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GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys were in need of a statement game to prove their high ranking was justified and they got that with a solid 24-10 win over then 13th-ranked Georgia in last week's season- opener. Mike Gundy's squad will attempt to continue its winning ways when it welcomes the dangerous Houston Cougars to Stillwater this weekend.

The Cowboys, who won nine games a year ago, are a legitimate Big 12 contender this year, as the return of several All-American candidates on the offensive side of the ball have this team poised for a huge season.

Standing in their way this weekend will be a Houston squad that blew out Northwestern State in the season-opener, 55-7. Kevin Sumlin is in his second season running the Houston program, and posted an 8-5 record in his initial campaign in 2008.

This is the third time in the last four seasons that these two teams are meeting. The series is all tied up at 9-9-1. Last season, the Cowboys won a high-scoring affair, 55-37 and have now won five of the last six meetings in Stillwater.

Case Keenum and the Houston offense picked right up where it left off last season, dominating the opposition, as the Cougars put up 55 points, on 538 yards of total offense. Keenum, who led the nation in total yards last season and was the Conference USA Player of the Year, got off to a fast start this season, completing 23-of-30 passes (.767) for 359 yards and four TDs. He also added one rushing score to his total. Freshman tailback Charles Sims was Keenum's top target in the passing game against Northwestern State, hauling in six balls, for 128 yards and one score. He also added a rushing score for Houston, which converted 60 percent of its third down opportunities and scored six touchdowns in seven red zone appearances. The ground game managed just 91 yards in the opener, as last year's C-USA Freshman of the Year, Bryce Beall, had 58 yards on just nine carries with a score both on the ground and via the pass.

Sumlin likes the dimension that Sims brings to an already potent offense.

"The addition of Charles Sims really helps our offense. He has great ball skills and great ball-catching abilities but he's also a good runner."

The proficiency on this side of the football was nothing new for Houston, which averaged over 560 yards of total offense in 2008, including just over 400 yards passing. Keenum is the straw that stirs the drink, coming off a 2008 campaign in which he put up over 5,000 passing yards and a C-USA best 44 TD passes. Beall kept defenses honest with 1,272 rushing yards and 13 scores last year. Keenum utilized Sims in the opener, but has a legitimate gamebreaker on the outside in sophomore WR Tyron Carrier, who hauled in 80 balls as a freshman, for 1,026 yards and nine TDs. The 5-8 Carrier had just three catches for 24 yards against the Demons.

Defensively, the Cougars were simply too much for Northwestern State, allowing the visitors just 263 yards of total offense, including a mere 106 yards through the air. In addition, Houston recorded three fumble recoveries in the lopsided win and one sack. Freshman linebacker Phillip Stewart led all defenders with 13 total tackles. Rush end Tyrell Graham and tackle David Hunter converged to share the lone sack for Houston. Both will be counted on this year to help assuage the loss of 2008 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, Phillip Hunt, who racked up 14 sacks a year ago. Run defense was the only area that Houston did not excel in the season-opener, as the Demons put up 157 yards on 3.9 yards per carry. That will have to get better in a hurry, with one of the most potent ground games in the nation on the docket this week.

With All-American talent at the skill positions, it will be awfully difficult to contain the OSU offense this year. Although the Cowboys only put up 24 points in the season-opener, it was against a very good SEC foe in Georgia. Last season, the team ranked in the top-10 in three offensive categories (40.8ppg, 245.5 yards rushing per game and 487.7 total yards per game). Not much will change in 2009, as quarterback Zac Robinson, wideout Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter will spread defenses thin.

Robinson is a duel threat and did a little bit of both against the Bulldogs, throwing for 135 yards and two TDs, while rushing for a third score. Bryant hauled in just three balls, but two were TDs. Hunter led the team in receptions with four catches, while struggling a bit on the ground, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry (23 rushes for 75 yards).

All three stars are coming off huge 2008 seasons, with Robinson throwing for over 3,000 yards and 25 TDs. Bryant led the Big 12 in receiving yards (1,480), with 19 TDs. Hunter was the real workhorse though, amassing 1,555 yards on the ground, with 16 TDs.

To win the Big 12, OSU will have to do a better job on defense compared to last season. Enter new defensive coordinator Bill Young. If the season-opener is any indication, this unit is serving notice to the conference powerhouses that they are for real. Oklahoma State limited the visiting Bulldogs to a mere 257 yards of total offense, showing equal disdain for the run (95.0) and the pass (162.0). Limiting Georgia to a mere 10 points was impressive, considering that the only other team to do that over the last four seasons was Florida (twice).

Senior free safety Lucien Antoine led the team in the win with seven tackles. Junior nose tackle Shane Jarka was a disruptive force in the middle, posting 1.5 sacks. The OSU defense as a whole recorded four TFLs, two sacks and forced three turnovers, including a pair of fumble recoveries. The unit will be put to the test again this week by the explosive Cougars, something Gundy is very aware of.

"He (Bill Young) knows that we have a ways to go on the defensive side of the ball here and I think our players understand that. Our players played very well Saturday, but this will be a different challenge for them this week because of the style of play."

The Cougars will present a real challenge to OSU's new-look defense, but the Cowboys' offense, namely the big three, should be able to get the job done in what should be a highly entertaining affair.

Still, coach Gundy knows how talented Houston is.

"We're looking forward to playing a good football team. Everybody's is probably aware of their quarterback, running back and receivers they play with because they've been very successful. We've seen on tape that their defense has improved. They can run to the football and we're going to have to have a great week of preparation for Saturday's game."

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oklahoma State 43, Houston 30