Oklahoma State University Athletics
Ten Reasons Why OSU’s Win Over Texas Tech Mattered
November 13, 2016 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team defeated Texas Tech Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, 45-44, marking the Cowboys' eighth win of the season and keeping the Cowboys in the Big 12 title hunt. Some other key notes on the win:
The Oklahoma State win…
• Extended the Cowboys' current Big 12 winning streak to six games. Only three times before has OSU won six or more Big 12 games in a row. The Cowboys won seven in a row in 2011 and 2013, and won eight in a row from the end of 2014 through 2015.
• Marked the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least eight victories.
• Marked the Cowboys' eighth-straight win over Texas Tech, dating back to 2008.
• Marked the Cowboys' seventh-straight win over the Red Raiders in Stillwater, dating back to 2001.
• Moved the Cowboys to 10-2 vs. Texas Tech during the Mike Gundy era (2005-present).
• Improved the Cowboys to 6-1 in Big 12 play this season, marking the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Cowboys have won at least six conference games.
• Brought the Cowboys' final home record to 6-1 this season, matching 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 for the season-high for home victories during the Mike Gundy era.
• Improved the Cowboys to 52-6 in their last 58 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improved the Cowboys to 44-17 in Big 12 games since 2010. At 46-13, only Oklahoma has a better Big 12 record than OSU this decade.
• Improved OSU's record to 11-1 in its last 12 games decided by less than 10 points.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Mason Rudolph | Quarterback | Junior | 6-5 | 235 | Rock Hill, S.C.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 20-of-28 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions, and added a rushing touchdown in Oklahoma State's win over Texas Tech last week. It was his second straight game passing for more than 390 yards and completing at least 71 percent of his passes.
• Rudolph's 213.5 passer rating was the highest of any Big 12 quarterback last week and it marked his second straight week of having a passer rating above 200.
• Rudolph outdueled Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes head-to-head, passing for 395 yards on 28 attempts (14.1 yards per attempt) and 213.5 pass efficiency rating, in comparison to Mahomes' 344 passing yards on 51 attempts (6.9 yards per attempt) and 142.7 passer rating.
• Rudolph did the bulk of his damage by throwing down the field, evidenced by his seven completions that resulted in gains of 20 yards or longer and highlighted by an 82-yard touchdown strike on a deep post route to James Washington.
• Rudolph's performance against the Red Raiders brought his season passer rating to 165.1, a mark that ranks ninth in the country and would rank second in school history (min. 300 pass attempts) if the season ended today.
• On the year, Rudolph ranks fifth nationally with 338.4 passing yards per game and is also in the top 10 nationally in total offense, pass efficiency, yards per attempt and yards per completion and he is 12th nationally in touchdown passes and is 16th nationally in completion percentage.
• Rudolph's career average of 308.0 passing yards per game ranks fourth among active FBS quarterbacks and his career pass efficiency rating of 156.2 ranks eighth among active FBS quarterbacks.
Justice Hill | Running Back | 5-10 | 171 | Freshman | Tulsa, Okla.
• Justice Hill became the first freshman in Oklahoma State history to rush for 100 yards in four games when he carried 18 times for 126 yards (7.0 yards per carry) and a touchdown to spur the Cowboys to victory over Texas Tech last week.
• With the score deadlocked at halftime, Hill did his best work when his team needed him most in the second half, as 86 of his yards came after intermission.
• All four of Hill's 100-yard games have come against Big 12 opponents.
• On the year, Hill has carried 155 times for 789 yards and five touchdowns. In Big 12 games, he averages 5.3 yards per carry and 100.0 rushing yards per contest.
• Hill's 789 rushing yards this season rank him fourth among all FBS freshmen. That total ranks as the fourth-highest mark for a freshman in Oklahoma State history and the second-highest ever for a Cowboy true freshman. Only Thurman Thomas had more than Hill as a true freshman, with 843 rushing yards in 1984.
Defense
Justin Phillips | Linebacker | 6-0 | 235 | R-Sophomore | Pearland, Texas
• Making his first start since 2014, linebacker Justin Phillips had a significant impact in Oklahoma State's win over Texas Tech last week. He led all players with career-highs of 14 tackles and nine solo stops, added a sack and forced an important fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys immediately after Texas Tech recovered an onside kick in the fourth quarter.
• Phillips' 14 tackles against the Red Raiders marked the highest total in the Big 12 last week and were the highest single-game output for a Cowboy this season.
• Making Phillips' performance even more impressive is the fact that he entered the game with 17 tackles on the year, meaning that in one game, he nearly doubled his season output, and he did it in a game that was decided by a single point.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor | Punter | 5-10 | 215 | R-Sophomore | Castroville, Texas
• An All-America candidate and one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award presented to America's top punter, Zach Sinor punted three times for 130 yards (43.3 yards per punt), with two of his three punts being downed inside the 20-yard line and the third being downed right at the 20. Sinor's three punts yielded a total of only two punt return yards.
• On the year, Sinor leads all FBS punters with 60.5 percent of his punts being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
• Despite punting only 43 times this year, Sinor's 26 punts downed inside the 20 rank him third in the nation.
• Thanks largely to Sinor's ability to target punt with hang time, Oklahoma State ranks seventh nationally by allowing only 29 punt return yards this season.
