Kickoff: 6 PM CT
Location: Boone Pickens Stadium (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
Television: ESPN+
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Twitter: Follow @HeartlandPokes for live tweets during the game
How the Cowboys Win
Oklahoma State has to help themselves by not giving up any big plays to the Jaguar offense. Early in the second quarter of last week’s game against Arizona State, the Cowboys gave up a 65-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Sun Devils a 15-7 lead, which they held onto until the third quarter. Oklahoma State cannot afford to give South Alabama any hope of an upset, so limiting the big plays will keep the momentum out of the Jaguars’ hands.
How the Jaguars Win
If South Alabama wants to win the game, they need to get into the Cowboy backfield. Oklahoma State has struggled in the first half of both games so far this season, so if the Jaguars can disrupt the run game in particular, then they can keep the Cowboys out of the end zone.
Odds & Predictions
Last Week
Temperatures began to cool in Oklahoma last weekend, but the Oklahoma State Cowboy football team left that behind for triple-digit temps in Tempe, Arizona as they took on the Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday night.
Arizona State is one of several teams that will be joining the Big 12 next year, so this was a preview of sorts. The Cowboys got off to a slow start, struggling to get much done on offense, particularly on the ground, and by halftime, they trailed the Sun Devils 15-10.
The second half was a different story, however, as the Cowboys took their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter via a touchdown pass from Gunnar Gundy to De’Zhaun Stribling.
Oklahoma State’s defense stiffened up as well, not allowing Arizona State to score at all in the second half, and 10 more points in the fourth quarter gave the Cowboys a 27-15 victory on the road.
Quarterback Trio
Mike Gundy has yet to decide on a full-time quarterback, splitting time among Alan Bowman, Gunnar Gundy, and Garret Rangel yet again. None of the three quarterbacks stood out more than the others, really. Bowman had the better passing stats, completing 11-of-16 passes for 113 yards, but Gundy and Rangel both threw for a touchdown, which Bowman did not. With just one more non-conference game left on the schedule, it’s a safe bet that Mike Gundy will approach this game with the same strategy when it comes to who is running the huddle.
A Tale of Two Halves: The Run Game
For the second week in the row, the run game struggled in the first half before finally picking it up in the second half. If the Cowboys want to find any success once they enter Big 12 play, they are going to have to figure out how to move the ball effectively on the ground from the get go.
Special Teams Continue To Be Special
A continued bright spot for Oklahoma State has been the special teams, particularly the play of kicker Alex Hale. After hitting both attempts in week 1, Hale went 2-of-3 against Arizona State, knocking through a career-high 52-yarder as well as a 22-yard make, but he missed one from 49 yards out. Still, he is looking about as good as a kicker has looked in the orange and black in quite some time.
Staff Score Predictions
| Craig | 30-22 Oklahoma State |
| Matt | 24-23 Oklahoma State |
| Zack | 31-21 Oklahoma State |
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
Improve its non-conference home winning streak to 14 games, improving the third-longest streak in
school history and the longest since the 15-game streak from Sept. 19, 2009 – Sept. 3, 2016.
- Make OSU 3-0 for the seventh consecutive season.
- Give OSU 13 straight wins in September games, dating to 2019.
- Improve OSU’s all-time record against South Alabama to 3-0 and its record vs. USA in Stillwater to 2-0.
- Improve OSU’s all-time record against Sun Belt teams to 19-3 overall, with eight straight wins.
- Improve Mike Gundy’s record against Sun Belt teams to 10-1.
- Improve Mike Gundy’s record in non-conference games to 64-14.
- Make OSU 25-3 in its past 28 non-conference games and 47-9 in its past 55 non-conference games.
- Make OSU 24-8 in its past 32 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
- Make OSU 89-21 in its past 110 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating to 2010.
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
- The Cowboy defense has produced a shutout half in each game this season
- OSU has won 83 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back
to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980. - OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 32 of its past 46 games.
- OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50% third down conversion rate in 39 of its past 40 games.
- OSU is 34-15 in its past 49 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
- OSU is 45-8 in its past 53 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
- Dating back to 2005, OSU is 46-4 when not committing a turnover.
- Dating back to 2008, OSU is 75-8 when winning the turnover battle.
- OSU has won three of its past five overtime games.
- Over the past 39 games, OSU has held opponents to 169-for-601 (28.1%) on third down