HOUSTON SHOCKS #5 OKLAHOMA STATE

Oklahoma State had been riding high in the college football polls, fresh off a decisive victory over Georgia last Saturday.  Houston, meanwhile, started its season with a lopsided beatdown of overmatched FCS foe Northwestern State.  Perhaps for that reason, Oklahoma State didn’t come out with a whole lot of intensity and by halftime found themselves in a 24-7 hole to their opponents.  State would rally in the second half, but Houston would eventually prevail for a 35-25 victory.  The win was Houston’s first triumph over a top five opponent since defeating then #3 ranked Texas back in 1984.

College football betting enthusiasts who took the points with the Cougars as a +10 road underdog were rewarded with their outright victory.  The victory by Houston broke form with a couple of pointspread trends—the Cougars had failed to cover in 7 of their last eight games played on turf.  Oklahoma State, meanwhile, on a 10-3 ATS run as a favorite.  The 60 combined points went well OVER the posted total of 35 and while it was something of a surprise that it exceeded that total by so much it’s worth noting that the previous two meetings between the teams also went OVER.
 
The Cougars got a number of lucky breaks in the game, but that in no way diminishes the significance of their accomplishment.  Second year coach Kevin Sumlin—a former assistant at Oklahoma—expressed what the victory means to the Cougar program in his postgame comments to the media:

"For us as a program, this is a big win because it legitimizes our university. It legitimizes our program. There's no doubt that one win does not make a season. We've got a whole bunch of football to go.”

"But I think any time that you can go on the road and win and beat a Top 10 team, it really helps your confidence as a program and it helps your pride as a university."

Cougars’ QB Chase Keenum threw for 366 yards and three touchdown, including the go ahead score late that was deflected before it got to the intended receiver and hauled in by running back Bryce Beall.  Keenum acknowledged the favorable bounces, but contended that his team’s luck was a by-product of hard work:

"You can say it's luck but when you're working hard and working to get open and running full speed, that's not luck. When you're in position to make plays -- no matter how they are -- that's not luck at all."

Cowboys’ receiver Dez Bryant dismissed speculation that they’d taken Houston lightly:

"We didn't overlook them at all. We practiced like we practiced for Georgia and any other team. We just made too many mistakes and they took advantage and made plays."

Houston improved its straight up record to 2-0 and will enjoy a bye week next week before returning to action on September 26 at home against Texas Tech.  They’ll make the short trip to El Paso for a game against UTEP the following Saturday.  Oklahoma State has a couple of games against teams they should beat coming up, next weekend against Rice and the following Saturday against FCS Grambling.  They’ll step up in class for an October 10th game on the road against Texas A&M before hosting Missouri the following week.