Week 9 Big 12 Conference Previews
Sat., Oct. 30 @ 11:00 am CT
Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears
SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record ………………………………………………..Texas leads, 79-27-4
In Austin …………………………………………………………Texas leads, 48-10-2
In Waco ………………………………………………………….Texas leads, 31-17-2
Aranda vs. Texas…………………………………………………………………….. 0-1
Sarkisian vs. Baylor………………………………………………………………… 0-1
Current Streak …………………………………………………Texas, Won 1 (2020)
Last Meeting …………………………………………………….Texas 27, Baylor 16
Longest Texas Streak…………………………………………. Won 16 (1958-73)
Longest Baylor Streak……………………….Won 2, six times (last 2013-14)
Largest Texas Win……………………………………. Texas 77, Baylor 0 (1913)
Largest Baylor Win …………………………………..Baylor 50, Texas 7 (1989)
Texas Longhorns
GAME NOTES
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Texas continues its 129th season of football on Saturday when the RV/RV Longhorns face No. 16/18 Baylor for the 111th all-time meeting.
• Texas (4-3, 2-2) heads to Waco after a bye week. UT last played on Oct. 16, falling to Oklahoma State, 32-24 in Austin, snapping the Longhorns’ three-game home winning streak.
• Baylor heads into Saturday’s game with a 6-1 record and a 3-1 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Bears were also off last week, winning their prior game against
then-No. 20/19 BYU, 38-24, at home in Waco.
• Saturday’s matchup will be Texas’ fifth consecutive 11 a.m. kickoff, with the Longhorns holding a 2-2 record in the previous four games. In all, the Longhorns have played five day games this season with a 3-2 mark.
• Saturday’s game against Baylor will be Texas’ fourth against a ranked opponent this season with the Longhorns holding a 1-2 record in the previous games.
• UT has scored 32 or more points in five of seven games this season and in seven of the last nine games overall.
• This will be Texas’ first game this season against an opponent that head coach Steve Sarkisian has previously faced. Sarkisian led Washington against Baylor in the 2011 Alamo Bowl.
• Texas currently boasts 927 all-time wins, the fourthmost in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 927-381-33 (.704).
SERIES HISTORY VS. BAYLOR
• Texas has faced only two schools more frequently than Baylor (110 times, last 2020) in its football history: Texas A&M (118 times, last 2011) and Oklahoma (117 times, last 2021).
• It will be the 51st meeting between the two programs in Waco, where the Longhorns hold a 31-17-2 record over the Bears.
• Texas was won five of the last six meetings against Baylor, including two of the last three in Waco.
• UT is 18-6 against Baylor during the Big 12 era (since 1996).
RESULTS VS. BAYLOR (LAST 10 MEETINGS)
Year Location Result Score
2011 ……….Waco ……………………………….L …………24-48
2012 ……….Austin……………………………..W…………56-50
2013 ……….Waco ……………………………….L …………10-30
2014 ……….Austin………………………………L …………..7-28
2015 ……….Waco ………………………………W…………23-17
2016 ……….Austin……………………………..W…………35-34
2017 ……….Waco ………………………………W…………..38-7
2018 ……….Austin……………………………..W…………..23-7
2019 ……….Waco ……………………………….L …………10-24
2020……….Austin……………………………W………..27-16
THE SARKISIAN ERA BEGINS
• Steve Sarkisian was named the 31st Head Football Coach at The University of Texas on January 2, 2021. In the past two seasons the as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama, Sarkisian was the architect of 24 straight games in which the Crimson Tide’s offense scored 35 or more points, the longest streak in major college football history.
• Despite coming up just short of the 35-point mark in a 31-14 win over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the victory propelled Alabama to the National Championship Game where they defeated No. 3 Ohio State, 52-24.
• Sarkisian went on to be named the 2020 Broyles Award winner as the best assistant coach in college football.
• Last season, Alabama’s offense ranked second in the nation in scoring and led all Power 5 schools with 48.5 points per game, which set a school record and included five 50-point games against Southeastern conference competition.
• The Crimson Tide became the first team in SEC history to record five such games in a single season in conference play. The Tide followed that by posting 52 points against Florida in the 2020 SEC Championship to earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. They later matched that total in the National Championship Game.
• The Alabama offense under Sarkisian produced a Heisman Trophy winner, two Heisman finalists, a Doak Walker Award winner and a Joe Moore Award winning offensive line.
• Sarkisian has previously served as the head coach at Washington and USC.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
All totaled among the 10 assistant coaches and director of football performance who were hired to form Steve Sarkisian’s staff, there are a combined 234 years of coaching experience, including 200 years in collegiate coaching, 101 bowl games, 11 CFP playoff games and seven National Championship Games, and they have won six of those.
FOUR STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS
• With a 69-31 road win over Kansas State, the Longhorns picked up their sixth win of the 2020 campaign and secured the program’s fourth-straight winning season.
• It is the first time since 2006-09 that Texas has put together four consecutive winning campaigns, and the first time since 2011-14 that the Horns competed in a bowl game over four-straight seasons.
LONGHORN GRADUATES
Thirteen members of The University of Texas Football team enter the 2021 season having completed their degree requirements and have earned their degrees prior to the season are will graduate after the fall semester. The list includes: Skyler Bonneau, Cade Brewer, Ben Davis, Darion Dunn, Tope Imade, Derek Kerstetter, Ovie Oghoufo, Denzel Okafor, Brenden Schooler, Turner Symonds, Casey Thompson, Ray Thornton and Gabe Watson.
FULL STEAM AHEAD
• The running backs ran wild in Texas’ 58-0 win over Rice with three Longhorns breaking runs for over 60 yards, the first time in program history that three different players have registered rushes of over 60 yards in the same game.
• Junior Roschon Johnson started things off with a 72-yard jaunt for a score in the first quarter and sophomore Bijan Robinson followed with a 62-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Not to be out done, sophomore Keilan Robinson added a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
• Texas finished the game with a program-singlegame record 10.4 yards per carry (41 carries for 427 yards).
• The last time Texas had three different players with a run of 60 yards or more in a season was 2004. Romance Taylor had a 74-yard touchdown run in the season opener against North Texas and Cedric Benson busted a 60-yard run at Arkansas the following week. Vince Young added one of his own with a 60-yard run in the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
• Texas’ previous season with at least three runs of 60 yards took place in 2015, when D’Onta Foreman had three (Kansas – 93 yards, Oklahoma – 81 yards, West Virginia – 65 yards) and Chris Warren III had one (Texas Tech – 91 yards).
• The last time there were three plays of 60 or more yards in a single game occurred against Oklahoma in 2005 when Jamaal Charles ran 80 yards for a touchdown, Rodrique Wright scored on a 67-yard fumble return and Vince Young connected with Billy Pittman for a 64-yard touchdown pass.
• In addition to three players busting 60-plus yard runs in a single game, four different players rushed for touchdowns against Rice, with freshman Jonathon Brooks joining the trio with a 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.
BIG PLAY BIJAN
• Sophomore RB Bijan Robinson has a history of not only making people miss and getting the tough yards, but also breaking big plays as both a rusher and receiver. For his career, Robinson has 25 plays (18 rushes/7 receptions) of 20-plus yards and that includes six of 50 or more (all runs). Over his last nine games, his ratio of long plays is even more impressive. During that time, he has 20 plays (15 rushes/5 receptions) of 20-or-more yards, including four runs of 50-plus. He’s accomplished that in just 184 plays (165 rushes/19 receptions) in that nine-game span, or a play of 20-plus yards on average about every nine plays. In seven games this season, he has 11 plays (9 rushes/2 receptions) of 20-ormore yards, including two of 50-plus, with four touchdowns.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT BIJAN
• “I think he’s unique. The ball skills, the illusiveness, the power, the acceleration, the balance, the football IQ, he’s a very well-rounded player.” – Steve Sarkisian
• “This kid may be the best player in the sport. This kid is big-time.” – Kirk Herbstreit
• “Bijan Robinson is the best running back in the country. He’s turning into the most dynamic offensive player in the country. He catches it well out of the backfield, they can get it to him in several different ways, he can affect the game at any moment, from anywhere and because of that, I feel very comfortable saying if I had to vote for a Heisman winner today, it would be Bijan Robinson. I think he’s the most dynamic player in the country.” – Joel Klatt
BIJAN BRINGS THE NOISE
• Bijan Robinson has been on a roll this season, racking up yards at an astonishing rate. In seven games, he has 924 yards on 146 carries (6.3 ypc) and 10 touchdowns to go along with 14 receptions for 207 yards and three more scores. In 160 plays he has 1,131 yards for 7.1 yards per play and 13 touchdowns.
• The sophomore’s hot start earned him nods on five midseason All-America teams, garnering accolades from the Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic and The Sporting News.
• Robinson currently leads the Big 12 and ranks third in the nation in rushing yards (924), rushing yards per game (132.0), total touchdowns (13), scoring (11.1
points per game) and all-purpose yards (161.57 yards per game). He is second in the Big 12 and is tenth nationally in rushing touchdowns (10) and second in
the conference and is tied for fourth in FBS in total points scored (78).
• Over his last 11 games, Robinson has totaled 1,446 on 193 carries (7.5 ypc) with 14 touchdowns, while hauling in 22 receptions for 336 yards (15.3 ypr) and scoring five touchdowns. All told, he has 1,782 yards on 215 plays for 8.3 yards per play and 19 touchdowns.
• Against Oklahoma State, Robinson had 135 yards rushing on 21 carries with two touchdowns, while also hauling in three receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown.
• He has scored 19 touchdowns (14 rushing and five receiving) in his last nine games with at least one score in nine-straight games.
• His nine-game touchdown scoring streak is the longest for a Longhorn since Jordan Shipley scored in 10 consecutive games in 2008. It is the longest streak for a UT running back since Jamaal Charles scored in nine-straight games in 2006-07. Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson hold the Texas record, scoring touchdowns in 11 consecutive games in 1998-99 and 2003-04, respectively.• Robinson has rushed for at least 100 yards in five-straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in UT history and is the first time it has occurred since D’Onta Foreman did it in 2016.
• He has six games of 100 rushing yards this season, tied with Cedric Benson for 11th-most by a Longhorn in a season.
• The sophomore has surpassed 100 yards rushing in eight of the last nine games and nine of the last 11.
• Against Oklahoma, Robinson carried the ball 20 times for 137 yards, including runs of 50 and 33 yards, with one rushing touchdown.
• He earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honors following the Longhorns win at TCU after establishing career highs with 35 carries and 216 yards (6.2 ypc), scoring two touchdowns and catching two passes for 22 yards. He also set a personal-best with 238 all-purpose yards.
• Robinson’s 216 yards on the ground are the 21stmost in UT history and was the 37th time a Longhorn had surpassed the 200-yard mark. He was the 13th individual to accomplish the feat and first since D’Onta Foreman against Texas Tech in 2016.
• He carried the ball 18 times for 137 yards against Texas Tech and had two receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown. He had a career-long 38-yard touchdown reception and runs of 33 and 22 yards, giving him.
• Robinson rushed for 127 yards on 13 carries (9.8 ypc) and scored three touchdowns against Rice to earn an Honorable Mention Player of the Week nod from The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
• Robinson opened the 2021 campaign in style, earning Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) National Offensive Player of the Week honors after racking up 176 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including 103 on the ground and a touchdown on 20 carries, along with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown in leading the
Longhorns to an opening week win over No. 23 Louisiana.
• Had seven touchdowns through the first four games \this year, surpassing the six he scored as a freshman in five fewer games played.
• Surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the Texas’ 58-0 victory over Rice, becoming the 55th Longhorn to reach the mark.
• He reached 1,000 yards on his 138th career carry, the fastest Longhorn to reach the mark since Jamaal Charles accomplished it on his 138th career carry. Vince Young was the fastest to the mark in recent UT history, reaching 1,000 rushing yards on his 136th attempt.
ROBINSON BREAKING THROUGH
• Last season, Robinson appeared in nine games and made six-straight starts to close out his first season of college football. He led the Longhorns with 703 rushing yards on 86 carries (8.2 ypc) and scored four touchdowns. Robinson was also the team’s fifth-leading receiver with 15 catches for 196 and two more touchdowns as a receiver.
• His standout performances over the second half of last season have put him front and center and many preseason watch lists, including the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year lists.
• Robinson was a big-play machine for the Longhorns in 2020, logging a team-high 14 explosive plays (20- plus yards) last year. Ten were as a runner and four as a receiver. Five of those came in the Alamo Bowl as he logged runs of 27, 50, 66 and 21 yards, as well as catching a 23-yard touchdown pass.
• His 66-yard run is the second-longest by a Longhorn in a bowl game, while his 50-yarder is tied for the fifth-longest in a bowl game on school record.
• He saved his best game for last earning Offensive MVP honors of the Alamo Bowl when he carried the ball 10 times for 183 yards (18.3 avg) and scored one touchdown, and also caught two passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
• His 183 rushing yards were the most ever by a UT freshman in a bowl game, and the fourth-most by a Longhorn, regardless of class, in a bowl game all-time. It was the sixth-best rushing game in terms of yardage by a freshman in school history overall.
• His rushing yardage total is the best by a freshman in a bowl game in Big 12 history.
• Regardless of class, his rushing total was the best by a Longhorn since D’Onta Foreman tallied 250 yards against Kansas during his Doak Walker Award-winning season in 2016.
• He logged the third 100-yard rushing game of his true freshman season, the third-most in school history. Cedric Benson (5 in 2001), Earl Campbell (4 in 1974), Ricky Williams (3 in 1995), Vince Young (3 in 2003), Jamaal Charles (3 in 2005) and Malcolm Brown (3 in 2011) are the only other Longhorns to record at least three 100- yard games as freshmen.
• He joined Cedric Benson (twice, 2001) and Adrian Walker (twice, 1989) as the only Longhorns to rush for 150-plus yards on multiple occasions during their freshman season.
• Finished the season as the 11th UT freshman to rush for at least 700 yards.
• Broke the Texas single-season records for yards per rush average, averaging 8.2 yards per carry (703 yds/86 carries) this season. James Saxton (7.9 ypc) set the previous record during the 1961 season.
• The Tucson, Ariz. native produced back-to-back impressive performances including against Kansas State on Dec. 5, as he carried the ball nine times for 172 yards (19.1 ypc) and three touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 51 yards out of the backfield.
• Robinson’s 172 rushing yards against the Wildcats rank as the eighth-most by a freshman in Texas history. His three touchdowns on the ground are also tied for the second-most by a UT freshman.
• He broke Gib Dawson’s 69-year-old school record for yards per carry in a game (min. 8 carries). Dawson averaged 16.0 yards per carry (9 for 144) against North Carolina in 1951.
• Robinson is the first Longhorn to record at least 150 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in the same game since Cedric Benson vs. Kansas in 2001.
• On Texas’ first possession of the third quarter, Robinson broke a 75-yard touchdown run. It was the sixth-longest run by a freshman in school history and one of four explosive plays (20-plus yards) he recorded against K-State.
• Robinson also had runs of 27 and 30 yards, as well as a 27-yard reception from QB Sam Ehlinger.
• He scored his first collegiate touchdown on Texas’ opening possession, finding paydirt from 12 yards out on the ground.
• It was the second 100-yard game of Robinson’s young career, the first of which came against West Virginia on Nov. 7. That day, he carried the ball 12 times for 113 yards and caught two passes for 38 yards. It was the first 100-yard game of his career.
• His 9.4 yards per carry had been the best single-game average by a Longhorn against a Big 12 opponent (min. 10 carries) since Doak Walker Award winner D’Onta Foreman vs. Texas Tech in 2016 (10.3 ypc) until his performance against Kansas State.
• Robinson did not lose yardage on any of his 12 carries against the Mountaineers, with 11 resulting in positive yardage and one going for no gain.
