Published: October 13, 2008 10:58 am            

Chasing down Chase

Cowboys climb rankings by knocking off No. 3 Mizzou

The last time an Oklahoma State football team was ranked in the Top 10, Mike Gundy was the quarterback — and he was 21.

After upsetting then-No. 3 Missouri, 28-23, in Columbia on Saturday, the Cowboys jumped up to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll Sunday. It marks OSU’s first Top 10 appearance since 1988, and it is the program’s highest ranking since taking over the No. 7 spot in ’85.

“(Saturday) was a great opportunity on a national stage,” said O-State junior Andre Sexton. “We got a chance and we just wanted to go out there and show everybody. Everybody has been doubting us.

“On ESPN, every time I tune into something about the (OSU/Mizzou) game, they said it wasn’t even going to be close, we wouldn’t stand a chance, we didn’t have the right guys. So we took it as a personal challenge on defense.”

And boy, did the defense deliver. Though Heisman Trophy contender Chase Daniel completed 39-of-52 passes for 390 yards, he was under pressure for the majority of the evening and was intercepted three times in the second half.

Meanwhile, Cowboy quarterback Zac Robinson kept his cool in the spotlight and connected on 19-of-28 passes for 215 yards. Sophomore Damian Davis had two touchdown receptions including a 31-yarder that gave OSU a 28-17 advantage with 6:30 remaining.

Trailing by five points, Daniel had a chance to be the hero but he was picked off by linebacker Patrick Lavine with 1:41 left on the clock. Sexton and defensive back Ricky Price also recorded interceptions as the Cowboys improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1997.

“This is a really big win for our program,” Gundy said. “Our defense just rose to the occasion. The players believe in each other — you never know what you can accomplish if you just believe in yourself.”

Daniel added, “Oklahoma State is a great football team.

“They fought hard and they came ready to play. We didn’t play the part, we made too many turnovers and I put it all on me.”

The Cowboys, who are 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2004, host Baylor for Homecoming at 2 p.m. Saturday. OSU will be aiming for its first 7-0 start since 1945 as well as another leap in the polls. O-State’s highest ranking ever (No. 3) came in 1984.

It’ll be difficult for the Cowboys to not look ahead to next weekend’s road meeting with Texas — which claimed the top spot in the rankings after defeating then-No. 1 Oklahoma, 45-35, on Saturday in Dallas.

However, Baylor should not be underestimated.

The Bears, led by first-year coach Art Briles, improved to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play after routing Iowa State, 38-10, at home Saturday. OSU has won 11 of its last 12 games against Baylor — which hasn’t earned a victory in Stillwater since 1939.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.