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Oklahoma State Cowboys Football Season Preview

Oklahoma State finished the 2010 season with a school-record 11 wins and has gained national attention by grabbing a first place vote in the Big 12 Football Preseason Poll for the upcoming year.

The program has really taken off under the direction of head coach Mike Gundy, who will be starting his seventh season at his alma mater. He has tallied a 47-29 record in his first six seasons and the school has played 31 of its last 39 games as a member of the AP top 25.

Over the past seven years, the Cowboys have steadily seen their total of wins rise from seven in 2006 to last year’s monumental mark. It may get even better with 19 starters returning to Stillwater.

Nine of those starters return to an offense that was superb over the course of the season, led by senior quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

Experience is certainly not an issue for Weeden, who will turn 28 during the season due to enrolling in school after pursuing a career in minor league baseball. Biletnikoff Award winner Blackmon returns after catching 111 passes for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Oklahoma State closed 2010 nationally with a school record 520.2 yards of total offense, while ranking third in scoring at 44.2 points per game. Those numbers may improve with the pass-catch combination mentioned above and an offensive line that has a combined 76 starts between them.

With most of the attention on the offensive side of the ball, the defense will return six starters from a group that ended last year’s campaign fifth nationally with 34 takeaways in 13 games. The Cowboys intercepted 19 passes and recovered 14 fumbles last season.

Key players on the stop unit will be defensive ends Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones, as the two have combined for 20 career starts.

The schedule opens with two home games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona, followed by a short trip to Tulsa. It’s likely that the team will face off in College Station against Texas A&M with a perfect 3-0 record to open the conference season.

One important stat to watch closely this year is the team’s dominance in the third quarter. During the 2010 season, Oklahoma State outscored opponents by an incredible 168-47 margin following the break.