Troy @ Oklahoma State preview
Boone Pickens Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2008 ) Troy 24, Oklahoma State 55
Oklahoma State’s emphatic 65-17 opening win over Washington State didn’t resemble the first game of a rebuilding season. Could Mike Gundy’s Cowboys be better than advertised?
Oklahoma State (1-0) hopes to keep the momentum and sleeper Heisman Trophy candidate Kendall Hunter rolling when Troy comes to Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday. Hunter burst back into the national spotlight with a 257-yard, fourth-touchdown performance against Washington State. He had 208 yards in the first half and rested for much of the second.
Hunter entered last year on lot of Heisman sleeper lists after rushing for 1,555 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore. But nagging injuries forced him to miss five games last season and he had less than 15 carries in five of the seven games he did play. It was easy to forget just how good he was.
Now, Hunter and the Cowboys’ offense take aim at a transitioning Troy defense with nine first-year starters. One of those starters, linebacker Johnny Thompson, is questionable for Saturday’s game with a leg injury.
The Trojans (1-0) held up just enough to nip Bowling Green 30-27 on a last-second field goal in their opener. They gave up some big runs early, but settled down and held the Falcons to just 108 yards rushing.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Corey Robinson passed for 252 yards and a touchdown and led a 49-yard drive to set up kicker Michael Taylor’s winning field goal. Junior Jamie Hampton, who started at quarterback for Troy in the 2007 meeting with the Cowboys, also should see time under center Saturday.
The Trojans will catch the Cowboy defense at less than full strength. Both of OSU’s starting senior defensive tackles, Shane Jarka and Chris Donaldson, were injured in the opener. Jarka isn’t expected to go and Donaldson won’t be at 100 percent, if he tries to play.
Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden also is ailing with a bruised thumb on his passing thumb. The 27-year-old former baseball player practiced this week and is expected to play.
Oklahoma State racked up 602 total yards in a 55-24 rout of Troy in 2008. Hunter rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns. But, in 2007, Troy upset the Cowboys 41-23 in a nationally televised Friday night game. Hunter had 125 rushing yards in the loss.
The Cowboys are 23-2 against Sun Belt Conference competition.