Missouri Football: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Oklahoma State Cowboys

It's Week 8 of the college football season and the 3-3 Missouri Tigers host the fourth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday morning.

The Tigers are hyped up after their Homecoming trouncing of Iowa State this past weekend, leaving fans optimistic that the team can find three more wins to become bowl eligible.

The Cowboys are far and away the team's toughest test on the remaining schedule and the Tigers are no strangers of the big home upset.

But before the Cowboys ride into Columbia for Saturday's game, there are a few things you need to know about this team—here's 10 of them.

They're Going to Put Up Points

It doesn't matter how stout the Tigers' defense is, Oklahoma State's offense is on steroids.

I mean, they're like the guy at the gym that people don't like to lift around because he's that intimidating.

The Cowboys are the nation's second-highest scoring team thus far—notching 49.2 points per contest.

That's remarkable and even the toughest of defenses have trouble keeping them under 30. In fact, not one opponent has yet to keep them under 30 points this season. 

Oh, and we shouldn't forget the 70-point slaughter they put up against Kansas just a few weeks ago.

They've Shown Road Vulnerability

In three road games this season, this is what Oklahoma State has given up—33, 29 and 26 points.

They simply outscore their opponents.

However, their ability to put up points on the road hasn't been as smooth as at home.

In their two Big 12 road games—at Texas A&M and at Texas—the Cowboys combined margin of victory has only been 13 total points.

Also, if not for an epic second-half collapse, they would have lost their game to Texas A&M, so they are capable of being beaten.

Justin Blackmon Is the Focal Point

Just look at that picture. Everyone's eyes are fixed on arguably the best receiver in the country—Justin Blackmon.

There's no question that, like Dez Bryant, the Oklahoma State offense is centered around its star pass catcher.

Here's some quick stats to show that. On the season, Blackmon has caught 53 passes from quarterback Brandon Weeden. That's 18 more then the receiver in second.

To put it in perspective, he hasn't gone a game without hauling in at least seven catches. And that's not even accounting how many times he is targeted.

In addition, he's notched seven touchdowns and accumulated 608 yards.

They're Not Afraid to Run the Ball

Now, while we should note that Oklahoma State doesn't accumulate much yardage on the ground, that doesn't mean they don't like going to the ground.

What they're going to do is try and catch you by surprise. I mean, who wouldn't when teams are forced to play with less men in the box to protect against the pass.

Even though the Cowboys rank in the bottom-half of the FBS in rushing yards and attempts, the interesting stat lies here: They're in the top 15 in the country in rushing touchdowns with 17.

That's more than the Tigers.

Their Defense Is Suspect

Statistics tell the story in this one; you only need to watch highlights for the idea to set in.

The Cowboys' defense is giving up an average of 426.7 yards per game on defense this year and they have no real strength in stopping opponents.

This is something the Tigers can really take advantage of.

Finally, the Cowboys' defense is surrendering 27.3 points per game—good for 68th in the FBS.

They Have Had Ranked Success

Over the course of the last five years the Cowboys have been one of the more dominant programs in the Big 12—seeing their success profit in a bowl game in each of those years.

One thing their success hasn't garnered is a rank higher than they have right now. The Cowboys will visit the Tigers this week notched at their highest BCS rank in school history.

This is what intrigues me: Although the Tigers own a historical record of 28-22, the Cowboys have won eight of 10 when they are ranked.

This week, they're ranked.

Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden has very quietly been one of, if not the best, quarterback in the conference.

Some might disagree with me when I say this, but the fact of the matter is that when you refer to Big 12 quarterbacks you normally hear Landry Jones and Robert Griffin III.

Not taking anything away from those guys, but look at Weeden's numbers.

The 28-year-old Senior has tossed for 2,100 yards on a 73 percent completion percentage all while throwing 16 touchdowns against only six interceptions.

Those are remarkable numbers, and while much of them are products of the OSU offensive system, no one can argue against this guy's poise and leadership.

They're Extremely Well Coached

Pokes head coach has quietly become one of the most successful and respected coaches in college football.

Most remember Gundy for his 2007 out lash at the media over a news article, but what he's done with the team seemingly goes overlooked by the general public.

In 2010 Gundy led the Cowboys to their first ever 10-win regular season, and only their fourth ever 10-win season.

He has a winning record in bowl games, and he has his Cowboys rolling towards another 10-win season and an elite bowl game.

Efficiency

I'm going to use this slide to toss out a few statistics.

There are very few teams in college football that are as good as sustaining long drives than Oklahoma State.

They're fourth in the nation in total first downs with 169. Of those, nearly 25 percent of those first downs have been converted on third down. They are 44-of-92 (47.8 percent) on third down this season.

When speaking of penalties, they have committed 40 of them. That's in the top half of all FBS teams, so they aren't shooting themselves in the foot, or giving teams easy first downs.

They Take Control Early

More stats ... surprised?

I'll integrate these here when I make my point that Oklahoma State's forte is they love to jump on top of you early and not let up.

It is very, very difficult, almost impossible, to come from behind against this team.

They're not ones who will get a healthy lead, and then run the ball with that lead.

Oklahoma State loves fast starts and that shows when they've scored 28 percent of their total points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, they love to end the game before halftime with an average lead of 18.8 points by halftime.