• He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and appeared on the FWAA’s Fresh Four for the first time in his career following his breakout day.
• Robinson’s first career start came against Baylor on Oct. 24 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. That day, he carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards,
both season-highs for the Tucson, Ariz. native to that point.
• His second was a week later in a Halloween matchup at No. 6/6 Oklahoma State. Robinson carried the ball 13 times for a team-high 59 yards in the come-from-behind win over the Cowboys.
• He made his collegiate debut in Texas’ season \opener against UTEP, carrying the ball five times for 38 yards and catching two passes for nine yards. Robinson broke off a 29-yard run late in the third quarter.
MOST RUSHING YARDS
(SEASON, TRUE FRESHMAN)
Name Yards Year
1. Cedric Benson…………………. 1,053………………2001
2. Ricky Williams …………………..990………………..1995
3. Earl Campbell…………………….928………………..1974
4. Jamaal Charles ………………….878………………..2005
5. Malcolm Brown………………….779………………..2011
6. Keaontay Ingram………………..708………………..2018
7. Bijan Robinson…………….703……………2020
8. Jonathan Gray……………………701………………..2012
9. Roschon Johnson …………649……………2019
10. Johnny “Lam” Jones ………..624………………..1976
BIJAN’S BACKGROUND
• Prior to arriving on the Forty Acres, Bijan Robinson was an All-American and two-time state player of the year at Salpointe High School in Arizona. He was selected to participate in the 2020 All-American Bowl and became the first player in Arizona high school football history to twice win the Ed Doherty Award as the state’s top high school football player by the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club.
• Robinson left high school as Arizona’s all-time career touchdown leader with 114, and the state’s all-time leading rusher with 7,036 yards to his name. He also became the first player in Arizona history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.
• Coming out of high school, he was ranked No. 14 nationally, No. 1 at all-purpose back and No. 2 overall in Arizona by Rivals. He was slotted at No. 22 nationally, No. 4 among running backs and No. 2 in Arizona by ESPN, and at No. 23 nationally, No. 2 at running back and No. 2 in Arizona by 247Sports.
• Robinson was named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and received the Arizona National Football Foundation Frank Kush Player of the Year honor.
THOMPSON AT THE HELM
• Junior QB Casey Thompson is making the most of his opportunity since being named the starter in week three against Rice.
• Thompson guided Texas to victories in each of his first three career starts, the first Longhorn to begin his career 3-0 since Garrett Gilbert in 2010.
• Against Oklahoma State, Thompson completed 15- of-27 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
• With his touchdown pass against Oklahoma State, Thompson has passed or run for a touchdown in all seven games this season and eight straight dating back to the Alamo Bowl last season.
• The Oklahoma native had a career day in his Red River Showdown debut against rival Oklahoma, setting career highs in completions, attempts and passing yards completing 20-of-34 passes for 388 yards and five touchdowns.
• His 388 yards passing were the 12th-most for a Longhorn in program history, while his five touchdowns were tied for the second in UT history and were the most-ever for a Longhorn against the Sooners. • Joined Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger as the only Longhorns to have multiple five-touchdown passing games.
• At TCU he completed 12-of-22 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in leading the Longhorns past the Horned Frogs, UT’s first win in Fort Worth since 2013, surpassing 1,000 career passing yards in his 12th career game.
• He garnered Maxwell Award Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, was named a Manning Award Star of the Week and earned a spot on the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 list following his second-ever start against Texas Tech.
• The junior took it to another level against Texas Tech, completing 18-of-23 passes and establishing career highs with 303 passing yards and five touchdowns, while also carrying the ball seven times for 29 yards and a touchdown.
• In all, Thompson accounted for six touchdowns against Texas Tech, tied for second-most in a single game in UT history. His five touchdown passes also tied for second in program history.
• Only Colt McCoy (6, 2006 vs. Baylor) had more passing touchdowns and Clyde Littlefield (7, 1915 vs. Daniel Baker) more touchdowns accounted for than Thompson’s five passing touchdowns and six touchdowns accounted for versus Texas Tech.
• In his first career start against Rice, Thompson completed 15-of-18 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
• He threw for 467 yards in his first two career starts, the fifth-most by a Longhorn quarterback to begin their career.
• In 2021, Thompson has connected on 89-of-137 passes (65 percent) for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns and carried the ball 38 times for 87 yards and three touchdowns.
Baylor Bears
STORY LINES
• Baylor hosts Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium for the 111th all-time series meeting.
• The 110 meetings between Baylor and Texas are BU’s second-most against any opponent (TCU-116).
• Baylor is 5-6 against Texas since snapping a 12-game series losing streak in 2010.
• Baylor is bowl-eligible within the first 7 games of a season for the 6th time in the last 9 seasons. BU has been bowl-eligible 10 times in the last 12 seasons following a 15-season drought (1995-2009).
• Baylor’s lone loss of the season was on the road at No. 19 Oklahoma State, where the Bears twice had possession down 3 points in the 4th quarter before eventually falling 24-14.
• BU has two wins against ranked opponents this season (No. 14 Iowa State and No. 19 BYU), marking the first time the Bears have beaten two ranked teams in a season’s first 7 games since 1985.
• BU racked up 534 yards of offense and played penalty-free in the win over No. 19 BYU on Oct. 16.
• The win over BYU was Baylor’s first penalty-free game in program history.
• Baylor has 84 wins since 2011, 2nd-most in the state of Texas behind only Texas A&M (90).
• BU leads the Big 12 in turnover margin (+0.9) and interceptions (8), and BU is tied for the nation’s lead with only 1 interception thrown this season (tied with Pittsburgh, Toledo, Ole Miss and CCU).
• Baylor is 1 of 4 Power-5 teams ranked top-25 nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense (BU, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State). BU is 14th in scoring offense (38.3) and 19th in scoring defense (18.7).
• Baylor ranks 6th nationally with 13 fourth-down conversions, including 6 times in its own territory.
• Baylor’s offense leads the Big 12 and ranks 3rd nationally, averaging 7.29 yards per play.
• BU is 9th nationally with 238.3 rushing yards per game after ranking 123rd last season (90.3 ypg).
• Baylor’s O-Line has allowed only 6 sacks, tied for 7th-fewest nationally (4th in Power-5)
• BU has forced twice as many turnovers (28) as it has allowed (14) in 16 games under Dave Aranda.
• Six different Baylor players have intercepted passes this season, accounting for a Big 12-best 8 INTs.
• BU is the only team with two players ranked top-20 nationally in rushing yards per carry – Abram Smith (4th, 7.48) and Trestan Ebner (14th, 6.44). Smith is 10th nationally in both rushing TDs (10) and rushing ypg (112.1).
ADDITIONAL NOTES
• Baylor returned 17 of 22 starters and 54 of 68 letterman from last season’s team.
• The Bears welcomed four new assistant coaches for 2021 – Jeff Grimes (Offensive Coordinator/TEs), Eric Mateos (Offensive Line), Chansi Stuckey (Wide Receivers) and Kevin Curtis (Cornerbacks).
• The Bears added a pair of experienced O-Line transfers with Jacob Gall (13 starts at Buffalo) and Grant Miller (16 starts at Vanderbilt). Four members of the O-Line now have a combined 103 career starts.
• BU returned 7 starters on offense, led by OL Connor Galvin and Xavier Newman-Johnson now with 30 starts apiece.
• Baylor’s defense returned 10 starters from a unit which allowed only 203.0 passing yards per game last season, second-best in the Big 12. BU has allowed 198.9 passing ypg in 7 games this year (15th-fewest in Power-5).
• Baylor’s five starting defensive backs have a combined 210 career games played and 110 career starts. CB Raleigh Texada has a team-high 36 career starts, including each of the last 30 games.
• BU is playing its 120th season of football and holds a 615-585-44 (.512) all-time record. Baylor has scored in a school-record 181-straight games – doubling the previous record of 89 games from Dec. 31, 1979 – Oct. 23, 1987.
• The Bears are the only team ranked in the Big 12’s top-4 in scoring offense (3rd) and scoring defense (3rd).
• BU defeated No. 14 Iowa State on Sept. 25 for its first ranked win since 2015.
TEXAS SERIES HISTORY
• Baylor takes on Texas for the 111th time on Saturday. The Bears trail 27-79-4 in the all-time series.
• Baylor is 5-6 against Texas since snapping a 12-game series losing streak with a 30-22 win in Austin in 2010.
• Baylor has out-scored Texas 301-275 in series meetings since 2010, going 5-6 vs. UT in that span. All five of those wins against Texas were by 8+ points (+17.4 average margin in wins), while four of the six losses were by six or fewer points (-10.2 average margin in losses).
• Baylor’s rivalry with Texas is the Bears’ second-most played behind only TCU (116 games), while the Bears are Texas’ third-most played rival behind only Oklahoma (116 games) and Texas A&M (118 games).
GRIMES BRINGS RVO TO WACO
• Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has brought RVO to Waco – “Reliable Violent Offense” – an attacking, multipleformation offense that runs a few plays a lot of ways with as much misdirection as any team in the country.
• Under Grimes, Baylor’s offense leads the Big 12 in total offense (471.7 ypg), yards per play (7.29), yards per rush (6.09) and fewest sacks allowed (6). The Bears are third in the league in passing efficiency (163.6).
• Baylor’s offense ranks 4th nationally in interception percentage, with only 1 of 179 passes intercepted.
• Grimes’ 2020 BYU offense finished 3rd nationally in scoring (43.5 ppg) and 7th in total offense (522.2 ypg).
• Joining Grimes in making the move from Provo to Waco was offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who spent the past two seasons at BYU. Mateos’ offensive line ranked 8th nationally in 2020 with 1.0 sacks allowed per game, and the Bears currently rank 8th nationally with only 0.86 sacks allowed per game in 2021.
FOURTH DOWN SUCCESS
• Baylor leads the Big 12 with 13 fourth-down conversions, three more than any other team in the league (KSU-10).
• BU is 13-of-18 on fourth downs (72%), the nation’s 6th-best conversion rate among teams with 15+ attempts.
• Baylor has been stopped on 4th-and-3 or less only one time all season (12-of-13 converted).
• The five times Baylor has been stopped on fourth downs have led to only 7 points allowed on the opponents’ ensuing drives, while the Bears have turned the 13 conversions into 52 points on their drives.
• BU has gone 6-for-7 on 4th downs in its own territory, converting 4th-and-1 (own 34) at TXST, 4th-and-3 (own 37) vs. TXSO, 4th-and-3 (own 46) at KU, 4th-and-2 (own 45) at OSU, 4th-and-1 (own 34) vs. WVU and 4th-and-1 (own 37) vs. WVU. The only failed attempt in its own territory was 4th-and-4 (own 36) at OSU.
• Of the 7 fourth-down attempts in its own territory, the six conversions have led to 31 points for Baylor’s offense, while the BU defense forced a 3-and-out punt immediately after the lone failed attempt.
BEARS ARE BOWL-ELIGIBLE ONLY 7 GAMES IN
• Baylor is bowl-eligible seven games into a season for the sixth time in nine years since 2013.
• Prior to 2013, Baylor went 27-consecutive seasons without starting 6-1 or better through a season’s first seven games (1986-2012). The Bears were 6-1 or better only 4 times from the end of World War II through 2012.
• The Bears have been 6-1 or better through the first seven games 17 times in the program’s 120 seasons (1915, 1916, 1928, 1929, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1949, 1953, 1980, 1985, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021).
• Baylor has also won at least 3 of its first 4 Big 12 games for the 6th time in the last 9 seasons. Prior to 2013, BU was 3-1 or better in Big 12 play only twice in the league’s first 17 seasons (2006, 2010).
RANKED IN 9 OF LAST 12 SEASONS
• With its No. 21 ranking in the Sept. 26 AP Top 25, Baylor has now been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 9 of 12 seasons since 2010, after going 17 years between national rankings (1993-2010).
• The Bears climbed from receiving no votes in the AP poll in any of the first three weeks to No. 21 after their win over No. 14 Iowa State on Sept. 25. The win was Baylor’s first over a ranked opponent since 2015.
• Baylor is up to No. 16 in this week’s AP Top 25, BU’s highest since ranking No. 13 in the final 2019 poll.
BOWL ELIGIBLE FOR 10TH TIME SINCE 2010
• BU is bowl-eligible for the 10th time in 12 seasons since 2010.
• Baylor went 15 years without a bowl bid between the 1994 Alamo Bowl and the 2010 Texas Bowl.
• Baylor’s 10 bowls in 12 years is unprecedented in program history. Baylor’s first 10 bowl games were over a 33- year span (1948-1980) and its 10 most recent bowls prior to 2010 were over a 32-year span (1963-1994).
BEARS AMONG BIG 12’S BEST DEFENSES
• Baylor’s defense leads the Big 12 passing defense efficiency (118.5) and interceptions (8). The Bears also allow only 198.9 passing yards per game, which ranks 2nd in the Big 12.
• Baylor’s defense has allowed only 201.2 passing yards per game in 16 games under head coach Dave Aranda.
• BU’s defense has had 3 interceptions in a game twice this season – Sept. 4 at Texas State; JT Woods, Jalen Pitre and Jairon McVea and Oct. 2 at Oklahoma State; Raleigh Texada, JT Woods and Dillon Doyle.
• The Bears held Kansas to 57 passing yards, the 2nd-fewest by a BU defense in Big 12 play in the last 20 seasons, eclipsed only by the 54 passing yards allowed to Texas in the 2013 de-facto Big 12 Championship game.
MILESTONES TO WATCH
• Trestan Ebner (3,817) needs 183 all-purpose yards to become BU’s 7th player with 4,000 career all-purpose yards.
• Ebner will play his 55th career game on Saturday, 2nd-most in program history (record is Chris Platt-57).
• Ebner needs 113 rushing yards to become the 25th BU player with 1,500+ career rushing yards. He’s currently 29th on Baylor’s all-time rushing yards list and can move up to 25th with 95 rushing yards.
• R.J. Sneed (1,389) needs 111 receiving yards to become BU’s 20th player with 1,500 career receiving yards.
• Tyquan Thornton (1,841) needs 159 receiving yards to become BU’s 11th player with 2,000 career receiving yards.
• Terrel Bernard (12.0) needs 1 sack to become the 10th player in program history with 13.0+ career sacks.
• Abram Smith (785) needs 215 rushing yards for the 15th 1,000-yard rushing season in program history. His current total of 785 rushing yards are the most in a season since Terence Williams’ 1,048 in 2016.
HOMECOMING WIN VS. BYU
• Baylor earned its second ranked win of the season by knocking off No. 19 BYU 38-24 on Oct. 16.
• The Bears played penalty-free football for the first time in program history and racked up 534 yards of offense on their way to a Homecoming victory over their future conference counterpart.
• Abram Smith led the way with 27 carries for 188 yards and 3 TDs, while Trestan Ebner added 95 yards on 11 carries to help the Bears rush for 303 yards and 4 TDs as a team, while limiting BYU to 67 yards on 24 carries.
• Five Baylor defenders recorded sacks totaling 47 yards of losses on 5.0 sacks against the Cougars.
BACK ON TRACK WITH BIG WIN OVER WEST VIRGINIA
• Baylor bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 45-20 victory over West Virginia on Oct. 9.
• BU scored touchdowns on its first 3 drives, built a 28-10 halftime lead and led by at least 15 the rest of the game.
• The Bears played turnover-free for a second-straight game and racked up 525 yards of offense, averaging 8.3 yards per play. The BU defense shut down WVU’s running game, limiting the Mountaineers to 90 rushing yards.
• Gerry Bohanon passed for a career-high 336 yards and 4 TDs, while Tyquan Thornton had a career-best 187 receiving yards and 2 TDs on 8 receptions. Ben Sims added a pair of touchdown catches.
