FIRST LOOK: Oklahoma State Cowboys

vs.

16/15 BAYLOR (3–0) vs. RV/RV Oklahoma State (2–1) Sept. 24, 2016 | 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) TV: FOX

Listen | Gametracker | Notes

OPPONENT: Oklahoma State Cowboys
ODB GAME HUB: Baylor Bears vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys 2016
MEET THE PRESS: Baylor vs. Oklahoma State
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Oklahoma State Cowboys
MEDIA GUIDE: 2016 Oklahoma State Football Media Guide (Click here for roster)
LAST MEETING: 45–35 Baylor | ODB Game Hub
LAST GAME: W; Oklahoma State 45–38 Pitt
SB NATION BLOG: Cowboys Ride for Free, at right
SPREAD: Baylor –8.5 (Open: Baylor –10)
TV COVERAGE: FOX, 6:30 p.m. CST Saturday WEATHER FORECAST: Thunderstorms, high of 92° (wunderground puts game time temp at 84°, around 80% chance of thunderstorms*) (OH GIVE ME A BREAK)

SBNation.com Oklahoma State Preview
baylorbears.com Preview
Bears vs. Cowboys Coverage

Be Bold Wear Gold

I didn’t make the slogan, so don’t shoot the messenger. Please. Love it or hate it, we’ve got another designated fan apparel setup for this game. What are we wearing? Gooooooooooooooooold!

Saturday. 6:30 p.m. CT. @McLaneStadium. See you there, in GOLD. #SicOSU

Gear: https://t.co/mQfxH3sLmN

Tickets: https://t.co/v7HtmwLuMG pic.twitter.com/KU7FMvSWPK

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) September 20, 2016

That tweet basically says everything, except for this:

ASTERISK FROM WEATHER

It wouldn’t be a game at McLane without a dismal forecast. The weather has been somewhat kind to us thus far this season, so it was bound to turn sour on us. The good news is that at this point, the rain forecast drops to sub–10% right after game time. The bad news is that the forecast calls for soggy tailgating, which really stinks given we have an evening start and would have a full day of enjoyment around the stadium beforehand. Hopefully this forecast shifts the first two home games and we’re treated to pleasant weather. I swear, I’m like a broken record in these First Look posts. LOOK OUT, THE WEATHER WILL DESTROY ALL YOUR FUN AND EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR. Hopefully not.

Oklahoma State Cowboys 2016 Schedule

Record: 2–1 | Second-order wins (diff.): 2.1 (0.1) | S&P+ Rk: 25
Date	Opponent	Opp. S&P+ Rk	Score	W-L	Win Expectancy	Adj. Scoring Margin	Percentile Performance	Off. Percentile	Def. Percentile
3-Sep	Southeastern Louisiana	N/A	61–7	W	100%	47.8	78%	55%	80%
10-Sep	Central Michigan	78	27–30	L	30%	–4.6	86%	80%	88%
17-Sep	Pittsburgh	41	45–38	W	79%	7.1	81%	80%	20%

Date	Opponent	Opp. S&P+ Rk	Win Probability	Proj. W-L	Proj. Margin	Proj. Score	Cumulative Proj. Wins
24-Sep	at Baylor	14	39%	L	–4.6	30.6 - 35.2	2.39
1-Oct	Texas	39	62%	W	5.5	36.1 - 30.6	3.02
8-Oct	Iowa State	86	85%	W	17.7	39.2 - 21.6	3.87
22-Oct	at Kansas	113	92%	W	23.9	41.6 - 17.7	4.78
29-Oct	West Virginia	40	67%	W	7.8	38.2 - 30.3	5.46
5-Nov	at Kansas State	58	75%	W	11.5	35.2 - 23.6	6.20
12-Nov	Texas Tech	54	71%	W	9.8	42.9 - 33.0	6.92
19-Nov	at TCU	23	52%	W	0.7	36.6 - 35.9	7.44
3-Dec	at Oklahoma	7	26%	L	–11.0	31.0 - 42.0	7.70

If you’ve been living under a rock, Oklahoma State got royally screwed against Central Michigan, otherwise they’d be 3–0. "But Pope, if they’d played better, they’d never have been in the position for the refs to screw them like that!" Well, yeah, no kidding. That’s not a justification for poor job performance. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and tank your next performance review and try and blame it on the other guy who’s slacking off… Then see what the bosses say. Oklahoma State got screwed but good. They should have won that game. This should be a matchup of undefeated teams.

The Cowboys struggled at times with Pitt last week in a game that was delayed something like 17 hours because of a terrible thunderstorm. It might not be exactly 17 hours, but I can’t be bothered to actually look it up. Don’t @ me. At any rate, the Cowboys took the lead with about 90 seconds left in the game, then Pitt was trying to tie the game when Nathan Peterman threw the game-ending interception to Ramon Richards.

