2006 PetroSun Independence Bowl Breakdown

The Oklahoma State Cowboys return to a bowl game in 2006 after finishing the regular season at 6-6, 5th in the Big 12 South. Coached by former Cowboys QB Mike Gundy, now in just his 2nd year, Oklahoma State suffered heartbreaking losses on multiple occasions in 2006.

The team's offense ranks as one of the NCAA's best at 8th in scoring while the defense has struggled at times and finished the regular season giving up over 371 yards per game.

This season Oklahoma State began the year by beating 3 non-conference foes handily before suffering their first loss to Houston. They would go on to drop close games to Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and the Bedlam Game against Oklahoma. The Cowboys picked up wins against Kansas, Baylor and Nebraska. Their only loss by a significant margin came against the Texas Longhorns in Austin, 36-10.

Key offensive players for Oklahoma State include QB Bobby Reid, a multi-threat signal caller who finished the regular season with 2054 yards passing, 466 rushing and 28 total touchdowns. His key targets include Adarius Bowman, a transfer from North Carolina, who had 1131 yards receiving with 11 touchdowns. No running back had more than 800 yards on the ground, but the trio of Mike Hamilton, Keith Toston and Dantrell Savage collected 15 rushing touchdowns between them.

Key defensive players for the Cowboys include Andre Sexton, who led the team in tackles with 75. Nathan Peterson and Marquee Fountain have both been consistent forces in the backfield, combining for 22.5 tackles for loss, and Victor DeGrate led the team in sacks with 8.5.