Game Notes - OSU at Central Michigan - Oklahoma State University Athletics

Game Notes - OSU at Central Michigan

August 27, 2015 | Cowboy Football

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Up Next For Cowboy Football
at Central Michigan
6 p.m. CT | Sept. 3, 2015 | Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255)

TV: ESPNU (Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer & Olivia Harlan)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 503, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
In OKC - Cox 253/HD 718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605/HD 1605
In Tulsa - Cox 253/HD 718, DirecTV 208, Dish 141, U-verse 605
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb & Robert Allen)
National Radio: None
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 119, XM Channel 199
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
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The Basics

Oklahoma State opens its 114th season of football when it travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to face Central Michigan at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 3.
This marks the third straight season that OSU has started its schedule away from Boone Pickens Stadium. In 2013, the Cowboys opened against Mississippi State in Houston and in 2014, OSU took on Florida State in Arlington to kick off the season.

On the Air

The game will be televised by ESPNU with Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer and Olivia Harlan calling the action. 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.

In the Polls

Oklahoma State is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls. Central Michigan is not ranked or receiving votes.

Oklahoma State From a Distance

    When talking about the Cowboys during the preseason, the trait that head coach Mike Gundy pointed out most consistently was team speed - especially on defense. Leading the charge on that side of the ball are 2014 Big 12 defensive lineman of the year Emmanuel Ogbah and a pair of veteran performers in linebacker Ryan Simmons and cornerback Kevin Peterson. Safety Jordan Sterns is a budding standout as well.
    For the first time since 2011, OSU has a clear-cut starter at quarterback in sophomore Mason Rudolph. Rudolph was ticketed to redshirt last season, but injuries to others forced him into the lineup in week 11. He was very impressive in defeat at Baylor and helped lead the Cowboys to a road upset over Oklahoma and to a bowl victory over a Washington squad that featured four defensive players who were selected among the first 45 picks of the 2015 NFL draft.
    A year ago, OSU was the youngest team in the nation - both in terms of most freshmen and sophomores on the two-deep and also in terms of lowest percentage of returning lettermen from the previous season. All those players are a year older and a year wiser this year and form a good part of the core of the current two-deep.

Central Michigan From a Distance

    While John Bonamego is in his first year as head coach at Central Michigan, it should be noted that the transition curve may not be quite so steep for the Chippewas, because Bonamego retained most of the staff from last year's squad that won three of its last four regular season games and played in the Bahamas Bowl.
    CMU returns seven offensive starters, four defensive starters and three specialists from a year ago. Junior quarterback Cooper Rush ranked among the Mid-American Conference leaders in touchdown passes, pass efficiency, passing yards per game and total offense per game a year ago.
    Defensive end Joe Ostman, defensive end Blake Serpa and defensive tackle Jabari Dean will anchor the defensive line. Junior safety Tony Annese is a notable playmaker as well.
    The Chippewas were picked to finish fifth in the MAC West Division by members of the media who cover the league.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

• Improve the Cowboys to 19-3 in their last 22 non-conference games.
• Improve the Cowboys to 38-5 in their last 43 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Mark the Cowboys' seventh in their last eight season openers.
• Improve the Cowboys to 68-41-5 all-time in season openers.
• Improve the Cowboys to 5-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference.

Notable Streaks Entering the Central Michigan Game

• Oklahoma State has never lost to a team from the Mid-American Conference (4-0).
• Oklahoma State has won six of its last seven season openers.
• Oklahoma State has won 37 of its last 42 over unranked opponents.
• The Cowboys have blocked at least one kick in three of their last five games.
• Jimmy Bean and Ryan Simmons have both started 26 consecutive games, which equates to starting every game over the past two seasons.
• Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has at least one sack in six of the last eight games.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 21 consecutive games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to the 2008 season, the Cowboys have won 38 of their last 40 games when winning the turnover battle.

The Series

Oklahoma State and Central Michigan have never met. OSU is 4-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference, with the most recent matchup a 31-14 win over Northern Illinois to open the 1994 season.

