Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Ten Reasons Why OSU’s Win Over TCU Mattered
November 20, 2016 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team defeated TCU on the road Saturday, 31-6, and set up a winner-take-all Bedlam game for the Big 12 championship on Dec. 3. The Cowboys surpassed 300 rushing yards as a team for the first time since 2013 and held their opponent to a season-low six points in the process. Some other key notes on the win:
The Oklahoma State win…
• Keeps the Cowboys in control of their own destiny in the Big 12 title race.
• Extended 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.
• Marked the seventh time in the last nine seasons that Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least nine victories.
• Marked the Cowboys' fourth win in five tries against TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Marked 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.
• Improved the Cowboys to 29-8 in their last 37 games played against teams from the state of Texas.
• Improved 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
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-1 in their last 10 true road games, dating back to 2014.
• Improved the Cowboys to 53-6 in their last 59 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improved 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.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Chris Carson | Running Back | 6-1 | 215 | Senior | Lilburn, GA
· Oklahoma State running back Chris Carson carried 17 times for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU. He also caught a pass for 10 yards. Entering the game, TCU had not allowed any opposing player to rush for more than 137 yards this season.
· Carson has been a central figure in the Cowboys' late-season push, as he has averaged 96.0 yards per game in the last three contests with an average of 8.5 yards per carry.
· Carson teamed up with Justice Hill to become the first two OSU running backs to both eclipse the century mark in a road game since Charles Crawford and Shawn Jones accomplished the feat in the 1984 season opener at Arizona State.
· OSU rushed for 334 yards in the game against TCU. For perspective on that, the Horned Frogs hadn't given up that many rushing yards in a home game since at least 2003 and hadn't allowed two 100-yard rushers in a game since 2007.
Justice Hill | Running Back | 5-10 | 171 | Freshman | Tulsa, OK
· A strong candidate for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Freshman All-America honors, Justice Hill rushed 16 times for 154 yards (9.6 yards per carry) as part of Oklahoma State's 31-6 win at TCU. His 154 yards set a new high for any opposing player against the Horned Frogs this season.
· Hill's 154 rushing yards against TCU upped his season total to 943, a mark that passed the previous OSU single-season record for a true freshman set by Thurman Thomas in 1984. Hill needs 19 yards to pass Mike Hamilton's total of 961 rushing yards from 2005 for OSU's outright freshman record. Hamilton was a redshirt freshman that year.
· Hill teamed up with Chris Carson to become the first two OSU running backs to both eclipse the century mark in a road game since Charles Crawford and Shawn Jones accomplished the feat in the 1984 season opener at Arizona State. TCU had not allowed two opponents to rush for 100 yards in the same game since 2007.
· Hill has rushed for more than 100 yards five times this season, all of which came against Big 12 opponents. No other OSU freshman in history has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in more than three games.
· Of Hill's 943 rushing yards this season, 854 have come against Big 12 opponents. He's averaging 106.8 yards against Big 12 opponents.
· His 943 rushing yards this season are the most for any Big 12 freshman and rank him fourth nationally among all FBS freshmen.
Defense
Vincent Taylor | Defensive Tackle | 6-3 | 310 | R-Junior | San Antonio, TX
· Defensive tackle Vincent Taylor spearheaded Oklahoma State's spectacular defensive effort in the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU by blocking a kick, notching two tackles for loss and five tackles overall to continue his strong candidacy for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
· Taylor's performance against the Horned Frogs marked the third time in the last four games that he has registered at least five tackles. During that same four-game span, Taylor has also amassed eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
· In addition to the five tackles and two tackles for loss that he had against TCU, he was a consistently disruptive force in the Horned Frog backfield and often burst through and created tackle-for-loss opportunities for his teammates. With a significant portion of credit to Taylor, OSU finished the game with eight tackles for loss as a team and limited the Frogs to six points and 343 yards of total offense. For perspective on that, TCU entered the game averaging 37.4 points and 510.0 yards of offense per game. TCU hadn't been held under seven points in a game since 1998 and hadn't been held under seven points in a home game since 1995.
· Taylor's blocked kick against the Horned Frogs was his FBS-leading fourth of the season. Four blocked kicks in a single season matches Rod Warner's school-record total set in 1971.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor | Punter | 5-10 | 215 | R-Sophomore | Castroville, TX
· All-America and Ray Guy Award candidate Zach Sinor is the best in the country at downing punts inside the 20-yard line, and he was exceptional in that area as part of the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU, killing all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
· TCU's average starting field position after Sinor's three punts was its own 6-yard line.
· A strong candidate for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Sinor completely neutralized TCU's KaVonte Turpin, one of the nation's best return men. Turpin entered the contest averaging a staggering 28.8 yards per punt return, but thanks to Sinor's precision and hang time, Turpin finished with two returns for minus-eight yards.
