Cousins carry rivalry into ISU-Texas Tech game

AMES - Both stand 6-feet, 6-inches tall and weigh in at over 300 pounds.

Both are highly-valued Big 12 offensive lineman.

And both grew up in the greater Houston area, about 20 minutes apart - as cousins, rivals and almost-teammates.

Meet Iowa State's Kelechi Osemele and Texas Tech's Mickey Okafor, who will continue a lifelong, familial rivalry in Saturday's 6 p.m. game between the Cyclones and No. 19 Red Raiders at Lubbock.

“We've kind of always had a rivalry,” said Osemele, a preseason first team all-America selection by Phil Steele's College Football Preview. “He's like a second cousin by marriage. We played basketball against each other and football. We were always very competitive.”

Okafor, a senior at Tech, has been battling an ankle injury this season, just like his cousin.

But Okafor's is more severe.

The 307-pounder did not play in the Red Raiders' stunning 41-38 win at then-No. 3 Oklahoma, but is expected to see the field Saturday.

“He's going to have to play this week,” Tech coach Tommy Tuberville told the Lubbock Avalanche-Express. “He's our next man up. I would have liked to get him some (snaps) last week but things were going so well. Not being 100 percent against those guys can give you some problems.”

Osemele's health issues stem from a sprained right ankle sustained in fall camp.

Most games, the projected early-round NFL Draft pick has needed the trainer's attention once or twice as well as a number of plays off.

He'll make his 39th consecutive start in Lubbock.

“I'm feeling pretty good,” said Osemele, who is listed at 347 pounds.

He needs to be against an athletic and fast Tech defense.

“It's tough on him and it's tough on our football team and that's what everybody's top concern in - about our football team and him playing better football through that injury,” said Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads, whose team (3-4, 0-4) seeks to end a four-game skid. “He's pretty healthy and he's got to play up to his ability to help our football team.”

Early in their recruitment, it appeared Osemele and Okafor could have ended up on the same team.

Both visited UTEP in 2006 and saw the Miners give the Red Raiders all they could handle before falling, 38-35.

“Man, UTEP played lights out,” Osemele said. “In the locker room and everything - it just seemed that they really, really wanted us there. That was the main thing. It sounded like they were going to play us if we went there. But what ended up happening is we got more offers as the season went on and went on more visits. Ultimately, we both decided we wanted to play in the Big 12. We got better offers, so that's sort of how that turned out.”

Osemele said before college, Okafor, a second team all-Big 12 selection last season, enjoyed the edge between the cousins in terms of size and strength.

The training table has turned, by about 40 pounds.

“I was always a bit behind,” Osemele said. “But I'm not surprised at all by his development. I'm pretty surprised about how far along I came personally. Now I have the upper hand on him a little bit. A little bit stronger than him.”

Who's smarter?

“He's a funny dude, but he's really smart,” Osemele said of his cousin and fellow senior. “I think he wants to be a dentist. He had like a perfect score on his SAT. He's a smart kid.”

FRONT MEN: ISU defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said he was pleased with how his defensive lineman responded to the challenge posed by Texas A&M's burly offensive line in a 33-17 loss.

Three Cyclone D-linemen - Jake Lattimer, Jake McDonough and Pat Neal - recorded a sack apiece, doubling the Aggies' season total allowed to six.

ISU added three hurries of A & M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as well.

“Our defensive front really, I thought, played well against their front,” Burnham said. “The run plays, if our linebackers and our secondary had hit a couple of those blitzes right, they wouldn't have had the big plays. But we were knocking them back up front.”

The Cyclones now have 11 sacks, matching their total from last season.

“I wish we could have got more pressure on him the entire game, because the second half they really started opening it up,” said Neal, the team leader with 2.5 sacks.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER TOP QB: Texas Tech fans entered the season wondering if Seth Doege was ready to productively run the team's high powered passing game.

Those questions have been answered.

Doege ranks second nationally in total offense at 381.3 yards per game and owns a 22-to-four touchdown-to-interception ratio.

“We know he's a great player,” ISU coach Paul Rhoads said.