Game Notes - Cowboys Set For TCU Clash - Oklahoma State University Athletics

Saturday, November 19

Fort Worth, TX

11 a.m.

Oklahoma State University

TCU

Photo by: OSU Athletics

Game Notes - Cowboys Set For TCU Clash

November 14, 2016 | Cowboy Football

Complete Release in PDF Format

Up Next For Oklahoma State Football…
at TCU
11 a.m. CT | Nov. 19, 2016 | Amon G. Carter Stadium (45,000)

TV: FS1 (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Bruce Feldman)
In Stillwater: Suddenlink 37/237, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 652/1652
In OKC: Cox 67/728, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 652/1652
In Tulsa: Cox 1312, DirecTV 219, Dish 150, U-verse 652/1652
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius 136, XM 199 (TCU feed)
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 (8-2 overall; 6-1 Big 12) travels to Fort Worth to take on TCU (5-4 overall; 3-3 Big 12) at 11 a.m. CT on Nov. 19 in Amon G. Carter Stadium.

On the Air
                The game will be televised by FS1 with Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman 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 outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast free of charge through TuneIn Radio or the TuneIn Radio app.

In the Rankings
                Oklahoma State is No. 13 in both the Associated Press poll and the Amway Coaches Poll, a season-high for the Cowboys in both sets of rankings. Sitting at No. 13, OSU can now make the claim of reaching the top 15 of the Associated Press poll at some point in eight of the past nine seasons. The College Football Playoff rankings come out later this week. OSU has been included in the last eight sets of CFP rankings, dating back to 2015. That number figures to increase to nine. TCU is not ranked by either organization this week.
                This week's game marks the 81st time in the Cowboys' last 112 games that OSU has been ranked by the Associated Press entering a game

Both Coaches Are Synonymous With Their Schools
                Mike Gundy and Gary Patterson have enjoyed success at Oklahoma State and TCU, 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. 187   Bob Stoops, Oklahoma - 18th year
3. 148   Gary Patterson, TCU - 16th year
4. 133   Kirk Ferentz, Iowa - 18th year
5. 115   Nick Saban, Alabama - 10th year
6. 103   Kyle Whittingham, Utah - 12th year
7. 102   Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State - 12th year
-    90     Mark Dantonio, Michigan State - 10th year

Oklahoma State From a Distance
                Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game riding a six-game Big 12 win streak and leads the league in both turnovers forced (21) and turnover margin (+0.80). Some of the basics on OSU:

Offense
• In quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington, Oklahoma State has one of the most dangerous pass-combinations in the nation. True freshman running back Justice Hill has emerged as perhaps the best and most impactful newcomer in the Big 12 this season. While receiver Jalen McCleskey isn't discussed as much as Washington, he leads the team with 62 receptions and has three 100-yard games to his credit this season.

Defense
• Forcing turnovers has been at the center of OSU's success. Through 10 games, the Cowboys have forced 21 turnovers (2.1 per game) and have taken two of those back for defensive touchdowns. 14 different OSU players have been directly involved in a turnover, either by intercepting a pass or by recovering a fumble this season.
• Of the Cowboys' 26 sacks this season, 21.5 have come from defensive linemen, led by Vincent Taylor's 5.5.

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 40.5 yards, are averaging 12.1 yards per punt return and are limiting opponents to 18.4 yards per kickoff return.
• Punter Zach Sinor is performing at a very high level. Sinor has punted 43 times for an average of 43.0 yards per punt. Of his 43 punts, 26 have been downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line with only one resulting in a touchback. Sinor has 12 punts of 50 yards or more.

                Looking beyond just this season, turnovers and non-offensive touchdowns rank among Oklahoma State's signature traits this decade. In fact, the Cowboys rank third in the nation with 39 non-offensive touchdowns since 2010 and are third in America with 192 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, and that does not count what's happening this year, as the Pokes enter this week's game vs. TCU ranked sixth nationally in passing yards per game.
                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 rank second in the FBS during that time span. The Cowboys rank second in the nation with five blocked kicks this season.

