Cowboys Start Season with Blowout Win

September 3rd, 2006

Courtesy: Okstate.com

STILLWATER, Okla. – Bobby Reid threw four touchdown passes — doubling his 2005 season total — and Mike Hamilton rushed for 155 yards to lead Oklahoma State past Missouri State 52-10 Saturday.

Freshman Perrish Cox returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to give the Cowboys (1-0) a quick lead over their NCAA Division I-AA foe — one year after they struggled to beat another I-AA team, Montana State, by five points in the opener. Barry Sanders is the only other player in school history to return the season opening kickoff for a touchdown. The Heisman Trophy winner did it twice — in 1987 against Tulsa and 1988 against Miami (Ohio).

Oklahoma State, which averaged 324.8 yards of offense per game last season, had 346 yards by halftime and finished with 443 yards, posting scoring drives of 63, 99 and 72 yards.

The 42-point winning margin was the largest by the Cowboys in a season opener since 1984, when they beat Arizona State 45-3. Oklahoma State scored more than 50 points for the first time in 21 games, dating to September 2004.

Reid’s numbers weren’t spectacular — 8-for-17 for 165 yards — but the sophomore proved efficient, throwing touchdown passes of 19 yards to newcomer Adarius Bowman, 33 yards to Keith Toston, 3 yards to John Johnson and 72 yards to D’Juan Woods, the last with 8 seconds left in the first half.

The Cowboys led 38-0 at halftime, their most points in a half since scoring 38 against SMU on Sept. 20, 2003.

A blocked punt by freshman Chris Collins deep in Missouri State territory early in the third quarter set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Toston to make it 45-0. Reid, who was limited by injuries last season to seven games and threw only two touchdown passes, exited the game after that series.

Hamilton averaged 9.7 yards on 16 first-half carries but didn’t touch the football after halftime as the Cowboys went mostly with reserves.

Missouri State (0-1) scored on a 29-yard field goal by Nathan Stokes with 40 seconds left in the third quarter and a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Jonathan Davis with 6:56 left.

Missouri State’s alternating quarterbacks, Matt Krapfl and Garrett Congdon, combined to complete 19 of 31 passes for 266 yards, but the Bears managed only 68 yards rushing.

Entry Filed under: Cowboys,Oklahoma Sports