The Cowboys will be without their top offensive threat this Saturday when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan.

On Wednesday, head coach Mike Gundy announced that wide out Justin Blackmon will not be suiting up for Oklahoma State (No. 17 AP, 6-1, 21) after he was arrested earlier this week on a DUI complaint.

In addition to the suspension, Blackmon, 20, could face a $500 fine, but will not see any jail time.

Obviously, Blackmon plays a key role in the Cowboys’ offense, which is averaging 350 yards through the air. And his 14 touchdowns will be missed, but not crippling. Looking at the Cowboys’ remaining five games this season, this Saturday’s match up against Kansas State (5-2, 2-2) is one that Blackmon can afford to miss.

The Wildcats currently sit third in the Big 12 North behind undefeated Missouri and the No. 14 Nebraska Cornhuskers, which just handed Oklahoma State its first loss of the season last week.

Head coach Bill Snyder’s boys were themselves eviserated by the Cornhuskers 48-13 this year, and have also lost two of their last three games after stating the season 4-0.

The Wildcats’ strength is their run game, which is averaging just over 205 yards a game. Daniel Thomas, a senior, is the top man in Kansas State’s backfield, having rushed for 895 yards and 9 touchdowns.

His best game came in the first of the year, where he totaled 234 yards running against UCLA. Thomas has also two touchdowns in four games this year.

The Wildcats also get an extra punch from running back William Powell. While he hasn’t played in two games this season, including last week against Baylor, Powell has still managed 214 yards on just 20 carries, which equals a 10.7 yards-per-carry average.

As Kansas State relies on its ground game more often than not, its offense is rather unimpressive, especially compared to Oklahoma State’s.

Senior quarterback Carson Coffman has only thrown for 1,145 yards and 8 touchdowns so far this year. As a team, the Wildcats’ are averaging just 180 yards through the air.

Most of the season, Coffman has had some inconsistent and lackluster games. Only in the last two games, against Kansas and then Baylor, has he done anything worth mentioning.

Against Kansas, he completed 15 of 16 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. But he and his receiver corps. have not done anything this year to strike fear in opposing defenses, so if Oklahoma State defenders focuses on the run game, while simply keeping Coffman in their peripherals, a win should be easy.

And while Oklahoma State’s own collection of receivers will be watered downed, there is no reason for Cowboys’ fans to panic. With Blackmon out, look for Josh Cooper to have a big game.

He has only found the end zone once this year, but is averaging 11.1 yards a catch and had a monster game last week against Nebraska, a performance he will want to continue on Saturday.

The Wildcats are also allowing opponents 231 yards a game rushing, so Gundy will turn to Kendall Hunter, who every week is solidifying his candidacy for the Doak Walker award, given to the nation’s top running back.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon was arrested earlier today in suburban Dallas on a DUI complaint, according to an Associated Press story. The complaint is a misdemeanor, and Blackmon was bonded out of jail around 8 a.m.

According to the story, Blackmon and three individuals were traveling on Interstate 35 in Carrollton, Texas, when the car was pulled over by an officer. Balckmon, 20, was driving the car but does not own the car, according to Associated Press.

The story went on to say that Oklahoma State released a statement saying it was aware of the arrest and that neither Blackmon, or head coach Mike Gundy would comment on the situation.

One would have to expect that Blackmon will be disciplined by the team for the arrest, which could come in the form of game suspensions. Any game the Blackmon misses could hurt the No. 17 Cowboys quest to finish the season in first place in the Big 12 South.

Blackmon has 1,112 yards receiving on 62 catches and 14 touchdowns.

Taylor Martinez can throw the football. Who knew?

The  freshman phenom quarterback threw for 323 yards and five touchdowns as the Nebraska Cornhuskers (No. 14 AP, 6-1, 2-1) handed the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1, 2-1) their first loss of the season, 51-41, on Saturday afternoon.

Thanks to Missouri’s upset of the then top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners Saturday night, the Cowboys still remain in a tie for first place in the Big 12 South.

Matinez, known more for his abilities with his legs (112 rushing yards on Saturday), shredded the Cowboys’ defense with his arm, helping the Cornhuskers amass 540 yards of total offense. What’s unfortunate is that the Cowboys’ offense did everything it could to keep OK State in the game, easily finding holes in a Nebraska defense that is one of the best in the country.

Junior quarterback Brandon Weeden completed 18 of 35 pass attempts, finishing with 283 and two touchdowns, both to wide out Justin Blackmon.

In the losing effort, Blackmon continued to prove he is the top receiver in the nation. He hauled in five receptions for 157 yards, and his two trips to the end zone bring his season total to 14. He now has 1,112 receiving yards on the year, which is the most in the FBS.

