Tulsa
2nd Conference USA9-3
Oklahoma State
3rd Big 1210-2
Tulsa @ Oklahoma State preview
Boone Pickens Stadium
Oklahoma State is in somewhat of a rebuilding year; but even in their down years the Cowboys have had no problem beating in-state rival Tulsa at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Kendall Hunter and the Cowboys look to post a 20th straight home win over G.J. Kinne and the Golden Hurricane on Saturday in matchup of two explosive offenses.
The Cowboys (2-0) entered 2010 with relatively low expectations after losing 14 starters to either graduation or the NFL.
As a result, Oklahoma State’s eight returning starters are the fewest in the Big 12.
The offense was hit the hardest.
Star quarterback Zac Robinson, who broke all of coach Mike Gundy’s passing records, exhausted his eligibility and is now on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. In addition, All-Americans Dez Bryant and Russell Okung were both first-round picks in April’s NFL draft.
But even with the massive amount of turnover, the Cowboys are looking to start 3-0 for the fourth time in six seasons under Gundy.
Part of the reason for their success is Hunter, one of the lone holdovers from last season's 9-4 squad that lost to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl. The senior ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 41-38 victory over Troy and is second in the nation in rushing at 207 yards per game.
Hunter's terrific start has taken some of the pressure off first-year starter Brandon Weeden – a 26-year-old former New York Yankees’ prospect who is making the most of his opportunity.
Weeden went 29-of-39 for 348 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against Troy. Overall, he has passed for 566 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hunter and Weeden have helped the Cowboys rack up 106 points in two games, eclipsing the school record of 104 set by the 1988 team that featured Barry Sanders.
With their offense hitting on all cylinders, the Cowboys should continue their dominance of the Golden Hurricane, which is allowing 35.5 points and hasn’t won in Stillwater since 1951.
Tulsa (1-1, 0-1 C-USA) will try to end that dubious streak behind Kinne, the engineer of the nation’s fourth-ranked offense.
A preseason nominee for the Davey O’Brien Award, Kinne passed for 356 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-20 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday.
Kinne’s favorite target, Damaris Johnson was all over the field last week. The diminutive Johnson caught four passes for 51 yards, rushed seven times for 56 yards and a touchdown, and also returned seven kicks for 151 yards.
Johnson and Kinne will test a much-improved Cowboys defense that is guided by former Tulsa defensive coordinator Bill Young. In Young’s first season, Oklahoma State allowed 21.7 points, down from the 28.1 average of 2008.
This is the first meeting since 2004 when the Cowboys prevailed 38-21 in Stillwater. Overall, the Cowboys have won eight of the last 11 meetings and own a 38-27-5 edge over the Golden Hurricane.
Kendall Hunter and the Cowboys look to post a 20th straight home win over G.J. Kinne and the Golden Hurricane on Saturday in matchup of two explosive offenses.
The Cowboys (2-0) entered 2010 with relatively low expectations after losing 14 starters to either graduation or the NFL.
As a result, Oklahoma State’s eight returning starters are the fewest in the Big 12.
The offense was hit the hardest.
Star quarterback Zac Robinson, who broke all of coach Mike Gundy’s passing records, exhausted his eligibility and is now on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. In addition, All-Americans Dez Bryant and Russell Okung were both first-round picks in April’s NFL draft.
But even with the massive amount of turnover, the Cowboys are looking to start 3-0 for the fourth time in six seasons under Gundy.
Part of the reason for their success is Hunter, one of the lone holdovers from last season's 9-4 squad that lost to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl. The senior ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 41-38 victory over Troy and is second in the nation in rushing at 207 yards per game.
Hunter's terrific start has taken some of the pressure off first-year starter Brandon Weeden – a 26-year-old former New York Yankees’ prospect who is making the most of his opportunity.
Weeden went 29-of-39 for 348 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against Troy. Overall, he has passed for 566 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Hunter and Weeden have helped the Cowboys rack up 106 points in two games, eclipsing the school record of 104 set by the 1988 team that featured Barry Sanders.
With their offense hitting on all cylinders, the Cowboys should continue their dominance of the Golden Hurricane, which is allowing 35.5 points and hasn’t won in Stillwater since 1951.
Tulsa (1-1, 0-1 C-USA) will try to end that dubious streak behind Kinne, the engineer of the nation’s fourth-ranked offense.
A preseason nominee for the Davey O’Brien Award, Kinne passed for 356 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-20 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday.
Kinne’s favorite target, Damaris Johnson was all over the field last week. The diminutive Johnson caught four passes for 51 yards, rushed seven times for 56 yards and a touchdown, and also returned seven kicks for 151 yards.
Johnson and Kinne will test a much-improved Cowboys defense that is guided by former Tulsa defensive coordinator Bill Young. In Young’s first season, Oklahoma State allowed 21.7 points, down from the 28.1 average of 2008.
This is the first meeting since 2004 when the Cowboys prevailed 38-21 in Stillwater. Overall, the Cowboys have won eight of the last 11 meetings and own a 38-27-5 edge over the Golden Hurricane.