PonyFans.com preview: Oklahoma State

[PonyPride]

The Mustangs turned in a strong defensive effort Saturday in their 10-7 loss to Baylor. The team's defensive performance will have to improve exponentially if SMU is going to compete with this Saturday's opponent, Oklahoma State. The Cowboys come to Gerald J. Ford Stadium to kick off the Ponies' home season at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma State most likely is the most talented team the Ponies will face this season. Consider: senior RB Tatum Bell ran for 143 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's 42-3 rout of Southwest Missouri, and backup RB Seymore Shaw added 107 yards and a score of his own -- and it's the OSU passing game that scares defenses the most.

Junior quarterback Josh Fields guides the aerial game for the Cowboys (2-1), who opened the season with a 17-7 loss at resurgent Nebraska before winning, 48-24 at Wyoming and then blasting Southwest Missouri State this past Saturday. Through three games, Fields has completed 44-of-84 passes for 485 yards, five interceptions and a pair of scores -- statistics that are somewhat misleading because Nebraska knew he had to throw for much of the second half, and because he hardly threw at all in the latter stages of the Cowboys' routs of Wyoming and Southwest Missouri State.

Fields' top target is senior Rashaun Woods, the 6-2, 195-pounder who now is being mentioned along with Mike Wilson of USC, Roy Williams of Texas and Reggie Williams of Washington in debates over who is the nation's top receiver. Against Wyoming, Woods (who has 17 receptions for 270 yards and two scores this year) broke the all-time OSU receiving yardage record previously held by Hart Lee ****s. His 29 career receiving touchdowns are tied with ****s atop the all-time list at Oklahoma State and tied with Roy Williams for the Big 12 career record.

Across the field, at the other starting WR spot, is Woods' brother, D'Juan Woods, who quickly is becoming a capable threat who can ease the burden on his big brother.

Safety Jon Holland leads the team with 24 tackles through three games, followed by linebacker Lawrence Pinson and cornerback Darrent Williams, who have 21 tackles apiece. Defensive end Greg Richmond leads the team with four sacks.

OSU has been susceptible in the turnover war, having coughed up the ball seven times (five interceptions and two fumbles) while registering just three takeaways (all on interceptions).

Injury update (courtesy of The Daily Oklahoman): Jon Holland, who became the starting free safety when Thomas Wright was slowed by a toe injury, injured his shoulder late in the first ha/b. Wright is out with a sprained knee. Chase Holland filled in for Jon Holland but Beggs true freshman Jeremy Nethon got the bulk of the snaps in the second half. Fullback Tim Burrough, hampered by a shoulder injury, once again suited out but Shawn Willis took most of the snaps in the two-back set. Weak safety Elbert Craig also left the game with an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Freddie Sinclair.



[This message has been edited by PonyPride (edited 09-17-2003).]

[Dement-ed]

Thanks for the scouting report, guys. I knew they could throw the ball all over the place, but I'd forgotten about Bell. They're going to be tough, to say the least.

[PonyPride]

More notes on Oklahoma State:

- OSU has won just two non-conference road games since 1997. The Cowboys lost last year to Louisiana Tech39-36, in Shreveport.

- Saturday's game will be the 11th between SMU and Oklahoma State, and the eighth time the schools have played in Dallas. SMU leads the all-time series, 6-2-2, and has never lost to OSU in Dallas. The last time SMU hosted O-State, the Mustangs won, 56-0.

- This year's game is the second in a four-year series between the schools.

- When the Cowboys beat Southwest Missouri State last week, they improved to 14-13 under head coach Les Miles, who is in his third season at the helm in Stillwater.

- Tatum Bell is having one of the best starts to his season of any RB in the country. He's averaging 6.8 yards per carry and 148.3 yards per game - a pace that would project to more than 1,700 yards if he can keep it up throughout the season. His 148.3-yards-per-game average is first among Big 12 RBs and sixth-highest in the country. His seven touchdowns thus far give him an average of 14 points per game, an average that has him tied (with Utah's Brandon Warfield) for fourth in the nation.

- Rashaun Woods is tied for the OSU touchdown record with 29, and is the school's all-time leader in receiving yards, with 3,317. He also has caught at least two passes in 34 straight games. His streak of 34 straight games with at least ONE catch is the fifth-longest streak in the country.

- QB Josh Fields is third on the all-time OSU passing yardage list with 4,081.

- SMU assistant coach Eric Roark was a three-year letterman at Oklahoma State under then-coach Jimmy Johnson.

- In 2002, OSU coach Les Miles became the first coach in school history to guide his team to wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska in the same season, and the first coach in school history to notcch wins over OU in each of his first two seasons in Stillwater.

- Rashaun Woods' 233 receptions are the 21st-highest total in NCAA history. With two more, he will tie Western Michigan's Steve Neal and .... SMU's Jason Wolf.

- Woods' 3,317 receiving yards are the 22nd-highest total in NCAA history.

[Hoofprint]

To any of you Okies out there:
How does Tatum Bell stack up against the likes of Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas?

[OldPony]

I wish the Ponies had saved about 50 of those points they scored when OSU last played us in Dallas. If we could apply those points to this years game.....

[jake]

Bell v. Sanders/Thomas

Bell has great break away speed, and if he gets around the corner, look out.

Does not have the moves of Sanders or the strength of Thomas, but is a very dangerous tailback. If he carries the ball 30 times or more, look for a 200 yard performance.

Nice effort against Baylor! Good luck, you're gonna need it!

See ya Saturday!

[Rosebud]

I've never seen ANYONE with the moves of Barry Sanders.

See you in Dallas, Jake. I just became a fan this year, so this is going to be my first SMU game.

Go Mustangs!!

[Hoop Fan]

Watch out for the 2-6, 195 pound Rashaun Woods. And I thought our receivers were short.

[ponyboy]

Yeah, but Woods is hard to get down after the catch

[PK]

Can you say "Fire Hydrant". Bet he has to keep a sharp eye out for dogs.

[Dement-ed]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Hoop Fan:
<B>Watch out for the 2-6, 195 pound Rashaun Woods. And I thought our receivers were short.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the catch. Correction made.

[Pony4Life]

I looked at Oklahoma State's depth chart, and I'm wondering if they'll throw a different look at us with their defense. The depth chart says they generally run a six-man front, with four down linemen -- DE Greg Richmond, DT Kyle Hix, NG Clay Coe and DE Antonio Smith -- and two linebackers, Pagitte McGee and Lawrence Pinson.

But they know SMU will run the ball a lot. So will they drop one or more of their DBs in favor of an extra LB or two?

I'd think if they start in a 4-2 alignment, we might have some success running the ball. They'd have to change their alignment, wouldn't they?

[PK]

I'm kicking this up to the top so Tony Pony can find it.