Game Notes - Bedlam For The Big 12 Championship - Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Up next for Oklahoma State football
at Oklahoma
11:30 a.m. | Dec. 3, 2016 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (83,489)

TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Bruce Feldman)
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: Compass Media (Drew Bontadelli & Tony Hill)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 84, XM 84 (OU radio 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 (9-2 overall; 7-1 Big 12) travels to Norman to take on Oklahoma (9-2 overall; 8-0 Big 12) at 11:30 a.m. CT on Dec. 3 in Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

On the Air
                The game will be televised by FOX 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. 10 in the Amway Coaches Poll and is No. 11 in the Associated Press poll. OSU has reached the top 15 of the Associated Press poll at some point in eight of the past nine seasons and the top 10 of the AP poll in seven of the last nine seasons, including this season, when the Cowboys were ranked No. 10 after beating TCU. Oklahoma is No. 7 in both sets of rankings. The College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday.
                This week's game marks the 82nd time in the Cowboys' last 113 games that OSU has been ranked by the AP entering a game.

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.

Oct. 29, 2016 vs. No. 10 West Virginia     W, 37-20
• West Virginia entered the game undefeated and ranked in the top 15 nationally in both total offense and scoring defense, but it was unranked Oklahoma State who was the aggressor. The Cowboys took a 20-10 lead at halftime and extended their advantage to 27-10 at the end of the third quarter before the Mountaineers were able to muster any kind of scoring production in the fourth quarter. By then, it was too late.

High Stakes Bedlam
   For the second straight year, Bedlam is a winner-take-all duel for the Big 12 championship and both teams carry a top-10 national ranking into the game. Saturday's game marks the sixth time in the last nine years that Bedlam has had a direct impact on who won the Big 12. A look:

• In 2008, winning Bedlam sent Oklahoma to the Big 12 championship game.
• In 2010, losing Bedlam cost Oklahoma State an appearance in the Big 12 championship game.
• In 2011, the Cowboys clinched an outright Big 12 championship by winning Bedlam. Losing Bedlam cost the Sooners a share of the Big 12 title that year.
• OSU had a chance to clinch the Big 12 outright in 2013, but the Sooners' surprising Bedlam win ended those hopes and set the stage for Baylor to clinch the league title later that night.
• In 2015, Oklahoma clinched the Big 12 title with a win. Oklahoma State would have been the Big 12 champion had it won Bedlam.
• In 2016, the Bedlam winner is the outright Big 12 champion.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
                Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game riding a seven-game Big 12 win streak and leads the Big 12 in kicks blocked, kickoff return defense, punt return defense, fewest passes had intercepted and turnovers gained. 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. The offensive line is massively improved from the past two seasons and a host of skill position players have the hot hand entering Bedlam, including running back Chris Carson and receiver Chris Lacy.
• Oklahoma State is one of only three Power Five Conference teams in the nation who have had a game of at least 500 yards passing (540 vs. Pittsburgh) and a game of 300 yards rushing (334 at TCU) this season. The only other Power Five teams who can make that claim are Oklahoma and California.

Defense
• Forcing turnovers has been at the center of OSU's success. Through 11 games, the Cowboys have forced 23 turnovers (2.1 per game) and have taken two of those back for defensive touchdowns. 15 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' 28 sacks this season, 23 have come from defensive linemen.

Special Teams
• Special teams have been a strong point for the Cowboys this year. The Pokes have blocked six kicks, have a net punting average of 40.5 yards, are averaging 10.9 yards per punt return and are limiting opponents to 18.3 yards per kickoff return. OSU is one of only five teams in the country who rank in the top 20 nationally in both punt return defense and kickoff return defense, joining Auburn, Virginia Tech, Purdue and Tulane.
• Punter Zach Sinor is performing at a very high level. On the year, he 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 second in the nation by limiting opponents to 1.40 yards per punt return and also leads the nation in opponents' average starting field position.

