Reeling 'em in: Oklahoma State's pass-catch duo of Josh Fields and Rashaun Woods is working to make everyone a believer in the Cowboys' winning ways

Sporting News, The, August 11, 2003 by Jenni Carlson

For all that Rashaun Woods and Josh Fields have accomplished together at Oklahoma State--making big plays, setting school reviving the program--there's one thing they haven't done.

Fish.

Woods, the standout wide receiver, is a serious fisherman. His rod and reel are always in his car, and his plan is first to play professional football, an opportunity he bypassed last winter, and then to try professional bass fishing. So serious is Woods' passion that the folks at Oklahoma State promoting him for awards last season sent out hundreds of orange fishing hats. But Woods never has fished with Fields, a quarterback on the preseason watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award.

"I'll get too impatient; I'll jump in and start swimming after them," Fields says. "He'd end up really getting mad at me, and that might mess up that thing we've got going on out on the field."

And that thing isn't something the Cowboys are willing to jeopardize. Woods and Fields a year ago became one of the nation's most potent passing combinations, leading the Cowboys to an 8-5 record, including victories against Oklahoma and Nebraska, and a bowl game for just the second time ha 14 years.

Woods, a dark horse on several Heisman Trophy lists, amassed 1,695 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior and now holds every single-season receiving record at Oklahoma State. He is used in every situation despite not being an unusually fast wideout--he runs a 4.5 in the 40--but his hands set him apart.

His presence helped Fields throw for 3,145 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, also single-season bests for a Cowboy. After throwing six interceptions in the Cowboys' first three games, Fields tossed just four the rest of the season, becoming almost pinpoint precise on short and intermediate passes.

"We enjoy wowing people," Fields says, "but we want Oklahoma State to get to the point where it's not wowing people anymore, where it's second nature that they know it's going to happen."

Turning around a football program takes more than two good players, even two as good as Woods and Fields, still, Cowboys coach Les Miles can't help but single them out.

"Those two guys make plays that winners make," he says.

Against Oklahoma in 2001, they combined on a touchdown that shocked the college football world. Woods snared Fields' lob in the corner of the end zone, knocking off the third-ranked Sooners and dashing their hopes for a national title. Woods had 12 catches, three for touchdowns, as Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma again last season.

"Everybody knows the ball's probably going to go to him," Fields says. "He still catches it."

Woods has been known to hook quite a few.

"Fields, we don't care if he catches anything," Miles says, laughing. "The key is having Rashaun catch the big one."

PROJECTED FINISH

UNIT RANKINGS

                                   Offense

                 Backfield     WRs        Line     Overall

North Division

1 Kansas State       1          10          3         4
2 Colorado           6           5          4         5
3 Nebraska           5           7          7         7
4 Missouri           3           9          6         6
5 Iowa State        11           8         10        10
6 Kansas            10          12         11        11

South Division

1 Oklahoma           8           2          1         3
2 Texas              4           1          5         2
3 Oklahoma St.       2           3          2         1
4 Texas A&M          7           4          9         8
5 Texas Tech         9           6          8         9
6 Baylor            12          11         12        12

                                   Defense

                   Line        LBs        DBs      Overall

North Division

1 Kansas State       3           2          4         3
2 Colorado           4           3          5         4
3 Nebraska           6           6          7         7
4 Missouri           9           7          8         8
5 Iowa State        10           9         10        10
6 Kansas            11          12         11        11

South Division

1 Oklahoma           1           1          1         1
2 Texas              2           4          2         2
3 Oklahoma St.       7           8          3         6
4 Texas A&M          5           5          6         5
5 Texas Tech         8          11          9         9
6 Baylor            12          10         12        12

                  Special    Coaching   Schedule
                   teams      staff     strength

North Division

1 Kansas State       6           2          6
2 Colorado           3           3          2
3 Nebraska           2           7          5
4 Missouri           5           9          9
5 Iowa State         8           8          7
6 Kansas            11          12         12

South Division

1 Oklahoma           1           1          1
2 Texas              7           4         10
3 Oklahoma St.       4           5         11
4 Texas A&M         10           6          3
5 Texas Tech         9          10          4
6 Baylor            12          11          8