Fellow receiver Josh Copper also elcipsed the 100-yard mark, finishing with 103 yards on nine receptions.

On the ground, senior running back Kendall Hunter had a performance that the Nebraska will soon not forget, 201 yards and two touchdowns. It was the second the time this season Hunter ran for more than 200 yards, and he has now run for 1,031 yards this season, which ranks him third in the country. 

But the Cowboys’ defense had no answer Martinez and the Cornhuskers’ passing attack.

Nebraska was the first score, when Martinez found Brandon Kinnie for a 45-yard touchdown with 11:20 left in the first quarter. Kinnie caught three of Martinez’s five touchdowns, and had 62 yards receiving.

Every time the Cowboys closed Nebraska’s lead, the Cornhuskers found a way to extend it. Oklahoma State did not take its first (and only) lead until late in the second quarter, when Weeden connected with Blackmon for an 80-yard touchdown pass, the Cowboys’ longest play of the game.

That brought the score to 27-24 in favor of the Cowboys. Saturday’s game was the first in 14 games that Nebraska let an opponent score more than 21 points.

But touchdown passes by Martinez to Kinnie (with 55 seconds left in the first half) and Kyler Reed (just over 6 minutes left in the third quarter) blew open the game and Nebraska never looked back.

Oklahoma State will travel to play Kansas State next Saturday, Oct. 30.

A week ago, if you asked me, I would have said that the Oklahoma State Cowboys could beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but it wouldn’t be easy.

Today, I say the Cowboys (6-0, 2-0), ranked No.14 in the initial BCS standings released earlier this week, should cruise to their seventh win this year with ease when they wplay host to Big 12 conference rival No. 16 Nebraska, (5-1, 1-1) on Saturday.

Because Nebraska’s got weaknesses, and they have been exposed. Last Saturday, Nebraska, who at the time was the No. 5 team in the nation, was defeated for the first time in 2010. The Cornhuskers fell victim to a Texas Longhorn team that is having an off year (4-2, 2-1), to say the least.

And the Cowboys need to take advantage while the Cornhuskers lick their wounds.

The matchup to watch will of course be the Cowboys’ high flying offense, against the Cornhuskers’ stout defense, both of which are  ranked in the Top 10 in the country.

To put it simply, the Cowboys’ offense finds the endzone and they find it often, both passing and running. The 34 points Oklahoma State put on the board against the Texas Tech Red Raiders last Saturday continued the team’s streak of scoring more than 30 points a game during the 2010 campaign.

Whether it’s by air with wide receiver Justn Blackmon (995 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns) or by ground with senior running back Kendall Hunter (830 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns), coach Mike Gundy has provided quarterback Brandon Weeden with options in the team’s scoring endeavours.

But, Oklahoma State has not seen a D like the Nebraska D, which is allowing opposing teams to average only 14 points a game. Only the Washington Huskies of the Pac-10 scored more than 20 points against the Cornhuskers this year. They scored 21.

Weeden and his receiving corps., led by Blackmon, could have the toughest day, as Nebraska’s passing defense is No. 1 in the conference, allowing opponents just a 98 passing yard average, well below the Cowboys’ 361 yards-per-game average this year.

So it will be a test.

On the other side of the ball, the Oklahoma State defense has one task, and one task only; contain frosh quarterback Taylor Martinez. After Michigan freshman Denard Robinson, Martinez is the best field general on wheels in the nation.

This year, Martinez has thrown for 723 yards and three touchdowns. Not too bad for a freshman.

But it’s what he has done with his feet that has college football fans around the country gawking; 758 yards, which leads the team in rushing, to go along with 12 touchdowns.

However, Martinez proved to be human against Texas, who held him to just 21 yards rushing on 13 attempts and no touchdowns. And the Cowboys’ defense proved it can handle tall orders, allowing a pretty good Red Raider offense just 17 points.

On Saturday, Oklahoma State has a very good opportunity to not just take hold of the Big 12 South, but to announce to the entire conference and the nation that the Black and Orange have arrived.

A career game by junior wide receiver Justin Blackmon and a two-headed running attack led by Kendall Hunter brought the Oklahoma State Cowboys its first victory in Lubbock, Texas since 1944.

OK State (6-0, 2-0) easily defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-3, 1-3) 34-17 Saturday afternoon. As a result, the Cowboys moved up to No. 17 in the AP Coaches poll released earlier today. They also sit in a tie for first place in the Big 12 South division with in-state rivals Oklahoma.