Oklahoma State Injury Report

Player	Status	Type	Comment
Marcell Ateman	Out	Foot	Ateman is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a broken foot and there is no timetable for a recovery.
Chris Carson	Questionable	Hand	Carson is dealing with a hand injury and it is unclear if he will play Saturday against Baylor.
Jordan Brailford	Questionable	Leg	Brailford is nursing a leg injury and it is unknown if he will suit up against Baylor on Saturday.

Who knows if this is accurate or not… I certainly don’t.

Oklahoma State Cowboys 2016 Individual Stats

Quarterbacks

Player	Ht, Wt	Year	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT	Comp Rate	Sacks	Sack Rate	Yards/ Att.
Mason Rudolph	6’5, 235	JR	71	114	1017	6	1	62.3%	9	7.3%	7.7
Taylor Cornelius	6’6, 218	SO	6	8	54	0	0	75.0%	1	11.1%	5.6
John Kolar	6’4, 200	FR	1	2	8	0	0	50.0%	0	0.0%	4.0

Mason Rudolph is the dude here. In three games he has over a thousand yards passing. That’s pretty impressive. Baylor fans may remember him from the last time that he visited McLane Stadium—the rain-soaked (HAHAHA OF COURSE) Blackout game of 2014. It was his first game and he torched us for big numbers in a losing effort. He had his shots in last year’s loss as well. He’s got an excellent arm and a stable of incredibly talented receivers.

Rushing & Receiving Stats

Individual Rushing Stats

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	Year	Rushes	Yards	TD	Yards/ Carry	Hlt Yds/ Opp.	Opp. Rate	Fumbles (Lost)
Justice Hill	RB	5’10, 171	FR	24	89	0	3.7	3.5	37.5%	0 (0)
Rennie Childs	RB	5’10, 208	SR	14	123	4	8.8	17.4	35.7%	0 (0)
Chris Carson	RB	6’1, 215	SR	12	45	1	3.8	2.2	50.0%	0 (0)
Mason Rudolph	QB	6’5, 235	JR	11	23	0	2.1	1.3	18.2%	3 (3)
Jeff Carr	RB	5’7, 180	SO	6	42	1	7.0	7.0	50.0%	0 (0)
Barry J. Sanders	RB	5’10, 198	SR	6	0	1	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0 (0)
Taylor Cornelius	QB	6’6, 218	SO	5	32	1	6.4	3.5	60.0%	0 (0)
John Kolar	QB	6’4, 200	FR	2	18	0	9.0	3.0	100.0%	0 (0)
Jalen McCleskey	WR	5’10, 170	SO	1	8	0	8.0	2.0	100.0%	1 (0)
NOTE: Quarterback run totals above do not include sacks (which are counted toward pass averages below) or kneeldowns.

Compare this table to the previous one and you should have a good indication for what kind of offense Oklahoma State is fielding these days. Only one rusher has over 100 yards rushing in Rennie Childs, who has the highest yards per carry and best opportunity rate of the pack. The only other–HOLD THE PHONE THEY HAVE BARRY SANDERS ON THEIR TEAM. That’s awesome. If you’re wondering, yes, he’s the son of THAT Barry Sanders. He’s a senior. How did he become a senior and I never noticed that Barry J. Sanders played for Oklahoma State? That’s messed up.

Individual Receiving Stats

Player	Pos.	Ht, Wt	Year	Targets	Catches	Yards	TD	Yds/ Catch	Yds/ Target	Catch Rate	Success Rate	Target Rate
James Washington	WR	6’0, 205	JR	36	19	396	3	20.8	11.0	52.8%	44.4%	29.0%
Jalen McCleskey	WR	5’10, 170	SO	27	18	150	1	8.3	5.6	66.7%	44.4%	21.8%
Jhajuan Seales	WR	6’0, 205	SR	19	13	224	2	17.2	11.8	68.4%	47.4%	15.3%
Chris Lacy	WR	6’3, 205	JR	12	6	74	0	12.3	6.2	50.0%	33.3%	9.7%
Chris Carson	RB	6’1, 215	SR	6	5	60	0	12.0	10.0	83.3%	66.7%	4.8%
Austin Hays	WR	6’2, 195	SR	5	4	53	0	13.3	10.6	80.0%	80.0%	4.0%
Dillon Stoner	WR	5’11, 176	FR	4	2	27	0	13.5	6.8	50.0%	50.0%	3.2%
Barry J. Sanders	RB	5’10, 198	SR	3	3	20	0	6.7	6.7	100.0%	33.3%	2.4%
Blake Jarwin	TE	6’5, 248	SR	2	2	18	0	9.0	9.0	100.0%	50.0%	1.6%
Zac Veatch	TE	6’3, 265	SR	1	1	18	1	18.0	18.0	100.0%	100.0%	0.8%
Terry Tillmon	WR	5’11, 165	FR	1	1	13	0	13.0	13.0	100.0%	100.0%	0.8%
Keenen Brown	TE	6’3, 242	SO	1	1	9	0	9.0	9.0	100.0%	100.0%	0.8%
Theo Berry	WR	5’10, 195	JR	1	1	8	0	8.0	8.0	100.0%	0.0%	0.8%
Justice Hill	RB	5’10, 171	FR	1	1	6	0	6.0	6.0	100.0%	100.0%	0.8%
Jeff Carr	RB	5’7, 180	SO	1	1	4	0	4.0	4.0	100.0%	0.0%	0.8%
Obi Obialo	WR	6’3, 200	FR	1	1	1	0	1.0	1.0	100.0%	0.0%	0.8%