Thursday Night Football

When the Cowboys and Chippewas tangle, it will mark the seventh time that Oklahoma State has played on Thursday night. OSU is 5-1 in its previous six Thursday night contests and has won five straight after dropping its Thursday night debut to eventual national champion Nebraska in 1995.
A pair of the most memorable games of the Mike Gundy era were played on Thursday nights in Boone Pickens Stadium, with Brandon Weeden making a name for himself by coming off the bench at halftime to lift the Cowboys to victory over Colorado in 2009 and Dan Bailey kicking a game-winning field goal with no time on the clock to sink Texas A&M in 2010.

Strong Starts Under Gundy

Since Mike Gundy took over as head coach at Oklahoma State in 2005, the Cowboys have compiled a 30-7 record in the month of September.

Coaching At Their Alma Mater

    Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Central Michigan's John Bonamego have something in common - both serve as head coach at their respective alma mater. They are two of 14 such head coaches in the country.
    During his playing days, Gundy was a standout quarterback and left OSU in 1989 as the Big Eight Conference's all-time leader in both passing (8,473 yards) and total offense (8,272 yards). With Gundy starting at quarterback, the Cowboys compiled a 20-4 record from 1987-88. In 1986, The Sporting News tabbed him as the nation's most outstanding freshman quarterback after he set an NCAA record for most passes to start a career without an interception (138). He was also recognized as the Big Eight Conference newcomer of the year that season.
    Bonamego was a wide receiver/quarterback as a Chippewa. He was a walk-on who earned varsity letters in 1985-86 and twice earned the Iron Man Award as the defensive scout team player of the year.

Connections

• Oklahoma State linebacker Devante Averette hails from Detroit, Mich., and attended Melvindale HS, where he was named to the Detroit Evening News Detroit Area Dream Team his senior year.
• Central Michigan offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Morris Watts played his college ball at Tulsa and served as offensive coordinator at Broken Arrow HS from 2007-08.

OSU's Win Indicators

    There are many things that go into whether a team wins a game or not, but a long-term look at the trends during Mike Gundy's tenure at Oklahoma State shows that winning the turnover battle and winning the run game are two of the easiest ways to predict an OSU win or loss.
    Since 2005, when the Cowboys win the turnover battle, they are 48-5 (.906 pct.) They are 21-0 in games when they commit zero turnovers. OSU is 66-19 under Gundy when outrushing the opponent (.776 pct.) and is 28-4 when holding the opponent under 100 yards on the ground.
    History also shows that OSU is tough to beat when it takes a lead into halftime, as the Cowboys are 67-6 when leading at intermission under Gundy (.917 pct.).

Increased Experience On the Depth Chart

A comparison of Oklahoma State's week one depth chart of 2015 against the final regular season depth chart of 2014 shows a significant increase of upperclassmen. Last year's squad featured 24 upperclassmen on the depth chart. This year's boasts 33 - a notable increase. OSU has nine freshmen listed on this week's depth chart, a total that is way down from the 22 freshmen who played in games last year. So what does that tell us? It tells us that the pendulum of experience has now swung in favor of the Cowboys.

New Look Coaching Staff

Oklahoma State's coaching staff underwent significant changes during the offseason, with four new coaches now in place. Of the four new coaches, three have NFL experience and the fourth was recognized as the national assistant coach of the year as recently as 2011.
• The most experienced new member of the staff is offensive line coach Greg Adkins, who came to Stillwater from the Buffalo Bills, where he coached tight ends from 2013-14. A 24-year coaching veteran, Adkins has made college coaching stops at Georgia, Tennessee and Syracuse and Marshall.
• New running backs coach Marcus Arroyo coached quarterbacks and called plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. Arroyo originally went to Tampa to coach quarterbacks, but with offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford out due to health issues, Arroyo was thrust into the role of NFL playcaller. Prior to his one season with the Bucs, he served as offensive coordinator at California and at Southern Miss.
• In his first year coaching the OSU safeties is Dan Hammerschmidt, who has extensive experience coaching on both sides of the ball. Hammerschmidt spent the bulk of his career at Colorado State, but served as an offensive assistant with the Houston Texans from 2012-13. He coached running backs at the University of Houston last season.
• Rounding out the new crop of OSU assistant coaches is Jason McEndoo, who coaches the Cowboy Backs (a tight end/fullback hybrid). McEndoo coached offensive line at Montana State from 2003-14 and was honored as the FCS national assistant coach of the year in 2011.

