Cowboys Ridin’ Toward Title New Attitude Helps Oklahoma State Move Up With The ‘Big Boys’

A few more “big-boy” wins for Oklahoma State and the Cowboys may find themselves riding into San Antonio for the Big 12 championship game.

In coach Bob Simmons’ third season, Oklahoma State has become the surprise team of ‘97 - the Northwestern of ‘95, if you will - by galloping out to its best start since 1945.

The 16th-ranked Cowboys (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) entered the weekend first in the South Division and will come out the same way, thanks to a day off today. Next week, Missouri visits Stillwater before OSU has a division showdown against No. 14 Texas A&M at College Station.

Down the road, there’s a potential matchup against No. 2 Nebraska in the league title game at the Alamodome on Dec. 6.

“We have a sense of maturity that we can compete with some of the big boys in the country and come out victorious,” Simmons said. “That was always a question mark. And to get it out of our system, we had to go out and get it done.”

Have they ever.

Last Saturday, Tony Lindsay’s 19-yard TD pass to tight end Alonzo Mayes with 1:52 left lifted the Cowboys over Colorado 33-29. The chance to win came 64 seconds earlier, when cornerback Maurice Simpson intercepted a pass by John Hessler at the Buffaloes’ 33.

“Our attitude is not to just expect things to happen, but to make them happen,” Simmons said. “There’s a sense of confidence on this team.”

The week before, it was a 42-16 thumping of Texas, a team that clobbered the Cowboys 71-14 in ‘96.

So what if Colorado and Texas forgot they were supposed to be Top 10 teams this season? The Longhorns are defending Big 12 champs and the Buffs had been in the Top 25 for 143 consecutive polls. The little ol’ Cowpokes haven’t been to a bowl game since 1988.

Simmons cited several reasons for the turnaround - an aggressive new 46 defense under Rob Ryan (Buddy’s son), minimizing turnovers and a strong punting game.

“I like to think we are solid and sound,” Simmons said. “And we’ve played that way the last couple of weeks.”

Entering the weekend, the Cowboys were third nationally against the run (60 yards per game), tied for fifth in turnover margin (plus 1.67) and eighth in scoring defense (12.2 points).

Also, R.W. McQuarters was fifth in punt returns (17 yards per game) and Jason Davis eighth in punting (46 yards). Cornerback Kevin Williams is among the nation’s leaders with five interceptions.

Lindsay, a redshirt freshman, runs an efficient offense that averages 33.3 points per game. Last week, he ran for 126 yards and a score against the Buffs. Jamaal Fobbs is the leading rusher with 523 yards, while Mayes (21 catches for 298 yards and five TDs) is among the nation’s best tight ends.

While the Cowboys have a long way to go to match Northwestern’s Rose Bowl season of ‘95, the sudden reversal has Cowboy fans and alumni everywhere talking.

Swervin’ Irvin

If Michigan State tailback Sedrick Irvin wanted so much attention, why not stay home and play for Florida, Florida State or Miami?

After all, the Florida schools have combined for six national titles since 1983 and have been among the nation’s top teams throughout the 1990s.

“I wanted the opportunity to play early,” said Irvin, who set a Spartans freshman record with 1,067 yards last season. “My goal coming to college was I wanted to play right away. Those teams? FSU had Warrick Dunn, Florida had a whole mess of running backs and Miami wanted me to play fullback.

“I didn’t want to go someplace and wait three years to play.”

So Irvin, from Miami, followed the lead set by his friend, Troy Davis, also from Miami. Davis went to Iowa State and became the first running back to produce consecutive 2,000-yard seasons. Davis is a rookie with the New Orleans Saints.

“My long-term goal is to play in the pros,” said Irvin, a cousin of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. “Troy and I are friends and when he went to Iowa State, it was a place we never heard of. It’s not nationally known but he was known around the nation and that’s something I want to accomplish.”

So far, so good.

Irvin, 6-foot, 217 pounds, had 508 yards rushing, a 15.7-yard average on punt returns and seven TDs before today’s game against Northwestern.

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