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CFB Week 5 Previews: Big 12 Conference

Sat., Oct. 2 @ 11:00 am CT
Texas Longhorns at TCU Horned Frogs

Texas Longhorns
SERIES HISTORY
Overall Record ………………………………………………..Texas leads, 63-27-1
In Austin …………………………………………………………Texas leads, 34-15-1
In Fort Worth …………………………………………………….. Texas leads, 27-12
At Netural ……………………………………………………………. Texas Leads, 2-0
Patterson vs. Texas…………………………………………………………………. 7-3
Sarkisian vs. TCU………………………………………………………….. Never Met
Current Streak ………………………………………………TCU, Won 2 (2019-20)
Last Meeting ……………………………………………. TCU 33, Texas 31 (2020)
Longest Texas Streak…………………………………………. Won 24 (1968-91)
Longest TCU Streak………………………………..Won 4, twice (last 2014-17)
Largest Texas Win………………………………………. Texas 72, TCU 0 (1915)
Largest TCU Win ………………………………………… TCU 46, Texas 0 (1946)

GAME NOTES
THE OPENING KICKOFF
ā€¢ The University of Texas continues its 129th season of football on Saturday when the Longhorns travel to Fort Worth Texas and Amon G. Carter Stadium for a road matchup with TCU.

ā€¢ Texas enters the weekend with an overall record of 3-1 and a 1-0 mark in the Big 12 Conference. UT is coming off a 70-35 victory over Texas Tech last weekend at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

ā€¢ UT has scored at least 58 points in each of its last two games, with more than 40 points coming in the first half of each contest.

ā€¢ TCU is 2-1 overall this season and the game with Texas will be the Horned Frogsā€™ Big 12 opener. TCU is coming off a 42-32 home loss to SMU last Saturday.

ā€¢ Saturday will mark Texasā€™ third day game of the 2021 season. The Longhorns are 2-0 in day games this season, with a 38-18 victory over Louisiana to open the season and last weekā€™s 70-35 win over Texas Tech.

ā€¢ Texas currently boasts 926 all-time wins, the fourth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 926-379-33 (.704).

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS TECH
ā€¢ Texas will meet TCU for the 92nd time in program history on Saturday in Fort Worth. The Longhorns own a 63-27-1 record all-time against the Horned Frogs, and fell to TCU, 33-31, in Austin last season.

ā€¢ Saturdayā€™s will be the seriesā€™ 40th matchup in Fort Worth, where Texas holds a 27-12 advantage over TCU.

ā€¢ The first matchup between the schools was contested in 1897, when the Longhorns defeated TCU, 18-10. Texas and TCU met almost annually following their first encounter up until UT joined the Big 12 Conference prior to the 1996 season.

ā€¢ Texas owns the largest victory for either school in the all-time series, having posted a 72-0 win at home in 1915.

ā€¢ UT won 24 straight over TCU from 1968-91, which is the longest winning streak by either school in the series.

A TEXAS WIN WOULD …
ā€¢ Be Texasā€™ 927th victory all-time, keeping UT as the fourth-winningest program in college football history.

ā€¢ Improve the Longhorns to 29-12 all-time against TCU in Fort Worth.

ā€¢ Give Steve Sarkisian his 50th victory as a head coach and fourth at The University of Texas.

ā€¢ Be the first road win for Texas in the Steve Sarkisian Era.

ā€¢ Give Texas a 4-1 mark under Steve Sarkisian, making Sarkisian the first Texas head coach to win four of his first five games since Fred Akers started 5-0 in 1977.

ā€¢ Mark Steve Sarkisianā€™s third win as a head coach against teams from the state of Texas and improve his record to 3-1.

ā€¢ Improve Sarkisianā€™s record against programs representing the Big 12 to 3-2 and bring his record against teams currently in the Big 12 to 2-1.

THE SARKISIAN ERA BEGINS
ā€¢ 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 Tideā€™s offense scored 35 or more points, the longest streak in major college football history.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Sarkisian went on to be named the 2020 Broyles Award winner as the best assistant coach in college football.

ā€¢ Last season, Alabamaā€™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.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ 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 Sarkisianā€™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
ā€¢ With a 69-31 road win over Kansas State, the Longhorns picked up their sixth win of the 2020 campaign and secured the programā€™s fourth-straight winning season.

ā€¢ 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.

PUTTING UP POINTS
ā€¢ In the victory over Texas Tech, the Longhorns scored 70 points in a game for the first time since 2005 Big 12 Championship Game against Colorado.

ā€¢ It was only the second time since 1977 and 11th time in school history that UT has scored 70 points in a game.

ā€¢ The 70 points tied for the second most scored against a Big 12 opponent in conference play, while the 42 points scored in the first half were also the second most in a Big 12 contest.

ā€¢ Texas has scored at least 38 points in three of four games this season.

ā€¢ It was the fifth time in the last six games the Longhorns have scored 35 or more points.

ā€¢ The Longhorns have surpassed 50 points in four of the last six games.

ā€¢ Texas has scored at least 40 points in the first half of each of its last two games (44 vs. Rice/42 vs. Texas Tech), marking the first time since 2003 (41 vs.
Rice/49 vs. Tulane) that the Longhorns have tallied at least 40 first-half points in back-to-back games.

FULL STEAM AHEAD
ā€¢ The running backs ran wild in Texasā€™ 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.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Texas finished the game with a program-single-game record 10.4 yards per carry (41 carries for 427 yards).

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Texasā€™ previous season with at least three runs of 60 yards took place in 2015, when Dā€™Onta Foreman had three (Kansas ā€“ 93 yards, Oklahoma ā€“ 81 yards, West Virginia ā€“ 65 yards) and Chris Warren III had one (Texas Tech ā€“ 91 yards).

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ In addition to three players busting 60-plus yard runs, four different players rushed for touchdowns against Rice, with freshman Jonathon Brooks joining the trio with a 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.

BREAKING BIG PLAYS
ā€¢ Texas has registered 600 yards of offense in each of their last two games (620 vs. Rice/639 vs. Tech). Thatā€™s just the second time in school history that the
Longhorns have had back-to-back 600-yard games. UT had 3-straight 600-yard games in 2005 (606 vs. Oklahoma State/645 vs. Baylor/617 vs. Kansas). The 1,259 yards over two games are the second-most yards in a two-game stretch in UT history.

ā€¢ Texas rushed for 427 yards last week against Rice and 346 against Texas Tech, the first time rushing for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games since 2016 against Cal (307) and Oklahoma State (329).

ā€¢ The Longhorns surpassed 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing on the day, which was last accomplished against Colorado in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

PASSING ON PUNTS
ā€¢ Texas has not attempted a punt in the last two games against Rice and Texas Tech, the first time in program history the Longhorns have not punted in consecutive games.

