STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -For a 16th-ranked Oklahoma State team trying to kick a nasty turnover habit, Grambling State could be a daunting foe.
The Tigers (2-1) of the Football Championship Subdivision will have a numbers disadvantage coming into Saturday’s game, but here’s a scary figure the Cowboys (2-1) will want to prevent from getting any bigger: In just three games this season, Grambling State has 13 takeaways.
One-man wrecking crew Christian Anthony has led the way, returning two interceptions for touchdowns and setting up another defensive score with a lateral after a pick. He also returned a fumble to the 5-yard line.
“Unless you’re a lot better than the other team, if you turn the ball over two or three times more than they do in the game, you’re going to have a hard time winning,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said.
of the Top 5, and had two more last week to help Rice hang around in a closer-than-expected 41-24 win for Oklahoma State.
Getting careless with the ball again could be the surest way to let the Tigers steal a win.
“I think we’re starting to make the strides that we need to make to become a good defensive football team, and of course when you’ve got a fella like Christian Anthony it always helps,” Grambling State coach Rod Broadway said. “You’ve got a playmaker.”
These aren’t the glory days the Tigers once experienced under longtime coach Eddie Robinson, but Broadway has re-established the program as a winner. Grambling State comes in with 12 wins in its last 13 games and enough talent that Gundy turned away a question this week about his players wanting to see the team’s celebrated marching band perform at halftime.
“It’s a very, very tradition-rich program, and we have a lot of respect for what they’ve accomplished,” Gundy said. “Our guys need to stay focused on the task at hand, and not worry about anything like the band. I’m guessing their band is going to take care of themselves.”
ina.
“Their program has a lot of great players. It doesn’t take very long to figure out that they’ve had something going on there for a long period of time,” Brewer said.
For Oklahoma State, the game marks the final tuneup before Big 12 play begins. It’s the last chance to tinker with an offense that was outgained last week by Rice and address concerns on defense that have popped up since a season-opening 24-10 win against Georgia.
The Cowboys rank 108th out of 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in pass defense, allowing 276 yards per game as first-year defensive coordinator Bill Young continues to implement his scheme.
“We’re not so concerned about who we’re playing. It’s ourselves,” Young said. “We’re installing some new things. This gives us an opportunity to add a few new things to our defense, and that will help us down the line.”
Broadway said one of his team’s keys will be providing better protection up front. He’s noticed “guys running completely wide open” in the first three games, but quarterback Greg Dillon hasn’t had time to get them the ball.
“I think everyone wants to test themselves against the best that they can play against. This is no knock against anyone, but this is the best team that we’re going to play this year,” Broadway said.
play with the same level of intensity that those guys are playing with.”
Broadway said as long as Grambling State doesn’t get players injured in the process, he sees the experience as a positive one. OSU has been offering discounted tickets for its only game against an FCS opponent this season in an attempt to sell out Boone Pickens Stadium for the first time since a renovation brought capacity to about 60,000.
“We’re going to go out and challenge them,” Broadway said. “When you play up like that, it can make you better, and that’s our hope – that we can go out and we can compete and we can get better this week playing against an outstanding Oklahoma State team.”
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