BEARS WIN TURNOVER BATTLE, BUT FALL SHORT AT OKLAHOMA STATE
• Baylor was plus-3 in the turnover battle, but came up short in a 24-14 loss at No. 19 Oklahoma State on Oct. 2.
• The Bears got interceptions from Raleigh Texada, JT Woods and Dillon Doyle, and didn’t commit any turnovers, but BU couldn’t capitalize on two fourth-quarter possessions when facing a 17-14 deficit.
• Abram Smith broke a career-long 55-yard TD run on 4th-and-2 late in the 3rd quarter, and Gerry Bohanon’s 1-yard TD run with 12 minutes left cut the deficit to 17-14, but the Bears wouldn’t score again.
BU DEFEATS IOWA STATE FOR FIRST RANKED WIN SINCE 2015
• Baylor scored on its first three offensive possessions to take a 21-10 lead, and the Bears remained in front the rest of the way in a 31-29 win over No. 14 Iowa State on Sept. 25.
• BU sealed the victory with a pair of clutch plays in the final minute. First, JT Woods picked off a 2-point conversion pass that would’ve tied the game, then the Bears recovered two onside kicks (one negated by penalty).
• Baylor won despite having 197 fewer yards of total offense, 12 fewer first downs and 75 more penalty yards.
• Baylor’s 15 first downs were its fewest in a win since Oct. 12, 2013 at Kansas State (15), and this was the first time Baylor won a game with 150+ fewer yards than its opponent since Nov. 29, 2014 vs. Texas Tech.
DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN KANSAS IN BIG 12 OPENER
• Baylor’s defense turned in a record-breaking performance in the Bears’ 45-7 win at Kansas on Sept. 18.
• BU’s defense allowed only 166 yards of total offense, its fewest in 211 all-time Big 12 Conference games.
• BU led 14-7 at halftime, then out-scored Kansas 31-0 and allowed only 66 yards in the 2nd half.
• The Bears limited back-to-back opponents to single-digit scoring for the first time since 2014 and held 3-straight opponents below 300 yards of total offense for the second time in the Big 12 era (since 1996).
Sat., Oct. 30 @ 1:00 pm ET
Iowa State Cyclones at West Virginia Mountaineers
THE SERIES
All-Time Series …………………………..WVU leads 5-4
In Morgantown………………………………. Tied at 2-2
In Ames, Iowa…………………………….WVU leads 3-2
At Neutral Site …………………………………………..0-0
First Meeting…………………….2012, WVU 31-24 (A)
Last Meeting……………………….. 2020, ISU 42-6 (A)
Brown vs. ISU…………………………………………….0-2
Brown vs. Campbell ……………………………………0-2
Campbell vs. WVU………………………………………3-1
Iowa State Cyclones
THE LEAD
No. 22 Iowa State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) travels to West Virginia (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) riding a three-game winning streak over the Mountaineers. The Cyclones are back in the AP Top 25 after a 24-21 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma State, increasing their school-record Big 12 homefield winning streak to nine games, the league’s best active streak. The victory improved head coach Matt Campbell’s record vs. Top 10 teams to 4-4. ISU was 8-98-2 vs. Top 10 opponents prior to his arrival.
KEY STORYLINES
ISU won its 10th game vs. a ranked opponent since 2017 in a 24-21 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Iowa State ranks sixth nationally in total offense margin (+165.3). The Cyclones outgained their opponent in all seven games and have an active 10-game streak of outgaining their opponents.
ISU’s defense ranks in the Top 15 nationally in total defense (3rd, 262.9), first downs (5th, 101), passing defense (7th, 164.6), yards per rush (12th, 2.91) and yards per play (13th, 4.6).
ISU has held all seven opponents below 350 yards of total offense this season.
All-American RB Breece Hall owns an active streak of tallying a rush TD in 19-straight games, a Big 12 record and the nation’s fourth-longest FBS streak since 1996.
QB Brock Purdy is second nationally in completion pct. (75.3 pct.). He’s completed over 80 pct. of his passes four times this season, the most in the nation.
DE Will McDonald IV leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally in sacks pg (1.07).
COACH NOTES
Owns best career winning pct. in ISU history at .571 (since 1928).
Led ISU to a first-place finish in the final regular-season league standings (2020, 8-1) for the first time in school history.
Only coach in school history to defeat every league team at home and on the road.
Set school record for conference wins (8-1) and tied school record for overall wins (9-3) in 2020.
Owns 37.0 pct. of ISU’s all-time wins over
ranked opponents. Campbell has 10 wins
vs. rated foes at Iowa State.
Led ISU to first-ever New Year’s Six Bowl
win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
Only coach in school history with four-straight winning seasons (2017-20).
Owns four of ISU’s five winning conference seasons in Big 12 history.
His 29 Big 12 wins is the most by a Cyclone coach vs. conference teams.
Member of five Division III national championships as a player and coach at perennial power Mt. Union (Ohio).
Two-time All-American (d-line) and Academic All-American at Mt. Union
LAST TIME OUT
owa State staged a fourth-quarter comeback on Saturday with a 24-21 victory over No. 8 Oklahoma State.
The Cyclones were down seven at the half and by four points with eight minutes remaining, but a Breece Hall TD with 5:29 left in the game and a pair of huge defensive stops set up the win.
The victory was ISU’s fourth over a Top 10 opponent since 2017 and improved its Big 12 homefield winning streak to a school-record nine games, the league’s best active streak.
Head coach Matt Campbell owns a win over every Big 12 opponent at home and on the road, both program firsts.
Campbell now has 10 wins over Top 25 opponents since 2017.
There were plenty of stars in the game, including QB Brock Purdy, who recorded his 13th career 300-yard passing game (307) and tossed a pair of TDs.
Purdy, who is now 14-1 vs. Big 12 opponents at home as a starter, notched his fourth game this season completing 80 pct. of his passes (81.8 pct.) by connecting on 27-of-33 attempts.
Purdy broke ISU’s career completion record (844) in the win.
WR Xavier Hutchinson set a career high with 12 receptions, the fifth-best single-game total in school history.
Hutchinson recorded his fourth career 100-yard receiving game (125) and his second career multi-TD game with a pair of TD catches.
RB Breece Hall rushed for 70 yards and scored a rushing TD for the 19th-straight game, tying for the fourth-longest streak in FBS since 1996.
DE Will McDonald IV had five tackles, including a pair of sacks to stop OSU in a key fourth-quarter possession. McDonald IV has 7.5 sacks on the year and 25.0 in his career, 0.5 shy from the school mark.
E Enyi Uwazurike had four tackles and a sack.
ISU outgained its 10th-straight opponent, 374-332, including 262-144 after the half.
ISU AS A RANKED TEAM
Iowa State’s No. 7 ranking in the inaugural AP poll was the highest AP ranking in school history.
SU is 27-28-2 all-time as a ranked team and head coach Matt Campbell has 14 victories while the Cyclones were in the AP Top 25, the most by any coach in school
history.
ISU was ranked in the AP Top 25 for a school-record 17-straight weeks before falling out of the Sept. 26 poll.
The Cyclones climbed back into the AP poll on Oct. 24.
ISU played as a ranked team 24 times since 2017. ISU competed as a ranked team just nine times from 1982-2016.
Iowa State has appeared in the CFP rankings a total of 15 weeks since 2017, tying for 11th nationally during that span.
ISU is one of only seven teams nationally to make multiple appearances in the CFP poll in each of the last four seasons (Iowa State, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Georgia).
Iowa State wins as a ranked team: 1934-2016: 13; 2017-21: 14.
CAMPBELL IS ISU’S GREATEST COACH
Head coach Matt Campbell, a three-time honoree of Big 12 Coach of the Year (2017, 2018, 2020), has turned Iowa State into a winner in his tenure.
Campbell has a 40-30 overall record for a .571 winning percentage, the best winning percentage by a Cyclone coach since the Big Six was formed (1928) and the third-most wins in school history.
Campbell began his ISU career with a 1-8 mark and is 39-22 since.
Campbell is the only coach in school history to defeat every team in the league during their tenure and is 29-13 in regular-season conference games in the last 42 games.
He has defeated every Big 12 school on the road and at home, both program firsts.
Campbell’s 29 league victories ranks first in school history among Cyclone coaches.
Campbell owns 29 of ISU’s 73 all-time wins vs. Big 12 teams (39.7 pct.).
ISU’s Big 12 win season average from 1996-2015 (2.2). ISU’s Big 12 win season average from 2016-20 (5.2).
Campbell is 14-10 coaching the Cyclones as a ranked team. The 24 games coached as a ranked team are the most in school history.
First coach in school history to defeat Oklahoma and Texas in the same season (2020).
Led ISU to a first-place finish in the regular-season Big 12 standings in 2020 at 8-1. It marks the first time in school history ISU ended the conference regular-season in sole possession of first place.
Has the most Conference Coach of the Year Awards in FBS since 2015 with four: 2015 (MAC-Toledo), 2017, 2018, 2020 (Big 12-Iowa State).
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
ISU reached a six-game homefield winning streak in its victory over UNI, tying for the fourth-longest string in school history.
Held its first three opponents to below 100 yards rushing.
Had an overall streak of four-straight games holding opponents to below 100 yards rushing for the first time since 1944.
Held first four opponents to below 300 yards of total offense, its first four-game streak of sub-300-yard games of total defense since 1999.
Limited UNLV to just seven first downs, ISU’s second-fewest since 1996.
Iowa State’s 48-3 win at UNLV was the largest margin of victory on the road since 1923 and the sixth-largest road victory in school history since 1900.
Iowa State’s 28 points scored in the first quarter vs. Kansas was the most points scored by a Cyclone team in the first quarter and ties for the third-most points scored in a quarter overall.
ISU’s 38 first-half points vs. Kansas ties for the fourth-most scored in a half in school history.
The Cyclones defeated the Jayhawks, 59-7, the second-most points scored vs. a conference team in school history, and their 52-point margin of victory was the third-largest vs. a conference opponent.
Ended a seven-game losing streak at Kansas State with a 33-20 victory, ISU’s first win in Manhattan since 2004.
The win at Kansas State gave head coach Matt Campbell a win on the road vs. every team in the Big 12 in his career.
The Cyclones recorded an 18-play, 93-yard TD drive that took 10:02 off the clock vs. KSU, marking ISU’s first 10-minute scoring drive since 2002.
Iowa State’s 24-21 win over No. 8 Oklahoma State was Campbell’s fourth career victory over a Top 10 team.
The win gave Campbell a victory over every league team at Jack Trice Stadium in his tenure.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Cyclone defense has improved dramatically since 2017 and it continues to shine in 2021.
ISU has ranked among the Big 12’s top-three in scoring defense since 2017 and currently leads the league and ranks 12th nationally yielding 17.0 ppg.
Excluding a pair of non-offensive touchdowns allowed, ISU’s scoring defense total is 15.0.
The Cyclones lead the Big 12 and rank in the Top 15 nationally in total defense (3rd, 262.9) and yards per play (13th, 4.6).
The Cyclones have limited opponents to under 300 yards of total offense 19 times since 2017, including 11 vs. Big 12 teams.
SU has kept all seven opponents to below 350 yards of total offense this year.
ISU ranks 12th nationally in yards per rush (2.91). ISU has allowed just two rushes of over 20 yards this year.
Ten times in its last 18 games, ISU has held its opponent to below 100 yards rushing.
Since 2017, ISU has allowed opponents to 2.5 yards per rush or below 16 times.
SU is 20-2 when holding opponents to below 100 yards rushing in the Matt Campbell era (2016-21).
ISU has held 12 opponents in the Matt Campbell era to 2.0 yards per carry or below in a game.
The Cyclones also lead the Big 12 and rank seventh nationally in passing defense (164.6).
In the second half of its last 12 games, ISU has given up just 55 points (excluding defensive TDs), averaging 4.6 points after intermission in that stretch.
The Cyclones have given up just five second-half offensive touchdowns in their last 12 games.
ISU opponent second-half scoring (excluding non-offensive TDs) in the last 12 games: Kansas State- 0, Texas- 7, West Virginia- 6, Oklahoma- 3, Oregon0, UNI- 0, Iowa- 6, UNLV- 3, Baylor- 3, Kansas- 7, Kansas State- 13, Oklahoma State- 7).
Against Iowa, the ISU defense held the Hawkeyes to 173 yards. Iowa scored 20 of its 27 points off turnovers.
Against UNLV, the Cyclones held the Rebels to 130 yards and just seven first downs, tying for the second-lowest total since 1996.
In its last 12 games overall, the Cyclones are allowing 15.2 points (182) and 291.3 yards of total offense (3,495).
In 78 total drives by the opponents this season, the Cyclones have forced 25 3-and-outs.
ISU has allowed just 101 first downs, the fewest in the Big 12 and fifth-fewest nationally.
DEFENSIVE SWITCH
In the fourth game of the 2017 season, Iowa State made drastic changes in its defense.
HC Matt Campbell and DC Jon Heacock implemented a 3-3-5 defense vs. Texas in 2017, and the results have been amazing.
In ISU’s last 55 games, the Cyclones have held 46 opponents to below their season scoring average.
Since the switch, the Cyclones have also kept 46 opponents below their season total offense average.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Iowa State is third in the Big 12 and sixth nationally in red zone offense (97%), converting on 28-of-29 trips, including 21 touchdowns.
ISU leads the Big 12 and ranks 20th nationally in fourth down conversions at 70 pct. (7-of-10).
Through the first seven games, ISU owns a total offense average margin of +165.3 per game to rank sixth nationally. ISU has outgained all seven opponents and had over 100 yards more than its opponent four times.
The Cyclones have an overall streak of 10-straight games outgaining their opponent.
Reached 400 yards of total offense in eight of its last 11 games dating back to 2020.
Averaging 465.6 yards (2,328) and 38.6 points (193) in its last five games.
In its last three games, ISU has scored points on 20-of-32 possessions (14 TDs, 6 FGs, 10 punts, 0 turnovers).
ISU ranks second nationally in fewest penalty yards with 242.
West Virginia Mountaineers
NOTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The 2021 season marks West Virginia’s 129th season of football. The Mountaineers are the 15th winningest program in college football
• The 2021 year marks the 42nd season of competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU has a 187-71-4 (.721) all-time mark at the facility, which opened in 1980
• Since 1980, West Virginia is 257-119-4 in games played on artificial turf surfaces. WVU was 57-29 on turf in the 1990s, 66-21 on turf in the 2000s and 62-40 during the 2010s. In the 2020s, the Mountaineers are 7-6 on turf
• WVU has made a bowl appearance in 17 of the past 19 years. The Mountaineers are 16-22 all-time in bowl games
• WVU is 6-9-1 in games played on Oct. 30, including 2-3 at home. The last time WVU played on that date was at USF in 2009 (L 30-19). The last time WVU played at home on Oct. 30 was in 1982 against East Carolina (W 30-3)
• The Mountaineers are 93-14 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle
• The WVU defense has registered 49 tackles for loss, averaging 7.0 tackles for loss per game. The defense is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 6 nationally in tackles for loss
• The Mountaineer defense also has registered 18 sacks this season, averaging 2.6 per game. That number is No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 40 nationally
• The Mountaineer defense is ranked No. 16 in red zone defense (.720), No. 19 in rushing defense (108.4) and No. 30 in first-down defense (128)
• The WVU offense is ranked No. 24 nationally in fourth-down conversions (.692) and No. 37 nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (4.0)
• Junior receiver Winston Wright Jr. is ranked No. 9 in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 29.7 yards per return. Wright Jr. scored a touchdown on a 90-yard return against LIU and had a season-long, 98-yard return at Maryland. He is No. 7 in the Big 12 and No. 25 nationally in all-purpose yardage, averaging 128.0 yards per game
Senior running back Leddie Brown is No. 3 in the Big 12 in touchdowns (10), No. 4 in rushing touchdowns (9) and scoring (8.6) and No. 8 in rushing yards (533)
• Senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo is No. 2 in the Big 12 in tackles (8.6), and senior safety Sean Mahone is No. 8 (7.0). Chandler-Semedo is No. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 29 in the nation in solo tackles (5.1)
• Senior defensive lineman Dante Stills is ranked No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 32 nationally in sacks (0.71). Redshirt junior Taijh Alston is No. 7 in the Big 12 in sacks (0.57) • Redshirt junior kicker Casey Legg is ranked No. 6 nationally in field goals made per game (1.86) and No. 10 in field goal percentage (.929). Senior punter Tyler Sumpter is No. 24 nationally in punting average (44.9)
ON TURF
• Since 1980, West Virginia is 257-119-4 in games played on artificial turf surfaces.