Impact Transfers

Oklahoma State picked up a few FBS transfers who figure to have an immediate impact. A look:
• Junior offensive lineman Victor Salako was a two-year starter at UAB and chose OSU after the Blazers program was disbanded after the 2014 season. He is slated to start at left tackle for the Cowboys.
• Senior cornerback Michael Hunter was a two-year starter at Indiana who earned his degree in exercise science and enrolled at OSU for grad school. Hunter followed the same path to Stillwater as graduate transfers Tyler Patmon (from Kansas in 2013) and Josh Furman (from Michigan in 2014) - both of whom are currently playing in the NFL.
• Sophomore linebacker Chad Whitener sat out last season after transferring from California, where he saw limited action as a freshman in 2013. Whitener enters the 2015 season listed as OSU's second-team middle linebacker, but the native Texan has earned a role that should include a good amount of playing time.

Speaking of Transfers...

While OSU added three FBS transfers, it also picked up a pair of junior college standouts who are expected to start from day one.
• Junior running back Chris Carson was ranked as the No. 4 junior college running back in the nation after averaging 7.2 yards per carry and scoring nine touchdowns for Butler CC in Kansas. A native of Lilburn, Ga. (about an hour west of Athens), Carson's work last season earned him a scholarship offer from Georgia, but after originally committing to the Dawgs, he spurned his hometown favorite for the opportunity to play in Oklahoma State's offensive attack. Carson was the preseason Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year as selected by members of the media who cover the conference.
• Similar to Carson, junior defensive tackle Motekiai Maile had his choice of several strong programs coming out of Tyler JC, but decided on Oklahoma State. Maile has a very strong base and will be difficult to move in the trenches.

Non-Offensive TDs an OSU Staple

Non-offensive touchdowns have been a regular part of the Oklahoma State attack in recent years, as the Cowboys have 30 non-offensive scores since the start of the 2010 season - a mark that ranks second in the nation during that span.

Non-Offensive TDs, NCAA Leaders Since 2010

1. Oregon - 32
2. Oklahoma State - 30
3. Utah - 28
4. Arizona State - 26
4. Florida - 26
4. Houston - 26
7. TCU - 25
8. Boise State - 24
9. Fresno State - 23
9. Kansas State - 23
9. LSU - 23
9. Ohio State - 23

Week One Talking Points - Offense

• Productive offenses have been the norm during the Mike Gundy era at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, yards per play, total offense and passing offense since 2010.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph started the final three games of last season and provided reason for optimism for 2015. He has a deep, talented and experienced group of receivers and tight ends to pitch the ball around to.
• New o-line coach Greg Adkins, UAB transfer Victor Salako and a healthy Zach Crabtree give substantial reason to believe this year's offensive line will play at a higher level than last year's unit that performed below the bar set by previous Cowboy fronts.
• Juco transfer Chris Carson wasn't in Stillwater for spring ball, but wasted no time in taking control of the running back position upon arriving in the summer. At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, he looks every bit the part of a playmaker in the backfield.

Week One Talking Points - Defense

• The overall speed of the group, depth at defensive end and depth at cornerback are the signature traits of the Cowboy defense.
• Junior defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is a legitimate All-America candidate entering the season. The 2014 Big 12 defensive lineman of the year and first-team All-Big 12 honoree earned preseason All-America honors from Lindy's, Athlon and Phil Steele, among others. Ogbah and senior defensive end Jimmy Bean present a formidable defensive end duo.
• OSU's linebacking corps is as deep as ever, with veterans Ryan Simmons and Seth Jacobs joined by up-and-comer Jordan Burton in the starting group. Chad Whitener, Devante Averette and Gyasi Akem are all game-ready as well.
• Between Kevin Peterson, Ashton Lampkin, Michael Hunter and Ramon Richards, OSU has four cornerbacks who have all logged a substantial amount of high-pressure game reps. Included on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award presented to the nation's top defensive back, Peterson is the leader of the group.
• Junior safety Jordan Sterns is a hidden standout in college football. He may not be a household name yet, but he has positioned himself well to make a substantial leap in 2015.