Paul Rhoads paused for a moment, and then started pounding loudly on the podium in front of a room full of reporters.

That’s what it’s going to sound like in Boone Pickens Stadium this Saturday, Rhoads explained. Just a lot louder.

“They’re right on top of you,” Rhoads said. “You’re talking to their fans as well as your players when you’re making adjustments. They’re very active, very involved in the game. It’s a noisy place.”

The Cyclones will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma on Saturday to take on No. 21 Oklahoma State in their third Big 12 conference game this season.

Oklahoma State’s offense has been compared to that of Baylor, who runs a very fast-paced system. Even though the two games are back-to-back, the players don’t seem to notice anything different.

“You’ve got to play them all in this conference,” said safety Kamari Cotton-Moya. “You don’t really pay attention to what order they’re in.”

Perhaps one of Oklahoma State’s biggest strengths is their ability to throw the deep ball. Last week, quarterback Daxx Garman threw for four touchdowns, all of which were longer than 30 yards.

One of the biggest targets for the Cowboys comes from wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill, who transferred to Oklahoma State this season from Garden City Community College, scored his first touchdown of the season last week.

Hill, who will be a huge part of the Oklahoma State offense, can be a tough man to keep track of. Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham knows his defense needs to have him in their sights at all times.

“He’s a fast guy, you have to know where he is all the time,” Burnham said. “He lines up at receiver, he lines up at running back, they use him in all of their personnel groupings. You always have to be aware of what he does.”

Defending a passing game like Oklahoma State’s can be a tall order, but Burnham has a plan in place.

“We throw a lot of deep balls in practice,” Burnham said. “We just heave it down the field, and see if our corners can handle it. I’m happy with it so far.”

Once again, Rhoads said one of the biggest keys to being successful comes back to the run game. The Cyclones are averaging just over 100 yards per game, but quarterback Sam Richardson is the team’s leading rusher.

“You have to run the ball and defend the run if you’re going to be successful,” Rhoads said. “We’re not even scratching the surface in doing that. We’ve got to fix it, and it is something that’s being addressed. We need to do a better job of blocking, and our running backs need to do a better job of running the football.”