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Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Loses to BYU 38-35 in Big 12 After Dark Thriller

A heartbreaker.

Published

2 years ago

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[Devin Wilber/PFB]

Oklahoma State got its first taste of Big 12 After Dark.

The Cowboys lost a 38-35 thriller to No. 13 BYU on a late Friday night (early Saturday morning?) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars needed a 35-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to avoid the upset and remain unbeaten at 7-0. OSU, meanwhile, dropped below .500 at 3-4 and has lost four in a row still search of its first Big 12 win.

The lead storyline was redshirt sophomore Garret Rangel getting the start at quarterback after replacing Alan Bowman in two of the three previous games. Rangel revitalized the offense, completing 6-of-9 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown with one interception, plus five carries for 77 yards. Rangel’s running ability added the element OSU needed to open things up and get things going for Ollie Gordon, who had a 50-yard touchdown run on OSU’s opening drive — Gordon’s longest rush of the season.

The Cowboys punted on their second possession before Rangel threw a pick on the next. But Rangel settled in after the mistake. He marched OSU down the field and ended the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Gordon, he leaped over a would-be-tackler on his way to the end zone. The score tied the game at 14 in the second quarter.

On BYU’s next possession, Korie Black picked off Jake Retzlaff in the red zone. Rangel then ran for 54 yards to set up a short TD run for Gordon, but Rangel reportedly injured his collarbone during the tackle and never returned. He was seen wearing a sling on his left arm during the second half. It was then Alan Bowman’s offense again the rest of the night as the Cowboys went to the locker room with 21-14 lead.

BYU started the second half with 14 unanswered points to take a 28-21 lead into the fourth as the Cowboys struggled to get going with Bowman behind center. It was Bowman’s catching ability and legs that tied the game, though. He caught a reverse pass from Brennan Presley and dove into the end zone for a 16-yard TD reception to tie the game up with 14:50 left.

The Cougars answered with a field goal to retake the lead before OSU went down the field for 8:22 and took a 35-31 lead with 1:13 left thanks to a six-yard pass from Bowman to Presley. But then the Cowboys couldn’t keep BYU from scoring in the final seconds.

Coming into the game right before halftime, Bowman was 11-of-19 for 85 yards with a TD and INT. The bright spot was Gordon getting going again, rushing for 107 yards while averaging 6.7 yards a carry while finding the end zone thrice. Gordon did that while hobbled much of the second half, but in his absence, freshman Rodney Fields Jr. made his collegiate debut coming out of the bye week. Fields got eight carries, taking them 38 yards and averaged 4.8 yards a carry.

Next, OSU will be away from Stillwater again with a trip to Baylor at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

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