Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave
Hunziker, John Holcomb and Robert Allen)
Internet: okstate.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 212 and XM Channel 231
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.
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.
Oklahoma State’s
Kendall Hunter is one of 49 candidates for the 2010 Doak
Walker Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top
college running back, it was announced today by The
PricewaterhouseCoopers SMU Athletic Forum.
A senior from Tyler, Texas, Hunter was a first-team
All-American and also earned All-Big 12 First Team honors as a
sophomore in 2008 after ranking seventh nationally in rushing
with 119.6 yards per game. He racked up 1,555 yards and 16
touchdowns carrying the football in ’08 and recorded nine
100-yard rushing games.
Hampered by injury, Hunter started just two games in 2009, but
for his career, he averages more than six yards per carry and
has 21 rushing touchdowns. He was named to The Sporting News’
All-Big 12 Freshman Team in 2007 and ranks 10th in school
history with 2,633 career rushing yards.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors
will select the semifinalists on November 10, and the Doak
Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to
determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 22.
The Committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 29
to determine the recipient. The National Selection Committee
consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running
backs, media members and selected special representatives.
The recipient of the 2010 Doak Walker Award will be announced
live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on
Thursday, December 9. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet
will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, in
February 2011.
The award, in its 21st year, is named for SMU’s three-time
All-America running back Doak Walker. It is the only major
collegiate award that requires all candidates to be in good
academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of
other students of the same classification.
Photos: Tuesday Afternoon Practice Aug. 17, 2010
After heavy rains canceled practice on the grass fields east
of Gallagher-Iba Arena, the Cowboys moved their Tuesday practice
session to the the afternoon on the turf inside Boone Pickens
Stadium.
The Oklahoma State football team completed its first major
scrimmage of the spring Saturday evening in Stillwater.
· The Cowboys ran approximately 100 plays, excluding special
teams work. The evening including red zone and goal line
situations.
· The balanced practice featured standout moments by both the
offense and defense.
· Defensive tackle
Chris Donaldson was credited with a pair of safeties on
quarterbacks sacks and defensive end
Richetti Jones also had an active night, along with freshman
linebacker
LeRon Furr. The No. 1 defense got a touchdown by cornerback
Brodrick Brown on an interception return. Head coach
Mike Gundy also cited linebacker
Justin Gent and freshman defensive back
Justin Gilbert for their efforts.
· “I think it
went pretty well. There was some give and take with the offense
and the defense. I thought (quarterback Brandon) Weeden threw
the ball well. I was please with both sides of the ball. It
seemed to me we had a number of guys catch the ball. We may have
had 10 guys catch the ball with just the ones.”
· “I thought our effort was really good. We went ones vs. ones
about 50 percent of the time.”
· “There were several situations we need to do a better job
with. The defense lined up off sides and we had some false
starts and a holding. We’ll take a day off tomorrow and come
back Monday ready to go to work.”
Photos: Friday Practice Aug. 13, 2010
With the morning practice session canceled, the Cowboys
returned to the grass practice fields later in the afternoon.
The Oklahoma State football team continued its fall camp this
morning, practicing on the fields east of the Athletics Center in
near-100 degree temperatures. In addition to the hot weather, the
following developments also took place:
· Coach Mike Gundy cited the play of two veterans for their
efforts during the latest workout: sophomore receiver Isaiah Anderson
of Wichita Falls Rider High School and junior linebacker James Thomas
from La Marque, Texas. Anderson is one of the fastest Cowboys on the
roster and Thomas is fighting for a starting spot at linebacker.
· True freshman Nate Sorensen worked at receiver today after
entering the program as a quarterback. However, the OSU staff stopped
short of calling the move permanent at this point.
· The Cowboys spent a solid two-plus hours on the practice field
in what was (according to the SID), the hottest practice of the year.
· Gundy also commented on the competitive nature of OSU’s
practices through six workouts.
· OSU will practice again on Thursday morning before practicing
twice on Friday.
Oklahoma State's football squad reached a fall camp milestone
Tuesday morning when the Cowboys dressed in full pads for the first
time since beginning workouts on Friday.
"It was good to get in full pads today," head coach
Mike Gundy told the media after practice. "It's nice to play real
football and we had a good practice for what probably ended up being
close to three hours."
"I thought the guys practiced well today," he added. "I liked
the temperature. It was hot so we were able to really exert our
players. We continue to see young players who are going to get an
opportunity to play."
"If they continue to play well and stay focused they'll have a
chance to play against Washington State," Gundy said. "We have a number
of guys, redshirt and true freshmen, who have shown up and made some
plays.
The Cowboys will practice again Wednesday and Thursday mornings in
advance of Friday's two-a-day workouts and the first scrimmage of the
fall on Saturday evening.
Photos: Tuesday Morning Practice Aug. 10, 2010
The Cowboys were back in full pads Tuesday morning when they
returned to the practice fields for another fall camp practice session.
After a busy Sunday, the Cowboys resumed their preparations
for the 2010 football season on Monday, when they returned to the grass
practice fields outside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Oklahoma State's football team continued its preparation for
the upcoming season in addition to holding its annual Fan Appreciation
and Media Days on Sunday in Stillwater.
At 8:30 a.m., head coach Mike Gundy's squad conducted its
third workout of fall camp, donning shoulder pads for the first time.
"We are pleased with where we are at right now after just a
few practices. It was good to get into shoulder pads today and to get
our players involved in a little football," Gundy said. "We are kind of
where we need to be although it is still very early."
