Washington State at Oklahoma State
Sat., Sept. 4, 2010 :: 6:10 p.m. :: Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218)
TV: FSN (Bill Land, Joel Klatt and Emily Jones)
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 212 and XM Channel 231
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Year 109
The Oklahoma State Cowboys will begin their 109th season of college football on Saturday, Sept. 4, when they host the Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-10 Conference in the 2010 season opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at Boone Pickens Stadium.
TV
The Cowboys-Cougars contest will be televised by FSN with Bill Land calling the action and former Colorado star Joel Klatt providing analysis. Emily Jones will report from the sidelines.
TV Recap
Oklahoma State has never been under the bright lights as much as it has been under Mike Gundy. Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has had 20 games televised and that count reaches 30 games since the beginning of the 2007 season.
Honoring The Blond Bomber
Oklahoma State players will be sporting a decal on their helmets this fall to honor the Blond Bomber. Bob Fenimore, OSU's first All-American and one of the most dominating players of his era, died this summer. His jersey number of 55 is not in use at OSU. He was a two-time All-American, the No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft and No. 3 in the Heisman balloting. Fenimore led the nation in total offense, and was third in rushing, eighth in passing, ninth in scoring and 13th in punting in 1944. He still holds the OSU career record with 18 interceptions as a defensive back. OSU was 17-1 during his sophomore and junior seasons with wins in the Cotton and Sugar Bowls. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
Opening Numbers
Oklahoma State is 63-40-5 all-time in season openers. OSU is 75-28-5 in home openers, including 14 straight wins that date back to the 1995 season. The current home-opener winning streak is the longest in school history. Other numbers to note:
• Under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys are 4-1 in season openers and 5-0 in home openers.
• Under Gundy, the Cowboys are 16-4 in September.
• Oklahoma State has won 18 of its last 19 non-conference home games.
• Oklahoma State is 15-4 in regular season non-conference games under Gundy.
Looking Back
Oklahoma State has gone 9-4 each of the last two seasons, marking just the second time in school history that OSU has won at least nine games in two straight seasons. Oklahoma State was 6-2 in Big 12 play last season. The six conference wins were the most ever by OSU and the Cowboys finished the year in sole possession of second place in the Big 12 South for the first time since the league was formed. Oklahoma State ended the season in the AT&T Cotton Bowl (OSU's second appearance in the bowl since 2004). OSU has appeared in bowl games in four straight seasons (another school first) and has played in seven bowl games in eight years.
The Gundy Years
Oklahoma State alum Mike Gundy has brought stability and an impressive list of accomplishments in his tenure as head coach at OSU. The former OSU quarterback is entering his sixth season with a 36-27 record at his alma mater. Some of OSU's achievements under Gundy:
• Four straight bowl appearances (over the last four years) for the first time in school history. Overall, OSU has a school-best seven bowl appearances in eight seasons.
• A preseason AP top 10 ranking for the first time ever (2009)
• A return to the AP top five (2009) for the first time since 1985
• A school-record six conference wins in 2009
• Four straight Big 12 rushing titles. OSU had never led the conference in rushing.
• OSU has made two appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
• An improved conference win total every year (from one to six in five years)
• Four straight seasons with at least seven wins for the first time in school history.
• Three of the top seven offenses in OSU history have come under Gundy (and he quarterbacked the best offense in OSU history.)
Gundy By The Numbers
Mike Gundy enters year six with a 36-27 record. The record is solid but perhaps deceiving.
• The Cowboys were 12-15 after 27 games under Gundy, but have gone 24-12 over the last 36 games and 19-8 over the last 27 games.
• Four of the losses came to teams ranked in the top five of the AP poll at game time.
• OSU is 19-21 under Gundy in Big 12 play. However, OSU is 15-9 in league play over the last three seasons and 11-5 against conference foes in the last two years.
Gundy In Perspective
Mike Gundy is now the eighth man in school history to coach into his sixth season. The longest tenured football coaches at OSU are Jim Lookabaugh and Pat Jones, who spent 11 seasons each at the helm of the program. Jones also leads OSU with 62 all-time victories while Gundy, who played quarterback for Jones, is tied for third with 36 wins. Gundy's .571 winning percentage entering the opener ties him with Les Miles for fourth best on the school list. College Football Hall of Famer Pappy Waldorf won at a .735 clip during his five seasons in Stillwater before he headed for Berkeley and the University of California. Gundy and Jones top all of OSU's head coaches with four bowl teams each. Gundy is OSU's only coach to earn a bowl bid in four straight seasons.
