OSU Set for Big 12 Opener vs. West Virginia

Saturday, September 26

Stillwater, OK

2:30 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

West Virginia

September 21, 2020 | Cowboy Football

Complete Notes

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (1-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) opens Big 12 play when it hosts West Virginia (1-0 overall; 0-0 Big 12) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Boone Pickens Stadium.

On the Air
The game will be televised by ABC with Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden 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.

Doing Our Part
Under normal circumstances, Boone Pickens Stadium would seat 55,509 fans, but this season the capacity has been reduced to roughly 15,000 in an effort to provide proper social distancing to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Seating has been limited in both the club level and the lower seating bowl. The last time OSU's football stadium capacity was smaller was from 1930-1946 when it was listed at 13,000. Even then, temporary stands were sometimes added to raise the capacity as high as 18,000. Additionally, several measures have been taken in effort to make it a safer environment, included but not limited to: mobile ticketing, requiring face masks, prohibiting tailgating, providing hand sanitizer stations and adding Plexiglas to concessions and points of sale throughout the stadium.

In the Rankings
OSU is ranked in both the AP Top 25 (No. 15) and the Amway Coaches Poll (No. 18). 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 eight of those 13 years. The Cowboys have been ranked in the AP preseason top 25 three of the past five and six of the past 10 years. The 2020 preseason AP Top 25 marked the highest preseason rank in the poll for OSU since 2017, when it was voted No. 10. Oklahoma State has received votes in the preseason AP Top 25 each of the past 12 years. Although the College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until later in the year, it is worth noting that OSU has appeared in the CFP rankings four of the past five seasons entering 2020. West Virginia is receiving votes in both polls.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 12th meeting between Oklahoma State and West Virginia, with the series dating back to 1928. The 2020 season also marks the ninth consecutive year the teams have met. OSU owns a 7-4 all-time series advantage, including a 3-2 advantage in games played in Stillwater. OSU has won five straight over the Mountaineers, and won both of the two played in Stillwater. A win Saturday would extend the longest win streak for either team in the series. Coach Mike Gundy is 6-2 in his career against West Virginia, while WVU coach Neal Brown is 0-1 in his career against the Cowboys.

Ring of Honor - Thurman Thomas
Hall-of Fame running back Thurman Thomas will become the first inductee into the Oklahoma State football Ring of Honor on Saturday. Thomas' name and number will be unveiled atop the west end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium at halftime, and the Cowboys will wear white uniforms that are a replica of what OSU wore in the 1987 Sun Bowl, which was Thomas' last game as a Cowboy. The Cowboys won that game, 35-33, and Thomas was the game's most valuable player. Thomas was a 2007 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a 2008 inductee in the National College Football Hall of Fame. The Buffalo Bills put Thomas on their wall of fame in 2005 and retired his No. 34 jersey in 2018. Thomas was a three-time All-American and is still the all-time leading rusher in Oklahoma State football history with 5,001 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State is 1-0 after getting past Tulsa with a 16-7 win last week. Starting quarterback Spencer Sanders was lost to injury in the first quarter. As a result, a pair of newcomers in JUCO transfer Ethan Bullock and true freshman Shane Illingworth were thrown into action. With the quarterback position in flux, the defense carried the day by holding Tulsa to 0-for-12 on third down attempts and just one score on 13 possessions. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez led the effort with 10 tackles and nine solo stops. Heisman candidate running back Chuba Hubbard turned in 93 rushing yards and the game-winning touchdown, while Biletnikoff Award candidate Tylan Wallace had four catches for 99 yards.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Improve it to 35-15 in its past 50 games and 49-21 in its past 70 games.
• Make it 70-14 in its past 84 games vs. unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Give it wins in 29 of its past 35 games when playing as an AP ranked team vs. an unranked team.
• Make it 2-0 for the fourth straight season and for the 11th time in the Mike Gundy era.
• Give it six straight wins over WVU to extend the longest win streak for either team in the series.
• Make it 7-2 in its past nine games at Boone Pickens Stadium.
• Make it 8-4 all-time vs. West Virginia and 4-2 all-time vs. WVU in Stillwater.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record vs. WVU to 7-2.
• Make OSU 46-14 at Boone Pickens Stadium since the start of the 2011 season.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 78-52.
• Improve it to 59-31 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU is 22-8 in its past 30 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU has scored on its opening drive in 15 of its past 23 games.
• OSU is 25-3 in its last 28 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• OSU has outrushed its opponent in 29 of its past 41 games and in 31 of its past 44 games.
• OSU has had at least one 100-yard receiver in 20 of its past 32 games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in 29 of its past 41 games.
• OSU has forced a turnover in 46 of its past 54 games and in 55 of its past 64 games, dating to 2015.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 38-3 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 61-7 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three straight overtime games.
• Chuba Hubbard has rushed for at least 100 yards in 15 of his past 18 games. He also has a rushing touchdown in 15 of those 18 games.
• Alex Hale has made all three of the first field goal attempts of his career.
• Dillon Stoner has at least one catch in 38 of his past 39 games.
• OSU has scored on a play of at least 50 yards in six of its past 10 games.
• OSU has won 69 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active streak in the FBS.