During the previous 29 seasons, only one other OSU team rushed for at least 250 yards a game. In 1988, the Barry Sanders-driven Cowboys had a 317.5-yard average.

With the return of senior tailback Dantrell Savage, Cowboy coaches and players expected a productive ground game this season.

They did not expect this:

pu,UFbullet With a streak of five consecutive 100-yard performances, Savage leads the Big 12 and is No. 10 nationally with a 124.3-yard average.

pu,UFbullet Freshman tailback Kendall Hunter, with the league's best yards-per-carry average of 7.5, is fifth in the Big 12 with 81.9 yards per game.

pu,UFbullet Quarterback Zac Robinson twice has rushed for more than 100 yards.

pu,UFbullet In conference play, OSU has run for a Big 12-leading 303 yards per game. The next-best average is Texas A&M's 273.5. The Cowboys rushed for 366 yards against Texas Tech, 317 against Nebraska and 329 against Kansas State.

"Coming into the season, we wanted to average 225 yards a game rushing. That would get you in the top 10 or 15 in the country," Cowboy running backs coach Curtis Luper said. "If you had told us that through eight games, we'd be No. 7 in the country in rushing, we'd say, 'OK, sure, we'll take that.'

"Larry (OSU offensive coordinator Larry Fedora) does a great job of mixing things up and keeping a defense off-balance. If defenses in this league know you're going to run, they'll stuff you."

The Cowboys, 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, are off this week and host 17th-ranked Texas on Nov. 3. The Longhorns are 11th nationally in rushing defense, having allowed only 89.4 yards per game.

OSU shares the Big 12 South lead with Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

"(Offensive line Joe Wickline) always talks about playing the perfect game," OSU offensive tackle Russell Okung said. "For the offensive line, a perfect game is running the football. We're at a good point now, and we'll keep working at it.

"Kansas State did have a very good defense. We're going into the Texas game with the same mind-set -- to play well and run the football."

With a combined average of 206.2 yards per game, Savage and Hunter form the No. 2 rushing tandem in college football. Leading the country are Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, who produce a combined average of 243.7.

"It's just great to be mentioned in the same category as McFadden," said Savage, who has run for 746 yards (6.0 per attempt). "We had a shaky start this season, but we've been pretty good in the conference."

After missing most of three games with groin and abdominal injuries, Savage's presence energized the Cowboy offense. The line was retooled after center David Washington broke his leg on Sept. 14. For the most part, the line play has been stellar.

Robinson's execution of the option has added a dynamic dimension to the offense. He averages 6.1 yards per rush attempt and has been consistently good on pitching the football to the trailing back.

"Dantrell has been very good since he got healthy," Luper said. "Kendall Hunter is better than we thought he would be. Zac is operating really well. He puts a lot of pressure on defenses.

"The other element there is Brandon Pettigrew and the other tight ends. They do a great job of blocking on the edge. If you get the edge and you've got some (backs) with speed, it adds a lot to your offense."

Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com

Dynamic Duos

Dantrell Savage and KendallHunter average a combined total of 206.2 yards per game, giving OSU the No. 2 rushing tandem in college football:

243.7 ypg

Arkansas’ DarrenMcFadden (133.1) and Felix Jones (110.6).

206.2 ypg

Savage (124.3) and Hunter (81.9).

194.8 ypg

Kent State’s Eugene Jarvis (137.9) and Julian Edelman (56.9).

187.5 ypg

Louisiana-Lafayette’s Michael Desormeaux (110.4) and Tyrell Fenroy (77.1).

178.8 ypg

West Virginia’s Steve Slaton (107.4) and Pat White (71.4).