Game four brings us to Stillwater and a spotlight matchup with the Oklahoma Aggies. That’s what they used to be called before they changed the name from OAMC to Oklahoma State and took Cowboys as their mascot.

Lewis Field, as it was known until they changed it to Boone Pickens Stadium in 2003, has not been friendly to the Frogs. A win Saturday would be the first there for TCU since 1991.

The theme for the day Saturday will be “Start Fast.” The Cowboys have outscored their opponents 59-0 in the first quarter this year. That means the offense jumps out of the gate and the defense comes out stingy.

A quick start for the Frogs, similar to the one they had at Arkansas, will be a must.

The Cowboys have not trailed in a game since they faced OU last December 2^nd.

Cowboys’ quarterback Mason Rudolph (no relation to the pro golfer from the ’50s and ’60s with the same name) is a fifth-year senior who is as accurate as he is savvy. He’s thrown 33 touchdown passes in his last 12 games against three interceptions. He throws to four wideouts who are all dangerous: Jalen McCleskey, Dillon Stoner, Marcell Ateman and the ever-pain-in-the-neck James Washington – all four had more than 100 yards receiving last week in OSU’s walk-through at Pitt.

Defensively, OSU has a crafty defensive coordinator in Glenn Spencer. He comes up with great schemes to keep offenses reeling. In my opinion, what makes OSU good on defense is the middle of the defense. Tackle Darrion Daniels is a 300-pound handful, and the two defensive ends are rangy. Look out for defensive ends #93 Jarell Owens and #82 Cole Walterscheid (they combined for 10.5 sacks last year). Middle linebacker #45 Chad Whitener holds his ground and can run. He had two interceptions against the Frogs during the last game in Stillwater. It’s a physical group that flies around, and strong safety #7 Ramon Richards and free safety #31 Tre Flowers set the tone. They’ve been around for a while and they’re fast. Keep in mind that the Frogs will have to be secure with the ball as OSU has scored a defensive touchdown in every game this year.

Where the kicking game is concerned, keep an eye on punter Zach Sinor from Castroville, Texas, just west of San Antonio. He’s a character who has his own Heisman hype website (sinor4heisman.com) and a rap song released this week promotes him for the trophy! Gotta love the attitude.

Then there’s Coach Mike Gundy’s mullet. Much has been made about his hair, but he just shrugs. At Big 12 media days last July, he gave me the story on it. A stylist named Kathy Sweeney keeps it looking good for $17 at a place called Klip It Up Salon in Stillwater. It’s a strong mullet, but I think mine was pretty good back in the day — 1984 to be exact. What do you think? Let me know. Here’s a side-by-side.

John Denton photo by Linda Kaye. Mike Gundy photo courtesy of CBSsports.com

Did You Know?

• TCU Defensive Coordinator Chad Glasgow played linebacker at OSU in the early 1990s?
• TCU Offensive Co-Coordinator Curtis Luper played at OSU from 1984-87 alongside OSU Coach Mike Gundy.
• Lewis Field was built so that the field runs east to west. Historians say it was built that way so the stands could block the strong Oklahoma winds.

See you in Stillwater.

Kick ‘Em High!