TCU From a Distance
                TCU has lost two of its last three games, but is coming off a resounding 62-22 beating of No. 17 Baylor in Waco. The Horned Frogs have had two weeks to prepare for Oklahoma State, as they were off last week. TCU has four losses on the year, but three of them came by a combined total of 12 points - a 41-38 overtime loss to Arkansas, a 52-46 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma and a 27-24 overtime loss to Texas Tech - illustrating that just a handful of plays could have totally reshaped the perception of TCU's season.
                The Horned Frogs rank among the top 20 teams in the nation in passing offense and total offense and running back Kyle Hicks ranks among the Big 12 leaders with 789 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Kenny Hill is also a threat in the run game, with 80 carries for 331 yards and seven touchdowns. Taj Williams is the leader of the TCU receiving corps with 33 catches for 643 yards and five touchdowns, but it is a generally balanced group with Hicks, KaVontae Turpin, John Diarse and Jaelan Austin all heavily involved. Turpin's numbers would be more substantial, but he missed four games (two of which resulted in TCU defeats) earlier in the season. He returned in time for the Horned Frogs' game against Texas Tech and has played in each of the last two games.
                Defensively, TCU is elite when it comes to sacking opposing quarterbacks, as the Horned Frogs have piled up 34 sacks on the year to lead the Big 12 and rank second in the FBS. TCU has 66 tackles for loss this season, a mark that ranks among the top 25 in the nation and they limit opponents to only 3.4 yards per rush attempt. Travin Howard and Ty Summers are the top two tacklers in the Big 12 and Denzel Johnson, Aaron Curry, Josh Carraway, Mat Boesen and Nick Orr have all made their share of big plays as well.
                On special teams, the return game has been a strength for TCU, with Turpin, Desmon White and Deante Gray all a threat. Turpin has a punt return touchdown this season and is averaging 32.3 yards per kickoff return. Ryan Graf and Brandon Hatfield have split the kicking duties to this point and Adam Nunez averages 40.5 yards per punt.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Keep the Cowboys in control of their own destiny in the Big 12 title race.
• Extend the Cowboys' current Big 12 winning streak to seven games. Only three times before has OSU won seven or more Big 12 games in a row. The Cowboys won seven in a row in 2011 and again in 2013, and won eight in a row from the end of 2014 through 2015.
• Mark the seventh time in the last nine seasons that Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least nine victories.
• Mark the Cowboys' fourth win in five tries against TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Mark the Cowboys' first win over TCU in Fort Worth since 1947, though it should be noted that OSU has only played five times in Fort Worth since then, with two of those five games resulting in a tie.
• Improve the Cowboys to 29-8 in their last 37 games played against teams from the state of Texas.
• Improve the Cowboys to 7-1 in Big 12 play this season, marking the fourth time that OSU has won seven or more conference games in a season under Mike Gundy. For perspective on that, prior to the Gundy era, OSU had never won seven or more games in a conference season
• Improve the Cowboys to 9-1 in their last 10 true road games, dating back to 2014.
• Improve the Cowboys to 53-6 in their last 59 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improve the Cowboys to 45-17 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010. At 47-13, only Oklahoma has a better Big 12 record than OSU this decade.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the TCU Game
• Oklahoma State has won its last six games, good for the fourth-longest active win streak among Power Five schools.
• Oklahoma State has won eight of its last nine true road games, dating back to 2014.
• OSU is 11-1 in its last 12 games decided by less than 10 points.
• Oklahoma State has won three of the four meetings with TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• TCU has won the last three series meetings played in Fort Worth.
• Oklahoma State has trailed at some point in six of its last seven wins.
• Oklahoma State has won 20 of its last 25 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• Oklahoma State has scored at least 20 points in each of its last 26 games - the second-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Oregon's streak of 40 straight.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by a 123-63 margin in the first quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by an 81-46 margin in the fourth quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State has piled up at least 600 yards of offense in each its last two games, marking just the third time in school history that has happened (1988 and 2012).
• OSU's defense has forced 11 turnovers in the last five games.
• Oklahoma State's defense has forced at least one turnover in 20 of the last 21 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 has thrown 36 touchdown passes against just six interceptions in his last 16 games, dating back to the 2015 season.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has turned in a pass efficiency rating above 200 in each of his last two games.
• According to ESPN Stats and Info, quarterback Mason Rudolph has posted a QBR of 89.8, 88.2 and 85.9 in his last three games, against West Virginia, Kansas State and Texas Tech, respectively.
• Mason Rudolph and James Washington have connected on eight touchdown passes this year. Those eight touchdown passes have gone for an average of 47.4 yards per touchdown.
• Receiver James Washington has at least one catch in each of his last 29 games.
• Receiver James Washington has gone over 100 yards receiving in each of his last three games and the trio of Jalen McCleskey, Jhajuan Seales and Chris Lacy is averaging 193.5 receiving yards in the last two games.
• Running back Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in four of the last seven games. He is the only Oklahoma State freshman in history to rush for 100 yards or more in four games.

The Series
                Oklahoma State holds a 14-10-2 series advantage over TCU, including a 3-1 mark against the Horned Frogs since they joined the Big 12 in 2012. When playing in Fort Worth, however, TCU holds a 6-4-2 series lead over the Cowboys and has won each of the last three. OSU's last win in Fort Worth came in 1947, but, of course, the two teams did not play regularly in the years between then and the time TCU joined the Big 12.

Recapping Last Year's Meeting
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Mason Rudolph passed for 352 yards and five touchdowns, and No. 12 Oklahoma State tried to strengthen its case for a playoff spot in a 49-29 upset against No. 5 TCU on Saturday.
                James Washington caught five passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys, who have felt overlooked all season, despite their unbeaten record.
                TCU's Trevone Boykin, who has generated Heisman buzz all season, passed for 445 yards and ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw a career-high four interceptions. TCU (8-1, 5-1, No. 8 CFP) gained 663 yards, but the Horned Frogs were held scoreless in the red zone twice.
                TCU's Josh Doctson, the nation's leader in receiving yards, left the game in the second quarter with a left wrist injury and did not return.
                Shaun Nixon had career highs of nine catches and 146 yards, and KaVontae Turpin added seven catches for 107 yards for the Horned Frogs.
                Washington picked up right where he left off last week. The sophomore speedster had 200 yards on four catches against Texas Tech, with touchdown catches of 75 and 73 yards in the fourth quarter. He had catches of 48 and 50 yards in the first nine minutes against TCU.
                Rudolph connected with Jeff Carr on a screen pass for a 12-yard score that put the Cowboys up 21-9 early in the second quarter.
                After stopping TCU on fourth down in the red zone, Oklahoma State struck quickly. Rudolph connected with Marcell Ateman for an 83-yard touchdown pass to put the Cowboys up 28-9.
                Early in the second half, Oklahoma State linebacker Chad Whitener intercepted Boykin and returned it to the TCU 1-yard line. J.W. Walsh scored on the next play to make it 35-9.
                Whitener took Boykin's fourth interception back 42 yards for a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining.