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Grambling St.-Oklahoma St. Preview

Sep 22, 2009 - 10:20 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Editor

Grambling State (1-1) at No. 13 Oklahoma State (2-1), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Since a season-opening win over a ranked team catapulted Oklahoma State to its highest ranking in 24 years, the Cowboys have failed to live up to the high billing.

To rebound from two uninspired performances and get the season back on track, Oklahoma State will have to overcome more than just its disappointment.

The No. 16 Cowboys have to deal with injuries to several key players as they host Grambling State in their non-conference finale Saturday night.

Oklahoma State (2-1) climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll after a 24-10 win over then-No. 13 Georgia in its season opener. The Cowboys, though, suffered an immediate letdown, falling 45-35 to Houston the following week.

They bounced back with a win last Saturday, but it wasn't an impressive performance. They were outgained 377-351 in a 41-24 home win over lowly Rice, which had dropped its first two games by an average of 32.5 points.

"I'm not frustrated, but we still have to play better," coach Mike Gundy said. "We've got to find a way to get more big plays. ... We just have to keep pushing forward."

Gundy wasn't the only one expecting more from the Cowboys last weekend.

"The players on our offense, we're missing it here and there by one little mistake," running back Keith Toston said. "We're practicing hard trying to overcome those little mistakes, but it happened today as well. I guess we have to practice harder."

At least some of those mistakes can be traced to the fact Oklahoma State has been relying much more heavily than expected on players who came into the season as backups.

Tailback Kendall Hunter (ankle) and defensive end Jermiah Price (hand) missed last week's game, and middle linebacker Orie Lemon (knee) was lost for the season before the opener.

Star receiver Dez Bryant has yet to miss a full game but also hasn't made it through one without getting hurt. He's questionable for this week because of a calf problem. Cornerback Perrish Cox is also day-to-day with a shoulder injury.

"We've had a number of injuries and so we're working in young players and players that don't have as much experience," Gundy said. "Because of that, it takes more time for them to progress. That's just the way it is.

"You don't put a young player in there and all of a sudden he's seasoned."

Key among the replacements has been Donald Booker, who stepped in for Lemon and leads the team with 23 tackles. He also recovered a fumble on a botched Rice field-goal attempt and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown last Saturday.

"His effort has really been good. He still is going through the learning phase," Gundy said. "When you get thrown in there all of a sudden and you're playing 60-70 snaps a game, it's just so much different than when you're able to roll in and learn on the run."

Gundy said he also has been pleased with players around Booker - such as Andre Sexton and Lucien Antoine - helping to fill Lemon's void with their physical play.

Gundy also was happy with quarterback Zac Robinson last week. Robinson, who passed for 3,064 yards and 25 TDs last season, was 14 for 20 for 227 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Owls.

"He had a couple passes that I thought he could have thrown better," Gundy said. "I thought he ran the ball and played better. He took care of it. Overall, I thought it was the best he had played (this season)."

Grambling State has won its last two games after a narrow defeat in its season opener. The Tigers took a 20-3 lead into halftime of their 27-17 victory over Jackson State last Saturday.

Frank Warren led the Grambling offense, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He's averaged 133.0 yards on the ground in the team's wins after totaling 73 in the loss.

This is the first meeting between the Cowboys and the Tigers.