Following their two-plus hour workout, the Cowboys were joined
by the Cowgirl soccer squad in a meet-and-greet session with an
estimated 4,000 fans inside the OSU Athletics Center.
The squad wrapped up its busy schedule with selected coaches
and players taking part in interview sessions and photo shoots with
members of the print and electronic media.
Head coach Mike Gundy Opening Statement "We're pleased with where we're at right now after just a few
practices. It was good to get into shoulder pads today and to get our
players involved in a little football. It is always nice to do that.
We've got a number of young players who are showing signs of having an
opportunity to play as freshman. We've also got a good group of mature,
veteran guys who are performing well at this time. "Kendall Hunter is having a good camp. Defensively, Ugo Chinasa has
done well these first few days. I like where we're at with Orie Lemon,
he's moving around well. The safeties, Markelle (Martin) and Johnny
(Thomas) and those guys are performing like we anticipated. I think
Quinn (Sharp) has done a nice job punting the ball and Dan Bailey
kicking the ball well.
"We're kind of where we need to be although it is still very
early. It was good to get out there this morning with some heat, and we
had a good two hour and fifteen minute practice. And we're looking
forward to getting out there again tomorrow."
On knowing how the team will perform physically "We don't really know, especially in comparison to last year when we
had enough returning players that we had a good idea of what those guys
would do on game day. There are enough young players out there that
we're still two weeks away from having a feel of where they'll be and
how they'll hold up when it gets physical."
On Bill Young sustaining the performance level of the defense "The level that we want Bill (Young) to sustain is the information that
these guys can gather. We want them to perform at the highest level
that they can. Whether Joe Mitchell can perform at the same level as
Andre Sexton early in his career is probably not going to happen. But
we want Joe Mitchell to perform at the highest level he can where he's
at in his career. I think Coach Young will tell you that he expects
them to play very well. He expects them to be in the right place, to
tackle well and to play with great effort. From an experience
standpoint, they aren't going to be able to take over where those guys
were that just left here."
On the "rebuilding year" "I've been asked that question a lot and for me to say that we're not
rebuilding wouldn't be fair. We've got a number of guys who are going
to play who haven't competed at this level. There's not a lot of
experience out there. We would like to be in a position someday that we
could start each year with a number of players who have been in the
rotation who have experience. When you lose a number of players who
have started three years, they aren't going to be here forever. I think
we're more athletic and we have more speed than we've had in a number
of years, we just don't have as much experience."
On the effects of coach Rob Glass's summer workouts "I think we're further ahead now than we were four years ago in several
situations just because we had so many good guys that were playing in a
system that was new to them. Coach Glass pushed them really hard this
summer. We wanted to instill that toughness in them that we've had for
a number of years here. We still believe that we have to be a tough
football team both mentally and physically, no matter how experienced
you are. We like the guys we have in the program and we expect them to
play well and to play early."
The Oklahoma State football team opened fall camp Friday
morning with a two-hour-plus workout on the practice fields east of the
Athletics Center.
The workout was wide ranging but OSU caught a bit of a break
with the early start time. OSU got in its full workout before the
temperature reached 90 degrees.
"It was a good first day. We have a long way to go, but the
effort is there," head coach
Mike
Gundy said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. We'll correct our
mistakes and try to get better."
As is normal, after practice Gundy was questioned about his
class of newcomers.
"If you are a freshman playing corner, safety or wideout,
you're going to have a chance to play," he said. "We'd like to have two
more (receivers) in this system so guys that can catch the ball will
have a chance to play early."
Gundy said there was a significant difference in the opening
of camp this year as opposed to last season's senior-laden squad.
"You notice a difference in their communication out there and
that's something we're going to have to get better, at quicker than we
have in the past," he said.
OSU will return to the practice field Saturday and Sunday
mornings, before participating in Fan Day and Media Day Sunday
afternoon.
The Oklahoma State football team is fully accounted for as
players reported to Boone Pickens Stadium for the beginning of fall
camp today.
The Cowboys filled out their paperwork and sat through a
battery of meetings and orientations ranging from housing and insurance
to NCAA compliance and working with the media.
OSU hits the practice field for the first time tomorrow at
8:30 a.m., opening up a fall camp that promises to be filled with
intrigue as Mike
Gundy and the coaching staff look to replace 16 starters from
a group that posted back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2008 and 2009.
Photos: Players Report Aug. 5, 2010
Preparations for the 2010 college football season are underway
in Stillwater, as Oklahoma State players reported to Boone Pickens
Stadium for the beginning of fall camp.
College football officially returns to the Oklahoma State
campus on Thursday when 105 players are scheduled to report to Boone
Pickens Stadium for the beginning of fall camp.
The student-athletes, who have a mid-day arrival time, face a
day of paper work, meetings and orientations before the Cowboys hit the
practice fields for the first time on Friday morning.
It should an interesting fall camp as OSU looks to replace 16
starters, including three who were named first-team All-America at some
point during their careers.
"I've never entered a year with so many new people in critical
positions," said sixth-year head coach
Mike
Gundy. "But we have good young players in the program who will
need to contribute early. It also helps that we people in the program
that have been part of teams that have won a lot of games."
OSU is coming off consecutive 9-4 seasons, including an
appearance in the AT&T Cotton Bowl in January. OSU was a
school-best 6-2 in the Big 12 last season, finishing second to Texas in
the South division.