• WVU was 57-29 on turf in the 1990s, 66-21 on turf in the 2000s, 62-40 during the 2010s and 7-6 during the 2020’s on turf
AT HOME
• The 2021 season marks the 42nd season of competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU holds a 187-71-4 (.721) all-time mark at the facility, which opened in 1980.
• The Mountaineers finished with a 5-0 home mark in 2020, the first time since 2009 that WVU finished without losing any home games. It was the sixth time that West Virginia finished with a perfect home slate and fifth time that WVU had an unbeaten and untied season.
LAST TIME AGAINST IOWA STATE: No. 12/12 Iowa State 42, WVU 6
AMES, IOWA. (Dec. 5, 2020) – West Virginia ran into an Iowa State team playing its best football of the season as the Cyclones totally dominated the Mountaineers, 42-6, at Jack Trice Stadium. West Virginia had won three times previously in Ames, but the last two meetings there have gone the Cyclones’ way.
Iowa State started the scoring early in the first quarter and never looked back behind the leadership of quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall.
In fact, it was Hall who got the day started on the positive side for the Cyclones with his 23-yard run that ended an 80-yard drive and gave Iowa State a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Cyclones added two more touchdowns to take a 21-0 advantage into the locker room at the half. Purdy got in on the action at the 14:17 mark with a 10-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 ISU advantage.
Purdy struck again with 2:49 left in the first half, when he connected with Landen Akers for a 2-yard scoring toss to end a 76-yard drive.
Halftime stats showed Iowa State with 109 rushing yards compared to just 13 for the Mountaineers, while total offense stood at 236-101 in favor of the home team.
The second half was not much better for West Virginia, as the Mountaineers continued to lack a running game, and dropped passes at key times continued to stall the offense.
Meanwhile, Iowa State found the end zone two more times in the third quarter to open up a commanding 35-0 margin.
Tight end Charlie Kolar caught a 16-yard scoring pass one handed from Purdy while being interfered with by WVU’s Alonzo Addae. With just seven seconds left in the third, backup running back Kene Nwangwu broke loose for a 47-yard run through the middle of the WVU defense for ISU’s second score in the quarter.
Fourth-quarter action saw West Virginia finally get on the board with two Tyler Sumpter field goals. Sumpter’s 32-yard field goal came at the 12:00 mark and ended a 67-yard drive, while his 36-yard three-pointer closed out the scoring with 4:14 left in the contest.
In between, Iowa State scored its sixth touchdown of the game, when Hall broke loose for a 28-yard run at the 7:00 mark.
Purdy was outstanding, completing 20-of-23 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Hall gained 97 yards on the ground, while Nwangwu added 77 yards. Xavier Hutchison was Purdy’s favorite target, hauling in eight catches for 89 yards.
The Cyclone defense was stingy all game, collecting three sacks and eight tackles for loss. Leading the way was linebacker Jake Hummel with eight stops. West Virginia got 209 yards passing from Doege, with receiver Sean Ryan responsible for 79 yards on five catches. Tony Fields II once again led all Mountaineer tacklers with nine stops and a TFL. Final numbers showed West Virginia with 54 yards rushing and 209 passing for 263 yards of offense. Iowa State fared better with 236 yards on the ground and 247 passing for a balanced attack of 483 yards of offense.
Iowa State has now won three straight in the series, but still trails WVU by a 5-4 count.
Sat., Oct. 30 @ 2:30 pm CT
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Oklahoma Sooners
SERIES HISTORY
Overall OU leads 22-6
In Lubbock OU leads 9-4
In Norman OU leads 12-2
At Neutral Site OU leads 1-0
Current Streak Lost 9
Last Meeting OU 62, Tech 28 (2020)
Texas Tech Red Raiders
SATURDAY STORYLINES
CUMBIE NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH
Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt tabbed Sonny Cumbie as interim head coach Monday following a change in leadership for the Red Raider football program. Cumbie will make his debut leading his alma mater Saturday when the Red Raiders travel to face No. 4 Oklahoma in a 2:30 p.m. kick from Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Saturday’s contest will be a rarity of sorts as the two head coaches represented are both graduates of Texas Tech University. Cumbie earned his degree in history from the university in 2004, while Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is a 2006 graduate of Texas Tech.
TECH CONTINUES TO POUND THE ROCK
Texas Tech’s success on the ground has been particularly noticeable in the red zone as the Red Raiders have rushed for 23 touchdowns this season, which is tied for fifth currently in the FBS. Tech has totaled 11 rushing touchdowns in its last three games alone as 14 of its last 15 trips to the end zone have come on the ground.
SaRodorick Thompson leads the team with eight rushing touchdowns this season as he has found the end zone two or more times in three of the last four games. He is now tied for seventh all-time in Texas Tech history with 31 career rushing touchdowns.
ANOTHER STRONG DEFENSIVE SHOWING
Texas Tech held Kansas State to only 81 rushing yards this past weekend, marking the fifth time this season the Red Raiders have limited an opponent to under 100 yards on the ground. Dating back to 2000, this is the first time the Red Raiders have kept opponents under 100 rushing yards in five of the first eight games of a season.
Among teams nationally, Texas Tech is one of eight FBS schools currently to hold opponents to 100 rushing yards or less five times already this season, joining the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, UTSA, San Diego State, Wisconsin and this week’s opponent, Oklahoma.
TEAM NOTEBOOK
RED RAIDERS LOOKING FOR A REPEAT OF 2011 MAGIC IN NORMAN
This will be the 29th all-time meeting between Texas Tech and Oklahoma as the Red Raiders will be looking to snap a nine-game losing streak against the Sooners. Oklahoma controls the overall series between the two schools with a 22-6 all-time record versus the Red Raiders, which includes a 9-4 mark at Jones AT&T Stadium.
The Red Raiders will be looking for their first win in the series since Texas Tech shocked the top-ranked Sooners, 41-38, in 2011. Oklahoma, which was No. 1 in the coaches’ poll at the time, has rolled off nine-consecutive wins since that loss, marking the longest winning
streak by either team all-time in the series.
Texas Tech will be facing a ranked Oklahoma team for the 11th-consecutive year Saturday. The Red Raiders are 3-19 all-time against ranked Oklahoma teams.
COACHING CONNECTIONS RUN DEEP BETWEEN TECH, OKLAHOMA
This weekend’s matchup will feature two Texas Tech graduates in interim head coach Sonny Cumbie and OU head coach Lincoln Riley. Riley graduated from Texas Tech in 2006 and was a member of the Red Raiders’ coaching staff from 2006-09. Cumbie, a former record-setting quarterback for the Red Raiders in 2004, returned to his alma mater this past offseason as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Riley is only the third Texas Tech graduate to face his alma mater as an opposing head coach, joining Tom Wilson (Texas A&M 1978-81) and Art Briles (Baylor 2008-15).
This is only the third time in school history where a pair of Texas Tech graduates will be on opposite sidelines in a game that involves the Red Raiders. Former head coach Kliff Kingsbury faced a pair of fellow Texas Tech graduates twice during his tenure in former Baylor head coach Art Briles from 2013-15 as well as Riley over his final two seasons in 2017-18.
ADDITIONAL TEXAS TECH-OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS
In addition to Lincoln Riley, three members of Oklahoma’s staff – Bill Bedenbaugh (offensive line), Dennis Simmons (outside receivers) and Bennie Wylie (Director of Sports Performance) – previously worked on Texas Tech’s staff. Bedenbaugh was a graduate assistant at Tech from 2000-02 before earning a full-time position as the running backs coach from 2003-04 and then the offensive line coach from 2005-06. Simmons was an Assistant Athletic Director in charge of quality control from 2000-04 and then as the football program’s Chief of Staff from 2005-07. He moved to a coaching role as the Red Raiders’ wide receivers coach from 2008-09. Wylie, finally, was Tech’s head football strength and conditioning coach from 2003-09.
Keith Patterson and Bill Bedenbaugh also spent one season together at West Virginia as Patterson was the Mountaineers’ co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2012, while Bedenbaugh served as the offensive line coach.
On the Texas Tech side, there are several ties to the state of Oklahoma on its coaching staff, beginning with inside receivers and tight ends coach Luke Wells, who is a native of Sallisaw. Wells attended the University of Oklahoma, earning his degree in secondary education in 2002 after serving as a student assistant for the Sooners from 1999-01. In addition, defensive coordinator Keith Patterson is originally from Marlow, which is located roughly 65 miles southwest of Norman, while offensive line coach Steve Farmer is a native of Coweta located just outside of Tulsa.
Defensive line coach Paul Randolph, meanwhile, arrived at Tulsa in 2007, beginning a stretch of four seasons where he was the executive senior associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator on top of his defensive line duties.
Texas Tech boasts four Oklahoma natives on its roster in junior linebacker Patrick Curley (Wagoner), true freshman Isaac Smith (Wagoner), junior defensive back Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (Oklahoma City) and junior defensive back Cameron Watts (Tulsa). Watts attended Northeast Oklahoma A&M prior to transferring to Texas Tech in 2020.
CAREER NOTABLES VERSUS THE SOONERS
Erik Ezukanma came close to a 100-yard performance against the Sooners a year ago as he caught seven passes for 88 yards. He has eight catches for 107 yards over his two career games versus Oklahoma.
DaMarcus Fields has recorded 15 tackles and three pass breakups over his career against the Sooners. Fields, whose 44 career passes defended are the most for a Red Raider dating back to 2000, is one of two players on the Texas Tech roster to face Oklahoma each of the past four seasons, joining fellow super senior Riko Jeffers.
Speaking of Jeffers, he has notched seven tackles in each of the last three meetings with the Sooners as he has 22 career tackles versus Oklahoma, including 3.0 that have gone for a loss. He had 1.5 tackles for loss in each of the last two contests.
Travis Koontz found the end zone for the first time last season versus Oklahoma as he caught a Henry Colombi pass near midfield and raced the rest of the way for a career-long 75-yard touchdown. It marked the longest reception by any Red Raider last season.
Eric Monroe came close to reaching double digits for tackles in his first-ever game against Oklahoma a year ago as he totaled nine stops, including 2.0 that went for a loss. His 2.0 tackles for loss remain a career high.
SaRodorick Thompson nearly hit the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career during the 2019 meeting between the two schools as he carried 13 times for 96 yards versus the Sooners. Thompson eventually eclipsed the 100-yard plateau two weeks later with a career-high 153 yards in an overtime loss at Baylor. He has 17 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown over his career against Oklahoma.
RED RAIDERS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Red Raiders will be looking to knock off a top-25 opponent for the first time since the 2019 season Saturday when Sonny Cumbie makes his debut leading his alma mater. Texas Tech’s last win over a top-25 team came in a 45-35 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State early in the 2019 campaign.
Oklahoma represents Texas Tech’s first top-25 opponent this season as the Red Raiders will be looking to beat a top-five team for the first time since routing No. 4 West Virginia, 49-14, at home during the 2012 season. Tech has not topped a top-five team on the road since upsetting the No. 1 Sooners in a 2011 visit to Norman. This will be the first top-five team to face the Red Raiders since Tech lost to No. 5 Baylor, 63-35, during the 2015 season.
The Oklahoma game starts a challenging final stretch of the season for the Red Raiders, who could potentially face four-consecutive ranked opponents to close the year. Each of Tech’s next three opponents after the Oklahoma game – Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor – are currently ranked in the top 25 of both major polls entering this weekend. The Red Raiders have not closed a regular season with four-straight games against ranked opponents previously in 96 seasons of football.
Texas Tech’s remaining schedule ranks as the toughest in the FBS as Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor are a combined 25-4 this season. The four schools currently rank in the top four spots in the Big 12 standings entering this weekend and are all in the top 25 of both major polls.
Since the start of the 2007 season, the Red Raiders have knocked off at least one ranked opponent in nine of the past 14 years. Texas Tech failed to record a top-25 win over a four-year stretch from 2014-17 before breaking that streak at No. 15 Oklahoma State in 2018.
BOWL ELIGIBILITY STILL IN REACH FOR RED RAIDERS
The Red Raiders will look to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017 Saturday against Oklahoma. Texas Tech, one of the most frequent bowl participants in college football history, is looking to avoid its first four-year bowl absence since staying home from postseason play over eight consecutive seasons from 1978-85. This is currently the longest Tech has gone without a bowl trip since missing the postseason from 1990-92.
A victory over Oklahoma would secure bowl eligibility for the Red Raiders prior to the month of November for the first time since 2013 when the Red Raiders opened the season with seven-consecutive victories.
The Red Raiders picked up their fifth win of the season at Kansas, moving them one shy of the six needed for a bowl selection. It marked the 14th time during the Big 12 era where Texas Tech has started a season at 5-2 or better overall. Of the previous 13 occasions, Tech reached a bowl game in 11 of those seasons with the two exceptions coming in 2011 and 2018.
Texas Tech entered this season ranked tied for 21st all-time with 38 career bowl appearances, matching the totals of fellow Big 12 member West Virginia as well as Ole Miss, BYU and Notre Dame. The Red Raiders are tied for third among current Big 12 members for bowl appearances, trailing only Texas (57) and Oklahoma (54).
RANDOM TIDBITS HEADING INTO OKLAHOMA GAME
Texas Tech is searching for its fourth win away from home this season, which would mark its most on the road or at a neutral site since 2017 when the Red Raiders headed home with victories over Houston, Kansas, Baylor (AT&T Stadium – Arlington) and Texas. In addition to this weekend’s trip to Oklahoma, the Red Raiders are slated to close the regular season at Baylor on Nov. 27.
Both of Texas Tech’s conference wins this season have come on the road as the Red Raiders won at West Virginia and Kansas in recent weeks. It marks the first time Tech has secured back-to-back Big 12 road wins since 2018 when the Red Raiders opened their league slate with a 41-17 rout of No. 15 Oklahoma State and then followed with a 17-14 victory at TCU. Tech has not won three-straight Big 12 road games since 2008 when the Red Raiders topped Kansas State, Texas A&M and Kansas.
A victory over Oklahoma would give the Red Raiders three wins in the month of October for the first time since the 2009 season when Texas Tech topped New Mexico, Kansas State, No. 15 Nebraska and Kansas.
The Red Raiders have found multiple ways to find the end zone this season as Texas Tech currently ranks tied for ninth nationally with two defensive touchdowns, which have come from interceptions by both Riko Jeffers and Marquis Waters. Baylor and Oklahoma State are the only other Big 12 programs with multiple defensive touchdowns so far this season.
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 and ranks 29th nationally in kick return defense despite five-straight weeks of facing a returner ranked in the top 25 of the FBS. The Red Raiders, who are giving up only 18.5 yards per return, have seen the likes of Kansas State (Malik Knowles (3rd), West Virginia’s Winston Wright (9th), Kansas’ Kenny Logan Jr. (12th) and Texas’ D’Shawn Jaimson (24th). TCU’s JD Spielman leads the Big 12 at 33.6 yards per return but does not have enough attempts per game to enter the NCAA rankings. Over that five-game stretch, opponents have only returned nine kicks for 138 yards, only a 15.3 yards per attempt average.
