Oklahoma State Returns Home to Face West Virginia

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The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (3-2 overall; 0-2 Big 12) returns home this week to face West Virginia (2-2 overall; 1-0 Big 12) in the Cowboys' final game before their first open week of the season. Kickoff at Boone Pickens Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

On the Air
The game will be televised on ESPN2 with Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison and Dawn Davenport 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.

Every Home Game Sold Out in 2024
For the first time in program history, Oklahoma State sold every ticket for every home football game prior to the start of the season. It also marks the second consecutive season sellout for Cowboy football, though last year's sellouts were not completed prior to the season opener. It continues a trend of Oklahoma State producing one of the best home-field advantages in college football. The Cowboys are 25-4 at home since the beginning of the 2020 season, a top-five home wins total in the FBS during that period. OSU is among the top 10 teams in the FBS in wins since 2010 with 133 and has eight 10-win seasons during that time frame, good for eighth-most in the FBS. The Cowboys have several other accolades in the past 14 years, including an outright Big 12 title, a share of the Big 12 South title and appearances in the Big 12 Championship game in 2021 and 2023. Oklahoma State is also one of only three teams in the FBS to post a winning season every year from 2006-23. Fans still looking to be part of the action can visit SeatGeek - the official partner of OSU Athletics - to purchase for verified resell tickets. Fans can also visit www.okstate.com/tickets to join the wait list for football season tickets.

In the Rankings
The Oklahoma State football team is not ranked this week, but is receiving votes in both the Associated Press poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll. Including the 2024 season, 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 in 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. West Virginia is not ranked.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 16th meeting between Oklahoma State and West Virginia in a series that began in 1928. The 2024 season also marks the 13th consecutive year the teams have met. The Cowboys own a 10-5 all-time series advantage, including a 4-3 edge in Stillwater. OSU has won eight of the past nine against the Mountaineers and has won three of the past four games played in Stillwater. Mike Gundy is 9-3 in his career against West Virginia, while WVU's Neal Brown is 1-4 against OSU.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State is 3-2 after dropping games against AP Top 25 teams in each of its past two outings. The Cowboys return home this week after a road setback at Kansas State and look to get back in the win column before the first of two bye weeks this season. The biggest standout of the season so far has been safety Trey Rucker, who is second in the FBS and leads all Power Conference players in both total tackles (63) and solo tackles (35) and is 10th among Power Conference players with two interceptions. Preseason All-America linebacker Nick Martin ranks fifth among Power Conference players with 7.5 tackles for loss this season and his 47 total tackles are also fifth in that group. They lead an OSU defense that ranks among the top quarter of the Big 12 in turnovers gained, passes intercepted, red zone defense, fumbles recovered, tackles for loss and third down defense. The turnovers gained, interception and red zone numbers also rank among the top 25 in the FBS. On offense, Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 in both fewest sacks allowed and fewest tackles for loss allowed. The Cowboys also rank No. 11 in the FBS in passing offense with an average of 320.6 passing yards per game. OSU is also one of just 10 teams in the FBS with one or fewer fumbles this year. 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 10 FBS players in receiving yards with 502 in 2024. Wide receiver Brennan Presley paces the roster in receptions with 33 and touchdowns with five total, while quarterback Alan Bowman surpassed 10,000 career passing yards in his last outing and now ranks No. 7 in the FBS with 1,537 passing yards this year. Preseason All-America center Joe Michalski has maintained his role as the anchor of the offensive line, as his PFF Pass Blocking Efficiency is the second-best among Power Conference players with at least 250 snaps this season. Running back Ollie Gordon II had an explosive first quarter last week with 85 yards on 10 touches and looked much like he did last season when he won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back. On special teams, the Cowboys rank No. 17 in the FBS in net punting, and punter Wes Pahl would lead the nation in yards per punt if he had enough punts 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 ...
• Give it wins in 13 of its past 18 and in 26 of its past 34 games following a loss.
• Make it 26-4 at Boone Pickens Stadium since 2020, ranking among the top five teams in the FBS in home wins during that time.
• Make it 98-24 in its past 122 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.
• Make it 4-2 or better for a 17th consecutive season and for the 18th time in Mike Gundy's 20 seasons as head coach.
• Give it wins in 12 of its past 16 games.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in October games to 51-21.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 103-65 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. West Virginia to 11-5 and its record vs. WVU in Stillwater to 5-3.
• Give it wins in nine of its past 10 games against West Virginia and four of the past five games against WVU in Stillwater.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against West Virginia to 10-3.
• Make it 35-14 in its past 49 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Brennan Presley has a receiving touchdown in four of his past five games.
• Brennan Presley has multiple catches in 35 straight games, the second longest active streak in the FBS.
• Trey Rucker has recorded at least 10 tackles in four of five 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 16 games.
• OSU and Georgia Tech are the only Power Conference teams who have allowed fewer than two sacks in 2024.
• OSU's offensive line has not allowed a sack in 10 of its past 15 games.
• OSU is 13-1 in the past 14 games when winning or tying the turnover battle.
• OSU has held 35 of its past 45 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 63 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 51 of its past 57 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 54 games, OSU has held opponents to 267-for-847 (31.5%) on third down.

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Players Mentioned

Alan Bowman

Ollie Gordon II

Nick Martin

Joe Michalski

Wes Pahl

Brennan Presley

Trey Rucker

De’Zhaun Stribling

Oklahoma State University Athletics