Game Notes: Oklahoma State Set for Cheez-It Bowl

Complete Notes Available Here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (7-3 overall; 6-3 Big 12) makes its 15th consecutive bowl appearance when it travels to Orlando, Florida to face Miami (8-2 overall; 7-2 ACC) in the Cheez-It Bowl at 4:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Camping World Stadium.

Ticket Information
Seating at Camping World Stadium for the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl will be limited to 20 percent capacity in order to provide proper social distancing in stands. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster and all tickets are mobile only, with no refunds or exchanges. Fans should note Oklahoma State sits on the west side of the stadium and Miami sits on the east side of the stadium. They should also note that Camping World Stadium has a clear bag policy and that all children that have reached their second birthday by the date of the event must have a ticket for entry.

On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPN with Dave O'Brien, Tim Hasselbeck and Katie George on the call. It 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.

In the Rankings
In the final polls before bowl season, OSU is ranked No. 21 in both the College Football Playoff rankings and the Amway Coaches Poll. The Cowboys are also receiving votes in the AP Top 25, and are just one spot out of the rankings for the equivalent of No. 26. The Cowboys were ranked by the AP for 13 consecutive weeks to start the 2020 season, marking the eighth-longest streak in school history. Including 2020, OSU has reached the top 15 of the AP poll at some point in 11 of the past 13 seasons. OSU has also seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in nine of those 13 years. OSU was slotted at No. 15 in the Dec. 1 edition of the 2020 College Football Playoff rankings, marking its highest CFP Ranking since week 11 of the 2017 season. Including 2020, the Cowboys have been part of the CFP rankings in five of the past six seasons. Miami is ranked No. 18 in all three sets of rankings and has been included in each poll since week one of the 2020 season.

The Series
The Cheez-It Bowl will mark the second-ever meeting between Oklahoma State and Miami, with the Hurricanes winning the only previous matchup in 1991 on their way to a national championship season. Although the Cowboys have only faced the Hurricanes once, OSU has squared off a few times with schools who are currently in the ACC, holding a 6-7 record. OSU has faced ACC teams four times during the Mike Gundy era, as he holds a 3-1 record against the conference. The most recent matchup was the 2017 Camping World Bowl (now the Cheez-It Bowl), which saw the Cowboys defeat Virginia Tech, 30-21. Tuesday's game will mark the first Big 12 opponent as a head coach for Miami's Manny Diaz.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
            Oklahoma State is 7-3 overall and finished third in the Big 12. The Cowboys now have back-to-back third-place finishes in the league and have finished in the top three eight times in the 10 seasons since the conference moved to a full round robin schedule in 2011.
            The biggest storylines for the Cowboys this season have been the emergence of the Cowboy defense and the injuries suffered by the OSU offense, in particular the offensive line.
            OSU's defense has held its opponents to an average of 365.7 yards of total offense per game, which if the season ended today would mark the lowest average allowed by the Cowboys since the 2009 season (332.5). The most impressive statistics from the Cowboy defense has been its ability to score and to stop opponents on third down. The OSU defense has four touchdowns this year to rank No. 1 in the FBS, including three fumble return touchdowns (also No. 1) and a pick six. OSU ranks No. 2 in the country in third down defense with a 26.3 opponent conversion rate (40 of 152). It is also among the best nationally at applying pressure, ranking No. 8 in tackles for loss and No. 12 in sacks.
            Individually, several Cowboys have contributed to the defensive effort. Linebackers Amen Ogbongbemiga and Malcolm Rodriguez lead the team in tackles and both received second team All-Big 12 recognition. They were joined by safety Kolby Harvell-Peel and cornerback Rodarius Williams, but it should be noted that safety Tre Sterling has also been one of the biggest playmakers this season, highlighted by a 65-yard pick six that sealed the win over Texas Tech.
            On offense, the Cowboys rank second in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game (194.7) and third down percentage (42.4). They are also third in total first downs (230). Wide receiver Tylan Wallace has been the standout performer this year, leading the league in yards and receptions, both on a per game and total basis. He was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, first team all-conference honoree, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalist, Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award semifinalist and more, with All-America honors surely on their way as well. The offense is balanced, as the Cowboys have totaled 1,947 rushing yards and 2,330 passing yards. Four different Cowboys have rushed for 100 yards in a game this season, making OSU one of just two Power Five schools with four players to do so.
            The OSU offense has been hit hard by the loss of personnel this year. Starting quarterback Spencer Sanders was hurt in the first quarter of the season and missed the next two games, All-America receiver Tylan Wallace missed the game against Kansas State, fourth quarter against TCU and the regular season finale at Baylor, All-America running back Chuba Hubbard has missed the last three games and eight offensive linemen have been unavailable at some point this year as well.
            Hubbard's backup, LD Brown - who has been performing at the best level of his career - missed the last three games. Dezmon Jackson, the third running back on the OSU depth chart, has provided one of the best stories of the Cowboy season while subbing in, as he rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the first start of FBS career vs. Texas Tech and followed it up with a 118-yard rushing day at TCU. He is now the only player in the FBS who has gained more than 500 rushing yards without losing a single yard.
            On top of the already long list of injuries, kicker Alex Hale was injured in pregame warmups before the Oklahoma game, and has missed the last four games as a result. All that said, OSU's 7-3 record and third-place finish in the conference standings is made more impressive when considering the high injury rate the Cowboys have faced in an already challenging 2020 season.

