Breaking down the stats and key players for the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team.

Oklahoma State averages

Points

Offense: 31.7

Defense: 25.7

Yards

Offense: 473.2

Defense: 430.3

Rush

Offense: 234.5

Defense: 108.5

Pass

Offense: 238.7

Defense: 321.8

Time

Offense: 28:26

Defense: 31:34

Base formations

Offense: Three-wide or double-tight, one-back multiple

Defense: 4-3

KEEP AN EYE ON ’EM

Dantrell Savage

RB/Sr./5-9/195 pounds

He suffered an abdominal strain against Georgia and sat out the next two games. But since returning, the former junior college star has averaged 118.3 yards, 20.3 carries and 5.8 yards per rush. Against NU last year, he had 117 yards and 2 TDS.

Adarius Bowman

WR/Sr./6-4/220 pounds

Including his two seasons at North Carolina, Bowman has 2,312 receiving yards. His average of 18.3 yards per catch is tops among all active NCAA players. The past two weeks, the preseason All-American has 15 catches, 283 yards and three TDs.

Brandon Pettigrew

TE/Jr./6-6/260 pounds

Bowman may have the best career yards-per-catch average of anybody in the country, but this season, he’s No. 2 for the Cowboys. Topping that is Pettigrew’s 17.3-yard mark.

Quarterbacks (3 balls)

Sophomore Zac Robinson has returned to practice after suffering a slight concussion that forced him from the Texas A&M game, so he’s likely to get the nod over Bobby Reid, whom he replaced as the starter after Reid was injured in the second game. Robinson is much more of a running threat than Reid (who’s also seen time at receiver), as he’s averaged nearly 10 carries in his four starts. Given what happened last week, the Cowboys might be apt to cut his rushes and lean more on his talent as a passer. He’s completed 57.8 percent of his passes for nine TDs (but with six interceptions).

Running backs (4 balls)

In the last four games, the Cowboys have had six 100-yard performances: three by Dantrell Savage, two by freshman Kendall Hunter and another by Robinson, who became the second OSU quarterback in 30 years  to hit the century mark. When healthy, Savage is as good a back as there is in the Big 12. Hunter’s emergence has reminded some of when Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders played together for a couple of seasons. Last week, Savage had 26 touches and Hunter 10, and they finished with 239 combined yards. Hunter’s average of 7.7 yards per rush is higher than when Sanders ran for an NCAA single-season record total in 1988.

Wide receivers (3 balls)

The Huskers couldn’t contain Missouri’s speedy fleet, and now they get to tangle with Adarius Bowman’s physicality and size. They must be thrilled that Bowman has had his best games the past two weeks. His 103.5-yard average ranks No. 10 nationally, but OSU hasn’t found a consistent threat to complement him. Jeremy Broadway has eight of his 11 catches in two games. Tommy Devereaux is listed No. 1 at the third wideout spot, but when the Cowboys started in a three-receiver set, Seth Newton (two catches) got the nod. Newton did throw for a TD off a reverse against Texas Tech. Freshman Dez Bryant has star potential.

Offensive line (3 balls)

The Cowboys have made a nice adjustment since losing veteran center David Washington to injury in the third game. Sophomore left guard Andrew Lewis, a high school center, took over for Washington, senior David Koenig moved from right guard to left (where he’d started all 27 games the past two seasons), and junior college transfer Steve Denning was elevated to start at right guard. Both tackles, sophomores Russell Okung and Brady Bond, had five starts last year. These guys get plenty of help from tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Justin Waller, and have the kind of blocking versatility that OSU requires in its balanced approach.

Defensive line (2 balls)

Opponents are averaging just 2.9 yards per rush, so don’t expect the Huskers to run wild on this group. Last week, the Cowboys limited the Big 12’s best ground attack, Texas A&M, to 150 yards and 3.5 yards per carry. Nathan Peterson is a tenacious QB hunter who’s tied for No. 7 in the league with seven tackles for loss. Marque Fountain has been a mainstay at the other end, and leads OSU’s linemen with 24 tackles. Inside, former O-lineman Jeray Chatham has started ahead of junior college transfer Tonga Tea the last four games. He and the other interior starter, Maurice Cummings, are No. 2 on the team with 4½ tackles for loss.

Linebackers (2 balls)

Chris Collins is considered the Cowboys’ top defensive player, but he’s been absent from the middle most of the last three games because of a toe injury. He does plan to play against NU. Without him, OSU slid fellow sophomore Patrick Lavine inside, while senior Jeremy Nethon regained the starting outside spot he held in the opener. Nethon responded by making a career-high 11 tackles against Texas A&M. Former starting QB Donovan Woods is manning a new position in which he can line up either as a linebacker or defensive back. Woods, who made 17 starts at free safety the previous two seasons, will give way when OSU goes into the nickel defense.

Defensive backs (1 ball)

It’s probably not good for the Cowboys that second-year starting cornerback Jacob Lacey and free safety Ricky Price, a former receiver, both have as many tackles as standout  strong safety Andre Sexton, the 2006 Big 12 defensive freshman of the year. Lacey, with four breakups and an interception, could still argue he’s been the most consistent performer in the secondary. Perrish Cox, who’s replaced the injured Martel Van Zant at the other cornerback spot the past two games, and also started in a nickel set against Texas Tech, leads OSU with seven breakups. Even so, the Pokes will be more stable if Van Zant, who’s deaf, can play.

Special teams (2 balls)

The week after missing his first field goal in 20 attempts from inside 40 yards, junior Jason Ricks kicked   three against Texas A&M. Ricks has nice range, too (he’s hit 55- and 53-yarders), but this season is 0-for-2 outside of 40 yards. OSU has punted just seven times in three games, but Matt Fodge is one of the Big 12’s best. He’s averaging 43.1 yards, and 5 of 26 attempts have been downed inside the 20. When his kicks are returnable, OSU has reason to be nervous. Opponents have averaged 20.5 yards per return. At least the Cowboys can counter with Cox, who’s taken one the distance and averages 13.5 yards per return.

SCOUTING REPORT

Last Saturday, Dennis Franchione’s Texas A&M team rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to defeat Oklahoma State 24-23

“They have a good solid offensive line and they have good skill guys. The tight end (Brandon Pettigrew) — maybe you saw the play he made against Texas Tech to win the game? (Pettigrew caught a short pass and then weaved 54 yards for a TD with 1:37 remaining to cap the Cowboys’ 49-45 triumph.) He’s an outstanding player.

“(Adarius) Bowman’s credentials speak for themselves, they have a great tailback (in Dantrell Savage) and I think the quarterback is playing smart, solid football. When you put all that together, it makes them hard. You can’t just say, ‘We stop the run.’ You can’t say, ‘Stop the pass, just stop Bowman, stop the tailback.’ They are so multifaceted and (have) good abilities to move the football that you have to find the way to kind of get your arms around a lot more things defensively than maybe a lot of teams.

“I’ve always felt that the toughest teams to defend are the ones that can run and pass, and Oklahoma State has been a good 200/200 (passing and rushing yards per game) team like we have most of the time. I think we went down to the last weekend of the year last year as two of the only teams in the nation doing that, and they’re doing it again this year. It’s going to take a pretty complete all-around effort, and I think with them you want to keep them out of offensive rhythm.

“We were atrocious in the first half. We felt like we needed to control the ball to win, and we didn’t control anything in the first half with our offense. We got into a rhythm in the third quarter and got control a little bit more — and we just made one more play.“