History:
Oklahoma State's football program has often taken a back seat at the University to other sports such as basketball, golf and wrestling. Formerly Oklahoma A&M, OSU has been playing football for over a hundred years, but it was the 80's that finally brought some recognition. With Pat Jones coaching such stars as Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders, OSU became known as "Tailback U." And in recent years, a young quarterback from those days, Mike Gundy, has taken the Cowboys to national prominence, winning the Big 12 for the first time in 2011.
2011 Season:
With that Big 12 Championship, capped by a blowout win over rival Oklahoma, 2011 will go down as the best in Cowboys history. But for fans, it's marked as much by what could've been. Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon led one of the best offenses in the country while the defense was consistently opportunistic. However, in the 2nd to last game of the regular season, and just hours after a tragic plane crash killed OSU women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna, the Cowboys came up short in a 2nd overtime against Iowa State. It ended up costing Oklahoma State a chance at the National Championship, but players did not hang their heads, topping Stanford in a Fiesta Bowl thriller.
Location:
Boone Pickens Stadium on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater is over 80 years old but has been extensively renovated. Its current capacity is just over 60,000, and the stadium features club seats and concessions.
Tickets:
Season tickets are available that discount the per game price by nearly 20%. Single game tickets are not available for a premium match-up each season. Purchase tickets online or by calling (877) All-4-OSU.
Primary Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Mike Gundy - since 2005
Former 4 year starter at QB for OSU
Offensive Coordinator: Todd Monken - since 2011
Defensive Coordinator: Bill Young - since 2009
2012 Schedule:
* = Home Game
Sep 01 *Savannah State
Sep 08 Arizona
Sep 15 *Lousiana-Lafayette
Sep 29 *Texas
Oct 13 Kansas
Oct 20 *Iowa State
Oct 27 *TCU
Nov 03 Kansas State
Nov 10 *West Virginia
Nov 17 *Texas Tech
Nov 24 Oklahoma: the Bedlam Series
Dec 01 Baylor
2012 Outlook:
Once again, the Cowboys football program faces the challenge of a rebuilding of sorts. The first one went quite well, Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon replacing (and topping) Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant. With Weeden and Blackmon both in the NFL as first round picks, the pressure falls on true freshman Wes Lunt. Lunt won the quarterback competition over a couple of upper classmen and, by all accounts, has more than enough talent to be a special player at the college level.
Expectations for 2012 must be tempered for Oklahoma State fans. There are sure to be bumps and bruises along the way with a true freshman quarterback. That said, there are a number of reasons to be excited. First, the team has more depth than, arguably, they've ever had. Lunt will be able to lean on a talented running back crew, led by Joseph Randle, and the defense figures to continue its recent improvement. If a playmaker or two steps up at wide receiver, the Cowboys will put together a very respectable campaign in 2012. Though it isn't likely to be a National Championship race as in 2011, it nevertheless shows the incredible progress made by Gundy and the entire Oklahoma State program.
As for the schedule, it shapes up very nicely for OSU. They've been criticized for soft out of conference scheduling, but it makes a good situation for a young, developing team. It is perhaps likely the Cowboys are undefeated going into the September 29th game against Texas. That game is in Stillwater, as are other tough tests such as TCU and West Virginia, before the Cowboys travel to Norman for Bedlam. Duplicating last year's result will be on their mind, but it will be a tall test. Overall, depending on how Lunt and the offense develops through the year, an 8-win or more season is possible.
Expectations for 2012 must be tempered for Oklahoma State fans. There are sure to be bumps and bruises along the way with a true freshman quarterback. That said, there are a number of reasons to be excited. First, the team has more depth than, arguably, they've ever had. Lunt will be able to lean on a talented running back crew, led by Joseph Randle, and the defense figures to continue its recent improvement. If a playmaker or two steps up at wide receiver, the Cowboys will put together a very respectable campaign in 2012. Though it isn't likely to be a National Championship race as in 2011, it nevertheless shows the incredible progress made by Gundy and the entire Oklahoma State program.
As for the schedule, it shapes up very nicely for OSU. They've been criticized for soft out of conference scheduling, but it makes a good situation for a young, developing team. It is perhaps likely the Cowboys are undefeated going into the September 29th game against Texas. That game is in Stillwater, as are other tough tests such as TCU and West Virginia, before the Cowboys travel to Norman for Bedlam. Duplicating last year's result will be on their mind, but it will be a tall test. Overall, depending on how Lunt and the offense develops through the year, an 8-win or more season is possible.
