Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to UCF 17-14

BOXSCORE

The Cowboys appeared to be headed for their first Big 12 win in nearly two calendar years, but the Knights showed up in the second half and sent their seniors off in style.

Oklahoma State fell to UCF 17-14 on the road. The Cowboys took a 14-0 lead at the end of the second quarter but gave up 17 unanswered points. It is their 10th consecutive loss.

The Cowboys at least started on a good note.

OSU scored a touchdown on its opening drive thanks to a five-yard connection between Zane Flores and Gavin Freeman. Freeman led the Cowboys with five catches and 40 yards.

Flores took the scoring into his own hands later in the half. After the Cowboys had turned in a pair of consecutive three-and-outs, he led a 12-play, 77-yard drive capped with his own six-yard TD run to put the Pokes up 14-0. Unfortunately for OSU, that was where the offense essentially checked out.

Flores finished 13-of-28 for 124 yards, two total touchdowns and an interception. Rodney Fields Jr. led the Pokes with 19 carried for 87 yards.

OSU’s defense came to play early and fought throughout. Parker Robertson led all tacklers with eight and added three tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. LaDainian Fields and Cam Smith each had interceptions. Malik Charles and Wendell Gregory each recorded a sack.

But it was a tale of halves. While the Cowboys’ defense shut out the Knights in the first half, it was the Knights that clamped down on D in the second.

After giving up just 43 yards in the first quarter, the Cowboys’ defense got burned on far too many big plays the rest of the way.

UCF stole back the momentum right out of the break. Tayven Jackson hit Dylan Ward with an 83-yard touchdown strike on UCF’s first snap of the third quarter. OSU also gave up plays of 26, 50 and 31 yards.

The Knights scored again early in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys’ fourth consecutive three-and-out to make it 14-14 with just over nine minutes to go.

After 201 yards and 14 points in the first half, the Pokes dropped a goose egg in the second and achieved just 27 total yards of offense.

The Cowboys got the ball with 9:12 left with a chance to answer and even got their first first down of the half. But that drive stall as well, and the window was wide enough for a familiar face to help complete the comeback. Former Cowboy Jaden Nixon’s biggest play of the night set up the Knights’ go-ahead score.

After that punt by the Pokes, UCF took a 10-play drive 74 yards to set up a field goal with 57 seconds to go. With his Knights behind the chains due to a pair of penalties, Nixon picked up a huge first down with a 14-yard run that set up the go-ahead field goal.

The Cowboys did get the ball back with 57 seconds to go, but Zane Flores’ first pass was tipped, intercepted and returned 35 yards.

With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 1-10 and 0-8 in Big 12 play. The Knights improve to 5-6 and 2-7 in conference play. They could potentially still become bowl eligible but to do so they’d have to beat a Top 15 BYU team on the road.

Last up, the Cowboys return home to host Iowa State in the season finale. The Cowboys and Cyclones kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium.