Oklahoma State Ready for Friday Night Game at BYU

Complete notes available here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-3 overall; 0-3 Big 12) travels to Provo, Utah, this week for its first game in program history at BYU (6-0 overall; 3-0 Big 12), with kickoff at LaVell Edwards Stadium set for Friday, October 18, at 9:15 p.m. CT/8:15 p.m. MT. It marks a return to action for the Cowboys after their first open date of the season last week. It is also the third time in four games that OSU has faced an AP Top 25 team and is OSU's first Friday road game since winning at Oregon State to open 2019.

On the Air
The game will be televised on ESPN with Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra 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 game will also be broadcast on national radio via the Gridiron Radio Network with Noah Britt, Jon Reynolds and Robbie Bullough on the call.

That Friday Feeling
Oklahoma State has an all-time record of 58-46-7 in Friday games, but the Cowboys have only played 15 Friday games since 1959 and just six of those matchups occurred in the regular season. The complete list of OSU's Friday regular-season matchups since the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as President of the United States:

Date	Opponent	Conf.	Result	Score	Site	OSU/Oppt. AP Rk.
9/14/2007	at Troy		L	23-41	A	NR/NR
10/8/2010	at Louisiana		W	54-28	A	22/NR
11/18/2011	at Iowa State	*	L 2ot	31-37	A	2/NR
9/8/2017	at South Alabama		W	44-7	A	11/NR
8/30/2019	at Oregon State		W	52-36	A	RV/NR
10/6/2023	KANSAS STATE	*	W	29-21	H	NR/RV

Winning as an Underdog
When playing as an unranked team, Oklahoma State has won five consecutive and 11 of its past 14 games against AP Top 25 teams:

Date	Opponent	Conf.	Result	Score	Site	Oppt. AP Rk.
10/1/2016	TEXAS	*	W	49-31	H	22
10/29/2016	WEST VIRGINIA (HC)	*	W	37-20	H	10
10/27/2018	TEXAS (HC)	*	W	38-35	H	6
11/10/2018	at Oklahoma	*	L	47-48	A	6
11/17/2018	WEST VIRGINIA	*	W	45-41	H	7
12/31/2018	vs. Missouri		W	38-33	N	23
9/21/2019	at Texas	*	L	30-36	A	12
9/28/2019	KANSAS STATE	*	W	26-13	H	24
10/19/2019	BAYLOR (HC)	*	L	27-45	H	18
10/26/2019	at Iowa State	*	W	34-27	A	23
12/29/2020	vs. Miami (Fla.)		W	37-34	N	18
9/25/2021	KANSAS STATE	*	W	31-20	H	25
10/14/2023	KANSAS	*	W	39-32	H	23
11/4/2023	OKLAHOMA	*	W	27-24	H	10

The five-game streak is the longest active streak in the country and matches the fifth-longest streak since 1980. It is also the longest in program history.

Longest Streaks of Wins over AP Top 25 Teams as an Unranked Team (Since 1980) - via OptaStats

Michigan	7	9/14/1985 - 9/27/2008
Maryland	6	9/29/2007 - 11/15/2008
Boston College	6	11/22/2003 - 11/15/2008
Clemson	6	11/06/2004 - 9/03/2007
Oklahoma State	5	10/26/2019 - 11/04/2023 (Active)
Iowa	5	10/13/2007 - 11/05/2011
Colorado	5	9/01/2001 - 8/30/2003
Syracuse	5	10/01/1994 - 11/02/1996
Clemson	5	9/20/1986 - 10/02/1993

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is not ranked this week, but has been ranked in the top 15 this season in both the Associated Press poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll. Including 2024, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 17 seasons and has reached the top 10 in 11 of those 17 years. OSU has been ranked in the top 25 every season since 2008. Although the first College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November 5, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in eight of the past nine seasons entering 2024. The Cowboys have also been included in 43 of the 60 all-time CFP Rankings, which is tied for the eighth-most appearances in the country. BYU is ranked No. 13 in both the AP and coaches polls.

The Series
Saturday's game will mark the fourth overall meeting between Oklahoma State and BYU, with the Cowboys winning the first two matchups at neutral sites, as well as the latest matchup at home. The first contest was the 1974 Fiesta Bowl that saw OSU knock off No. 17 BYU, 16-6, in Tempe, Arizona, the second was the 1976 Tangerine Bowl that saw the No. 14 Cowboys defeat the Cougars, 49-21, in Orlando, Florida, and the latest was the 2023 regular season finale that saw the No. 21 Cowboys win, 40-34, in double overtime in Stillwater. The 2024 game will mark the second conference game between the programs, as well as the first game at BYU in the series. Mike Gundy has is 1-0 against BYU and BYU coach Kalani Sitake is 0-1 against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State is 3-3 on the year and returns to action Friday after having its first of two open weekends last week. The matchup with No. 13 BYU marks the third time in four games that the Cowboys have faced an AP-ranked team. Injuries have sidelined preseason All-Americans Collin Oliver and Nick Martin on defense, as well as right tackle Jake Springfield on offense. The setbacks have had an impact on the team, but there have been standouts who have played well. The biggest standout halfway through the regular season has been safety Trey Rucker, who leads all Power Conference players in total tackles (69) and is second in solo tackles (40). He also has a pair of interceptions that both came in the first half against Utah. He leads OSU defense that ranks among the top 40 in the FBS and top six in the conference in defensive touchdowns, red zone defense, fourth down defense, passes Intercepted and tackles for loss. On offense, Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in fewest sacks allowed and is among the national leaders in that stat as well as fewest fumbles lost, tackles for loss allowed. The Cowboys are No. 16 in the FBS with 299 passing yards per game. Individually, wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling has been the biggest standout of late, as he notched 157 receiving yards at Kansas State to become the Cowboy to have multiple 150+ receiving yards games in the team's first five contests since Justin Blackmon during the 2010 season. He is among the top 15 FBS players in receiving yards with 556 in 2024. The Cowboys also excel in other important team stats, as they are among the FBS top 25 in fewest penalties, fewest penalty yards, net punting, punt return defense and kickoff return defense. Punter Wes Pahl would lead the FBS in yards per punt if he had enough to qualify for the NCAA rankings.

Continued Success
• Entering 2024, Oklahoma State has made 18th consecutive bowl appearances and secured 18 consecutive winning seasons, both school-record streaks. OSU's bowl streak is the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS, and the is longest active streak for any school with the same head coach.
• Mike Gundy has coached the Cowboys to five New Year's Six bowl games since the 2009 season. The Pokes appeared in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
• Since 2010, Oklahoma State has eight seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011), a share of the Big 12 South title (2010) and two more appearances in the conference championship game. OSU reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• Oklahoma State is one of only four teams to post a winning season every year since 2010, joining Alabama, Boise State and Wisconsin. It is one of only two Power Five teams with winning seasons each of the past 18 years, joined by Wisconsin.
• Including 2024, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 15 of the past 17 seasons and reached the top 10 in 11 of those 17 years.
• Entering 2024, OSU has finished in the top three of the Big 12 in four of the past five seasons and has finished in the top three 10 times in the 13 seasons since the conference moved away from divisions.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Mark Mike Gundy's 41st career win vs. an AP Top 25 opponent. No other active coach has more.
• Mark its sixth consecutive win against an AP Top 25 opponents when playing as an unranked team, extending the longest streak in program history. It would also improve OSU to 12-3 in its past 15 of those matchups.
• Make it 3-3 in its past six road games against AP-ranked teams.
• Make it 11-6 in its past 17 and 20-11 in its past 31 games vs. AP-ranked teams.
• Make it 11-8 in its past 19 road games.
• Give it wins in 13 of its past 19 and in 26 of its past 35 games following a loss.
• Make it 4-3 or better for a 19th consecutive season.
• Give it wins in 12 of its past 17 games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in October games to 51-22.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 103-66 and move him to one game away from tying Bill Snyder for the second-most Big 12 wins in conference history.
• Improve its all-time record vs. BYU to 4-0 and its record vs. BYU in Provo to 1-0.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against BYU to 2-0.
• Make it 35-15 in its past 50 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• When unranked, Oklahoma State has won five straight games against AP Top 25 opponents.
• Brennan Presley has multiple catches in 36 straight games, the second longest active streak in the FBS.
• Trey Rucker has recorded at least 10 tackles in four of six games this season.
• Oklahoma State is 4-for-4 on two-point conversion attempts this season and the four successful two-point conversions are more than any other team in the FBS.
• Ollie Gordon II has rushed for more than 100 yards in 10 of the past 17 games.
• OSU, LSU and Georgia Tech are the only Power Conference teams who have allowed fewer than four sacks in 2024.
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in 10 of its past 16 games.
• OSU is 13-1 in the past 14 games when winning or tying the turnover battle.
• OSU has held 35 of its past 46 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
• OSU has won 86 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, the longest since at least 1980 and likely the longest in college football history. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, the streak begins at the same date and includes 94 games.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 44 of its past 64 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 51 of its past 58 games.
• OSU is 40-17 in its past 57 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 51-8 in its past 59 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 49-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 82-9 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won five of its past seven overtime games.
• Over the past 55 games, OSU has held opponents to 276-for-862 (32.0%) on third down.

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Players Mentioned

Ollie Gordon II

Nick Martin

Collin Oliver

Wes Pahl

Brennan Presley

Trey Rucker

Jake Springfield

De’Zhaun Stribling

Oklahoma State University Athletics