Game Notes: Oklahoma State Returns to Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship

Complete Notes (PDF)

The Basics
The No. 19/19 Oklahoma State football team (9-3 overall; 7-2 Big 12) returns to the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship for the second time in three years this week, facing No. 7/7 Texas (11-1 overall; 8-1 Big 12) Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

On the Air
The game will be televised live on ABC with Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath 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. The broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 82. The game will also be broadcast to a national radio audience via ESPN Radio with Sean Kelley, Max Starks and Mike Peasley on the call. That feed will also be available on SiriusXM channel 80.

Get Your Tickets
After selling out every home game in 2023, tickets for Oklahoma State's appearance in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship are expected to be in high demand. A limited number of tickets are available through the OSU ticket office at okstate.com/tickets while supplies last. After OSU's ticket allotment is sold, Cowboy fans can still purchase tickets online only via SeatGeek. For those who want to be sure they get a chance to see Cowboy football next season, there is also a waitlist for 2024 Cowboy football season tickets that fans can join now through the OSU ticket office.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 19 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. While this week's College Football Playoff Rankings won't be released until Tuesday, the Cowboys were No. 20 in last week's CFP Rankings. Including the 2023 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 14 of the past 16 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 16 years. OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past nine seasons, including 2023. The Cowboys have also been included in 41 of the 58 all-time CFP Rankings prior to this week, which is tied for the ninth-most appearances in the country. Texas is No. 7 in both the AP Top 25 and coaches poll. It was also No. 7 in last week's CFP Rankings.

Conference Championships
Oklahoma State has won 11 conference titles since 1926, and the 2023 Big 12 Championship appearance marks its second time to reach the championship game in the past three seasons. A win would mark the first in school history in a conference championship game, as each of the Cowboys' previous titles were won in a format that did not include a championship game. OSU's 11 conference titles since 1926 include Missouri Valley championships in 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1944, 1945, 1948 and 1953, the Big Eight title in 1976 and the Big 12 title in 2011.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 38th overall meeting between Oklahoma State and Texas in a series that dates to 1916. The 2023 season also marks the 28th consecutive year the teams have played, beginning with the first season of Big 12 Conference play in 1996. Texas holds a 26-11 all-time advantage in the series, but OSU has won nine of the past 13 matchups, as well as six of the past eight. 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. Although the teams have met 37 times, this will be just the second game they've played at a neutral site, with the only other instance coming in the first meeting of the programs, played in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, October 13, 1916. Coach Mike Gundy is 9-9 in his career against Texas, while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is 0-2 against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Fresh off a thrilling double-overtime win to clinch a spot in the conference championship, the Cowboys are back in Arlington for the second time in three seasons. Oklahoma State has won seven of its past eight games to earn its spot in the Big 12 Championship, defeating Kansas State, 29-21; No. 23 Kansas, 39-32; West Virginia, 48-34; Cincinnati, 45-13; No. 9 Oklahoma, 27-24; Houston, 43-30, and BYU, 40-34 along the way. The Cowboy defense has produced 18 total turnovers in the past eight games while the offense has turned it over 12 times during that stretch. This season, the Cowboys are 9-0 when they win or tie the turnover battle. Sophomore running back Ollie Gordon II is the favorite for the Doak Walker Award and even inserted himself into the race for the Heisman Trophy for much of the season. He has produced eight 100-yard rushing games in the past nine games and scored 16 rushing touchdowns in his past six games. He ranks No. 1 in the FBS in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, games with at least 100, 150, 200 and 250 rushing yards, 30-yard carries, 40-yard carries and 70-yard carries. He's also second in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns and third in all-purpose yards per game and total points scored. Gordon had 282 rushing yards in the win at West Virginia to rank as the most for any FBS player in a game this season and followed that up with 271 rushing yards against Cincinnati to join Heisman-winner Barry Sanders as the only two players in school history with back-to-back 250-yard rushing games. Prior to that, he had 284 yards from scrimmage against Kansas, making him the only FBS player in the past 10 seasons to produce three consecutive games with more than 250 scrimmage yards. Most recently in the win over BYU, Gordon tied a school record set by Barry Sanders with five rushing touchdowns in a single game. Quarterback Alan Bowman has also impressed since taking over as the full-time starting quarterback, averaging 285.9 passing yards per game to rank second among all Big 12 players in conference play. He's accounted for 12 total touchdowns in the nine games he has played as the full-time starter. On the defensive side, linebacker Nickolas Martin has made his case for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-America honors. The Cowboy sophomore leads all Big 12 players and ranks No. 15 in the FBS in total tackles with 10.0 per game and is No. 9 in the FBS with 5.8 solo tackles per game. His 120 tackles this season rank as the fourth-most for any Cowboy since 1986 (14 more tackles will give him the most for any Cowboy since 1986). He's joined by linebacker Collin Oliver and safety Kendal Daniels as the biggest defensive playmakers this year, as Oliver ranks No. 3 in the FBS with four forced fumbles and Daniels is No. 17 in the FBS with 2 fumbles recovered while rankings second on the team with 90 tackles on the year. Martin and Oliver are tied for the Big 12 lead in sacks by linebackers with 6.0 each. Other notable Cowboys this season include center Joe Michalski, an All-America candidate who ranks among the best Power Five centers in pass blocking efficiency according to Pro Football Focus, and Lou Groza Award candidate Alex Hale, who ranks No. 2 in the FBS with 26 made field goals.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Secure its 12th conference championship since 1926 and it first since 2011. It would also mark OSU's second Big 12 championship.
• Give it at least 10 wins for the eighth time in Mike Gundy's tenure as head coach.
• Give it wins in eight of its past nine games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in December games to 10-8.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in neutral site games to 15-8.
• Give it wins in 10 of its past 14 and seven of its past nine games vs. Texas.
• Improve its record against Texas to 12-26 and it record against Texas in neutral site games to 1-1, with the only neutral site matchup prior to 2023 game coming in the first meeting of the programs, played in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, October 13, 1916.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against Texas to 10-9.
• Make it 31-11 in its past 42 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 157-73 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Mark the Cowboys' 12th win over an AP Top 10 team since 2008.
• Give it wins in three straight and four of its past five games against AP Top 10 teams.
• Make it 11-3 in its past 14 and 20-8 in its past 28 games vs. opponents ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Improve it to 35-25 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.
• Make it 11-5 in its past 16 games when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Mark Mike Gundy's 41st 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
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in eight of the past nine games.
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 270 yards in two of the past six games.
• OSU has forced 18 turnovers and surrendered 12 turnovers in the past six games.
• OSU is 9-0 this season when winning or tying the turnover battle.
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in five of its past eight games.
• OSU has held 34 of its past 42 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
• OSU has won 85 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. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 92 games.
• The Cowboy defense has produced a shutout half in two games this season.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 39 of its past 56 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 46 of its past 50 games.
• OSU is 38-16 in its past 54 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 48-8 in its past 56 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 48-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 80-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won four of its past six overtime games.
• Over the past 48 games, OSU has held opponents to 226-for-742 (30.5%) on third down.
• OSU has held its opponents to just 4-of-23 on fourth down attempts this season - the No. 1 percentage in the nation.

Game Notes: Oklahoma State Returns to Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship

Players Mentioned

Alan Bowman

Kendal Daniels

Ollie Gordon II

Alex Hale

Nick Martin

Joe Michalski

Collin Oliver

Oklahoma State University Athletics