Texas Tech created early momentum against Kansas State with a Tyrique Matthews forced fumble that was recovered by McLane Mannix on the Red Raiders’ kickoff following its opening touchdown. It was one of two fumble recoveries on the day for the Red Raiders, who only had one coming into the game.
Texas Tech was previously 5-0 this season when allowing 29 points or less until falling to Kansas State last weekend. The Red Raiders had not previously dropped a game when allowing less than 29 points since falling to Arizona, 28-14, early in the 2019 season.
This will be Texas Tech’s final game prior to experiencing its lone open week on the 2021 schedule, which comes Nov. 6 prior to back to-back home games versus Iowa State and Oklahoma State. It is the furthest Tech has had to wait for an open date since 2015 when the Red Raiders lone weekend off came prior to the regular-season finale at Texas.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma are facing each other over the final weekend in October for the third time in the last five years. The two schools met during the month of November in 14 of their first 15 seasons together as Big 12 members but have squared off during the season’s final month only twice now since 2010 (meetings came in 2014 and 2018).
If the season ended today, Texas Tech would have, statistically, accomplished one of its better defensive seasons in recent memory as its 385.2 yards of total offense allowed per game would be its lowest since 2012 and its 151.6 rushing yards allowed per outing would be the lowest since 2009.
Texas Tech was flagged only one time for five yards at Kansas as the false start penalty in the fourth quarter pushed Jonathan Garibay back for a 48-yard field goal attempt. It marked a school-record fifth time the Red Raiders were only penalized one time as Texas Tech also had only one flag in 1988 versus Arkansas, 1991 versus Rice, 1992 against Texas A&M and 2016 at TCU. Texas Tech’s school record for fewest penalty yards also came in three of those games previously with the lone exception being the 1991 contest with Rice.
The performance against Kansas followed similar disciplined approaches against both West Virginia (2 penalties, 20 yards) and TCU (4 penalties, 25 yards) where the Red Raiders combined for only six flags for 45 yards. Texas Tech has been flagged 12 times for 90 yards in its last four games alone.
exas Tech currently ranks 21st nationally in both fewest penalties per game (5.0) and fewest penalty yards per game (42.6). The Red Raiders’ 40 penalties this season and 341 penalty yards are the lowest amounts for Tech through the first eight games in a season dating back to 2000.
Oklahoma Sooners
OPENING KICK
No. 4/4 Oklahoma (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) goes for its 10th straight win over Texas Tech (5-3, 2-3) and 17th consecutive victory overall when it hosts the Red Raiders on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC with Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill announcing.
The Sooners’ 16-game winning streak is the seventh longest in program history and their longest since winning 20 straight over the 2000 and ’01 seasons. It is also the longest active streak in the country, with only one other Power Five program (Georgia at 11) owning a streak longer than eight games. OU’s last loss came on Oct. 3, 2020, at Iowa State.
Oklahoma is off to the 18th 8-0 start in program history but first since 2004 when it won its first 12 games under head coach Bob Stoops.
OU has registered winning streaks of at least seven games in a school-record seven straight seasons. The previous program record for seven-game winning streaks was six consecutive campaigns (1953-58) under Bud Wilkinson. Since 1980, only Boise State (11 straight seasons; 2002-12) and Alabama (10 straight seasons; 2011-20) have also posted winning streaks of at least seven games in seven consecutive years.
Oklahoma owns a 22-6 record against Texas Tech (12-2 in Norman) and has won each of the last nine games in the series. OU is averaging 51.9 points, 599.7 yards and 285.4 rushing yards per contest during the streak.
The Sooners have scored at least 38 points in each of their last 11 games against the Red Raiders. It is tied for the longest streak against an opponent in school history (OU also scored at least 38 points in 11 straight games against Kingfisher College from 1908 through 1919).
Oklahoma is 27-2 (.931) in home games under Lincoln Riley and the average score in those contests has been 47-22. OU’s 177 scrimmage TDs at home since the start of the 2017 season are one off the national lead (Alabama has 178 in one more game) and the Sooners rank first among Power Five programs with their 6.0 yards per rush.
OU has won as many Big 12 titles the last six seasons (six) as it has lost games against Big 12 opponents (57-6 record; includes four Big 12 Championship games).
Come Saturday, Oklahoma will have been Big 12 champion for 2,164 consecutive days.
OU is 151-31 (.830) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That’s 29 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 122-59) and 48 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 103-79).
KEY STORYLINES
Since Lincoln Riley, a 2006 Texas Tech graduate, arrived at Oklahoma as offensive coordinator in advance of the 2015 season, the Sooners are averaging 57.7 points and 662.3 yards in their six games against the Red Raiders. They have registered at least 559 yards in all six contests (617 in 2015, 854 in 2016, 617 in 2017, 683 in 2018, 644 in 2019 and 559 last year) and are averaging 8.7 yards per play. OU’s 3,974 total yards in those contests equates to 2.26 miles.
Since taking over quarterback responsibilities with 6:41 left in the second quarter vs. Texas two games ago, freshman Caleb Williams has completed 49 of 68 pass attempts (72.1%) for 685 yards and eight touchdowns against one interception (192.6 pass efficiency rating). He has also rushed 21 times for 224 yards (10.7 average) and TDs of 66, 41 and 40 yards in the three games.
Oklahoma’s rushing attack has been extremely effective the last three contests. After averaging 175.2 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry over its first five games, OU is averaging 263.0 yards per contest and 7.2 yards per carry over the last three outings. Redshirt junior Kennedy Brooks averaged 63.6 yards per game and 5.9 yards per rush over the first five games but over the last three is averaging 149.7 and 6.5 with five touchdowns. Brooks ran for over 1,000 yards each of his first two seasons and with 767 rushing yards so far this year (95.9 per game; 6.2 per carry) he is well on his way to that mark again. The only Sooners to ever record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons were De’Mond Parker (1996-98), Adrian Peterson (2004-06) and Samaje Perine (2014-16).
The Sooners averaged 38.4 points per game, 433.4 yards per game and 6.3 yards per play over the season’s first five contests. Over the last three outings they have posted respective averages of 47.3, 528.3 and 8.5. The 47.3 points per game the last three weeks are the third most nationally during the stretch, while OU’s 7.2 yards per rush during the the same span represents the country’s second-highest average.
Among teams with at least 30 red zone trips this season, OU ranks first nationally with its 97.8% score rate (44 scores on 45 trips). Thirty-four of its 44 red zone scores (77.3%) have been touchdowns. The 44 red zone scores are most in the country (next most is 39), as are the 34 red zone TDs. The Sooners have scored on each of their last 39 red zone trips.
OU is tied for third nationally this season with its 12 forced fumbles and is tied for second with nine fumble recoveries. It had three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries all of last season. Texas Tech has lost five fumbles this season (ranks 81st nationally).
Three Sooners rank in the top six in the Big 12 in sacks this season. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is tied for third in the league with 5.0 sacks while defensive linemen Perrion Winfrey and Isaiah Thomas are tied for sixth with 4.5 each. OU recorded 13 sacks over the season’s first three contests but has a total of seven over the last five games.
Saturday’s game will mark OU’s ninth to start the season without a bye. That’s the program’s longest stretch at the beginning of a season since 1995 when it played 10 games before a week off.
RILEY FACES ALMA MATER
Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is a 2006 Texas Tech graduate. A walk-on quarterback for the Red Raiders during the spring and summer of 2003, Riley spent seven years (2003-09) on former head coach Mike Leach’s TTU staff in the roles of student assistant/offense (2003-05), offensive assistant (2006), wide receivers coach (2007) and inside receivers coach (2008-09). He also served as Tech’s interim offensive coordinator and play-caller for the 2010 Alamo Bowl, a 41-31 victory over Michigan State.
OU co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh (2000-06), assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons (2000-09) and director of sports performance for football Bennie Wylie (2003-09) also worked at Texas Tech while Riley was on staff.
RECAPPING THE WIN OVER KANSAS (STATS ON PAGE 38)
For the first time since the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Clemson, Oklahoma was held scoreless in the first half, but the No. 3/2 Sooners registered touchdowns on ll five of their second-half possessions to post a 35-23 win at Kansas on Saturday. OU ran only 17 plays in the first half and trailed 10-0 at halftime. The Sooners, who were down 17-7 late in the third quarter, outscored KU 28-6 over the game’s final 15:14.
Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 15 of 20 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns against one interception and ran eight times for 70 yards and a TD. The freshman, who made his first start in a road game, figured prominently in two gigantic fourth-down plays. On 4th-and-3 with OU leading 21-17 midway through the fourth quarter, Williams shed multiple tacklers behind the line of scrimmage and scored on a 40-yard rush. Then on a 4th-and 1 play from OU’s 46 with the Sooners up 28-23 with 3:28 left in the contest, Williams handed the ball to Kennedy Brooks, who was stopped in the backfield. As Brooks was being tackled three yards behind the line of scrimmage, Williams ripped the ball from the running back and churned his way for a 5-yard gain and a first down. Brooks scored on a 4-yard run seven plays later for the final points of the game.
Brooks carried 24 times for a team-high 79 yards and two touchdowns. His first TD came on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter and gave OU its first lead of the day
Oklahoma gained 320 of its 398 total yards in the second half, including 213 of its 220 rushing yards and 107 of its 178 passing yards.
Sophomore receiver Trevon West rushed for 66 yards on a reverse play in the third quarter, leading to OU’s second touchdown of the game. It tied for the Sooners’ longest scrimmage play of the season.
In his second career start, sophomore safety Key Lawrence recorded a career-high eight tackles (tied Brian Asamoah for team high), two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter that OU recovered.
The win was OU’s 28th in its last 30 true road games. The Sooners have scored at least 30 points in 35 consecutive true road contests.
LAST YEAR VS. TEXAS TECH
Oklahoma gave up a touchdown on the game’s opening drive but corrected itself quickly and never looked back in a 62-28 Halloween night win at Texas Tech last season. The Sooners scored touchdowns on six straight first-half possessions to build a 42-7 advantage and took a 48-14 lead to halftime. It was their most points in a half since scoring 49 in the opening 30 minutes vs. Nebraska in a 62-28 win in 2008. The 48 points were also OU’s most ever in a half vs. Texas Tech.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson made a splash in his season debut, rushing for 87 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries (6.7 avg.) en route to Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. It was his first career multiple-TD game and he became the first OU back to score three TDs since Kennedy Brooks in 2018. He scored on a six-yard rush on his first carry of the season in the first quarter and added a pair of one-yard runs, all in the first half. OU totaled then-season
highs of 213 rushing yards and 5.5 yards per carry.
In just over one half of work, Spencer Rattler completed 21 of 30 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. His TD passes went to Jeremiah Hall (four yards) and Austin Stogner (27 yards) in the second quarter. Theo Wease caught five passes for a career-high 105 yards.
The Sooners registered three takeaways (led to 17 points) and did not commit a turnover. Defensive back Tre Norwood, who made his first start since the 2018 season, intercepted two first-quarter passes, both leading to touchdowns. Defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas recovered a second-quarter fumble.
OU logged two sacks (1.5 by Thomas and 0.5 by Nik Bonitto) and nine tackles for loss. Junior defensive end Ronnie Perkins made his season debut and finished with four tackles (all solo), a team-high 2.0 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
The Sooners finished with 559 yards of offense, snapping a streak of five straight games against Texas Tech in which they had registered over 600 yards.
HOME IS WHERE THE “W” IS
Oklahoma has won three more Big 12 championships over the last 22 years (14) than it has lost home games. OU is 128-11 (.921) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season. It is the best home winning percentage nationally over the last 23 seasons (Boise State is next at .915 and Ohio State third at .890). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 43-17 in those games.
The Sooners have posted 138 straight sellouts of originally scheduled home games dating back to the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops’ first as head coach). Only Nebraska (FBS-record 379) has a longer current streak nationally.
BONITTO, BRKIC NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and placekicker Gabe Brkic each earned midseason All-America honors from Sporting News and The Athletic last week. They were first-team selections by Sporting News and second-team picks by The Athletic.
Bonitto, a redshirt junior, has racked up 26 tackles, a team-high-tying 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.0 sacks. His seven quarterback hurries are three more than the Sooner with the next-highest total and his two fumble recoveries are tied for fourth most in the country. Bonitto set a school record with his 70-yard fumble return at Kansas State.
lso a redshirt junior, Brkic ranks second nationally with his 16 field goals and 2.0 field goals per game. He is 16 for 19 on the year (.842) and leads the country with his four makes from 50 yards or farther (on five attempts). Brkic, who is also 35 for 35 on PAT tries, leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with his 83 points.
DEFENSE PLAYS BIG HAND IN 16-GAME WINNING STREAK
Oklahoma’s defense has figured prominently in the program’s 16-game winning streak that started on Oct. 10, 2020, against Texas. Here are some notes pertaining to the stretch:
OU has held 13 of its last 16 opponents below a 50% third-down conversion rate and nine of the Sooners’ last 13 opponents have failed to convert more than 33% of third downs. OU ranks seventh nationally during the time period with its 34.3 opponent third-down conversion rate. In fact, OU ranks eighth nationally in the category since the start of the 2019 season (defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s first year in Norman) with its 32.8% figure.
The Sooners have totaled 51 sacks over their last 16 games to rank fourth nationally since Oct. 10, 2020. In the same time frame, OU has registered 115 tackles for loss for an average of 7.2 per game and a total of 482 lost yards.
OU has registered at least one takeaway in 14 straight games and in 15 of the last 16. It is plus-13 in turnover margin (29 takeaways to 16 turnovers) during the 16-game winning streak.
The Sooners have 18 interceptions over their last 16 games to rank eighth nationally since Oct. 10, 2020.
NOTING THE OFFENSE
Oklahoma ranks eighth nationally with its 41.8 points per game and 17th with its 469.0 yards per game.
OU’s 2.0 punts per game are the fewest in the country. The Sooners did not punt against Tulane or Kansas State and punted just once vs. Western Carolina and Kansas.
The Sooners have committed only eight turnovers through eight games and one of those was by the defense (fumble on a fumble return vs. TCU).
Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams has completed 69.6% of his passes (55 of 79) for 787 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception (184.2 efficiency rating would lead Big 12 if he had enough attempts to qualify). He has also been highly effective with his feet, running for 285 yards and four scores on only 26 carries (11.0 yards per rush). He has four of OU’s seven longest rushes of the season (66 yards for a TD vs. Texas is tied for team’s longest, 59 vs. Western Carolina is fourth longest, 41 vs. TCU is sixth longest and 40 vs. Kansas is seventh longest).
Despite not playing the last two-and-a-half games (nor in the second half against Western Carolina), redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler ranks second in the Big 12 in completion percentage (74.3; ranks third nationally), third in completions (130), passing offense (228.5 ypg) and total offense (242.8 ypg) and fifth
in passing touchdowns (10). He tied a school record for TD passes in a half with five vs. Western Carolina and has thrown at least one TD pass in 16 of his 17 career starts (OU is 15-2).
Rattler has completed 45 of his last 56 pass attempts (80%).
Receiver Marvin Mims ranks fourth on the squad in receptions (22) but leads the team with 470 receiving yards (next most is 294). Mims ranks eighth nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 21.4 yards per catch.
Receiver Jadon Haselwood paces the Sooners with 30 catches (for 276 yards; 9.2 average) and six receiving touchdowns. He had one career receiving TD entering the season but has four over the last two weeks.
Receivers Michael Woods II (25) and Mario Williams (24) rank second and third in receptions and both have two touchdown catches, as does Mims. Tight end/H-back Jeremiah Hall ranks second with four TD grabs.
Haselwood, who missed all but three games last season due to injury, has made his first eight career starts this year. He was the consensus No. 1 national receiver in the 2019 recruiting class, while Williams was ESPN’s No. 1 receiver in the 2021 class. Woods and Mims started the first seven contests this season but did not play in Saturday’s win at Kansas.