Polling Places
Oklahoma State falls into the "receiving votes" category in the first Associated Press poll of the season. As a result, Oklahoma State is playing a game as an unranked team for the first time since Sept. 27, 2008, when the Cowboys knocked off Troy, 55-24. OSU had appeared in 25 straight polls, tying the second longest "ranking streak" in OSU history. The Cowboys were ranked in 29 consecutive polls in 1984 and 1985.
OSU vs. WSU
The Cowboys and Cougars are meeting for just the fourth time ever and for the second time in three seasons. Washington State holds a 2-1 series advantage, although OSU is coming off a 39-13 win in the last meeting between the teams, which came in the 2008 season opener at Qwest Field in Seattle. Washington State is visiting Stillwater for the second time with its only other trip to Payne County coming in 1952. WSU was a 9-7 winner in that game.
OSU vs. Pac-10
Oklahoma State is 7-10 all-time against the Pac-10 with the last game against the league coming in the 2008 Holiday Bowl. The Cowboys led at the half, but lost that game to Oregon. The 2010 season opener with WSU ends the two-game contract between the schools.
Coach To Coach
Mike Gundy and Washington State head coach Paul Wulff have some common ground. Both men are 43-years-old and both are coaching at their alma mater. Both men also have three children. Another connection between the two schools: Washington State assistants Chris Ball and Dave Ungerer were on the Alabama staff that faced OSU in the 2006 Independence Bowl.
The Next Wave
On paper, and in real life, Oklahoma State has a much different look than it has the past two years. Regardless of how the wins and losses shake out, 2010 can be tagged at the very least as a transition year. Consider:
• OSU lost 471 career starts from last year's team and returns 126 career starts. Of those starts, 13 are by Orie Lemon, who is returning at middle linebacker after losing a year to injury, and 16 are by Wilson Youman. However, all of Youman's starts were at tight end and he is now a defensive end.
• OSU's starting cornerbacks have two career starts (one each by Andrew McGee and Brodrick Brown).
• OSU running back Kendall Hunter and offensive lineman Lane Taylor combine for 27 career starts while the rest of the offense has a total of 27 career starts.
• Defensive end Ugo Chinasa is far and away OSU's current leader with 26 career starts.
• Chinasa also leads OSU with 26 consecutive starts. The next player on that list is offensive lineman Lane Taylor and safety Markelle Martin with 11 each.
• The Cowboys return just one starter in the offensive line and no starters are back from 2010 at linebacker, cornerback or quarterback.
• Three of OSU's front four defensive linemen will be making their first career starts.
• OSU lost three of its top four rushers from a year ago, its all-time leader in total yards, passing yards and touchdown passes, the Big 12 Conference's all-time leader in kickoff return yardage, and six of its top seven tacklers.
Two-Deep Thoughts
Oklahoma State's depth chart is hardly recognizable from the two-deep entering the Cotton Bowl in January. A quick look at the first extensive depth chart of the season (keep in mind that OSU's depth chart features 48 players as 12 positions are listed on offense and two positions have three players on chart):
• The depth chart features 12 seniors, 13 juniors, nine sophomores and 14 freshmen (redshirt and true).
• Eleven Cowboys will be making their first career starts, including six on offense and five on defense.
• Just two anticipated defensive starters for the WSU game, safety Markelle Martin and defensive end Ugo Chinasa, started the 2009 regular-season finale at Oklahoma.
• Six of the 11 defensive starters are seniors. However, the top 22 players on defense include just seven seniors with seven redshirt or true freshmen.
• OSU defenders making their first career starts include Richetti Jones, Chris Donaldson, Shane Jarka, James Thomas, Justin Gent and Johnny Thomas. Two more starters (corners Andrew McGee and Brodrick Brown) have one career start.
What's Back
Forgive the Cowboys, however, if they refuse to throw in the towel on ambition for 2010.
• Kendall Hunter was a 2008 first-team All-American.
• Safety Markelle Martin is a candidate for all-Big 12 and possibly higher honors.
• Defensive Ugo Chinasa is back as a third-year starter at defensive end.
• Senior linebacker Orie Lemon is another all-conference candidate after starting in 2008.