Blackmon had a career day for the away squad, catching 10 passes for 207 yards, both career highs. His lone touchdown on the day was a 62-yard connection with quarterback Brandon Weeden in the third quarter, which all but cemented the win.

Junior Justin Blackmon had a career day against Texas Tech, catching 10 passes for 207 yards.

Not to be out done the star receiver, the Cowboys’ defense held the lethal Red Raider offense in check, allowing a team that averages more than 30 points a game just 17. They also shutout the Red Raiders in the first quarter, who didn’t find the end zone until thee second quarter.

It was the third time this season the Red Raiders failed to score in the first quarter.

Red Raider quarterback Taylor Potts had just 226 yards and one touchdown pass, averaging 5.3 yards per pass. The Cowboys D also sacked Potts twice, while forcing two fumbles by Texas Tech running backs.

On the other hand, the Cowboys’ running backs were just too much for the Red Raiders defense, accounting for 225 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Senior Kendall Hunter ran for 130 yards on 25 carries, including a 15-yard score.

Freshman Joseph Randle, who had just 129 total yards rushing this season, chipped in a career high 95 yards and scored his first career touchdown, a four-yard run.

Weeden managed a much better performance than his Red Raider counterpart, going 24 for 35 for 356 yards and one touchdown, the pass to Blackmon.

The Cowboys got the ball on their own 36 yard line in the third quarter after a Red Raider turnover, and Weeden found Blackmon at the Texas Tech 40, who took it the rest of the way down the side line for the score.

Weeden’s interceptions woes continued however, as he threw two for the third straight game. But, when an entire team is clicking on all cylinders, two interceptions are not such a big deal.

The Cowboys, who are slowly working their way into the national spotlight, can grab some attention next week when Big 12 foe Nebraska  comes to Boone Pickens Stadium. The Cornhuskers, who fell to No. 14 in the AP polls, are coming off a tough loss to the Texas Longhorns yesterday.

Two of the most productive passing offenses in the nation will meet Saturday afternoon when the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0, 1-0) visit the Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-2, 1-2), as OK State hopes to bring its unbeaten streak this year to six straight games.

The Cowboys are coming off a decisive 54-28 win last week against the  Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. The second best scoring offense in the nation behind the Oregon Ducks was working on all cylinders and will look to continue that dominance against the second-to-last team in the Big 12 South.

Led by junior quarterback Brandon Weeden, who has thrown for 1,610 yards and 18 touchdowns, the offensive unit and head coach Mike Gundy are most likely salivating at the mouth as the Red Raiders’ defense is allowing 31.6 points a game, ranked 98th in the nation.

Junior QB Brandon Weeden will look to air the ball out against a struggling Red Raider defense.

Weeden has yet to throw below 200 yards in a game this season, and has eclipsed 300 yards in three games. Interceptions have recently become a problem for Weeden, who threw two last week against Lafyette and two more the week before that against Texas A&M.

Of course, when you have a receiving corps. as potent as the Cowboys do, the plan is to throw and throw a lot, so interceptions are inevitable. Sophomore Justin Blackmon has emerged as not only the top wideout on the team, but one of the best in the country. His 748 receiving yards is second most among all FBS receivers. And his 11 touchdowns this season isn’t too shabby either.

Blackmon however may have to shoulder more of the work load on Saturday, as coach Gundy announced earlier in the week that the offense could be without three of their receivers. Michael Harrison, who has only played in two games this year, is out 10 days following surgery to repair a fractured finger.

Oklahoma State could also be without junior Hubert Anyiam (sprained ankle) and junior Josh Cooper (head injury). Cooper, who has become a strong No. 2 receiver, was going to be re-evaluated today before a final decision was made.

And then there is the best running back in college football you’ve probably never heard of, senior Kendall Hunter.

Overshadowed this year by the running success of freshman quarterbacks like Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez, Hunter has simply dominated opponets, amassing 700  yards and nine touchdowns this year. He will have a field day against a Red Raiders defense that is allowing over 100 yards rushing a game.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys’ defense will have their hands full with a stout Texas Tech passing offense that is averaging 333 yards a game in the air. This could be quite a struggle for the Cowboys’ passing defense, ranked 118th nationally.

Defenders are going to have to keep their heads on a swivle and contain quarterback Taylor Potts (16 TD, 4 INT), running back Baron Batch (276 yards, 3 TD) and a collection of wide receivers, seven of whom who have caught more than 100 yards this season.

Gundy will also have to make sure his boys are entirely focused on the Red Raiders and don’t have their minds drift to the team’s Oct. 23 matchup against the No.5 Nebraska Cornhuskers.