Game Notes: Cowboys Set to Open Big 12 Play at Texas

Complete Notes

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-0 overall) opens conference play at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, when it travels to Austin, Texas for a prime time matchup with No. 12/13 Texas. OSU has won five straight games at Texas and is the only team in college football history to have done so.

On the Air
The game will be televised by ABC with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Maria Taylor 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.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is receiving votes in both the Associated Press Poll and the Amway USA Today Coaches Poll. Although the Cowboys are not ranked, they have reached the top 15 of the AP poll at some point in 10 of the past 11 seasons. OSU has also seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in eight of the past 11 seasons. Texas is ranked No. 12 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the coaches poll.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 34th meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas, with UT holding a 24-9 all-time advantage in the series. OSU, however, has won seven of the past nine meetings and each of the past four. The four-game win streak marks the longest for the Cowboys in the history of the series. UT holds a 15-6 advantage in games played in Austin, with OSU winning each of the past five. OSU is the only college football team to win five straight games in Austin. Only one other team besides Oklahoma State has won four straight over Texas in Austin, and that's Notre Dame, who did so over a span of 83 years by picking up victories in 1913, 1915, 1952 and 1996. The Cowboys beat the Longhorns on their home turf in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and are going for a sixth consecutive win on Saturday, so what's happening now in the Oklahoma State-Texas series is truly unprecedented. Coach Mike Gundy is 7-7 in his career against Texas, while UT coach Tom Herman is 0-2 against OSU.

Oklahoma State From a Distance
Oklahoma State is 3-0 after a 40-21 win on the road at Tulsa to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Cowboys rank No. 9 nationally in scoring offense, rushing offense and passing efficiency and rank No. 3 in third down conversion percentage. They also lead the nation with seven plays from scrimmage that have gone for 50 yards or more. The biggest reason for that offensive success comes from two of the most explosive players in the nation: running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace. Between the two, the Cowboys have the FBS leader in rushing yards, receiving yards, rushing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, rushing yards per game, receiving yards per game, yards after contact (according to Pro Football Focus), yards after catch (PFF) and plays from scrimmage of at least 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 yards. Hubbard and Wallace are two of the four leading touchdown scorers in the nation and have accounted for 13 of OSU's 20 total touchdowns this season (65%). Freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders has also been productive, as he ranks No. 3 among FBS freshmen with a pass efficiency rating of 181.8. Defensively, the Cowboys are coming off of a second-half shutout that helped them overcome a halftime deficit to earn a road win last week. Linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez and Amen Ogbongbemiga have stood out, leading the team with 31 and 25 total tackles, respectively. Rodriguez ranks No. 18 in the FBS with 10.3 tackles per game while Ogbongbemiga ranks No. 7 with 2.0 tackles for loss per game and No. 14 with 1.17 sacks per game. The Cowboys field an entirely new group of starting defensive linemen this season, but still rank No. 2 in the Big 12 in red zone defense.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Make it the only visiting team to ever win six straight games vs. Texas in Austin. The Cowboys are already the only visiting team to ever win five straight, and only one other team has won four straight.
• Mark OSU's fifth straight over Texas overall, extending the Cowboys' longest win streak in the series.
• Make it 7-1 in its past eight games vs. opponents ranked in the top 25 of the A.P. poll.
• Give it wins in eight of its past 10 matchups with Texas.
• Make the Cowboys 10-24 all-time vs. Texas and 7-15 vs. Texas in Austin.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record vs. Texas to 8-7
• Improve it to 29-10 in its past 39 games overall and 43-15 in its past 58 games overall.
• Make it 4-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the fifth time in the Mike Gundy era.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 73-48.
• Improve it to 54-27 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Oklahoma State has won 28 of its last 38 games overall.
• OSU is 18-6 in its last 24 games decided by less than 10 points.
• OSU has scored on its opening drive in nine of its past 12 games.
• OSU has won 22 of its last 23 games when leading at halftime, dating to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Matt Ammendola has made 30 of his past 36 field goal attempts, and 32 of his last 39 tries.
• OSU has had at least one 100-yard receiver in 16 of its past 21 games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in 19 of its past 30 games.
• OSU has outrushed its opponent in 20 of its past 30 games and in 22 of its past 33 games.
• Oklahoma State has won 42 of its past 57 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• OSU has forced at least one turnover in 38 of its past 43 games and in 47 of the past 53 games, dating to 2015.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 36-2 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 58-5 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three straight overtime games.
• Dillon Stoner has at least one catch in each of his past 28 games.
• Tylan Wallace has at least one receiving touchdown in eight of his past nine games, and multiple receiving touchdowns in four of his past seven games.
• Chuba Hubbard has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of his past seven games.
• Jordan McCray has at least one catch in 21 of his past 22 games.
• OSU has won 65 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest stretch of time in the nation.
• OSU has won 65 consecutive games when holding its opponent to less than 20 points, dating to 2003.

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Players Mentioned

Matt Ammendola

Chuba Hubbard

Jordan McCray

Amen Ogbongbemiga

Malcolm Rodriguez

Spencer Sanders

Dillon Stoner

Tylan Wallace

Oklahoma State University Athletics