Redshirt junior Kennedy Brooks and junior Eric Gray have shared the vast majority of the rushing workload this season. Brooks leads the team in carries (123), rushing yards (767), rushing yards per game (95.9) and rushing touchdowns (nine). His 449 rushing yards over the last three weeks ranks as the third most nationally. Gray, a transfer from Tennessee, started OU’s first five games and has rushed 62 times for 298 yards (4.8 per carry; 37.3 yards per game; one TD) and has 13 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. Walk-ons Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson earned carries against Western Carolina and each scored two TDs.
Redshirt sophomore running back Marcus Major sat out each of OU’s first five games this season but was deemed eligible by the NCAA the day before the Oct. 9 game against Texas. He made his season debut Oct. 16 vs. TCU but has not registered a carry or reception in his two games.
OU FOOT NOTES
Redshirt junior kicker Gabe Brkic ranks second nationally this season with 16 field goals (on 19 attempts; .842) and is 4 for 5 on tries from over 50 yards. Brkic ranked third in the country last season by averaging 2.0 field goal makes per game and this year ranks third by averaging the same figure.
The longest field goal made this season nationally is 56 yards and Brkic has two of the four makes from that distance. He is one off the national lead with his eight makes from 50-plus yards since the start of the 2020 season (LSU’s Cade York has nine), while no other player has made more than five 50-yarders. Brkic’s nine career makes from 50 or farther are the most in OU history (next highest total is four). He also sits atop the Sooners’ career chart with
18 makes from at least 40 yards.
Brkic, who was a 2020 first-team All-Big 12 selection (coaches and AP) and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, is 53 for 62 (.855) on career field goal attempts. The OU
career record for field goal percentage is .833 (75 for 90) by Michael Hunnicutt (2011-14). Brkic has also made all 137 of his PAT tries. Only Austin Seibert (162) has a longer streak of makes in school history.
During Lincoln Riley’s five-year head coaching career, Oklahoma ranks first in the Big 12 and fifth nationally with its 84.4% success rate on field goal attempts (92 for 109). Kansas State is the next best Big 12 school in the category during the span, ranking 16th at 79.6%.
During the same period, the Sooners rank second nationally in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts, converting 333 of 334 tries (99.7%).
Only Virginia Tech (192 of 192) has a higher success rate.
Redshirt senior punter Michael Turk transferred to OU from Arizona State in August and earned the starting job. The 2019 and ’20 first-team All-Pac-12 selection averaged 46.2 yards per punt over the last two seasons and totaled 28 boots that went at least 50 yards. He has only punted 16 times this year (2.0 per game) and is averaging 52.4 yards per punt (has nine punts over 50 yards, including an 85-yarder vs. Texas which tied as the third longest in OU history). He also holds the best and third-best single-game punting averages in school history (min. three punts; 59.7 two games ago vs. TCU and 58.0 vs. Texas three games ago).
OU’S BIG 12 DOMINATION
Oklahoma’s win over Iowa State in the 2020 Big 12 Championship resulted in the Sooners’ sixth straight Big 12 title and 14th since 2000 (no other program has won more than two during the span). For perspective, the two Power Five programs with the next most conference titles this millennium are Ohio State (11 in Big Ten) and
Oregon (eight in Pac-10/Pac-12).
The Sooners’ 14 Big 12 titles are 11 more than the program with the next most. Texas has won three Big 12 championships and is followed by Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each). Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12 after the 2010 season and Texas A&M departed
after the 2011 campaign.
Since 2010, OU has won eight Big 12 titles and is followed by Baylor (two) and Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU (one each).
Oklahoma is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (2006-08 and 2015-20). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.
At 11-1, the Sooners are the only program with a winning record in Big 12 Championship games. Texas has the next best mark at 3-3.
Since Lincoln Riley came to Norman as offensive coordinator in 2015, OU has posted a 52-6 (.897) record in regular season Big 12 play. The next best mark during the period is 37-21 (.638) by Oklahoma State.
MORE CONFERENCE TITLE TIDBITS
Oklahoma and Clemson are each riding streaks of six outright conference championships. The last current Power Five program to win at least six straight outright league titles was OU when it claimed 12 Big Six/Seven crowns in a row under legendary Bud Wilkinson (1948-59).
Every OU freshman class from 1999-2019 has won at least one Big 12 championship and all but the 2011 freshman class have won at least two. The 2015, 2016 and 2017 freshman classes each won four Big 12 titles.
OU leads the nation with its 50 all-time conference titles. It is followed by Nebraska (46), Michigan (42), Ohio State (39) and USC (37).
YEAR THREE OF “SPEED D”
Hired in January 2019, coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who was a 2019 Broyles Award semifinalist, has overseen major improvement on the defensive side of the ball in his three seasons in Norman.
OU ranked third nationally last season in interceptions (16), fourth in opponent third-down conversion percentage (27.9), sixth in sacks per game (3.6), ninth in rushing defense (105.1 ypg) and passing defense efficiency rating (112.9), 16th in tackles for loss per game (7.5) and 29th in total defense (350.6 ypg) and scoring defense (21.7 ppg).
Grinch’s unit was particularly stingy down the stretch in 2020. After Nov. 1 (five games), OU led the nation in interceptions per game (2.2) and ranked second in sacks per game (4.0) and passing defense efficiency rating (94.5), fourth in opponent third-down conversion percentage (25.0), sixth in scoring defense (15.4 ppg), eighth in passing yards per attempt (5.4), ninth in opponent passing completion percentage (51.4), 14th in rushing yards per game (112.2) and 18th in rushing yards per carry (3.4).
Oklahoma’s 1.45 interceptions per game last season were its second most in the last 17 years (1.53 in 2015). The team’s 16 interceptions were its most in a season since registering 20 in 2015 (13 games) and were three more than it registered over the 2018 (six) and 2019 (seven) seasons combined. And from the second quarter of the Dec. 5 game vs. Baylor through the first quarter of the Dec. 30 Cotton Bowl vs. Florida, the Sooners registered eight interceptions over an eight-quarter stretch (two vs. Baylor, three vs. Iowa State and three vs. Florida).
In 33 games under Grinch, OU has allowed only five opponent wide receivers to register at least 100 receiving yards in a contest.
Over OU’s last 21 contests, only three running backs have rushed for 100 yards in a game against the Sooners (Iowa State’s Breece Hall [139 yards] did it in the third game of last season while Texas’ Bijan Robinson [137] and Kansas’ Devin Neal [100] did it this season). OU ranks 24th nationally by permitting just 3.3 yards per carry this season.
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas has recorded at least half a tackle for loss in 17 of the last 19 games (14-game streak was snapped Sept. 25 vs. West Virginia). Since the start of the 2020 season, Thomas has OU highs of 19.5 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks (tied with Nik Bonitto). He has 7.5 TFLs (4.5 sacks) and two forced fumbles this year.
OFFENSE HAS ROLLED UNDER RILEY
Oklahoma owns the nation’s most productive offense since the start of the 2015 season, which was Lincoln Riley’s first year as OU’s offensive coordinator. Riley still calls plays in his fifth year as head coach.
Since the start of the 2015 campaign, OU ranks first nationally in scoring (44.2 ppg; next most is 42.2), total offense (539.4; next most is 502.2), yards per play (7.6), TDs from scrimmage (479), pass efficiency rating (184.1; next best is 174.0) and completion percentage (69.4). It ranks third in passing offense (316.6) and ninth in rushing offense (222.8). No other program during the span ranks in the top 15 in passing and rushing offense.
In 87 games since the start of the 2015 season, OU has registered at least 500 yards of total offense 57 times (next most is 48), including in 47 of the last 70 outings, topped the 600-yard mark on 28 occasions and gone over 700 yards seven times. Similarly, OU has scored at least 30 points in 75 of 87 games since Riley’s arrival, at least 40 points 54 times, at least 50 points 32 times and at least 60 points 11 times.
QBU CONTINUES
Oklahoma’s top two signal callers, redshirt sophomore Spencer Rattler (2019) and freshman Caleb Williams (2021), were each regarded as the consensus No. 1 quarterbacks in their recruiting classes and were named Elite 11 MVPs.
A consensus 2021 preseason All-American and the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Rattler was OU’s fourth starting quarterback in four seasons last year (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the 2017 and ’18 Heisman Trophy while Jalen Hurts was 2019 runner-up). Rattler was named national freshman of the year by CBS Sports after completing 67.5% of his passes for 3,031 yards (275.5 per game) and 28 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. He also rushed for 160 yards and six TDs. His 92.5 passing grade by PFF ranked third nationally behind BYU’s Zach Wilson and Heisman finalist Mac Jones of Alabama.
Over OU’s last seven games last year (all wins), Rattler threw 15 TD passes and only two interceptions.
u Rattler led the nation’s freshmen in passing touchdowns, passing offense and total offense (290.1 ypg). Among all players who played at least six games, he ranked eighth in passing TDs, ninth in yards per pass attempt (9.6), 10th in pass efficiency rating (172.6), 14th in completion percentage, 15th in passing offense and 16th in yards per completion (14.2).
u Williams, a 2021 OU mid-year enrollee, was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class by SI All-American, No. 5 by Rivals, No. 7 by 247Sports and No. 16 by ESPN.
u Williams’ high school team did not play a 2020 fall season due to the pandemic, but he was a two-time All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection and the 2019 MVP as a junior. That year he threw for 1,770 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior while rushing for 838 yards and 18 scores.
“AIR RAID” A MISNOMER
Fans and media have often referred to Oklahoma’s offense under Lincoln Riley as the “Air Raid.” The label is not exactly accurate, however, as the Sooners have rushed more than they’ve thrown in each of the six years since Riley arrived in Norman, and that’s counting plays in which the quarterback was sacked as pass plays (officially they are recorded as rushes). OU’s rushing play percentage was 52.6 in 2015, 57.7 in 2016, 53.1 in 2017, 54.7 in 2018, 57.3 in 2019 and 50.6 last year.
Since Riley joined the OU program as offensive coordinator before the 2015 season, the Sooners rank first nationally in passing efficiency rating (183.6; next best is 173.7), second in yards per pass attempt (10.4) and third in passing yards per game (318.5). But during the same span, OU also paces the nation with eight individual 1,000- yard rushing seasons (Samaje Perine in 2015, Perine and Joe Mixon in 2016, Rodney Anderson in 2017, Kennedy Brooks and Kyler Murray in 2018 and Brooks and Jalen Hurts in 2019).
OU also leads the country with 12 individual running back seasons of 6.0 or more yards per carry (min. 50 carries per season) during Riley’s time in Norman.
RILEY’S FAST START
The FBS’s youngest head coach (33) at the time of his hiring, Lincoln Riley became just the fifth mentor in FBS history with no previous head-coaching experience at a four-year college to win at least 12 games in his debut season. At 24-4, 36-6 and 45-8, he also holds the OU record for most wins by a head coach in his first two, three and four seasons (Barry Switzer held the records of 21 and 32, and Bob Stoops held the record of 43). He needs three more wins to set the outright record for victories in the first five years of an OU coaching career (Stoops holds that standard with 55 [1999-03]).
Riley is the only person to ever win an outright FBS conference title in each of his first four seasons as a collegiate head coach. No one in the previous 125 years won more games in their first three seasons as a college head coach than Riley did from 2017-19. Penn’s George Woodruff (1892-94) was the last to win more than 36 games in his first three seasons.
Sat., Oct. 30 @ 2:30 pm CT
TCU Horned Frogs at Kansas State Wildcats
SERIES HISTORY
15TH MEETING
SERIES TIED, 7-7
Record at Home ………………………………………… 4-3
Record at Texas Tech …………………………………. 3–4
Games Decided by 3 Points or Less ………………. 1-2
Games Decided by 7 Points or Less ………………. 3-3
Longest Winning Streak ……………..2 (Three Times)
Longest Losing Streak ……………………. 3 (1984-86)
Current Streak ……………………………………….Won 2
Last 10 Games ………………………………………….. 5-5
Biggest Win ………………………………….. 45-0 (1922)
Biggest Loss ……………………………….. 10-42 (1984)
AP RK
DATE KS/OS W / L SCORE H/A
11/30/1922 ……………… W 45-0 H
9/17/1983 ………………-/- W 20-3 H
9/22/1984 ………………-/- L 10-42 A
9/21/1985 ………………-/- L 22-24 H
9/20/1986 ………………-/- L 22-35 A
11/10/2012 …………… 2/- W 23-10 A
11/16/2013 …………….-/- W 33-31 H
11/8/2014 …………….. 9/6 L 20-41 A
10/10/2015 …………… -/2 L 45-52 H
12/3/2016 ………………-/- W 30-6 A
10/14/2017 …………… -/6 L 6-26 H
11/3/2018 ………………-/- L 13-14 A
10/19/2019 …………….-/- W 24-17 H
10/10/20 ………………..-/- W 21-14 A
TCU Horned Frogs
TCU AT A GLANCE
• TCU enters the game with a 3-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big 12 play.
• The Horned Frog off ense is led by a trio of weapons in quarterback Max Duggan, running back Zach Evans and wide receiver Quentin Johnston.
• Duggan has thrown for 1,593 yards and 14 touchdowns and four interceptions on 111-of-172 aim.
• He is also a threat on the ground as he ranks second on the team with 258 rushing yards and two scores.
• Evans has rushed for 108.0 yards per game this season and is averaging 7.0 yards per carry, while Johnston has 24 catches and five scores.
• Defensively, Dee Winters leads the way with 47 tackles, while Ochaun Mathis has a team-best 3.0 sacks on the year
SERIES NOTES
• K-State and TCU are tied in their all-time series, 7-7, which includes the Wildcats holding a 4-3 lead in games played in Manhattan.
• Kansas State also leads the series, 5-4, since TCU joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season.
• The Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings and are looking for their first three-game winning streak in series history.
• Last year in Fort Worth, Kansas State picked up a 21-14 victory. Will Howard became the first K-State freshman quarterback to win his first-career road start as he threw for 117 yards and rushed for 6 yards and a score. The Wildcats held a 21-7 advantage deep into the game thanks to a 37-yard interception return by AJ Parker, and K-State held on at the end as a Horned Frog Hail Mary fell incomplete as time expired.
• Last time in Manhattan, K-State earned a hard-fought 24-17 victory. The Wildcats went on an 11-play, 95-yard drive to score the game-winning touchdown with 2:45 left on a Skylar Thompson 3-yard touchdown run.
ABOUT THE GAME
TCU will be on the road for the third time in four games when it travels to Manhattan to face Kansas State on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
The Horned Frogs began the season with four straight home games for just the second time in program history.
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson is a 1983 graduate of Kansas State and a former safety and outside linebacker for the Wildcats.
Patterson is 4-5 as a head coach versus Kansas State with all nine meetings taking place since the Horned Frogs began Big 12 play in 2012.
TCU is 47-21 in regular-season games following a loss under Patterson.
TCU is tied for the national lead in red-zone efficiency at 100.0 percent. TCU has scored on all 25 red-zone possessions, including 18 touchdowns. The Horned Frogs are one of just three teams at 100 percent, but have the most opportunities (25).
Zach Evans became the first Horned Frog since 2002 with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games. 4Kendre Miller (7.33) and Evans (7.28) rank second and third nationally in career yards per carry among active players.
TIES TO THE SUNFLOWER STATE
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson was born in Larned, Kan., and is a native of Rozel, Kan. 4Patterson went to Pawnee Heights High School and then Dodge City Community College, before heading to Kansas State.
ROAD WARRIORS
Since 2009, TCU is sixth nationally with 45 road wins. The Horned Frogs are 45-21 (.682) in that stretch.
TCU’s 53-27 record (.663) in road and neutral-site games since 2009 is seventh-best nationally.
TCU’s 35-20 mark (.636) in conference road games since 2009 is tied for 12th-best in the FBS.