ā€¢ The Longhorns have gone nine-straight quarters without attempting a punt.

ā€¢ The only other season in which Texas had two games with zero punt attempts was in 2011 (vs. Texas Tech, at Baylor).

EFFICIENT IN THE RED ZONE
ā€¢ The Longhorns converted 6-of-6 red zone opportunities against Texas Tech with six touchdowns.

ā€¢ Texas is 19-of-20 in the red zone this year.

ā€¢ UT has scored touchdowns on all 19 successful red zone appearances.

TCU Horned Frogs
ABOUT THE GAME
ā€¢ TCU hosts Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. on ABC.

ā€¢ The Horned Frogs saw their five-game winning streak snapped last week. It had been tied for the seventh-longest active streak in the nation. TCU has won seven of its past nine contests.

ā€¢ TCU has opened with a record of 2-1 or better for the 18th time in Head Coach Gary Pattersonā€™s 21 seasons.

ā€¢ Since 1996, Patterson ranks No. 1 nationally among all head coaches past and present in winning percentage (.700, 7-3) against Texas with a minimum of six games played.

ā€¢ Pattersonā€™s seven wins over Texas are tied for second among all head coaches since 1996, trailing only Bob Stoops (11).

ā€¢ Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is 7-2 against Texas with wins in the last two meetings and six of the past seven.

ā€¢ TCU is 46-19 in regular-season games following a loss under Patterson.

ā€¢ TCU running back Zach Evansā€™ 7.8 career yards per carry average ranks No. 1 nationally among active players (min. 95 attempts). He has topped 100 yards
rushing in four of the last five games.

HOME SWEET HOME
ā€¢ TCU is opening a season with four straight home games for just the second time (1979) in its history.

ā€¢ The Horned Frogs are 94-28 under Head Coach Gary Patterson at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

SERIES HISTORY
ā€¢ Saturday is the 92nd meeting between TCU and Texas. The Longhorns hold a 63-27-1 advantage in a series that began with an 18-10 Texas win in 1897.

ā€¢ TCU is 12-28 against Texas in Fort Worth and 15-35-1 in Austin.

ā€¢ Texas is TCUā€™s fourth-most played series. The Horned Frogsā€™ 91 games with the Longhorns trail only Baylor (116), SMU (100) and Texas A&M (92).

SUCCESS AGAINST THE LONGHORNS
ā€¢ TCUā€™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 .700 (7-3)
Bob Stoops .611 (11-7)
Dana Holgorsen .571 (4-3)
Bill Snyder .538 (7-6)

Sat., Oct. 2 @ 3:30 pm ET
Texas Tech Red Raiders at West Virginia Mountaineers

Texas Tech Red Raiders
RED RAIDERS LOOK TO REBOUND AT WVU
ā€¢ Texas Tech will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season Saturday when the Red Raiders travel to Morgantown to face West Virginia at 2:30 p.m CT. This is the first time since 2014 and only the fourth time in the Big 12 era where the Red Raiders have opened league play with back-to-back road contests. n Texas Tech has won each of its last two games against the Mountaineers after the Red Raiders topped West Virginia, 38-17, in their last visit to Morgantown and then followed with a 34-27 come-from-behind victory as year ago in Lubbock.

TEXAS TECH TURNS TO COLOMBI AT QB
ā€¢ Senior quarterback Henry Colombi will make his first start of the season on Saturday at West Virginia, the same team he made his first career start against a year ago. Colombi, who replaced an injured Tyler Shough in the second quarter last weekend at Texas, led the Red Raiders to a 34-27 victory over the Mountaineers last year, totaling more than 200 yards of total offense in the win.

ā€¢ Colombi is coming off one of his best performances of his career as he came off the bench to complete 17-of-23 passes for career highs of both 324 yards and three touchdowns against Texas. All three touchdown strikes were of at least 40 yards as he averaged over 19 yards per completion.

EXPLOSIVE PLAYS ON BOTH SIDES
ā€¢ The Red Raiders have become accustomed to explosive plays on both sides of the ball this season as Texas Tech enters this weekend as the national leader with nine plays of at least 50 yards on offense. The Red Raiders share the FBS lead with 12 plays of 40 yards or longer, three of which that came at Texas this past Saturday.

ā€¢ Defensively, the Red Raiders have created takeaways this season to the tune of six interceptions, all by a different player. It marks the most interceptions through the first four games of a season since the Red Raiders had eight at the same point of the 2010 campaign.

TEAM NOTEBOOK
RED RAIDERS SEARCHING FOR THIRD-STRAIGHT WIN OVER WEST VIRGINIA
ā€¢ Texas Tech and West Virginia will meet for the 11th time Saturday. The Mountaineers own a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series. This will be the 10th time the two schools have met since West Virginia joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season.

ā€¢ Matt Wells is a perfect 2-0 all-time against the Mountaineers as the Red Raiders have topped West Virginia in each of the last two seasons, matching their longest winning streak in the short series. Texas Tech last won consecutive games over West Virginia during the 2012-13 seasons, the Mountaineersā€™ first two years as Big 12 members.

ā€¢ Since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012, Texas Tech and West Virginia have traditionally played several close games with five of those decisions determined by one possession and one more by only 11 points.

ā€¢ This will be the first time Texas Tech and West Virginia have not played in a 12 p.m. local/11 a.m. CT start in Morgantown since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season.

ā€¢ The only other meeting between the two schools outside the Big 12 era came in the 1938 Sun Bowl where West Virginia edged the Red Raiders, 7-6, in front of 12,000 fans in El Paso. It was the first of now 38 bowl appearances for the Red Raiders, who rank among the top 25 teams all-time in postseason trips.

BACK ON THE ROAD
ā€¢ Texas Tech is opening Big 12 play with back-to-back road games for only the fourth time in history as the Red Raiders were previously sent on the road for the first two games during 2002 and 2004, as well as in 2014. The Red Raiders split road trips at No. 23 Texas A&M (W, 48-47) and No. 11 Iowa State (L, 17-31) in 2002 and did the same in 2004 at Kansas (W, 31-30) and No. 2 Oklahoma (L, 13-28). The 2014 conference slate, meanwhile, got started with back-to-back losses at No. 24 Oklahoma State (45-35) and No. 22 Kansas State (45-13) as Tech started that season 0-3 in league play before a win at home versus Kansas.

RANDOM TIDBITS AS WE HEAD TO MORGANTOWN
ā€¢ The trip to Morgantown will be a special one for several Red Raiders who hail from the northeast part of the country. Texas Tech will have seven players within a drivable distance to West Virginia who will have the opportunity to play in front of family and friends this weekend. That list includes Jacob Morgenstern (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), Malik Dunlap (Charlotte, N.C.), T.J. Storment (Statesville, N.C.), Josh Burger (Aurora, Ohio), Travis Koontz (Austintown, Ohio), Brandon Bouyer-Randle (Battle Creek, Mich.) and Reggie Pearson (Detroit, Mich.).