• OSU returns a group of receivers who earned valuable experience in 2009 with the unexpected early loss of Dez Bryant.
The Forgotten All-American
Quiet Kendall Hunter prefers to remain anonymous and most of the college football media have seemed happy to oblige him. Hunter, a 2008 first-team All-American (as voted on by the FWAA) and the Big 12's leading rusher that season, has been all but forgotten in the hype leading up to the 2010 season opener. Hunter has been overlooked after suffering through an injury-riddled 2009 season. A quick refresher:
• Hunter enters his senior season with a career average of 6.02 yards on 437 carries.
• Hunter has 11 100-yard rushing games in 16 career starts.
• At a school heaped in running back tradition, Hunter is No. 11 all-time with 2,663 career rushing yards.
• Hunter has scored 23 touchdowns in his 16 career starts and 33 all-time games.
• During his All-America season of 2008, Hunter rushed for 1,555 yards with 16 touchdowns and an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
Classy Kendall
Kendall Hunter is one of 30 NCAA football bowl subdivision nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Hunter has received several distinctions for his classroom work, including second-team academic all-Big 12 in 2009, a spot on the President's Honor Roll for a 4.0 GPA and honorable-mention Scholar-Baller in 2009 and 2008. Hunter is also a two-time recipient of the Oklahoma State Academic Achievement Award and a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. Hunter has helped with the Harvest II Food Drive, made numerous visits to pediatric cancer patients in Tulsa and Oklahoma City and he's also been a guest speaker on leadership and hard work at local high schools in Oklahoma and Texas.
Walker Watchers
Kendall Hunter is one of the preseason candidates for the Doak Walker Award, the Pricewaterhouse Coopers SMU Athletic Forum announced on Aug. 25. The Walker Award is presented annually to the nation's top running back.
Weeden Takes Over
Edmond native and former professional baseball player Brandon Weeden will make his debut as Oklahoma State's starting quarterback when the Cowboys host Washington State. A pitcher who was a second-round draft choice of the New York Yankees out of high school, Weeden last started a game in the fall of 2001 as a high school senior. The junior, who will turn 27 in October, rallied OSU from a halftime deficit to a 31-28 win over Colorado in the 2009 home finale. He was 10-of-15 in that game for 168 yards with two scores in the win over the Buffs.
Changing Places
Brandon Weeden's rise to the top of the depth chart also comes with a jersey change. He wore No. 4 his first two years in Stillwater but sports the No. 3 this season.
Bailey Chasing Barry, Too
Kendall Hunter is not the only Cowboy on a career list with Barry Sanders. Senior placekicker Dan Bailey enters the Washington State game with 221 career points. Sanders is OSU's all-time leader in that category with 330 points. Bailey is already ninth in OSU history in scoring entering his senior season.
Last Time vs WSU
Three Oklahoma State Cowboys launched seasons that would earn them first-team All-America honors when the Cowboys last faced Washington State. It was the 2008 season opener and the eventual All-America trio got off to solid starts in Seattle.
• Kendall Hunter, in his first game trying to replace first-team all-Big 12 back Dantrell Savage in the starting lineup, ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns to launch his All-America season.
• Dez Bryant, on his way to consensus All-America accolades, caught seven passes for 90 yards to complement a 42-yard punt return and a 27-yard kickoff return.
• Perrish Cox, who would become an All-America kick returner, had a 90-yard kickoff return for a score.
More On The Battle In Seattle
In the 2008 opener, the Cowboys won the total offense battle by a 367-196 count as Washington State managed just 3.3 yards per snap, compared to 5.3 for OSU. The Cowboys held a 15-0 halftime lead as Dan Bailey booted three first-half field goals (26, 21 and 27 yards). Washington State closed briefly to within 25-13 early in the fourth period but OSU closed the game with rushing touchdowns by quarterback Zac Robinson and a 10-yarder by Hunter.
Freshman Class
Oklahoma State's freshman class has received rave reviews all fall camp. With things still shaking out, it would appear that as many as 14 true freshmen could see action this fall, although none are currently listed as a starter. The biggest boost from the freshmen could come in the secondary and on special teams. That number is also bolstered by walkon freshman linebacker Tyler Johnson.
