Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes: Cowboys Headed to Austin for Matchup With Longhorns
October 16, 2017 | Cowboy Football
*Complete notes in PDF format
The Basics
   The No. 10/11 Oklahoma State football team (5-1 overall; 2-1 Big 12) travels to Austin, Texas this weekend for a matchup with Texas (3-3 overall; 2-1 Big 12) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
On The Air
   The game will be televised by ABC with Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Todd McShay on the call. 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. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through TuneIn Radio or the TuneIn Radio app.
In the Rankings
   Oklahoma State is ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the Amway Coaches Poll. It marks the fourth week of the season in which the Cowboys have appeared in the top 10 of one of those polls. The Cowboys have been ranked in the top 15 of both polls since week 12 of the 2016 season.
   Including this season, OSU has reached the top 15 of the A.P. poll at some point in nine of the past 10 seasons and the top 10 of the A.P. poll in eight of the last 10 seasons. This week's game against Texas marks the 90th time in the Cowboys' last 121 games that OSU has been ranked by the A.P. entering a game. Texas is not ranked.
   Although the first College Football Playoff rankings of 2017 won't be released until October 31, it is worth noting that the Cowboys are one of only seven teams to be ranked in every set of CFP rankings since the beginning of 2015, joining Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State and Utah.
The Series
   Saturday's game marks the 32nd contest between the Cowboys and the Longhorns and the 22nd consecutive year the teams have met. Texas holds a 24-7 all time advantage and a 15-5 advantage in Austin, but Oklahoma State has put its mark on the series recently by winning five of the last seven meetings.
   Even more noteworthy, OSU has won the last four times the teams have played each other at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, marking the longest win streak by one team in the facility's 94-year history. Only one other team has had a four-game win streak in Austin as Notre Dame won four in a row over an 84-year span in 1913, 1915, 1952 and 1996.
   The Cowboys won last year's meeting in Stillwater, 49-31, to improve Mike Gundy's record against Texas to 5-7. Saturday marks Tom Herman's first time to coach against Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
   The Cowboys are 5-1 on the year and enter Saturday's game against Texas riding the crest of a 59-16 win over Baylor last week. Quarterback Mason Rudolph threw for 459 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and a rushing touchdown, while wide receivers James Washington (235) and Marcell Ateman (119) added 100-yard receiving performance and running back Justice Hill turned in a 117-yard outing on the ground.
   Washington and Ateman's performance marked the fourth consecutive game that the duo accounted for 100 receiving yards each. According to stats.com, Washington and Ateman are the only FBS duo since at least 1996 to post four consecutive games where both players surpassed 100 yards receiving.
   The Baylor game was also the latest in a long string of impressive outings for the Heisman-shortlisted senior QB in Rudolph, who now has the longest active streak in the country with seven straight 300-yard passing games. He's accounted for at least four touchdowns in all five of OSU's wins this season and leads the FBS in points responsible for per game at 25.0. He's also among the top five players nationally in every major passing statistic this season and holds no fewer than 29 OSU records.
   Hill also continued a streak of his own with his performance as he finished with his third-straight 100-yard rushing game and his seventh in the last 10. The sophomore leads the Big 12 in rushing yards per game despite playing on the No. 1 passing offense in the country.
   All that combined gave OSU a new school record for offensive yards in a game last week at 747 total yards. That combined with the rest of the season has left the Cowboys with the No. 1-ranked offense in college football at 610.7 yards per game - more than 33 yards per game better than second-place Ohio State.
   The Oklahoma State defense has also held its own as an opportunistic group, scoring three defensive touchdowns to rank fourth nationally this season. The Cowboys have started games well, allowing just 20 first-quarter points all season.
Texas From a Distance
   Texas enters the game at 3-3 on the year, but has had more than its share of impressive moments this season with first-year head coach Tom Herman at the helm.
   After falling to Maryland in the season opener, the Longhorns have been formidable in their last five games, beating Iowa State, Kansas State and San José State while narrowly falling to then-No. 4 USC on the road in double-overtime and losing late to then-No. 12 Oklahoma last week, 29-24.
   Freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger has led the Texas offense of late, with six passing touchdowns against three interceptions on the year and 68 carries for 275 rushing yards. The Longhorns' leading wide receivers are Collin Johnson, who has 27 catches for 511 yards, and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, who has 29 catches for 303 yards.
   Texas is ranked sixth nationally in third-down defense at .266 pct., which will be an interesting matchup to watch with the OSU offense ranked second nationally in third-down offense at .548 pct. The Longhorns are also among the FBS top 25 in rushing defense, fourth down defense and net punting, in which they lead the nation at 44.81 yards.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Make it the only visiting team to ever win five straight games vs. Texas in Austin.
• Mark the seventh time it has started 6-1 or better during the Mike Gundy era.
• Give it three straight wins over Texas, four wins in its last five games vs. UT and six in its last eight vs. UT.
• Improve its record to 4-0 in true road games this season.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record against Texas to 6-7.
• Give the Cowboys wins in 13 of their last 15 true road games.
• Give the Cowboys wins in 14 of their last 16 games overall.
• Improve the Cowboys to 58-6 in their last 64 games against unranked opponents, dating back to 2010.
• Give it wins in 24 of its last 25 games when playing as a ranked team against an unranked opponent.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record in conference games to 66-40.
• Improve the Cowboys to 47-19 in Big 12 Conference games since 2010.
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Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• Oklahoma State has won 13 of its last 15 games overall.
• OSU has scored at least 20 points in each of its last 35 games - the longest active streak in the nation.
• QB Mason Rudolph has thrown 41 touchdown passes against just six interceptions in his last 15 games.
• Rudolph has thrown for 300 yards in seven straight games - the longest active streak in the nation.
• James Washington and Marcell Ateman each have 100 yards in four straight games, marking the only receiving duo in Big 12 history and FBS history since at least 1996 to accomplish the feat.
• Receiver James Washington has at least one catch in 38 straight games - the second-longest active streak in FBS.
• Receiver Jalen McCleskey has at least one catch in each of his last 28 games.
• OSU is outscoring opponents, 80-20, in first quarters this year. It has a first quarter shutout in five of its last eight games.
• OSU is 12-1 in its last 13 games decided by less than 10 points.
• OSU has outrushed its opponent in six of its last seven games and in eight of its last 10 games.
• Oklahoma State has won 27 of its last 34 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• OSU has forced at least one turnover in 20 straight games and in 29 of the last 30 games, dating to 2015.
• OSU has scored a defensive touchdown in three of its last six games.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 30 of their last 32 games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, the Cowboys have won 53 of their last 58 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Oklahoma State has held its last 14 opponents to a total of minus-23 punt return yards.
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