TCU is 23-20 on the road in its Big 12 history.
SERIES HISTORY
TCU and Kansas State are playing for just the 15th time in their history with the series tied at 7-7.
Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is 4-5 versus Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are 2-2 in Manhattan and 2-3 in Fort Worth.
Overall, TCU is 4-3 against Kansas State in Fort Worth and 3-4 in Manhattan.
Prior to TCU beginning Big 12 play in 2012, the schools had not met on the gridiron since 1986.
The first game in the series was a 45-0 Kansas State victory in Manhattan in 1922.
After that initial game, the schools did not play until four consecutive seasons from 1983-86.
A 52-45 win in Manhattan in 2015 saw TCU rally from a 35-17 halftime deficit. At the time, it equaled the largest come-from-behind win (18 points) in Gary Patterson’s tenure as head coach.
TCU NOTABLES
Over the last seven seasons, TCU has the Big 12’s third-best conference record (39-28) and overall mark (61-34).
TCU is one of just seven programs nationally to finish with an Associated Press Top-10 final ranking in at least three of the last seven seasons (2014, 2015, 2017). The others are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State.
TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson, at 21 seasons, is the nation’s second-longest tenured head coach, trailing only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (23rd year).
Since Patterson’s first season as TCU’s head coach in 2001, all other FBS programs in Texas have had at least four head coaches. During that time, the Horned Frogs also have the best record (181-77, .702) in the state.
TCU’s 34-32 win over Cal improved its record to 8-0 against Pac-12 opponents under Patterson.
SUCCESS AGAINST THE LONGHORNS
TCU’s Gary Patterson ranks No. 1 nationally among all head coaches, past or present, in winning percentage against Texas since 1996 (minimum of six games played):
Name Winning Pct.
Gary Patterson .636 (7-4)
Bob Stoops .611 (11-7)
Dana Holgorsen .571 (4-3)
Bill Snyder .538 (7-6)
Since 1996, Patterson is tied for third in most wins by a head coach versus Texas:
Name Wins
Bob Stoops 11 (11-7)
Mike Gundy 8 (8-9)
Gary Patterson 7 (7-3)
Bill Snyder 7 (7-6)
STABILITY
Head coaches for FBS programs in Texas since 2001 (Gary Patterson’s first season in that role at TCU):
School Number of Head Coaches
TCU 1
North Texas 4
Rice 4
Texas 4
Texas Tech 4
UTEP 4
SMU 5
Texas A&M 5
Baylor 6
Houston 7
A FIXTURE IN THE POLLS
Since 2008, Gary Patterson is tied for second nationally among active head coaches at their current school in most Associated Press Top-25 finishes while
placing third in top-10 finishes:
Name Top-25 Finishes
Nick Saban, Alabama 13
Gary Patterson, TCU 11
Dabo Swinney, Clemson 11
Name Top-10 Finishes
Nick Saban, Alabama 13
Dabo Swinney, Clemson 7
Gary Patterson, TCU 6
THE TURNOVER STORY
TCU is a minus-2 in turnover margin this season:
Opponent Turnover Margin
Duquesne +1
Cal -1
SMU +2
Texas -2
Texas Tech +1
Oklahoma E
West Virginia -3
The SMU game was just TCU’s 10th loss in its last 93 games when ahead in turnover margin as well as only its sixth defeat in the last 58 contests when totaling at least three takeways. The Horned Frogs had three interceptions.
Over the last 17 seasons, TCU is 122-22 when ahead (83-10) or even (39-12) in turnover margin and 27-39 when on the negative side.
TCU is 52-6 in its last 58 games with at least three takeaways.
Since the start of the 2005 campaign, TCU is 149-61. In 29 of the 61 defeats, the Horned Frogs were minus-2 or worse in turnover margin.
TCU was a minus-2 in turnover margin in 2020. The Horned Frogs lost four fumbles in their 29-22 win over Oklahoma State. TCU also won its previous game when it lost four fumbles, a 20-6 victory at Kansas in its first-ever Big 12 contest in 2012.
BALL CONTROL
The Horned Frogs have led in time of possession in 21 of their last 32 contests dating back to 2018.
Included below is the Horned Frogs’ TOP in each contest this season:
Opponent Time of Possession
Duquesne 30:41
Cal 36:23
SMU 26:08
Texas 27:12
Texas Tech 28:54
Oklahoma 29:13
West Virginia 24:30
The 36:23 against Cal was TCU’s most since a 43:26 mark in a 33-31 win at Texas Tech in 2019. That total was the Horned Frogs’ highest since 2008, when they held the ball for 43:29 in a 41-7 victory over San Diego State.
Even with the Duquesne game shortened to 12-minute quarters in the second half, TCU had a 30:41 time of possession against the Dukes.
Kansas State Wildcats
K-STATE RETURNS HOME TO HOST TCU ON HOMECOMING
Coming off a second-half comeback win at Texas Tech, Kansas State returns home on Saturday as it hosts TCU at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game against the Horned Frogs, which kicks at 2:30 p.m., will be televised by ESPNU with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst) on the call. The game can be heard across the 39-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst) and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. Fans can also catch the game on SiriusXM (S: 98; XM: 200; App: 954) in addition to The Varsity Network app.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
• It was a tale of two halves last week at Texas Tech, as the Wildcats rallied from deficits of 21-7 and 24-10 to knock off the Red Raiders, 25-24.
• The Wildcats outscored the Red Raiders, 15-0, in the final 30 minutes and held Tech to 103 second-half yards.
• The Wildcats’ four conference opponents, plus its difficult non-conference schedule in which they went 3-0 against, has their strength of schedule ranked second in the nation in the current Sagarin Ratings.
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson has put together one of the best three-game passing stretches of his career against Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas Tech. During that time, Thompson has thrown for 832 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception on 68-of-94 (72.3%) aim.
• Last week at Texas Tech, Thompson threw for 306 yards – the third 300-yard game of his career – and a touchdown on 24-of-30 aim to set a new career best in completion percentage (80.0%).
• During the second half last week, Thompson connected on 14-of-15 passes, the best percentage in a half by a K-State quarterback since 2006.
• Thompson’s favorite receiver has been Deuce Vaughn, who leads the team with 30 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
• This year, Vaughn has totaled 897 scrimmage yards (595 rush/302 receive) and 10 scores. In his 17 career games, Vaughn has at least 100 scrimmage yards 12 times – including all seven games this year – and he ranks fourth nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (124.59).
• Receivers Phillip Brooks, Malik Knowles and Landry Weber have combined for 54 receptions for 718 yards and four scores.
• The Wildcats, deploying a new 3-3-5 look and regularly rotating in over 25 players on defense, rank 23rd in the nation against the run (116.0 yds/gm).
• Linebackers Daniel Green (40) and Cody Fletcher (39) lead the team in tackles, and each have at least three stops behind the line.
• Defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah is second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with six sacks on the year.
• The Wildcats have six interceptions, including two from safety Russ Yeast to tie for the Big 12 lead.
• Punter Ty Zentner ranks second in the Big 12 with a 47.6- yard average, while his 52.2-yard average in conference play leads the league.
• Malik Knowles has returned two kickoff s for a touchdown, and he ranks third in the nation with a 32.8-yard average.
A K-STATE WIN WOULD…
• Improve the Wildcats to 8-7 in the all-time series with the Horned Frogs.
• Move the Wildcats to 5-3 against TCU in games played in Manhattan.
• Improve the Wildcats to 6-4 against TCU since it joined the Big 12 in 2012.
• Be the third-straight for the Wildcats over the Horned Frogs, which would be their longest streak in the series.
• Move the Wildcats to within one win from being bowl-eligible for a second time under Chris Klieman.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
200 OR MORE
• Dating back to last season, Kansas State has rushed for at least 200 yards in six of its last 11 games.
• The latest eff ort was a 269-yard output against Nevada, the sixth time under head coach Chris Klieman that the Wildcats have totaled at least 250 yards on the ground.
• Earlier this year, the Wildcats rushed for 200 yards against Stanford, 208 yards against Southern Illinois and 269 yards against Nevada.
DOWN THE FIELD
• Although they excel in the running game, the Wildcats have been pushing the ball down the fi eld as well, as K-State is tied for 23rd in the nation with six plays of 50 or more yards.
• K-State started the season with at least one 50-yard play from scrimmage in its first five games to become the first Wildcat team with a five-game streak since at least 1988.
• Of the six total 50-yard plays by K-State this year, five have been passes, including scores by Daniel Imatorbhebhe against Nevada (68 yards) and Deuce Vaughn at Oklahoma State (55 yards). Vaughn has the lone rush of 50 or more yards, going for a 59-yard touchdown in the season opener against Stanford.
• Out of Vaughn’s 153 touches this year, 32 have gone for 10 or more yards to tie for 12th in the nation and tie for the Big 12 lead along with Texas’ Bijan Robinson.
RED ZONE SUCCESS
• In the fi rst two-plus years under offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham, Kansas State has converted on 102-of-109 (93.6%) of its red zone opportunities, which includes 72 touchdowns.
• Included in that stretch is a streak of 67-straight red zone conversions, as the Wildcats were true on their final 39 tries of 2019 and their first 24 opportunities of 2020.
• K-State’s 93.6% conversion rate since 2019 is the top mark in the Big 12.
• The Wildcats are the only team in the nation to rank in the top five in red zone offense each of the previous two years, leading the nation in 2019 (96.2%) and ranking fourth last year (93.9%).
ON THE RECEIVING END
• One of the main reasons Deuce Vaughn has a high all-purpose yardage mark is his work as a receiver, as he ranks third in school history among running backs/fullbacks with 736 career receiving yards.
• Additionally, Vaughn leads all Big 12 running backs in receptions (30) and yards (302) this year, while he is tied for first in touchdown catches (3).
• Vaughn also has the second-most receiving yards by any running back nationally since the start of 2020 (Hawaii’s Calvin Turner Jr.; 1,060 yards).
• Vaughn is trying to become the first player in school history with 1,000 career yards as both a rusher and a receiver. The closest a Wildcat came to accomplishing that feat was Mack Herron (1968-69), who had 1,244 receiving yards and 815 rushing yards.
• If Vaughn hit the 1,000/1,000 mark, he would be one of only 11 players in Big 12 history to do so. However, if he did so this year, he would become just the second to reach the milestone as a sophomore (Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech), which would be impressive considering Vaughn’s young career included a shortened 10-game freshman season in 2020 due to COVID-19
Sat., Oct. 30 @ 6:00 pm CT
Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Series Capsule
Series History OSU leads, 40-29-2
In Stillwater OSU leads, 17-14-1
In Lawrence OSU leads, 23-15-1
At Neutral Never met
First Meeting (1923) Kansas 9, OSU 0
Last Meeting (2020) OSU 47, Kansas 7
Last OSU Win (2020) OSU 47, Kansas 7
Last Kansas Win (2007) Kansas 43, OSU 28
Gundy vs. Kansas 12-1
Leipold vs. OSU 0-0
Kansas Jayhawks
JAYHAWKS HEAD TO STILLWATER FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT MATCHUP AGAINST A RANKED TEAM
Fresh off a close contest with No. 3/2 Oklahoma, the Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road for the first time since Oct. 2 to take on No. 15/15 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m., in Stillwater. The Cowboys are coming off their first loss of the season last weekend, dropping a 24-21 game at Iowa State. Coach Mike Gundy’s team leads the conference in rushing defense, allowing just 94.3 yards per game. Malcolm Rodriguez leads the conference in tackles per game at 10.4 and has 73 total stops on the season. Offensively, running back Jaylen Warren has rushed for 781 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this season. Quarterback Spencer Sanders has 1,184 yards
and nine touchdowns in six games. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, are coming off one of their top offensive performances of the season, totaling 412 yards of offense against Oklahoma. True freshman running back Devin Neal picked up the second 100-yard rushing game of his career, while quarterback Jason Bean threw for 246 yards and a touchdown. Game time between the Cowboys and Jayhawks is set for 6 p.m., on FS1. Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman will have the call.
QUICK HITS
• Kansas enters Saturday’s matchup at Oklahoma State as one of five schools nationally to rank in the top 23 nationally in fewest penalty yards per game and fewest turnovers committed. The Jayhawks are joined by Virginia Tech, Air Force, Navy and Iowa State. Kansas ranks 11th nationally in fewest penalty yards per game at 39.14 and 23rd in turnovers lost at seven.
• After allowing six sacks at Coastal Carolina, the Kansas offensive line has allowed just two sacks over the last five games. The Jayhawks have started the same combination each of the last five games: Earl Bostick Jr. (Left Tackle), Malik Clark (Left Guard), Mike Novitsky (Center), Michael Ford Jr. (Right Guard) and Bryce Cabeldue (Right Tackle). That group allowed just one sack against Oklahoma after the Sooners totaled nine last year.
• The Kansas defense has forced at least one fumble in each game this season, including two apiece versus South Dakota and Baylor. The Jayhawks rank 10th in the country in forced fumbles per game at 1.29. Both super-senior defensive end Kyron Johnson and junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., have multiple forced fumbles this season. Linebacker Rich Miller forced his first fumble Saturday versus Oklahoma.
• True freshman running back Devin Neal has rushed for 344 yards on 70 carries over his last four games. Neal has started all four games, and has a pair of 100-yard efforts against Duke and Oklahoma. Neal is averaging 4.91 yards per carry over the four-game stretch. He had 74 rushing yards on 22 carries (3.36 yards per carry) over his first three games. Neal is just the fourth true freshman since 2000 to rush for at least 100 yards and multiple touchdowns against Oklahoma.
• Junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., is one of only two players in the country with 50+ tackles, at least five passes defended and multiple forced fumbles. The junior safety leads Kansas with 59 tackles and notched his first interception of the season earlier this month versus Texas Tech. He also has four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
• Logan is averaging 5.7 solo tackles per game, which ranks top in the Big 12 Conference and 12th nationally. He also ranks 12th nationally and third in the Big 12 in kickoff returns at 27.9 yards per return.
• Super senior defensive end Kyron Johnson surpassed 20 career tackles-for-loss on Saturday at Oklahoma when he picked up a sack of Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams. Johnson leads Kansas this season in tackles-for-loss with 5 ½ and sacks at 3 ½.
• Kwamie Lassiter II had seven catches for 101 yards against Oklahoma and is now tied for 9th all-time in Kansas school history with 117 career receptions. He is tied with Richard Estell for ninth and is five away from tying Clark Green for eighth at 122.
• Through seven games, the Kansas offense has had 25 plays go for 20 yards or more. In nine total games last year, the Jayhawk offense had just 16 total plays of 20 or more yards.
A KU WIN WOULD …
• Move Kansas to 590-663-58 all-time, including 2-6 in the Lance Leipold era.
• Improve head coach Lance Leipold’s career record to 148-45, including his first career win over a Big 12 opponent.
• End an 11-game losing streak against the Cowboys, with Kansas’ last win coming on Nov. 10, 2007.
• Bring the all-time series record to 39-30-3 and 17-15-2 in Stillwater, both in favor of Oklahoma State.
• Be Kansas’ first win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 11, 2010, when
the Jayhawks defeated No. 15 Georgia Tech.
• Be Kansas’ first win over a ranked opponent on the road since Oct. 6, 2007.
• Be Kansas’ first win over a ranked Oklahoma State team in school history.
NOTES
THE O-LINE IS MORE THAN FINE
• Since allowing six sacks to Coastal Carolina in the second game of the season, the Kansas offensive line has allowed just two sacks since.
• The Jayhawks surrendered one sack against Oklahoma last weekend after the Sooners totaled nine sacks a year ago in a convincing win in Norman.
• Through seven games, the Jayhawks have allowed nine sacks. Through seven games last year, the Kansas offensive line had surrendered 38 sacks.
• The nine sacks allowed are the fewest allowed by Kansas through seven games since at least 2005. The previous low mark was 12.
• Kansas has started the same offensive line each of the last six games with Earl Bostick at left tackle, Malik Clark at left guard, Mike Novitsky at center, Michael Ford Jr., at right guard and Bryce Cabeldue at right tackle.
• In addition to the pass protection, the Jayhawks have rushed for at least 145 yards as a team in each of the last four games after failing to reach that mark twice in the first three games. Over the last four games, the Jayhawks are averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
SACKS ALLOWED THROUGH 7 GAMES THE LAST 10 SEASONS
YEAR NO.
2021 9
2020 38
2019 12
2018 22
2017 14
2016 17
2015 18
2014 18
2013 20
2012 19
CRIMSON AND BLUE BEAN
• Jason Bean, a transfer from North Texas, has been the starter at quarterback for Kansas in each of the first seven games of the season for the Jayhawks. Bean has passed for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns on 94 of 163 passing, while being second on the team in rushing yards with 362 and two rushing scores.
• Bean posted the first 300-yard game of his career last month at Duke, completing 19 of 32 passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It marked a career high for Bean, who played in 16 games for North Texas before joining Kansas. The 323 yards were the most by a Kansas quarterback since Carter Stanley threw for 328 yards at Iowa State on Nov. 23, 2019.
• Bean also added 54 rushing yards against the Blue Devils and became the 10th quarterback nationally this year to throw for 300 yards and rush for 50 yards in the same game.
• Against Oklahoma, Bean completed 17 of 23 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 59 yards on 14 carries. The 246 yards were his second-highest total behind the 323 yards at Duke.
• Bean rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries against Coastal Carolina. He became the first Kansas quarterback since Bill Whittemore (121 yards vs. Colorado, 2002) to top the 100-yard mark on the ground.
• Against Coastal Carolina, Bean completed four passes that went for 20 or more yards to four different receivers, including completions to Luke Grimm (33 yards), Kwamie Lassiter II (22 yards), Trevor Wilson (39 yards) and Lawrence Arnold (37 yards). Against Duke, he completed balls of 20 or more yards to Wilson, Lassiter and Torry Locklin.
• In the season opener against South Dakota, Bean became the first Kansas quarterback since Todd Reesing (2007) to throw for multiple touchdowns and no interceptions in his Jayhawk debut.
• There have been 12 quarterbacks to make their debut in between Reesing and Bean.
PROTECTING THE ROCK
• A major point of emphasis for the Kansas coaching staff during training camp was better ball security and fewer turnovers. So far, it is paying off for Kansas.
• The Jayhawks have committed just seven turnovers through seven games this season. Kansas ranks third in Big 12 Conference in fewest turnovers lost and 23rd nationally. The first turnover of the season for Kansas came in the fourth quarter of the Baylor game on a fumble. The Jayhawks threw two interceptions against Duke and had two turnovers against Iowa State.
• This season marked the first time since 2007 that Kansas was turnover-free through two games. The Jayhawks have committed two or more turnovers all but twice in that span and five different times have committed four or more turnovers in their first two games.
• Kansas had one turnover through three games, which tied for the fewest since 2000. In that span, just three times has Kansas had just one turnover through three games.
• The Jayhawks won the turnover battle on Saturday against Texas Tech, forcing a pair of turnovers and turning it over just once.
BIG PLAY JAYS
• After having just 16 total offensive plays last season that went for 20 or more yards, Kansas has already totaled 25 such plays in just six games so far this season and surpassed the 2020 total.
• The Jayhawks had seven plays of 20 or more yards against Coastal Carolina and then had six at Duke. Kansas again had six such plays last time out against Oklahoma.
• Quarterback Jason Bean has been involved in 21 of the 25 plays that have gone for 20 or more yards. Neal had a 62-yard rush in the third quarter against Duke, which was the first play to go for more than 20 or more yards this season that didn’t involve Bean. He had a 44-yard burst against the Sooners.
• The single-game high for plays of 20 or more yards last season for Kansas was three, set three separate times. Kansas has already surpassed that mark four times this year.
BIG PLAY JAYS
• A super-senior who has already played a major role this season is defensive end Kyron Johnson. Johnson enters Saturday’s game with Texas Tech with 166 total tackles, 20 1/2 tackles-for-loss and 9 1/2 sacks in his career.
• Johnson picked up a sack and a forced fumble against Iowa State and then followed that up with four tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup against Texas Tech. Johnson then had another sack against Oklahoma to go with a four-tackle effort. Through seven games, he leads the team in sacks and tackles-for-loss.
• Johnson moved from outside linebacker to defensive end this offseason and the move agreed with him right out of the gate this season. He totaled seven tackles, one sack and a forced fumble against the South Dakota in the season opener.
• This season, Johnson is fourth on the team with 36 total tackles.
• Johnson had a productive season last year for the Jayhawks with 42 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss. He also picked up a career-high three sacks. Two of those sacks came at Oklahoma, where he picked up seven total tackles and also forced a fumble.
• Johnson’s 166 career tackles are the most by any Jayhawk on the roster.
• Johnson has had at least 40 tackles in each of his last two seasons. He had a career-high 55 tackles in 2019 as a junior. The Arlington, Texas native has played in 46 games in his career. Johnson has started 26 of the last 27 games for the Jayhawks.
THE GRIMM REAPER
• A breakout true freshman last year, receiver Luke Grimm won’t be catching any opponents by surprise this year as a sophomore.
• The Raymore, Missouri native became a go-to playmaker for Kansas last season, especially late in the year.
• He finished with 19 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns. In his final four games of the season, he caught at least four passes in each game, after having just one catch for 28 yards in the first five games of the year.
• After not having a catch in the opener against South Dakota, Grimm had five catches for a career-high 75 yards against Coastal Carolina, including a team-high 27 yards after contact.
• He followed that up with two catches for 25 yards against Baylor. He had one catch for 22 yards against Iowa State.
• Against Texas Tech, Grimm caught the third touchdown pass of his career and finished with three catches for 33 yards and a score against the Red Raiders.
• The Raymore, Missouri native made it touchdowns in back-to-back weeks when he reached the end zone against Oklahoma courtesy of a 14-yard pass from Jason Bean. Grimm has 14 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
• Grimm’s best game of his freshman campaign came against TCU, when he had four catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
• The next game, the team’s season finale against Texas Tech, he had a career-high six catches for 41 yards.
• Grimm, who changed his number from 80 to 11 in the offseason, was a finalist for the Thomas A. Simone Award (Most Outstanding high school football player in the Kansas City metro area) in 2019 and had 2,443 career receiving yards at Raymore Peculiar High School.
THEY CALL HIM MELLO
• Redshirt freshman cornerback Ra’Mello Dotson notched the first interception of his career last month at Duke when he picked off Blue Devils quarterback Gunnar Holmberg in the first quarter.
• Dotson returned the interception 65 yards to the Duke 17- yard line. The 65-yard return marked the longest interception return since Marcquis Roberts returned an interception for an 83-yard touchdown in 2015.
• Dotson has started six of seven games so far this season for Kansas at corner after redshirting last season. The Daytona Beach, Florida native also has a fumble recovery that he returned 14 yards earlier this season. Dotson then forced the first fumble of his career last game against Texas Tech.
• Through seven games, Dotson has 15 tackles, including 13 solo stops. He has one of three interceptions on the season for the Jayhawks.
• He played in three games last year with two tackles.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
SERIES HISTORY
(past 40 meetings)
1973 T 10-10 A
1974 W 24-13 H
1975 W 35-19 A
1976 W 21-14 H
1977 W 21-0 A
1978 W 21-7 H
1979 W 30-17 A
1980 W^ 14-14 H
1981 W 20-7 A
1982 T 24-24 H
1983 W 27-10 A
1984 W 47-10 H
1985 W 17-10 A
1986 W 24-6 H
1987 W 49-17 A
1988 W 63-24 H
1989 W 37-34 A
1990 L 30-31 H
1991 L 0-31 H
1992 L 18-26 A
1993 L 6-13 H
1994 L 14-24 A
1995 L 17-22 H
1998 W 38-28 A
1999 W 45-13 H
2002 W 55-20 A
2003 W 44-21 H
2006 W 42-32 A
2007 L 28-43 H
2010 W 48-14 A
2011 W 70-28 H
2012 W 20-14 A
2013 W 42-6 H
2014 W 27-20 A
2015 W 58-10 H
2016 W 44-20 A
2017 W 58-17 H
2018 W 48-28 A
2019 W 31-13 H
2020 W 47-7 A
Oklahoma State Under Mike Gundy
• Since 2010, Oklahoma State has six seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011) and a share of the Big 12 South title (2010). OSU reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.
• Gundy has coached the Cowboys to four New Year’s Six bowl games since 2010. The Pokes appeared in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl and the 2016 Sugar Bowl.
• Oklahoma State is one of only seven teams to post a winning season every year from 2010- 20, joining Alabama, Boise State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Washington and Wisconsin. It is one of only three Power Five teams with winning seasons each of the past 15 years, joined by Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
• Including the 2021 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 12 of the past 14 seasons and reached the top 10 in 10 of those 14 years.
• Since 2017, Gundy has coached the FBS leading passer (Mason Rudolph in 2017), leading receiver (James Washington in 2017) and leading rusher (Chuba Hubbard in 2019). • OSU has seven total selections to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team since 2016, tying Stanford for the most among Power Five schools during that timeframe.
Game Notes
The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (6-1 overall; 3-1 Big 12) returns to Stillwater this week to face Kansas (1-6 overall; 0-4 Big 12) in the 100th edition of “America’s Greatest Homecoming,” with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 30, in Boone Pickens Stadium.
Get Your Tickets
Season tickets and single-game tickets are available at okstate.com/tickets or by calling the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU. Fans interested in tickets can also text the OSU ticket office at 877-255-4678. Single game tickets for the Kansas game start at $95. Festivities for Saturday include the pregame block party on Hall of Fame Avenue, a car show and the music of Mike Hosty. There is also a stadium flyover scheduled before kickoff.
On the Air
The game will be televised by FS1 with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman 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.
Noting the Cowboys in Homecoming Games
Oklahoma State is 55-38-6 in Homecoming games. The Cowboys have won four of their past five and 10 of their past 13 on Homecoming.
Homecoming Activities
Homecoming is a big deal at Oklahoma State and is referred to as “America’s Greatest Homecoming.” This year’s events mark the 100th time that Oklahoma State has hosted its nationally recognized Homecoming celebration. The first Homecoming was hosted in 1920 by the OSU Alumni Association and it has been held every year since then except for 1943 (canceled due to World War II) and 2020 (canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Friday’s night’s “Walkaround” is Homecoming’s most famous and highly attended event, but the week is full of daily events to commemorate the occasion. For a full list of activities, visit the OSU Alumni Association website, orangeconnection.org.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State was voted No. 15 in this week’s edition of the AP Top 25, continuing a streak of 14 consecutive seasons in the poll. The streak, which began in 2008, is the 10th-longest active streak in the nation. Including this season, OSU has appeared in the top 15 of the AP poll in 12 of the past 14 seasons. It has also seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in 10 of those 14 years. The Cowboys are also No. 15 in this week’s USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. OSU has been
included in the coaches poll in each week of the 2021 season. Although the first 2021 College Football Playoff rankings won’t be released until November 2, it’s worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in five of the past six seasons entering 2021. Kansas is not ranked.
The Series
Saturday’s game marks the 72nd meeting between Oklahoma State and Kansas in a series that dates back to 1923. OSU owns a 40-29-2 all-time series advantage, including a 17-14-1 advantage in Stillwater. OSU has won 11 straight and 16 of the past 17. The Cowboys have won five straight games vs. the Jayhawks in Boone Pickens Stadium, as well as seven of the past eight in Stillwater. A win Saturday would extend the longest win streak for either team in the series. It would also give OSU 12 straight wins vs. Kansas to set a school record for its longest win streak against one opponent. OSU’s initial record 11-game streak was set vs. Kansas State from 1947-62. Coach Mike Gundy is 12-1 in his career against Kansas, while KU coach Lance Leipold is facing the Cowboys for the first time.
Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State has established itself as a top-tier program in the nation in recent history, ranking among the top 10 programs nationally in wins since 2010. The Cowboys have won 72.3% of their games (107-41) during that timeframe and have school-record streaks of 15 consecutive bowl bids and 15 consecutive winning seasons.
In 2021, the Cowboys are 6-1 and coming off a loss at Iowa State last week. Every game this season has been decided in the fourth quarter, and last week was no different as the Cowboys were ruled just inches short of converting on a fourth-down play in the final minutes of a 24-21 loss. The Cowboys remain in control of their own destiny as far as the Big 12 title is concerned and have all their conference goals in front of them for the season.
Several playmakers have emerged on the OSU offense, including running back Jaylen Warren who has averaged 147.0 rushing yards in his first five starts as a Cowboy and wide receivers Brennan Presley and Tay Martin, who both made highlight-reel touchdown grabs in Ames. Junior quarterback Spencer Sanders also played well at ISU, passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. He is a proven threat with both his arm and his legs, as he is one of just three quarterbacks in school history with more than 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his career.
The defensive side of the ball has gotten the most attention nationally this year, though, as the Cowboys rank among the FBS top 20 in team tackles for loss (No. 9), defensive touchdowns (No. 9), rushing defense (No. 12), third down conversion percent defense (No. 12), team sacks (No. 16), first downs defense (No. 16), fourth down conversion percent defense (No. 18) and total defense (No. 19). Since Jim Knowles arrived as defensive coordinator in 2018, the Cowboy defense has gone from allowing 6.04 yards per play in 2018, to 5.79 in 2019, 5.32 in 2020 and now 4.85 so far in 2021. If the Cowboys hold that average this season, it will mark the best since the 2013 season when OSU allowed just 4.77 yards per play. One of the biggest reasons for the that success is that OSU has had at least nine senior starters on defense in each game this year, led by All-America candidate linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Through seven games, Rodriguez ranks No. 6 in the FBS with 10.4 total tackles per game.
An Oklahoma State Win Would …
• Mark 12 straight wins vs. Kansas, setting a school record for consecutive wins against one opponent. OSU’s initial record 11-game streak was set vs. Kansas State from 1947-62, while the active 11-win streak vs. KU began in 2010.
• Give it five straight wins in games following a loss.
• Give it a six-game winning streak in Boone Pickens Stadium.
• Give it wins in 17 of its past 18 matchups with the Jayhawks.
• Give it six straight home wins over KU and wins in eight of the past nine games played in Stillwater.
• Make it 7-1 or better for the first time since 2017 and for the seventh time in the Mike Gundy era.
• Make the Cowboys 41-29-2 all-time vs. Kansas and 18-14-1 vs. KU in Stillwater.
• Improve Mike Gundy’s career record vs. Kansas to 13-1.
• Improve Mike Gundy’s record in Big 12 games to 87-56.
• Give it wins in nine of its past 10 games and 15 of its past 19 games, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 143-67 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 131-38 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 78-17 in its past 95 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating back to 2010.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU’s defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards of offense in a half in five of its last six games. The Cowboys limited Baylor to 99 yards in the first, Tulsa to 89 yards in the first, Boise State to 64 yards in the second, K- State to 84 yards in the second and Texas to 92 yards in the second.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 19 of the past 24 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50 percent third down conversion rate in 18 straight games.
• OSU has held its opponent to fewer than 20 first downs in six straight games.
• OSU has held 16 of its past 18 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• Malcolm Rodriguez has recorded at least six tackles in 12 straight games.
• Jaylen Warren has more than 100 yards rushing in four of his past five games.
• OSU has won 75 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 and longest since at least 1980.
• OSU is 30-11 in its past 41 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 35-6 in its past 41 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 41-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 67-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its last four overtime games.
• OSU has forced 18 turnovers in its past 11 games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in 11 of its past 17 games
