The 18th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys will take
on the Iowa State Cyclones this weekend in a Big 12 Conference affair.
Oklahoma State carried a five-game winning streak into last weekend's clash
with Texas in front of the home crowd. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were
completely outclassed in a 41-14 defeat. They are now 6-2, and the loss to the
Longhorns was their first to a conference opponent this season. There are
still some tough games remaining on the regular season schedule, as Oklahoma
State will face Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Iowa State needs just one more victory to earn bowl eligibility. The Cyclones
carried a two-game winning streak into last weekend's clash with Texas A&M,
but the result of that game was a 35-10 defeat. They are now 2-3 in conference
action and have scored just 19 total points in the last two outings.
Oklahoma State owns a 24-17-3 series advantage over Iowa State, including a
59-17 romp over the Cyclones last season.
Heading into this season, Oklahoma State possessed arguably the nation's best
trio of quarterback/tailback/wide receiver. Unfortunately, wideout Dez Bryant
was suspended for the season early, and Kendall Hunter has been hampered with
injuries.
"We expect him to practice this week and move forward. Essentially it's the
same thing he's done the last few weeks," said head coach Mike Gundy, who
hopes to use Hunter as much as the ankle will allow this weekend.
Against Texas last week, Hunter only carried the ball one time, and Robinson
had perhaps the worst game of his collegiate career. The talented signal
caller was intercepted four times, and two of the picks were returned for
touchdowns.
While Texas did score 41 total points, the Oklahoma State defense actually
played quite well. Sure, the unit did yield three touchdowns, but the Cowboys
were able to hold the Longhorns to 275 total yards, a feat not easily
accomplished.
"I thought, at times, we really played outstanding and other times, we didn't
play up to par," said defensive coordinator Bill Young. "When you play a team
like Texas, you'd better be playing solid football every snap or they will
take advantage of it."
Overall this season, Oklahoma State is averaging 34.1 ppg while generating
400.0 total ypg of offense. The Cowboys have scored 32 offensive touchdowns,
13 of which have been thrown by Robinson. He has completed 63.7 percent of
passes for 1,690 yards, and he has thrown just seven interceptions. As a
runner, Robinson has reached the end zone four times. The fact that Oklahoma
State has won six of its eight games despite the fact that Bryant was lost
early on and Hunter carried the ball just 33 times is a bit surprising.
Opponents are scoring 22.6 ppg and gaining 342.5 total ypg against Oklahoma
State this season. The Cowboys have been tough against the run, limiting foes
to 99.0 ypg and 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. They have generated 16
takeaways and do a fairly good job of limiting long drives. Donald Booker has
registered 55 tackles for Oklahoma State, including six TFLs and four sacks.
Patrick Lavine has posted three interceptions.
Iowa State relies heavily on its ground attack which accounts for 200.3 ypg at
a clip of 4.8 yards per carry. The Cyclones have scored 15 rushing touchdowns,
and the team as a whole is posting 22.7 ppg. Iowa State is making good on 42
percent of its third down conversion attempts, a solid figure. Austen Arnaud,
who is listed as probable for this weekend's game with a hand injury, has
taken the majority of snaps for the Cyclones this season, and he has thrown
for 1,246 yards and nine scores while rushing for 434 yards and seven
touchdowns. Alexan Robinson has 813 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the
ground, and Marquis Hamilton paces the receivers with 36 catches for 505 yards
and three scores.
Opponents are scoring 21.4 ppg against Iowa State this season, and the
Cyclones are yielding 396.7 total ypg. The Cyclones have permitted 18 passing
touchdowns, so there is some concern about the secondary. On a positive note,
they have intercepted 13 passes and recovered 13 fumbles, adding up to an
impressive total of 26 takeaways. Jesse Smith has recorded 100 total tackles
for Iowa State, 39 more than his closest teammate, and David Sims has four
interceptions to his credit.
In the 25-point loss to Texas A&M last weekend, ISU was outgained 501-324 in
total yardage, including 267-169 on the ground. Jerome Tiller played in place
of the injured Arnaud, and he tossed a pair of costly interceptions.
"It was all our turnovers and mistakes," said a disappointing Tiller. "We
didn't capitalize when we had a chance. Nothing against A&M, but it was all on
us."
"We knew we were down some defensive players and knew we weren't at full speed
as a football team," said head coach Paul Rhoads. "We were going to have to
score a lot of points to win this football game. Obviously, we didn't get that
done."
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