Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
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Kansas
Game Notes: OSU Hosts Kansas for Senior Day
November 20, 2017 | Cowboy Football
The Basics
The No. 18/21 Oklahoma State football team (8-3 overall; 5-3 Big 12) hosts its regular season finale this weekend when it takes on Kansas (1-10 overall; 0-8 Big 12) in a Senior Day matchup. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.
On the Air
The game will be televised by FS1 with Sean Kelley and Brian Baldinger 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 for free through TuneIn Radio or the TuneIn Radio app.
Ticket Info
Saturday marks the sixth and final home game in OSU's "SEAson of Orange," where all Oklahoma State fans are encouraged to dress in orange every game. Tickets are still available, but fans are encouraged to act quickly as the first five home games this season have all been sold out. Tickets can be purchased online at okstate.com/tickets or by phone at 877-ALL-4-OSU. The ticket office can also be reached by email at tickets@okstate.edu.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The Cowboys have been ranked in the top 25 of both polls since week 10 of the 2016 season. Including this season, OSU has reached the top 15 of the A.P. poll at some point in nine of the past 10 seasons and the top 10 of the A.P. poll in eight of the last 10 seasons. This week's game against Kansas marks the 95th time in the Cowboys' last 126 games that OSU has been ranked by the A.P. entering a game. Kansas is not ranked. OSU has been ranked in every set of College Football Playoff rankings this year. The Cowboys are one of only five teams to be ranked in every set of CFP rankings since the beginning of 2015, joining Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State.
The Series
Saturday's game marks the 68th meeting between Cowboys and Jayhawks all-time, and the eighth consecutive year the teams have met. Oklahoma State leads the series, 36-29-2, and also holds a 15-14-1 advantage in Stillwater. OSU has won the last seven meetings and 12 of the last 13. The Cowboys have also won the last three times the teams have met in Boone Pickens Stadium, as well as five of the last six played in Stillwater. OSU won last year's meeting, 44-20, in Lawrence, and won the last game in Stillwater, 58-10, in 2015. Mike Gundy holds an 8-1 record against Kansas, while David Beaty is 0-2 against Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
Oklahoma State is 8-3 on the year and enters Saturday's game at third place in the Big 12 standings. With a win against Kansas, the Cowboys will secure their eighth top-three finish in the Big 12 standings in the last nine years. The Cowboy offense is ranked No. 2 nationally in both yardage per game (567.9) and points per game (45.2), as well as the No. 1 passing offense (383.1) in college football. Quarterback Mason Rudolph leads the nation in passing yards and points responsible for. He's also among the national leaders in every important passing statistic. His top target James Washington leads the nation with 1,317 receiving yards and he's hit the 100-yard mark 19 times in his career. On top of that, running back Justice Hill is the Big 12's leading rusher and No. 13 nationally with 1,289 yards. If receiver Marcell Ateman gets 58 more receiving yards, then OSU will become the first team in Big 12 history with a 4,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher - which has happened only nine times in FBS history and only twice at the Power Five level. The Cowboy defense has continued its legacy of creating turnovers, ranking ninth in FBS with 15 interceptions this season. The OSU defense has forced a turnover in 25 straight games.
Kansas From a Distance
Kansas enters Saturday's game with a 1-10 record on the season. The Jayhawks started the year off with a win, but have come up short in their last 10 games. The Jayhawks are led by third-year head coach David Beaty, and are averaging 231.4 passing yards per game to rank among the top half of FBS teams. The Jayhawks' biggest strength this season has been their ability to score once they get the ball inside the red zone, where their scoring percentage of 93.5 ranks No. 11 in college football. Quarterbacks Peyton Bender and Carter Stanley have split time signal calling the offense this year, with Stanley garnering most of the playing time of late. Both quarterbacks have passed for more than 1,000 yards this year. KU's leading rusher is Khalil Herbert, who has 118 carries for 658 yards, and its leading receiver is Steven Sims Jr., who has 50 catches for 770 yards. Junior linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. is the driving force on the defense, as he leads the nation with 7.6 solo tackles per game.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Give the Cowboys their ninth season of at least nine wins in Mike Gundy's 13 years as head coach.
• Improve the Cowboys to 17-4 in their last 21 games overall.
• Mark the seventh time it has gone 9-3 or better during the Mike Gundy era.
• Give it eight straight wins over Kansas and wins in 13 of the last 14 meetings with KU.
• Give it four straight wins over Kansas in Stillwater.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record against Kansas to 9-1.
• Make the Cowboys 37-29-2 all-time vs. Kansas and 16-14-1 all-time vs. Kansas in Stillwater.
• Improve the Cowboys to 59-7 in their last 66 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Give it wins in 25 of its last 27 games when playing as a ranked team against an unranked opponent.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record in conference games to 69-42.
• Improve the Cowboys to 50-21 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Oklahoma State has won 16 of its last 20 games overall.
• OSU is 14-2 in its last 16 games decided by less than 10 points.
• QB Mason Rudolph has thrown 55 touchdown passes against just 11 interceptions in his last 20 games.
• James Washington has at least one catch in 43 straight games - the second-longest active streak in FBS.
• Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his last eight games and in 10 of his last 15 games.
• OSU is outscoring opponents, 127-55, in first quarters this year. The Cowboys have five first-quarter shutouts.
• OSU has won three straight overtime games.
• OSU has had at least one 100-yard receiver in eight of 11 games this season. Cowboy receivers have combined for 16 100-yard performances this season.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in seven of 11 games this season.
• OSU has outrushed its opponent in 10 of its last 12 games and in 12 of its last 15 games.
• Oklahoma State has won 30 of its last 39 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• OSU has forced at least one turnover in 25 straight games and in 34 of the last 35 games, dating to 2015.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 31 of their last 33 games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, the Cowboys have won 55 of their last 60 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Oklahoma State has held its last 19 opponents to a total of 19 punt return yards.
Connections
• OSU WR Tyron Johnson and KU OL Malik Clark and QB Tyriek Starks went to Warren Easton HS in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• OSU OL Larry Williams and KU DT J.J. Holmes went to Hutchinson CC.
• OSU RB Justice Hill and DE Jordan Brailford and KU CB Kyle Mayberry went to Booker T. Washington HS.
• OSU WR Braydon Johnson and KU OL Clyde McCauley III and WR Keaton Perry went to Bowie HS in Texas.
• OSU LB Gyasi Akem and KU P Cole Moos went to Broken Arrow HS.
• OSU DE Tralund Webber and KU OL Jayson Rhodes went to Blinn JC.
• OSU WR Dillon Stoner and KU CB Justin Williams went to Jenks HS.
• OSU DL coach Joe Bob Clements was on staff at Kansas in 2008.
• OSU WR coach Kasey Dunn and KU LB coach Todd Bradford were on staff at Southern Miss in 2010.
• KU LB coach Todd Bradford coached linebackers at OSU from 2005-07, KU special teams coordinator Joe DeForest coached at OSU from 2001-11 and KU OC Doug Meacham attended OSU and coached from 2005-12.
• KU RB coach Tony Hull coached OSU WR Tyron Johnson at Warren Easton HS in New Orleans.
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