· On the year, Sinor leads all FBS punters with 63 percent of his punts being downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He is the central reason why Oklahoma State ranks third in the nation by limiting opponents to 1.40 yards per punt return.
The Oklahoma State win…
• Keeps the Cowboys in control of their own destiny in the Big 12 title race.
• Extended 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.
• Marked the seventh time in the last nine seasons that Mike Gundy has led the Cowboys to at least nine victories.
• Marked the Cowboys' fourth win in five tries against TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Marked 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.
• Improved the Cowboys to 29-8 in their last 37 games played against teams from the state of Texas.
• Improved 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
• Improved the Cowboys to 9-1 in their last 10 true road games, dating back to 2014.
• Improved the Cowboys to 53-6 in their last 59 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Improved 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.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Chris Carson | Running Back | 6-1 | 215 | Senior | Lilburn, GA
· Oklahoma State running back Chris Carson carried 17 times for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU. He also caught a pass for 10 yards. Entering the game, TCU had not allowed any opposing player to rush for more than 137 yards this season.
· Carson has been a central figure in the Cowboys' late-season push, as he has averaged 96.0 yards per game in the last three contests with an average of 8.5 yards per carry.
· Carson teamed up with Justice Hill to become the first two OSU running backs to both eclipse the century mark in a road game since Charles Crawford and Shawn Jones accomplished the feat in the 1984 season opener at Arizona State.
· OSU rushed for 334 yards in the game against TCU. For perspective on that, the Horned Frogs hadn't given up that many rushing yards in a home game since at least 2003 and hadn't allowed two 100-yard rushers in a game since 2007.
Justice Hill | Running Back | 5-10 | 171 | Freshman | Tulsa, OK
· A strong candidate for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Freshman All-America honors, Justice Hill rushed 16 times for 154 yards (9.6 yards per carry) as part of Oklahoma State's 31-6 win at TCU. His 154 yards set a new high for any opposing player against the Horned Frogs this season.
· Hill's 154 rushing yards against TCU upped his season total to 943, a mark that passed the previous OSU single-season record for a true freshman set by Thurman Thomas in 1984. Hill needs 19 yards to pass Mike Hamilton's total of 961 rushing yards from 2005 for OSU's outright freshman record. Hamilton was a redshirt freshman that year.
· Hill teamed up with Chris Carson to become the first two OSU running backs to both eclipse the century mark in a road game since Charles Crawford and Shawn Jones accomplished the feat in the 1984 season opener at Arizona State. TCU had not allowed two opponents to rush for 100 yards in the same game since 2007.
· Hill has rushed for more than 100 yards five times this season, all of which came against Big 12 opponents. No other OSU freshman in history has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in more than three games.
· Of Hill's 943 rushing yards this season, 854 have come against Big 12 opponents. He's averaging 106.8 yards against Big 12 opponents.
· His 943 rushing yards this season are the most for any Big 12 freshman and rank him fourth nationally among all FBS freshmen.
Defense
Vincent Taylor | Defensive Tackle | 6-3 | 310 | R-Junior | San Antonio, TX
· Defensive tackle Vincent Taylor spearheaded Oklahoma State's spectacular defensive effort in the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU by blocking a kick, notching two tackles for loss and five tackles overall to continue his strong candidacy for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
· Taylor's performance against the Horned Frogs marked the third time in the last four games that he has registered at least five tackles. During that same four-game span, Taylor has also amassed eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
· In addition to the five tackles and two tackles for loss that he had against TCU, he was a consistently disruptive force in the Horned Frog backfield and often burst through and created tackle-for-loss opportunities for his teammates. With a significant portion of credit to Taylor, OSU finished the game with eight tackles for loss as a team and limited the Frogs to six points and 343 yards of total offense. For perspective on that, TCU entered the game averaging 37.4 points and 510.0 yards of offense per game. TCU hadn't been held under seven points in a game since 1998 and hadn't been held under seven points in a home game since 1995.
· Taylor's blocked kick against the Horned Frogs was his FBS-leading fourth of the season. Four blocked kicks in a single season matches Rod Warner's school-record total set in 1971.
Special Teams
Zach Sinor | Punter | 5-10 | 215 | R-Sophomore | Castroville, TX
· All-America and Ray Guy Award candidate Zach Sinor is the best in the country at downing punts inside the 20-yard line, and he was exceptional in that area as part of the Cowboys' 31-6 win at TCU, killing all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
· TCU's average starting field position after Sinor's three punts was its own 6-yard line.
· A strong candidate for Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, Sinor completely neutralized TCU's KaVonte Turpin, one of the nation's best return men. Turpin entered the contest averaging a staggering 28.8 yards per punt return, but thanks to Sinor's precision and hang time, Turpin finished with two returns for minus-eight yards.
· On the year, Sinor leads all FBS punters with 63 percent of his punts being downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He is the central reason why Oklahoma State ranks third in the nation by limiting opponents to 1.40 yards per punt return.
Players Mentioned
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