• Among all FBS punters with a minimum of 25 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line, Sinor has the fewest number of punts that resulted in touchbacks with one.
The Oklahoma State win…
• Extended the Cowboys' current Big 12 winning streak to six games. Only three times before has OSU won six or more Big 12 games in a row. The Cowboys won seven in a row in 2011 and 2013, and won eight in a row from the end of 2014 through 2015.
• Marked the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least eight victories.
• Marked the Cowboys' eighth-straight win over Texas Tech, dating back to 2008.
• Marked the Cowboys' seventh-straight win over the Red Raiders in Stillwater, dating back to 2001.
• Moved the Cowboys to 10-2 vs. Texas Tech during the Mike Gundy era (2005-present).
• Improved the Cowboys to 6-1 in Big 12 play this season, marking the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Cowboys have won at least six conference games.
• Brought the Cowboys' final home record to 6-1 this season, matching 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 for the season-high for home victories during the Mike Gundy era.
• Improved the Cowboys to 52-6 in their last 58 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improved the Cowboys to 44-17 in Big 12 games since 2010. At 46-13, only Oklahoma has a better Big 12 record than OSU this decade.
• Improved OSU's record to 11-1 in its last 12 games decided by less than 10 points.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Mason Rudolph | Quarterback | Junior | 6-5 | 235 | Rock Hill, S.C.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph completed 20-of-28 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions, and added a rushing touchdown in Oklahoma State's win over Texas Tech last week. It was his second straight game passing for more than 390 yards and completing at least 71 percent of his passes.
• Rudolph's 213.5 passer rating was the highest of any Big 12 quarterback last week and it marked his second straight week of having a passer rating above 200.
• Rudolph outdueled Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes head-to-head, passing for 395 yards on 28 attempts (14.1 yards per attempt) and 213.5 pass efficiency rating, in comparison to Mahomes' 344 passing yards on 51 attempts (6.9 yards per attempt) and 142.7 passer rating.
• Rudolph did the bulk of his damage by throwing down the field, evidenced by his seven completions that resulted in gains of 20 yards or longer and highlighted by an 82-yard touchdown strike on a deep post route to James Washington.
• Rudolph's performance against the Red Raiders brought his season passer rating to 165.1, a mark that ranks ninth in the country and would rank second in school history (min. 300 pass attempts) if the season ended today.
• On the year, Rudolph ranks fifth nationally with 338.4 passing yards per game and is also in the top 10 nationally in total offense, pass efficiency, yards per attempt and yards per completion and he is 12th nationally in touchdown passes and is 16th nationally in completion percentage.
• Rudolph's career average of 308.0 passing yards per game ranks fourth among active FBS quarterbacks and his career pass efficiency rating of 156.2 ranks eighth among active FBS quarterbacks.
Justice Hill | Running Back | 5-10 | 171 | Freshman | Tulsa, Okla.
• Justice Hill became the first freshman in Oklahoma State history to rush for 100 yards in four games when he carried 18 times for 126 yards (7.0 yards per carry) and a touchdown to spur the Cowboys to victory over Texas Tech last week.
• With the score deadlocked at halftime, Hill did his best work when his team needed him most in the second half, as 86 of his yards came after intermission.
• All four of Hill's 100-yard games have come against Big 12 opponents.
• On the year, Hill has carried 155 times for 789 yards and five touchdowns. In Big 12 games, he averages 5.3 yards per carry and 100.0 rushing yards per contest.
• Hill's 789 rushing yards this season rank him fourth among all FBS freshmen. That total ranks as the fourth-highest mark for a freshman in Oklahoma State history and the second-highest ever for a Cowboy true freshman. Only Thurman Thomas had more than Hill as a true freshman, with 843 rushing yards in 1984.
Defense
Justin Phillips | Linebacker | 6-0 | 235 | R-Sophomore | Pearland, Texas
• Making his first start since 2014, linebacker Justin Phillips had a significant impact in Oklahoma State's win over Texas Tech last week. He led all players with career-highs of 14 tackles and nine solo stops, added a sack and forced an important fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys immediately after Texas Tech recovered an onside kick in the fourth quarter.
• Phillips' 14 tackles against the Red Raiders marked the highest total in the Big 12 last week and were the highest single-game output for a Cowboy this season.
• Making Phillips' performance even more impressive is the fact that he entered the game with 17 tackles on the year, meaning that in one game, he nearly doubled his season output, and he did it in a game that was decided by a single point.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor | Punter | 5-10 | 215 | R-Sophomore | Castroville, Texas
• An All-America candidate and one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award presented to America's top punter, Zach Sinor punted three times for 130 yards (43.3 yards per punt), with two of his three punts being downed inside the 20-yard line and the third being downed right at the 20. Sinor's three punts yielded a total of only two punt return yards.
• On the year, Sinor leads all FBS punters with 60.5 percent of his punts being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
• Despite punting only 43 times this year, Sinor's 26 punts downed inside the 20 rank him third in the nation.
• Thanks largely to Sinor's ability to target punt with hang time, Oklahoma State ranks seventh nationally by allowing only 29 punt return yards this season.
• Among all FBS punters with a minimum of 25 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line, Sinor has the fewest number of punts that resulted in touchbacks with one.
Players Mentioned
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