Oklahoma State will test Missouri's defense

The team said Oklahoma State will bring top-notch playmakers.

By Nick Forrester

Published Oct. 10, 2008

The Missouri defense will likely face its toughest test thus far Saturday evening when the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to Columbia hoping to spoil Missouri's undefeated season.

The Cowboys are led by junior quarterback Zac Robinson. Robinson is third in the nation with a 204.8 passer rating. In five games this season, Robinson has thrown for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"He's really a good athlete," coach Gary Pinkel said. "He runs their offense well. He throws the ball well and his completion percentage is very good."

Robinson's favorite target this season has been sophomore wide receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant is leading the Cowboys with 550 yards, 27 receptions and nine touchdowns. Bryant is currently fifth in the nation with 110 receiving yards per game and second in the nation with 13.2 points per game.

"He's as good as there is in the league," Pinkel said. "This guy changes football games when he touches the ball. We knew about him when he was in high school and he's obviously just a tremendous, tremendous player."

Another weapon that Robinson will look to use is senior tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew was selected to the 2007 first-team All-Big 12 team and is currently averaging more than 50 yards per game.

"They're putting up points like no other, and I think they're one of the most underrated teams in the Big 12," junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "Just from watching film so far, I know they've got a lot of playmakers. They've got a lot of great guys that can make some big plays."

The most dominant aspect of the Cowboy's offense has been the running game. Running back Kendall Hunter is averaging 141 yards per game and the team as a whole has averaged 315 yards per game, the most in the nation. Three running backs on the team average at least 50 yards a game.

"They're really good," Pinkel said. "We'll be tested. Number one, we'll find out how good we are against the run. That's the tough thing, if you've got a good quarterback that can throw well and great receivers, that's got big play written all over it. It's going to be a real test for us."

In order to match Oklahoma State's offense, the Missouri offense will need to continue to play like it has all season, averaging 53.4 points and 568.8 total yards per game.

"I think it's going to be a great offensive showdown," senior quarterback Chase Daniel said. "Both us teams are very good offensively and both of us are very good defensively too. We believe we have the better guys, but Dez Bryant is unbelievable in his own right and so is Pettigrew and Robinson."

Continuing to play clean and smart football is something the Tigers have used to their advantage this season. They are the least penalized team in the nation, and penalties played a key factor in the win over Nebraska last week.

"As far as overall, part of our plan to win, one of the bullet points is, 'Don't beat yourself with penalties,'" Pinkel said. "One team gets 10 yards in penalties, another gets 100 yards in penalties, that 90-yard difference in field position is huge in a football game. Right now, we're doing well. I think a lot of that is focus and discipline."

After defeating Nebraska 52-17 last weekend, Missouri is No. 2 in the USA Today/coaches poll and No. 3 in the AP poll. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 17 in both polls. Both teams are 5-0 and 1-0 in Big 12 play.