ā€¢ With the announcement of a 6 p.m. kickoff against TCU following the West Virginia game, the Red Raiders will open their home slate with three-consecutive night starts for the first time since 2016.

ā€¢ West Virginia represents the fifth-consecutive unranked opponent to start the season for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech had not previously opened a season with five-straight unranked foes since 2016 when the Red Raiders went 3-2 in those games. Matt Wells is 51-37 over his career against unranked opponents.

ā€¢ A win over West Virginia would improve the Red Raiders to 4-1, marking their best start to a season since 2017, which marked their last bowl appearance. Texas Tech begun that season with wins over Eastern Washington, Arizona State and at Houston before following a loss to No. 15 Oklahoma State with a rout of Kansas.

ā€¢ The battle in the trenches will be a key element to Saturdayā€™s game as the Red Raider offense ranks 12th nationally after allowing only 3.5 tackles for loss per game thus far. West Virginia, meanwhile, is fifth in the FBS with 9.2 tackles for loss per game.

ā€¢ Texas Tech enters this weekend at minus-1 for turnover margin, while West Virginia is minus-5 overall. Matt Wells is 30-10 over his career when winning the turnover margin. The Red Raiders were able to force four key turnovers in their last visit to Morgantown and have a 5-1 advantage in takeaways the past two seasons.

ā€¢ If the season ended today, Texas Techā€™s 381.2 yards of total offense allowed would be its lowest since 2012 (367.3).

THE PREVIOUS MEETING

TEXAS TECH 34, WEST VIRGINIA 27
Date: Oct. 24, 2020
Location: Lubbock, Texas | Attendance: 13,532
Recap: Zech McPhearson broke a 27-27 tie midway through the fourth quarter, returning a fumble recovery 52 yards for a touchdown to lift the Red Raiders to their second-consecutive win over the Mountaineers. Texas Tech shut out the Mountaineers in the final quarter in what was the first career start for Henry Colombi at quarterback. Colombi completed 22-of-28 passes for 169 yards in the victory.
RUSHING: West Virginia-Leddie Brown 21-77; Alec Sinkfield 6-11;
Winston Wright 1-8; Jarret Doege 1-minus 5. TTU-Thompson, SaRodorick 8-68; Brooks, Tahj 12-44; Colombi, Henry 11-40; White, Xavier 6-14; Price, Myles 2-13.
PASSING: West Virginia-Jarret Doege 32-50-0-347. TTU-Colombi, Henry 22-28-0-169.
RECEIVING: West Virginia-Winston Wright 9-126; Leddie Brown 7-47; Sam James 5-56; Sean Ryan 3-26; Mike Oā€™Laughlin 2-44; Reese Smith 2-14; Isaiah Esdale 1-13; Ali Jennings 1-12; Sam Brown 1-7; T.J. Banks 1-2. TTU-Price, Myles 7-79; Ezukanma, Erik 4-47; Polk, Jaā€™Lynn 3-14; Cleveland, Trey 2-17; White, Xavier 2-5; Thompson, SaRodorick 2-minus 2; Koontz, Travis 1-7; Brooks, Tahj 1-2.

West Virginia Mountaineers
THE SERIES
All-Time Series …………………………..WVU leads 6-4
In Morgantown………………………………. Tied at 2-2
In Lubbock ………………………………..WVU leads 3-2
At Neutral Sites………………………….WVU leads 1-0
First Meeting………………………. 1937, WVU 7-6 (N)
Last Meeting…………………….. 2020, TTU 34-27 (A)
Brown vs. TTU ……………………………………………0-2
Brown vs. Wells………………………………………….0-2

NOTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
ā€¢ The 2021 season marks West Virginiaā€™s 129th season of football. The Mountaineers are the 15th winningest program in college football

ā€¢ The 2021 year marks the 42nd season of competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU has a 187-70-4 (.724) all-time mark at the facility, which opened in 1980

ā€¢ Since 1980, West Virginia is 257-117-4 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 7-4 on turf

ā€¢ WVU has made a bowl appearance in 17 of the past 19 years. The Mountaineers are 16-22 all-time in bowl games

ā€¢ WVU is 10-6-2 in games played on Oct. 2, including 6-2-2 at home. The last time WVU played on Oct. 2, was at Virginia Tech in 2004 (L 13-19)

ā€¢ West Virginia is 24-20-1 against schools from the state of Texas

ā€¢ The Mountaineers are 92-14 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle

ā€¢ After registering 37 tackles for loss through the first four games, the WVU defense is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 5 nationally in tackles for loss

ā€¢ The Mountaineer defense also has registered 14 sacks this season, averaging 3.5 per game. That number is tied with Kansas State and Oklahoma for No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 14 nationally

ā€¢ The WVU offense is ranked No. 26 nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed (4.50) ā€¢ The Mountaineer defense is ranked No. 4 in red zone defense (.533), No. 23 in rushing defense (90.5), No. 25 in scoring defense (16.8) and No. 36 in total defense (308.2)

ā€¢ Junior receiver Winston Wright Jr. is ranked No. 2 in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 41.2 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. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 18 nationally in all-purpose yardage, averaging 135.0 yards per game

ā€¢ Senior running back Leddie Brown is tied for No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 20 nationally in touchdowns (6) and No. 5 in scoring per game (12.0)

ā€¢ Brown is No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 21 nationally in rushing touchdowns (5). He also is No. 11 in the Big 12 in points responsible for and No. 12 in points responsible for per game

ā€¢ Junior receiver Sam James is tied for No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 30 nationally in receiving touchdowns (3)

ā€¢ Senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo is No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 36 nationally in tackles (8.8)

ā€¢ Redshirt junior defensive lineman Taijh Alston is No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 12 nationally in sacks (1.12) and No. 2 in the league and No. 36 nationally in tackles for loss (1.4)

ON TURF
ā€¢ Since 1980, West Virginia is 257-117-4 in
games played on artificial turf surfaces. WVU
was 57-29 on turf in the 1990s, 66-21 on turf
in the 2000 decade and 62-40 during the 2010
decade. Since 2020, the Mountaineers are 7-4
on turf.
AT HOME
ā€¢ The 2021 season marks the 42nd season of
competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar
Stadium. WVU holds a 187-70-4 (.724) all-time
mark at the facility, which opened in 1980.
ā€¢ 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.

ON NETWORK TELEVISION
ā€¢ The ESPN2 telecast of the Texas Tech game marks the 288th network television game for WVU.

ā€¢ All-time, the Mountaineers are 150-136-1 in nationally televised games.

SERIES HISTORY WITH TEXAS TECH
ā€¢ The series between West Virginia and Texas Tech started in 1937 with a 7-6 WVU win in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

ā€¢ The last meeting took place in 2020 in Lubbock with Texas Tech holding on for a 34-27 win. That was the second straight win in the series for the Red Raiders after winning in Morgantown in 2019, 38-17.

ā€¢ Prior to that, West Virginia won five straight from 2014-18.

ā€¢ The schools split the four games played in Morgantown with Texas Tech winning the first one played at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2013 and the last in 2019. WVU won the two in between in 2015 and 2017.
2020, away, Texas Tech, 34-27
2019, home, Texas Tech, 38-17
2018, away, West Virginia, 42-34
2017, home, West Virginia, 46-35
2016, away, West Virginia, 48-17
2015, home, West Virginia, 31-26
2014, away, West Virginia, 37-34
2013, home, Texas Tech, 37-27
2012, away, Texas Tech, 49-14
1937, Sun Bowl, West Virginia, 7-6

Sat., Oct. 2 @ 2:30 pm CT
Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas State Wildcats

Oklahoma Sooners
OPENING KICK
ā€¢ No. 6/4 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) plays its first road game of the season when it faces Kansas State (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. The game will be televised nationally by FOX with Aaron Goldsmith and Brock Huard announcing.

ā€¢ Oklahoma has won 14 Big 12 championships in the leagueā€™s first 25 years while Kansas State is tied for third with three titles (the two programs shared the 2012 crown).

ā€¢ The Sooners have won 26 of their last 28 true road games and are 15-2 in such contests under fourth-year head coach Lincoln Riley.

ā€¢ Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, Oklahoma is 43-8 (.843) in regular season games away from home. OU has scored at least 30 points in 44 of those 51 contests.

ā€¢ OU has won 12 games in a row, which represents the 11th winning streak of at least 12 games in program history and the Sooners’ longest since winning 14 straight over the 2016 and ’17 seasons (last 10 games of 2016 and first four of ’17). The 12-game streak is also the second-longest in the country, with only Alabama (18) owning a longer active streak. Just one other Power Five program (Iowa at 10) has a winning streak longer than eight games. OU has registered winning streaks of at least seven games in each of the past six seasons.

ā€¢ The Sooners have as many Big 12 titles the last six seasons (six) as they have lost games against Big 12 opponents (52-6 record; includes four Big 12 Championship games).

ā€¢ Come Saturday, Oklahoma will have been Big 12 champion for 2,136 consecutive days.

ā€¢ OU is 147-31 (.826) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. Thatā€™s 26 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 121-57) and 46 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 101-78).

ā€¢ Saturday’s contest will mark Oklahoma’s seventh straight against K-State when the Wildcats are unranked in the AP poll (the Sooners are 4-2 in the previous six). Including this season, OU has been ranked in the AP poll in 18 of the 21 meetings since the start of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 (not ranked in 1996, 1997 or 2005 matchups), including 12 times in the top 10.

ā€¢ Oklahoma is 40-4 all-time as the No. 6-ranked team in the AP poll and 13-1 on the road. The lone road loss was a 29-20 defeat at No. 10 Nebraska in 1963. OU has faced Kansas State on the road once as the No. 6-ranked team (a 13-10 victory in 1939), and is 2-1 all-time against the Wildcats while ranked sixth. The Sooners defeated K-State 56-10 at home in 1986 and lost 24-19 to No. 15 KSU at home in 2012.

ā€¢ An Oklahoma win Saturday would mark the 50th in 58 games in the head coaching career of Lincoln Riley. Only Barry Switzer (56) and Bud Wilkinson (57) reached 50 victories at OU faster than 58 games.

ā€¢ Saturday’s game will mark OU’s first away from home this season. The last time the Sooners opened a campaign with four home games was in 2004 when they beat Bowling Green (40-24), Houston (63-13), Oregon (31-17) and Texas Tech (28-13) as the AP’s No. 2 team in all four contests.

ā€¢ Kansas State opened the season with wins over Stanford (24-7 in Arlington, Texas), Southern Illinois (31-23 at home) and Nevada (38-17 at home) to rise to No. 25 in the AP poll before falling Saturday at Oklahoma State (31-20).

KEY STORYLINES
ā€¢ Oklahoma has lost only six Big 12 games since the start of the 2015 season and two of the defeats have come to unranked Kansas State squads the last two years. The Wildcats downed No. 5 OU 48-41 in 2019 in Manhattan and rallied for a 38-35 win over the No. 3 Sooners last year in Norman. OU’s other Big 12 losses the past seven seasons came to Texas in 2015 and 2018, and to Iowa State in 2017 and 2020. None of the six defeats were by more than seven points.

ā€¢ The road team in the OU-Kansas State series has won seven of the last 10 meetings. In fact, since the start of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, the visiting team is 11-7 in the series. The Sooners are 7-2 in Manhattan in the Big 12 era (losses in 1996 and 2019) and have scored at least 31 points in all nine meetings (averaging 44.7).

ā€¢ Saturday’s game will feature an OU run defense that has held all four opponents this season to 100 or fewer ground yards (74.3 average). Meanwhile, Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn is averaging 98.3 rushing yards per contest this year and is tied for second in the Big 12 with five rushing touchdowns. Going back to the 2019 campaign, only one running back has rushed for 100 yards in a game against the Sooners (Iowa State’s Breece Hall had 139 yards in the third game of last season). OU ranked 19th nationally last year by allowing 3.5 yards per rush and this year is permitting just 2.4 per carry to rank 10th nationally. K-State ranks sixth in the country by allowing just 2.2 yards per rush this season.

ā€¢ The Sooners have committed only three turnovers through four games and rank 10th nationally with their +5 turnover margin on the season. The next best margin in the Big 12 is +2 by three teams (K-State ranks seventh in the conference with its -1 margin). Oklahoma has yet to fumble this season while its opponents have fumbled 12 times (lost five). OU has also registered three interceptions.

ā€¢ Oklahoma’s defense has spent a lot of time in the opponent backfield this season. OU ranks 14th nationally with its 3.5 sacks per game and is 13th in the country with 8.0 tackles for loss per contest. Defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey is tied for second in the Big 12 with his 3.5 sacks (K-State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah has 4.0) while outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive linemen Isaiah Thomas have 2.5 sacks each to rank seventh in the league. The Wildcats are permitting 2.0 sacks per outing.

LAST YEAR VS. KANSAS STATE
ā€¢ Oklahoma outgained K-State by 117 yards (517-400), had 28 first downs to the Wildcats’ 10 and held KSU to a 2-for-11 performance on third downs, but gave up the last 24 points (was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter) in a 38-35 home loss on Sept. 26, 2020. The Sooners held leads of 28-7 and 35-14.

ā€¢ The loss snapped OU’s 17-game home winning streak and gave K-State a second straight victory in the series. The last time the Sooners had lost games in consecutive seasons to the same opponent was 2013 and ’14 (Baylor). OU’s 53-game streak of winning when leading after the third quarter also came to a halt.

ā€¢ The Sooners led 21-7 at halftime thanks to a 17-for-19 passing performance (for 181 yards and three touchdowns) by Spencer Rattler. An Oklahoma TD run with 2:46 left in the third quarter gave OU a 35-14 lead, but K-State held a 185-50 advantage in total yards the rest of the way. Oklahoma’s last five drives ended in a fumble, three punts (one of them blocked) and an interception.

ā€¢ The Sooners committed four turnovers on the day (K-State had none), and the Wildcats converted them into 14 points. KSU also scored a touchdown following its fourth-quarter blocked punt.

ā€¢ Rattler finished the day 30 of 41 for a career-high 387 yards and four touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. Two of Marvin Mims’ five catches went for touchdowns, and Austin Stogner and Drake Stoops each posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards. Stogner caught five passes for 83 yards, while Stoops had three receptions for 93 yards, one of them a 32-yarder for his first career score.

ā€¢ OU surrendered seven total points over the Wildcats’ first seven possessions, but gave up 31 points over its last six. K-State managed just 98 yards in the first half and had just 107 with 6:35 left in the third quarter.

ā€¢ Sixty-seven percent of Kansas State’s offensive yards (267 of 400) came on five plays. It averaged just 2.9 yards on its other 46 plays.

ROAD WARRIORS
ā€¢ Oklahoma has won 26 of its last 28 true road games, with the only losses during that stretch coming in 2019 at Kansas State (48-41) and last season at Iowa State (37-30).

ā€¢ The 2019 defeat at K-State snapped OU’s 22-game true road winning streak (the Sooners hadn’t lost since Oct 4, 2014, at TCU), which was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II.

ā€¢ During the 22-game streak, OU outscored opponents 1,076-626 (49-28 average) and outgained them 12,829 yards to 9,208 (583-419 average).

ā€¢ The Sooners have outgained their opponent in 25 of their last 28 true road games.

ā€¢ OU has scored at least 30 points in each of its last 33 true road games and at least 41 points in 22 of those 33.

OU’S BIG 12 DOMINATION
ā€¢ 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).

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Since 2010, OU has won eight Big 12 titles and is followed by Baylor (two) and Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU (one each).

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Since Lincoln Riley came to Norman as offensive coordinator in 2015, OU has posted a 48-6 (.889) record in regular season Big 12 play. The next best mark during the period is 35-20 (.636) by Oklahoma State.

Kansas State Wildcats
WILDCATS RETURN HOME TO HOST NO. 4 SOONERS

Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 31-20 loss at Oklahoma State, K-State returns to Bill Snyder Family Stadium for two-straight games, beginning with a contest against fourth-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by FOX with Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (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: 83; XM: 83, App: 83) in addition to The Varsity Network app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
ā€¢ K-State is looking for its third-straight victory over the Sooners after marquee wins in 2019 and 2020, the latter being a 21-point comeback in Norman.

ā€¢ The Wildcats have rushed for 739 yards through four games ā€“ led by Deuce Vaughnā€™s 393 yards ā€“ while surrendering just 75.2 yards per game on the ground to rank 11th in the nation.

ā€¢ Vaughn saw a fi ve-game streak of 100-yard games come to an end last week, which were the most by a Wildcat since Darren Sproles had fi ve in 2003.

ā€¢ Quarterback Skylar Thompson, who is back for his ā€œSuper Seniorā€ season, ranks in the top 10 in school history in 15 career categories, but he missed the last two games due to injury.

ā€¢ In his absence, Will Howard (starter) and Jaren Lewis were efficient in the win against Nevada as they combined to go 9-for-13 for 129 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, while Howard added 56 rushing yards with two scores.

ā€¢ K-State quarterbacks have the luxury of playing behind an experienced off ensive line that brought back 100% of its starts from a year ago in addition to playmakers at every skill position.

ā€¢ Vaughn headlines the skill group after he was named the True Freshman of the Year by 247Sports in 2020, as well as an All-American and Freshman All-American by multiple outlets.

ā€¢ In Vaughnā€™s 14 career games played he has at least 100 scrimmage yards nine times ā€“ including all four games this year ā€“ as he ranks second nationally among active players in career all-purpose yards per game (122.57).

ā€¢ Wide receivers Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks, the latter a 2020 All-American as a punt returner, are back, while the Wildcats welcomed tight end transfer Daniel Imatorbhebhe, who has spent time at both USC and Illinois. The trio have combined for 23 catches for 427 yards, which includes a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Imatorbhebhe against Nevada.

ā€¢ K-State has rotated nearly 10 players along the defensive front, while its linebacker corps are led by Cody Fletcher with 26 stops along with Daniel Green and his 25 tackles.

ā€¢ The Wildcats have four interceptions on the year as safeties Russ Yeast and TJ Smith each recorded a pick against Stanford, defensive tackles Jaylen Pickle had one against Southern Illinois, and cornerback Tee Denson picked off Nevada.

ā€¢ The Cats have 14 sacks this year to rank 14th nationally.

ā€¢ New kicker Taiten Winkel has made 5-of-6 field goals and all 14 extra points.

Sat., Oct. 2 @ 6:00 pm CT
Baylor Bears at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Baylor Bears
STORY LINES
ā€¢ No. 21 Baylor travels to No. 19 Oklahoma State for one of five week 5 matchups of unbeaten teams.

ā€¢ The game is one of four this week matching two ranked teams, and the only one on Saturday night.

ā€¢ BU is 18-21 all-time vs. OSU, including 7-13 in Stillwater. Baylor lost 11-straight at Oklahoma State before snapping the streak in 2015 and has won two of its last three in Stillwater (2015, 2019).

ā€¢ Baylor is looking to defeat ranked opponents in consecutive weeks for the first time since 1974.

ā€¢ Baylor is 4-0 for the 6th time in 9 seasons since 2013 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021). Prior to 2013, the last time Baylor started a season 4-0 was 1991.

ā€¢ BU defeated No. 14 Iowa State 31-29 Saturday, earning its first win vs. a ranked team since 2015. It was the first time an unranked BU team defeated a ranked opponent since the 2012 Holiday Bowl. ā€¢ The Bears beat the Cyclones despite 197 fewer yards of total offense (282-479), 75 more penalty yards (100-25) and 12 fewer first downs (15-27).

ā€¢ Baylor ranks 6th nationally in rushing offense (271.8 ypg). The Bears have rushed for 1,087 yards and 12 TDs and needed only 3 games to surpass last seasonā€™s rushing totals (813 yards, 8 TDs).

ā€¢ Baylor is 1 of 11 FBS teams (only in Big 12) without an interception thrown this season (93 passes).

ā€¢ Gerry Bohanon leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th nationally with a 177.1 passing efficiency, while the Baylor defense leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th nationally with a 100.9 passing efficiency allowed.

ā€¢ Baylor allows only 0.75 sacks per game, which is best in the Big 12 and tied for 7th in FBS.

ā€¢ BU has had 3 players combine for six 100-yard rushing games this season after having none last year.

ā€¢ Trestan Ebner ranks 4th among FBS players with 166 all-purpose yards per game, and he ranks 11th among active FBS players (3rd in Power-5) with 3,498 career all-purpose yards (10th-most in BU history).

ā€¢ Baylor has 82 wins since 2011, tied for 2nd-most in the state of Texas behind only A&M (87).

ā€¢ Baylor ranks 2nd in the FBS with 28 college graduates on its 2021 preseason roster (Illinois-29).

ā€¢ Baylor has 23 takeaways and a +10 turnover margin in 13 games under Dave Aranda. BUā€™s defense under Aranda has 16 INTs and 7 FRs, while BU has committed only 13 turnovers (8 INT, 5 FUM).

OFF TO 4-0 START FOR 6TH TIME IN LAST 9 SEASONS
ā€¢ Baylor is 4-0 for the 6th time in 9 seasons since 2013. BU started 4-0 in 2013-16, 2019 and 2021.

ā€¢ BU went 22-straight seasons without starting 4-0 (1991-2012) before starting 4-0 in 6 of the last 9 seasons.

ā€¢ Baylor is also looking to start 3-0 in Big 12 play for the 6th time in the last 9 seasons since 2013. BU did not start 3-0 in Big 12 Conference play in any of the leagueā€™s first 17 seasons (1996-2012).

FOURTH DOWN SUCCESS
ā€¢ Baylor leads the Big 12 with 8 fourth-down conversions this season. The Bears are 8-of-9 on fourth downs, and the only failed fourth-down attempt was on 4th-and-17 in the final minutes of the win at Texas State.

ā€¢ BU has gone 3-for-3 on fourth downs in their own territory, converting once in each of the first three games ā€“ 4thand-1 from own 34 at TXST, 4th-and-3 from own 37 vs. TXSO and 4th-and-3 from own 46 at Kansas.

ā€¢ BU has punted only once when facing 4th-and-4 or less this season, and that was when facing 4th-and-3 from its own 43 while leading 24-13 in the 4th quarter at Texas State.

RANKED FOR 9TH TIME IN LAST 12 SEASONS
ā€¢ 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).

ā€¢ 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 Baylorā€™s first over a ranked opponent since 2015.

BEARS AMONG BIG 12ā€™S BEST DEFENSES
ā€¢ Baylorā€™s defense leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (15.8 ppg), pass efficiency defense (100.9), and ranks second in opponent 3rd-down percentage (30.8), passing defense (149.0 ypg) and interceptions (4)

ā€¢ Additionally, Baylor leads the BIg 12 in net yards per punt (45.7).

ā€¢ Baylorā€™s defense has allowed only 186.4 passing yards per game in 13 games under head coach Dave Aranda.

ā€¢ 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.

ā€¢ Three Baylor DBs picked off passes in the Sept. 4 win at Texas State ā€“ JT Woods, Jalen Pitre and Jairon McVea.

OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES HISTORY
ā€¢ Baylor and Oklahoma State are meeting for the 40th time and the 26th-consecutive season.

ā€¢ This yearā€™s game (Oct. 2) is the earliest in a calendar year the Bears have played a game in Stillwater.

ā€¢ Baylor is 18-21 all-time against Oklahoma State, including 7-13 in Stillwater, 9-7 in Waco and 2-1 at neutral sites.

ā€¢ Baylor has won 2 of its last 3 games in Stillwater after snapping an 11-game losing streak on OSUā€™s home field.

POTENT GROUND ATTACK
ā€¢ Baylor leads the Big 12 in rushing yards per game (271.8) and yards per rush (7.25) and ranks 2nd in rushing TDs (12). The Bears have 61 first downs on the ground, 14 more than any other team in the league.

ā€¢ The Bears needed only 3 games to surpass last seasonā€™s rushing totals (813 yards, 8 TDs) and have now rushed for 1,087 yards and 12 TDs on the season.

ā€¢ Baylor and Ohio State are the nationā€™s only teams with two players ranked in the nationā€™s top-25 in yards per carry ā€“ Abram Smith ranks 13th with 7.25 yards per carry, while Trestan Ebner is 17th with 6.96 ypc.

ā€¢ Smith ranks 20th nationally with 5 rushing TDs and 21st nationally with 413 rushing yards.

ā€¢ Three BU running backs have combined for six 100-yard rushing efforts in its first 4 games, after not having any 100-yard rushers during the 2020 season.

ā€¢ Smith (122) had his 3rd-straight 100-yard rushing game at Kansas on Sept. 18, becoming Baylorā€™s first player with 3-consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Shock Linwood in 2015.

ā€¢ Smith (126), Ebner (125) and Taye McWilliams (102) all posted career-high rushing yardages in the Sept. 11 win over Texas Southern. It was Baylorā€™s first game with three 100-yard rushers since Sept. 12, 2015.

ā€¢ Ebner (120) and Smith (118) both opened the season with 100-yard games at Texas State on Sept. 4.

Oklahoma State Cowboys
Series Capsule
Series History OSU leads, 21-18
In Stillwater OSU leads, 13-7
In Waco Baylor leads, 9-7
At Neutral Baylor leads, 2-1
First Meeting (1914) OSU 60, Baylor 0
Last Meeting (2020) OSU 42, Baylor 3
Last OSU Win (2020) OSU 42, Baylor 3
Last Baylor Win (2019) Baylor 45, OSU 27
Gundy vs. Baylor 9-7
Aranda vs. OSU 0-1

Game Notes
The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (4-0 overall; 1-0 Big 12) hosts a second straight home game this week, facing Baylor (4-0 overall; 2-0 Big 12) on Saturday, Oct. 2, in Boone Pickens Stadium with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT.

On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPN2 with Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III and Quint Kessenich 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.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State was voted No. 19 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.

The Cowboys also climbed to a season-high No. 18 in the Week 5 edition of the 2021 USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. OSU has been included in the coaches poll in each week of the 2021 season and has also received votes in every week of the 2021 AP Top 25.

Entering 2021, OSU had reached the top 15 of the AP poll at some point in 11 of the past 13 seasons and had seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in nine of those 13 years.

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.

Baylor is also ranked in both major polls this week, coming in at No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the coaches poll. The Bears represent the second straight AP-ranked opponent for the Cowboys after OSU knocked off No. 25 Kansas State last week.

The Series
Saturday’s game marks the 40th overall meeting between Oklahoma State and Baylor in a series that dates to 1914. The 2021 season also marks the 26th consecutive year the teams have played, beginning with the first season of Big 12 Conference play in 1996. OSU holds a 21-18 all-time advantage in the series, including a 13-7 edge in games played in Stillwater. OSU has won 18 of the past 25 matchups with Baylor, as well as 12 of the past 14 matchups played in Stillwater.

A win over the Bears Saturday would give the Cowboys back-to-back wins vs. BU for the first time since OSU won six straight from 2006-2011.

Coach Mike Gundy is 9-7 in his career against Baylor, while Baylor coach Dave Aranda is 0-1 in his career against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State football has established itself as a top-tier program in the nation in recent history, becoming one of just 10 Power Five programs with more than 100 wins since 2010. The Cowboys have won 72.4% of their games (105-40) during that timeframe and have school-record streaks of 15 consecutive bowl bids and 15 consecutive winning seasons.

In 2021, the Cowboys are 4-0 for a second consecutive year and for the sixth time in the Mike Gundy era. Oklahoma State battled through one-possession, shorthanded wins in the first three games of the season but had its best performance in last week’s 31-20 win over No. 25 Kansas State.

OSU is led on offense by quarterback Spencer Sanders, who turned in his best game of the young season against the Wildcats by throwing for 344 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 22 of his 34 pass attempts (65 percent). He also rushed for a touchdown and totaled 10 completions of at least 17 yards. Sanders’ top target has been wide receiver Tay Martin, who leads the team in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns despite missing nearly all of the Tulsa and Boise State games. OSU’s most productive player this season, however, is transfer running back Jaylen Warren, who has had more than 200 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two games. He earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after his 218-yard rushing day in OSU’s road win at Boise State, then followed that with 123 rushing yards and 81 receiving yards in OSU’s win against Kansas State. He now ranks No. 18 in the FBS with 126.0 yards from scrimmage per game.

On the defensive side, OSU has continued to build on its success since the arrival of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in 2018. During his time in Stillwater, 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 4.53 so far in 2021. If the Cowboys hold that average this season, it would mark the best since the 1985 season when OSU allowed just 4.33 yards per play. One of the biggest reasons for the that success is that OSU has had 10 senior starters in each game this year, led by linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. Through four games, Rodriguez ranks No. 5 in the FBS with 7.2 tackles per game and No. 6 with 10.8 total tackles per game. He also ranks No. 12 with a pair of forced fumbles, No. 19 with a fumble recovery and has made game-changing plays every Saturday this season. Safety Kolby Harvell-Peel has also been a key factor, as he ranks No. 13 nationally with two interceptions.

An Oklahoma State Win Would…
ā€¢ Make it 5-0 for the first time since 2015 and for the fifth time in the Mike Gundy era.
ā€¢ Mark its seventh straight win, securing its longest winning streak since OSU won seven straight in 2016. OSU’s six-game winning streak entering the game is tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the FBS.
ā€¢ Make the Cowboys 22-18 all-time vs. Baylor and 14-7 vs. Baylor in Stillwater.
ā€¢ Give it two straight wins vs. Baylor for the first time since OSU won six straight from 2006-11.
ā€¢ Make it 19-7 in its past 26 games against Baylor.
ā€¢ Make it 13-2 in its past 15 home games against Baylor.
ā€¢ Improve Mike Gundy’s career record vs. Baylor to 10-7.
ā€¢ Improve Mike Gundy’s record in Big 12 games to 85-55.
ā€¢ Improve it to 13-3 in its past 16 games, 22-8 in its past 30 games, 46-18 in its past 64 games and 60-24 in its past 84 games.
ā€¢ Make it 141-66 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
ā€¢ Make it 5-2 in its last seven games when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.
ā€¢ Make it 129-37 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
ā€¢ Make it 12-5 in its past 17 games and 16-8 in its past 24 games vs. AP Top 25 teams.
ā€¢ Improve it to 27-22 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.
ā€¢ Mark Mike Gundy’s 33rd career win vs. AP Top 25 opponents. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are the only other active coaches with more wins over AP Top 25 teams at their current schools.

Sat., Oct. 2 @ 6:00 pm CT
Kansas Jayhawks vs Iowa State Cyclones

Kansas Jayhawks
JAYHAWKS FINISH OFF 2-GAME ROAD TRIP WITH MATCHUP AT IOWA STATE

Coach Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks will play the role of the visitors for the third time in five weeks to open the 2021 campaign when they travel to Ames, Iowa this weekend to take on Iowa State. Kansas has already played a pair of road games, traveling to Coastal Carolina and Duke in September. The Jayhawks and Cyclones will be facing off for the 101st time in series history with Kansas owning a 50-44-6 advantage all-time. Kansas last won in Ames on Oct. 4, 2008, beating the Cyclones 35-33. Todd Reesing threw for 319 yards in the win, while Kerry Meier had seven catches for 125 yards. The Cyclones enter this yearā€™s matchup with a 2-2 mark. Running back Breece Hall has rushed for 428 yards and six touchdowns in four games, while quarterback Brock Purdy has 888 yards and four touchdowns already this season. Game time is set for 6 p.m., at Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be televised by FS1 with Eric Collins and Devin Gardner on the call.

QUICK HITS
ā€¢ Kansas is coming off of one of its best recent offensive performances Saturday at Duke. The Jayhawks totaled 530 yards of total offense, while collecting 21 total first downs. Kansas gained 207 rushing yards and 323 passing yards. That output marked just the fourth time since 2000 Kansas posted 20+ first downs, 300+ passing yards and 200+ rushing yards in the same game against a Power 5 opponent.

ā€¢ The Jayhawks averaged 7.4 yards per play against the Blue Devils, which is the 14th-best single-game mark for a Kansas team since 2000 and seventh-best against a Power 5 opponent.

ā€¢ Quarterback Jason Bean passed for 323 yards, while running back Devin Neal rushed for 107 yards and receiver Trevor Wilson had five catches for 122 yards. That marked the first time Kansas had a 300-yard passer, 100- yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game since Sept. 26, 2009 against Southern Mississippi.

ā€¢ The teamā€™s 530 yards of total offense marks the eighth-best single-game total since 2010.

ā€¢ Jason Bean and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell are the only quarterbacks nationally to post a 100-yard rushing game and a 300-yard passing game through four weeks of the season. Howell has done both twice. Bean rushed for 102 yards at Coastal Carolina before his 323-yard passing game at Duke.

ā€¢ Redshirt freshman receiver Lawrence Arnold had eight catches for 76 yards against Duke. Heā€™s the seventh Jayhawk receiver since 2011 to have eight catches in a game. His eight catches against the Blue Devils were the most by a Kansas receiver since 2019.