Oklahoma State Among The Best In Bowl Games
Oklahoma State is 19-11 in its 30 all-time bowl appearances. Its 63.3% winning percentage ranks fifth among all schools with a minimum of 20 bowl appearances. A closer look:

Rank	School	Wins	Losses	Ties	Games	Pct.
1.	Utah	17	6	0	24	0.739
2.	Ole Miss	24	13	0	37	0.649
3.	USC	34	19	0	53	0.642
4.	Syracuse	16	9	1	26	0.635
5.	*Oklahoma State*	19	11	0	30	*0.633*
6.	Alabama	42	26	3	71	0.621
7.	Penn State	30	18	2	50	0.62
8.	Florida State	28	17	2	47	0.617
9.	Georgia	32	21	3	56	0.598
10.	Auburn	24	18	2	44	0.568

Longest Active Bowl Streaks
For the 15th consecutive season, Oklahoma State is in a bowl game. A look at the nation's longest active bowl streaks:

1. Georgia	24
2. Oklahoma	22
3. Boise State	19
Wisconsin	19
5. Alabama	17
6. Clemson	16
*7. Oklahoma State*	15
8. Texas A&M	12
9. Mississippi State	11
10. Auburn	8
Iowa	8
Miami (FL)	8
Ohio State	8

Oklahoma State's Bowl Results

1945	Cotton Bowl	vs. TCU	W	34-0
1946	Sugar Bowl	vs. St. Mary's	W	33-13
1949	Delta Bowl	vs. William & Mary	L	0-20
1958	Bluegrass Bowl	vs. Florida State	W	15-6
1974	Fiesta Bowl	vs. BYU	W	16-6
1976	Tangerine Bowl	vs. BYU	W	49-21
1981	Independence Bowl	vs. Texas A&M	L	16-33
1983	Bluebonnet Bowl	vs. Baylor	W	24-14
1984	Gator Bowl	vs. South Carolina	W	21-14
1985	Gator Bowl	vs. Florida State	L	23-34
1987	Sun Bowl	vs. West Virginia	W	35-33
1988	Holiday Bowl	vs. Wyoming	W	62-14
1997	Alamo Bowl	vs. Purdue	L	20-33
2002	Houston Bowl	vs. Southern Miss	W	33-23
2004	Cotton Bowl	vs. Ole Miss	L	28-31
2004	Alamo Bowl	vs. Ohio State	L	Jul-33
2006	Independence Bowl	vs. Alabama	W	34-31
2007	Insight Bowl	vs. Indiana	W	49-33
2008	Holiday Bowl	vs. Oregon	L	31-42
2010	Cotton Bowl	vs. Ole Miss	L	21-Jul
2010	Alamo Bowl	vs. Arizona	W	36-10
2012	Fiesta Bowl	vs. Stanford	W	41-38 (OT)
2012	Heart of Dallas Bowl	vs. Purdue	W	58-14
2014	Cotton Bowl	vs. Missouri	L	31-41
2015	Cactus Bowl	vs. Washington	W	30-22
2016	Sugar Bowl	vs. Ole Miss	L	20-48
2016	Alamo Bowl	vs. Colorado	W	38-8
2017	Camping World Bowl	vs. Virginia Tech	W	30-21
2018	Liberty Bowl	vs. Missouri	W	38-33
2019	Texas Bowl	vs. Texas A&M	L	21-24
2020	Cheez-It Bowl	vs. Miami (FL)	-	-

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Mark the 11th time in the past 13 seasons it has won eight or more games.
• Give OSU a 20-11 all-time record in bowl games, ranking among the top five bowl winning percentages among teams with at least 20 appearances and among the top three among teams with at least 30 appearances.
• Mark its fourth bowl win in the past five seasons, its fifth bowl win in the past seven seasons and its eighth bowl win in the past 11 seasons.
• Make it 1-1 all-time vs. Miami and 1-0 vs. Miami at a neutral location.
• Make it 15-1 in its past 16 non-conference games and 37-6 in its past 43 non-conference games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record vs. members of the ACC to 4-1, with four straight wins.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 54-12.
• Improve OSU to 7-7 all-time against current members of the ACC.
• Make it 9-2 in its past 11 games played when not ranked by the AP.
• Improve it to 41-18 in its past 59 games and 55-24 in its past 79 games.
• Make it 10-5 in its past 15 games and 14-8 in its past 22 games vs. AP Top 25 teams.
• Mark Mike Gundy's 31st career win vs. AP Top 25 opponents. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are the only other active coaches with 30 wins over AP Top 25 teams at their current schools.
• Improve it to 25-22 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU has scored on defense in three of its past five games.
• OSU has held 12 of its past 14 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• OSU has won 73 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980.
• OSU is 25-10 in its past 35 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 30-5 in its past 35 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 40-3 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 63-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its past four overtime games.
• Dillon Stoner has at least one catch in 47 of his past 48 games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in seven of its past nine games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50 percent third down conversion rate in every game this season.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

LD Brown

Alex Hale

Kolby Harvell-Peel

Chuba Hubbard

Dezmon Jackson

Amen Ogbongbemiga

Malcolm Rodriguez

Spencer Sanders

Tre Sterling

Dillon Stoner

Tylan Wallace

Rodarius Williams

Oklahoma State University Athletics