Cowboys Start Two-Game Road Stretch at Texas

Saturday, October 16

Austin, TX

11 A.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

Texas

Photo by: OSU Athletics

October 11, 2021 | Cowboy Football

Complete Notes Available Here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (5-0 overall; 2-0 Big 12) travels to Austin, Texas, this week to face Texas (4-2 overall; 2-1 Big 12) on Saturday, October 16, in DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 11 a.m. CT.

On the Air
The game will be televised by FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft 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. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State was voted No. 12 in this week's edition of the AP Top 25, continuing a streak of 14 consecutive seasons in the poll. The streak, which began in 2008, is the 10th-longest active streak in the nation. Including this season, OSU has appeared in the top 15 of the AP poll in 12 of the past 14 seasons. It has also seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in 10 of those 14 years. The Cowboys are also No. 12 in this week's USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. OSU has been included in the coaches poll in each week of the 2021 season. Although the first 2021 College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November 2, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in five of the past six seasons entering 2021. Texas is ranked No. 25 in the AP poll this week and is receiving votes in the coaches poll. The Longhorns represent the third straight AP-ranked opponent for the Cowboys after OSU knocked off No. 25 Kansas State and No. 21 Baylor in their two most recent games. A win over UT would mark the first time in school history OSU has beaten AP-ranked opponents in three consecutive games. The last time OSU faced three consecutive AP-ranked opponents was from October-November of 2017 when it played No. 22 West Virginia, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 24 Iowa State.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 36th overall meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas in a series that dates to 1916. The 2021 season also marks the 26th consecutive year the teams have played, beginning with the first season of Big 12 Conference play in 1996. Texas holds a 26-9 all-time advantage in the series and a 16-6 advantage in games played in Austin. OSU has won seven of the past 11 matchups with Texas, as well as five of the past six matchups played in Austin. OSU's five straight road wins at UT from 2010-17 marked the only time any team has beaten the Longhorns in five straight trips to Austin. Coach Mike Gundy is 7-9 in his career against Texas, while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has never faced Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State has established itself as a top-tier program in the nation in recent history, becoming one of just 11 Power Five programs with more than 100 wins since 2010. The Cowboys have won 72.6% of their games (106-40) during that timeframe and have school-record streaks of 15 consecutive bowl bids and 15 consecutive winning seasons. In 2021, the Cowboys are 5-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the fifth time in the Mike Gundy era. Oklahoma State battled through one-possession, shorthanded wins in the first three games of the season and has now started to hit its stride with double-digit wins over ranked opponents in back-to-back games. Running back Jaylen Warren has been OSU's most impactful player on offense, eclipsing 100 yards rushing in each of the last three games. He's made a difference as a ball-carrier and as a receiver out the backfield and is now 17th nationally with an average of 126.0 yards from scrimmage per game. Quarterback Spencer Sanders is a proven dual threat, as he is one of just nine FBS players averaging more than 195 passing yards and more than 45 rushing yards per game in 2021. He also ranks second in the Big 12 and No. 21 in the FBS with an average of 13.95 passing yards per completion. Sanders' top target has been wide receiver Tay Martin, who leads the team in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns despite missing nearly all of the Tulsa and Boise State games. Martin has produced at least 100 receiving yards in all three of his complete games this season. Since Jim Knowles arrived as defensive coordinator in 2018, the Cowboy defense has gone from allowing 6.04 yards per play in 2018, to 5.79 in 2019, 5.32 in 2020 and now 4.61 so far in 2021. If the Cowboys hold that average this season, it will mark the best since the 1992 season when OSU also allowed just 4.61 yards per play. One of the biggest reasons for the that success is that OSU has had at least nine senior starters in each game this year, led by linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Through five games, Rodriguez ranks No. 3 in the FBS with 10.8 total tackles per game and No. 7 in the FBS with 6.2 solo stops per game. He also ranks No. 14 with a pair of forced fumbles, has added a fumble recovery and has made game-changing plays every Saturday this season. Safety Kolby Harvell-Peel has also been a key factor, as he ranks No. 21 nationally with two interceptions.

Seeking History with Three Straight Ranked Wins
Oklahoma State has the chance to do something this week that it has never done before: beat an AP-ranked opponent for the third time in as many games. The chance to face three ranked teams consecutively hasn't come around often. This is the 15th time OSU has faced at least three ranked opponents in a row and the first time since 2017. This is just the third time in school history that the Cowboys enter the third game of the stretch having won the first two. The first came in 1976 after wins over No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 10 Missouri, and the second came in 2013 with wins over No. 23 Texas and No. 3 Baylor. The 2013 stretch also kicked off the longest ranked-opponent gauntlet in school history with five straight ranked foes, while no other stretch has gone more than three games. OSU has had three-game stretches facing ranked opponents in the 1959-60, 1962-63, 1970, 1976, 1984-85, 1993, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008-09, 2013-14, 2014, 2015, 2017 and now 2021 seasons.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Mark the first time in school history OSU has beaten AP-ranked opponents in three consecutive games. This stretch marks the 15th time OSU has faced at least three straight AP-ranked opponents.
• Make it 6-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the fifth time in the Mike Gundy era.
• Mark its eighth straight win, securing its longest winning streak since OSU won 12 straight from 2014-15. OSU's seven-game winning streak entering the game is the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS.
• Make it 8-4 in its past 12 games against Texas.
• Make it 6-1 in its past seven games against Texas in Austin.
• Make the Cowboys 10-26 all-time vs. Texas and 7-16 vs. Texas in Austin.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record vs. Texas to 8-9.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 86-55.
• Improve it to 14-3 in its past 17 games, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 142-66 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 6-2 in its past eight games when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Make it 130-37 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 13-5 in its past 18 games and 17-8 in its past 25 games vs. AP Top 25 teams.
• Improve it to 28-22 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.
• Mark Mike Gundy's 34th career win vs. AP Top 25 opponents. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are the only other active coaches with more wins over AP Top 25 teams at their current schools.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU's defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards of offense in a half in each of its last four games. The Cowboys limited Baylor to 99 yards in the first half, Tulsa to 89 yards in the first half, Boise State to 64 yards in the second half and Kansas State to 84 yards in the second half.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 18 of the past 22 games and seven of the past nine.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50 percent third down conversion rate in 16 straight games.
• OSU has held 14 of its past 16 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• Malcolm Rodriguez has recorded at least seven tackles in 10 straight games.
• Jaylen Warren has scored a rushing touchdown in five of his past six games played.
• OSU has won 75 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 29-10 in its past 39 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 35-5 in its past 40 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 42-3 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 66-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its last four overtime games.
• OSU has forced 16 turnovers in its last nine games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in 10 of its past 15 games.