What's Back For Bill
Defensive coordinator Bill Young returns just two starters from the pre-2010 Cotton Bowl depth chart. The starters are safety Markelle Martin and defensive end Ugo Chinasa. Cornerback Brodrick Brown, penciled in as a 2010 starter, was also in the bowl lineup after filling in for suspended starter Perrish Cox. Overall, the defense has just 61 career starts between them. They do welcome back 2009 starter Orie Lemon at linebacker. He was lost for 2009 season the week before the season opener against Georgia. Ugo Chinasa leads the defenders with 26 career starts, followed by Lemon's 13 and Martin's 11.
Lemon Aid
OSU's new-look defense, minus nine starters from 2009, has a welcome face in the middle. Orie Lemon the 2008 starter who was expected to anchor the defense last year, is back for 2010. Lemon was second on the Cowboy defense in 2008 with 90 tackles.
Young's Guns
Second-year defensive coordinator Bill Young attained hero status in Stillwater when his first Cowboy defensive unit (2009) was one of the most improved in the country last season. Consider:
• A year ago the Cowboys jumped to No. 31 in total defense (allowing 332.5 yards per game) from No. 93 in 2008 (when they allowed 405.5 ypg).
• The improvement marked the 11th biggest turnaround in the country last season.
• In scoring defense, OSU allowed 21.7 points per game last year as compared to 28.1 in 2008. That was a jump from No. 76 to No. 31 nationally.
Rushing To Judgment
OSU set a school record last season by allowing just 95.8 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys were No. 11 nationally a year ago in rushing defense. The previous school record-low was the 99.2 rushing yards per game allowed by the Leslie O'Neal-led Cowboys of 1983.
Brains And Brawn
Oklahoma State has a pair of starting defensive linemen who have already obtained their undergraduate degrees. Defensive tackle Shane Jarka has already earned a degree in marketing and is pursuing his MBA. Defensive end Ugo Chinasa has completed work on his degree in sports management.
It's All Academic
Three Cowboy defensive linemen, Shane Jarka, Chris Donaldson and Jamie Blatnick, were academic all-Big 12 selections in 2009. While Jarka is already an OSU graduate, Donaldson is just four hours shy of his degree in secondary education.
A Taste For The Turnover
Bill Young brought a turnover-based philosophy when he returned to OSU and it showed in year one. OSU finished No. 14 nationally in 2009 with 18 interceptions. OSU recovered 12 fumbles a year ago to end the year with 30 forced turnovers, good enough to rank No. 11 in the country in that category.
Holgorsen's Heroes
Dana Holgorsen, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is the newest member of the Oklahoma State coaching staff. The first-year Cowboy spent the previous two seasons coordinating perhaps America's top offensive attack at the University of Houston. Last season the Cougars led the nation with 563 yards of total offense per game and also led the country in scoring at 42.2 points per game. And just for good measure, the Cougars led the nation in passing with 433.7 yards per game.
Attack Mode
Some numbers worth noting on the offensive side of ball:
• The first-time starters on offense include linemen Nick Martinez, Jonathan Rush, Grant Garner, Levy Adcock and Brandon Weeden.
• Receiver Isaiah Anderson has been recognized by the coaching staff as one of OSU's most improved players. He enters the season with one career reception.
• Junior Josh Cooper is coming off his best season with 22 catches a year ago, despite missing four games to injury.
• The biggest returning big-play threat among the receivers is Tulsa Union sophomore Tracy Moore, who averaged 16.6 yards per reception as a true freshman in 2009. Three of his 11 receptions went for scores.
• A pair of freshmen, redshirt Jeremy Smith and true freshman Joseph Randle, enter the season as Kendall Hunter's understudies.
Special Speak
The Cowboys return one of America's top punters in sophomore Quinn Sharp. Sharp averaged 45.1 yards per boot last season to rank fifth in the nation in that category. Included in that total were an astounding 27 punts in excess of 50 yards and five punts of more than 60 yards.
Walking On Full Speed
OSU has another former professional baseball player on its roster this fall. Freshman linebacker Tyler Johnson, a native of Haskell, Okla., and a former University of Tulsa football signee, joined the Cowboys in August. Johnson, who is on the depth chart at middle linebacker, was rated as the No. 11 player in Oklahoma coming out of high school after starting four years at linebacker and three at running back. Instead, he chose professional baseball and signed with Angels out of high school and spent six years with the organization as an outfielder/first baseman.