ā€¢ Junior linebacker Rich Miller had 14 tackles against Duke last time out. His 14 stops are the most by a Kansas defender since linebacker Joe Dineen also had 14 against Texas on Nov. 23, 2018.

ā€¢ Redshirt freshman cornerback Raā€™Mello Dotson had his first career interception on Saturday and returned it 65 yards deep into Duke territory. His 65-yard return is the longest interception return by a Jayhawk defender since Marcquis Roberts returned a pick 85 yards the other way for a touchdown in 2015.

ā€¢ Junior safety Kenny Logan Jr., has 37 tackles, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles in four games this season. He ranks 23rd nationally in tackles per game and second in the Big 12 Conference. Logan is the only player in the country who has 35-plus tackles, four-plus pass breakups and multiple forced fumbles already this season.

ā€¢ True freshman Devin Neal posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career Saturday at Duke, totaling 107 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. He had a long run of 62 yards in the third quarter. The Jayhawks also completed a 61-yard pass when Jason Bean found Kwamie Lassiter II for a touchdown. It marked the first time since Sept. 23, 2017 against West Virginia that Kansas had a 60-plus yard run and a 60-plus yard pass in the same game.

A KU WIN WOULD …
ā€¢ Move Kansas to 590-660-58 all-time, including 2-3 in the Lance Leipold era.

ā€¢ Improve head coach Lance Leipold’s career record to 148-42, including his first career win over a Big 12 opponent.

ā€¢ Improve Kansas’ series lead over the Cyclones to 51-44-6, snapping a six-game losing streak.

ā€¢ Be Kansas’ first win over Iowa State since Nov. 8, 2014, when the Jayhawks took down the Cyclones, 34-14, in Lawrence.

ā€¢ Be Kansas’ first win over a conference opponent on the road since Oct. 4, 2008, when KU defeated Iowa State in Ames.

Iowa State Cyclones
THE LEAD
Iowa State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) plays host to Kansas (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) on Saturday. ISU has won six-straight games vs. the Jayhawks, ISUā€™s longest series win streak. ISU owns a school-record seven-game home-field winning streak vs. Big 12 teams, the leagueā€™s longest active streak. ISU is 12-1 in its last 13 Big 12 home games. Head coach Matt Campbell has 26 league victories, one shy from the school record (27-Dan McCarney, 1995-2006).

KEY STORYLINES
ā€¢ Iowa State lost in the closing moments in its Big 12-opener at Baylor (31-29) despite outgaining the Bears, 479-282.

ā€¢ In its last nine games dating back to 2020, ISU has given up just 28 points and one touchdown in the second half (excluding non-offensive TDs).

ā€¢ Iowa Stateā€™s defense ranks in the Top 10 nationally in the following categories: yards per play (3rd, 3.89), total defense (4th, 216.0), yards per rush (5th, 2.09) and rushing defense (8th, 67.5).

ā€¢ All-American RB Breece Hall broke or tied several records in the Baylor game. He now owns ISUā€™s career record for touchdowns (40) and shares the school mark for
rushing touchdowns (36).

ā€¢ Hall set a Big 12 record by rushing for a TDin his 16th consecutive game vs. Baylor

ā€¢ QB Brock Purdy is aiming to become just the sixth Big 12 player in history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a career. He currently has 9,870 passing yards and 1,042 rushing yards.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
ā€¢ The Cyclone defense has improved dramatically since 2017 and it continues to shine in 2021.

ā€¢ ISU has ranked among the Big 12ā€™s topthree in scoring defense since 2017 and currently ranks fourth in the league and 28th nationally at 17.8.

ā€¢ The Cyclones lead the Big 12 and rank in the Top 5 nationally in yards per play (3rd, 3.89) and total defense (4th, 216.0).

ā€¢ The Cyclones have limited opponents to under 300 yards of total offense 19 times since 2017, including 11 vs. Big 12 teams.

ā€¢ ISU owns a four-game streak of holding opponents to under 300 yards of total offense for the first time since 1999. The most yards ISU has allowed this is year is 282 vs. Baylor, holding the Bears to just 70 yards after intermission.

ā€¢ Only one Cyclone opponent (Baylor) has rushed for over 100 yards this year, as ISU ranks eighth nationally and first in the Big 12 in rushing defense (67.5).

ā€¢ ISU opponents are averaging 2.09 yards per rush, tops in the Big 12 and fifth-best nationally. ISU has allowed only one rush of over 20 yards this year.

ā€¢ Ten times in its last 16 games, ISU has kept its opponent to below 100 yards rushing.

ā€¢ Since 2017, ISU has allowed opponents to 2.5 yards per rush or below 16 times.

ā€¢ ISU is 20-2 when holding opponents to below 100 yards rushing in the Matt Campbell era (2016-21).

ā€¢ ISU has held 12 opponents in the Matt Campbell era to 2.0 yards per carry or below in a game.

ā€¢ In the second half of its last nine games, ISU has given up just 28 points (excluding defensive TDs), averaging 3.1 points after intermission in that stretch.

ā€¢ The Cyclones have given up just one second-half offensive touchdown (Texas in 2020) in their last nine games.

ā€¢ ISU opponent second-half scoring (excluding non-offensive TDs) in the last nine games: Kansas State- 0, Texas- 7, West Virginia- 6, Oklahoma- 3, Oregon- 0, UNI- 0, Iowa- 6, UNLV- 3, Baylor- 3).

ā€¢ Against Iowa, the ISU defense held the Hawkeyes to 173 yards. Iowa scored 20 of its 27 points off turnovers.

ā€¢ Against UNLV, the Cyclones held the Rebels to 130 yards and just seven first downs, tying for the second-lowest total since 1996.

ā€¢ In its last nine games overall, the Cyclones are allowing 15.7 points (141) and 279.8 yards of total offense (2,519).

ā€¢ In 45 total drives by the opponents this season, the Cyclones have forced 17 3-and-outs.

ā€¢ ISU opponents are averaging 89.3 yards of total offense (357) after intermission this season.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
ā€¢ Iowa State is fourth in the Big 12 and 21st nationally in red zone offense, converting on 15-of-16 trips, including 11 touchdowns.

ā€¢ ISU is second in the league in fourth down conversions at 83.3 pct. (5-of-6).

ā€¢ Iowa State leads the Big 12 and ranks 30th nationally in time of possession (31:50).

ā€¢ Through the first four games, ISU a total offense average margin of +195.5 per game. ISU has outgained all four opponents and had over 100 yards more than its opponent three times.

ā€¢ Reached 400 yards of total offense in six of its last nine games dating back to 2020.

ā€¢ Averaging 486.0 yards and 38.5 points in its last two games.

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