

Ben Grogan

Justice Hill

Mason Rudolph

Brandon Sheperd

Zach Sinor

Kirk Tucker

James Washington

Tralund Webber

Related Videos