OSU Football Notebook
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer on Sep 18, 2013, at 2:28 AM Updated on 9/18/13 at 6:36 AM
Stewart
OSU
The final two games are May 16 and 17 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Each of the Tulsa starts are at 7 p.m.
It's not yet known how long Weeden will be sidelined. He has already been sacked 11 times this season.
Fixing weak spot: Two seasons ago, OSU won a Big 12 title with the aid of exceptional special teams play. One department that proved lacking was the punt return unit. The Cowboys ranked 115th nationally in punt returns (3.4 yards per attempt).
OSU's punt return squad ranked "only" 43rd before the Heart of Dallas Bowl last season. Then Josh Stewart, who didn't return a punt during the regular season, returned two punts for 73 yards (including a 64-yarder to set up a score). That allowed the Cowboys to rise to 23rd in the 2012 final rankings.
Stewart is back at it again. In the win Saturday over Lamar, he set up a touchdown drive with a 41-yard punt return and scored on a 67-yard return, giving OSU its first punt return TD since 2010.
Stewart, who credited blockers, dodged enough defenders to accumulate 114 punt return yards, eighth-best single-game total in program history. Consider that OSU's return men combined for only 79 punt return yards during the entire 2011 season.
Stewart was thrown for a 3-yard loss during his only punt return in 2011. He is averaging 25.1 yards per punt return since the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
"I'm glad he's on my team," OSU linebacker Caley Lavey said. "I would hate to have to tackle him."
Stewart owns the nation's fourth-best punt return average. The Cowboys rank 19th as a team.
Setting the stage: OSU has a week off to prepare for a Sept. 28 Big 12 opener at West Virginia. The Mountaineers don't have the benefit of an open date. They've got a Saturday date with Maryland in Baltimore.
Country roads: OSU will play away from home for the sixth time in the past seven games, dating to last season.
Good company: Quarterback J.W. Walsh is averaging 7.3 yards per rushing attempt. The school single-season record in that category (for players with a minimum of 100 carries) is 7.64, established by Barry Sanders in 1988.
OSU
The final two games are May 16 and 17 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Each of the Tulsa starts are at 7 p.m.
It's not yet known how long Weeden will be sidelined. He has already been sacked 11 times this season.
