OSU football notebook: Cowboys' drops not a concern, yet

And it should have been better, with all six incompletions coming on dropped balls.

After three more completions to open the second quarter, Weeden's first true misfire didn't come until his 28th throw.

OSU receivers eventually shored things up, yet still finished with seven drops.

“We throw to win, so we've got to catch the ball better,” said Cowboys offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Cowboys receivers dropped five passes last week at Texas, giving them 12 in six quarters. Expect an emphasis – to a point – in practices this week.

“It's like golf,” said receivers coach Doug Meacham, “if you go out and make a big deal about missing three-foot putts, you've got a problem. We're going to be positive about it, work on it, get more catches in practice and just keep going.

“It hasn't been a big deal up until a week ago.”

COWBOYS LOSE ANYIAM LONG-TERM

OSU wide receiver Hubert Anyiam suffered a broken bone in his left foot Saturday and could be lost for the season, the serious blow in a Saturday at Mizzou that left several Cowboys beat up.

Anyiam, a deep threat opposite Justin Blackmon, was OSU's third-leading receiver. He led the Cowboys in yards-per-catch (13.0) entering the game and was injured on a 31-yard grab against the Tigers.

OSU coach Mike Gundy initially said that Anyiam was lost for the season, but hedged somewhat when offered the possibility of returning in a bowl game, perhaps as late as January.

Anyiam, a senior, was having his best season as a Cowboy in a career that has been marred by injuries.

“It breaks your heart,” Gundy said, “because he's worked so hard to come back and be a good player for us.”

Blackmon took a blow to the head and was held out the second half, although Gundy said he could have played.

“He got a ding in the head,” Gundy said. “There was just no reason to put him in when were ahead by two touchdowns. He got dinged and was a little dizzy. It was just a precautionary measure we decided to take.”

Defensive end Cooper Bassett didn't play due to an undisclosed injury and at times during the game, the Cowboys were without cornerback Brodrick Brown, defensive end Richetti Jones and wide receiver Josh Cooper, although all returned.

ANOTHER ROAD STROLL

The Cowboys extended their road winning streak to nine games, tied for second-best nationally among current streaks.

Adding to that impressive stretch: four of those wins came among OSU's last five games.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” said defensive end Jamie Blatnick. “You can look at that and see, those are tough places to play. I like playing on the road.