                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 194 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. Oklahoma ranked sixth nationally in passing yards per game.
                On special teams, the Cowboys have a recent tradition of blocking kicks, as OSU has blocked 19 kicks since the start of the 2013 season to tie Temple for the FBS lead during that time span. The Cowboys are tied for third in the nation with six blocked kicks this season.

Oklahoma From a Distance
                Winners of eight straight following a 1-2 start to the season, Oklahoma has one of the nation's most prolific and efficient offenses, thanks largely to the play of quarterback Baker Mayfield, receiver Dede Westbrook and running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. The Sooners average 45.3 points and 550.8 yards of total offense per game and a hidden key to their success is their 52.1 percent conversion rate on third downs.
                Defensively, OU has allowed 30.5 points and 443.1 yards of total offense per game, with Sooner opponents averaging 287.5 passing yards per contest and converting on 44.6 percent of third-down attempts. OU has been at its best defensively in the red zone. In fact, the last 10 trips for opponents into the red zone have yielded only five scores - four touchdowns and one field goal. Jordan Evans, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Steven Parker have been among OU's top defensive playmakers.
                In Mixon and Westbrook, the Sooners have two very dangerous return men. Austin Seibert handles all of the kicking duties and has made six of his last field goal attempts. His 40 punts this year have yielded only 65 return yards for opponents.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Give the Cowboys their second Big 12 title under coach Mike Gundy. 2011 was the first.
• Mark the Cowboys' third win over a ranked opponent this season, and their first on the road.
• Mark the seventh time that the Cowboys have beaten a team ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since 2008.
• Mark the 20th 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 seventh time under Mike Gundy that the Cowboys have gone on the road to beat a ranked opponent. OSU's last road win over a ranked team was a 38-35 overtime triumph over No. 18 Oklahoma in their last trip to Norman.
• Extend the Cowboys' current Big 12 winning streak to eight games. Only once before has OSU won eight or more Big 12 games in a row, and that came from the end of 2014 through 2015.
• Mark the fifth 10-win season for the Cowboys under Mike Gundy.
• Mark the second time in series history that OSU has won two straight over the Sooners in Norman. The first time was in 1995 and 1997.
• Improve the Cowboys to 8-1 in Big 12 play this season, matching the school record set in 2011 for conference wins in a single season.
• Improve the Cowboys to 10-1 in their last 11 true road games, dating back to the 2014 Bedlam victory in Norman.
• Improve the Cowboys to 45-17 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010. At 48-13, only Oklahoma has a better Big 12 record than OSU this decade.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Bedlam Game
• Oklahoma State has won its last seven games, good for the fifth-longest active win streak among Power Five schools.
• Oklahoma State has won nine of its last 10 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 trailed at some point in six of its last eight wins.
• Oklahoma State has won 21 of its last 26 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• Oklahoma State has scored at least 20 points in each of its last 27 games - the second-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Oregon's streak of 41 straight.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by a 130-69 margin in the first quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State is outscoring its opponents by an 88-46 margin in the fourth quarter of games this season.
• Oklahoma State has piled up at least 600 yards of offense in two of its last three games.
• OSU's defense has forced 13 turnovers in the last six games.
• Oklahoma State's defense has forced at least one turnover every game this season and in 21 of the last 22 games, dating back to last season.
• 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 50 of their last 54 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has thrown 19 touchdown passes against just two interceptions during OSU's current seven-game winning streak.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph has turned in a pass efficiency rating above 200 in two of his last three games.
• Receiver James Washington has at least one catch in each of his last 30 games.
• Receiver James Washington has gone over 100 yards receiving in three of his last four games and the trio of Jalen McCleskey, Jhajuan Seales and Chris Lacy is averaging 174.0 receiving yards in the last three games.
• Running back Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of the last eight games. He is the only player in Oklahoma State history to rush for 100 yards or more in five games during his freshman season.

Game Notes - Bedlam For The Big 12 Championship

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Players Mentioned

Chris Carson

Justice Hill

Chris Lacy

Jalen McCleskey

Mason Rudolph

Jhajuan Seales

Zach Sinor

James Washington

Oklahoma State University Athletics