James Washington is the name that jumps out at you, but Oklahoma State has a tremendous crop of wide receivers headlined by Washington, Jalen Mccluskey, and Jhajuan Seales (whose name we will not even attempt to pronounce on the podcast). The Cowboys like to air it out, and they have real talent. The Baylor secondary will be tested early and often in this game. We’ll finally get to see what seems to be an improved secondary against a true threat. Will they stand up to the heat? Will the pass rush get any push against Oklahoma State’s offensive line? We’ll see. This will be an interesting matchup.

Individual Defensive Stats

Name	Pos	Ht, Wt	Year	Tackles	% of Team	TFL	Sacks	Int	PBU	FF
Jordan Burton	LB	6’2, 215	SR	16.5	9.4%	2.5	0.5	0	1	0
Jordan Sterns	S	6’0, 200	SR	15.5	8.8%	1.0	0.0	0	3	0
Chad Whitener	LB	6’0, 248	JR	14.0	8.0%	2.0	0.0	0	2	0
Devante Averette	LB	5’11, 230	SR	14.0	8.0%	1.0	0.0	0	0	2
Ramon Richards	CB	5’11, 185	JR	12.5	7.1%	0.0	0.0	2	0	0
Vincent Taylor	DT	6’3, 310	JR	10.0	5.7%	1.5	0.5	0	0	0
Tralund Webber	DE	6’5, 250	JR	7.5	4.3%	3.0	1.0	0	1	0
Justin Phillips	LB	6’0, 235	SO	7.5	4.3%	1.0	1.0	0	0	0
Cole Walterscheid	DE	6’5, 254	SO	7.0	4.0%	5.0	2.0	0	0	1
Tre Flowers	S	6’3, 198	JR	7.0	4.0%	0.0	0.0	0	1	0
Ashton Lampkin	CB	6’0, 190	SR	5.5	3.1%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Kenneth Edison-McGruder	S	6’0, 215	SO	5.0	2.8%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Lenzy Pipkins	CB	6’0, 201	SR	5.0	2.8%	0.0	0.0	0	1	0
Jarrell Owens	DE	6’3, 270	SO	4.5	2.6%	3.0	2.0	0	0	0
Gyasi Akem	LB	6’2, 230	JR	4.5	2.6%	1.0	0.0	0	0	0
DeQuinton Osborne	DT	6’0, 310	JR	4.0	2.3%	3.0	1.0	0	0	0
Motekiai Maile	DT	6’3, 315	SR	4.0	2.3%	2.0	0.0	0	1	0
Calvin Bundage	LB	6’2, 193	FR	4.0	2.3%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Kirk Tucker	LB	6’1, 200	JR	3.5	2.0%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Kevin Henry	LB	6’0, 225	FR	3.5	2.0%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Vili Leveni	DT	6’4, 290	JR	2.5	1.4%	2.0	0.0	0	0	0
Derrick Moncrief	S	6’2, 220	SR	2.5	1.4%	0.0	0.0	0	1	0
Eric Davis	DT	6’3, 305	SR	2.5	1.4%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Tyler Ferguson	DT	6’2, 265	SO	2.0	1.1%	1.0	0.0	0	0	0
Za’Carrius Green	S	5’11, 205	FR	1.5	0.9%	0.0	0.0	0	0	0

Hey look, it’s a defense! I haven’t spent much time watching this side of the ball. Feel free to expound upon them in the comments. There are some serious all-name team candidates on this defense, though. I’m looking at you Motekaiai Maile and Za’Carrius Green. Truly excellent names.

It’s Question Time!

A: Let’s take the first 5–8 minutes of the first quarter. What do you need to see to calm your nerves? 2: You wearing gold or nah? π: How much does the rain worry you?
§ 2254: How excited are you for football in McLane again? How ready are you for conference play? GIVE ME GIFS. I need gifs. You are my supplier. Umlaut: Uniform prediction. GO.