Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to Iowa State 51-49 on the Road

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BOXSCORE

The Cowboys got more Tricks than Treats.

No. 24 Oklahoma State fell to Iowa State 51-49 thanks to a late field goal by the Cyclones.

The Cowboys’ offense was explosive when it had the ball, but turnovers and special teams snafus kept Oklahoma State from holding off the road upset. Even after taking a late lead, the Cowboys fell in walk-off fashion on the road.

It got Halloweird in Ames.

An Iowa State player fumbled the ball and then his teammate sent it back to him to recover. College football’s most accurate kicker missed his first field goal. The game had a successful onside kick by ISU and a muffed punt by OSU. And big plays galore. And that was all before halftime.

The spookiness continued in the second half. OSU’s defense continues to struggle on third down and gave up far too many big plays. Reminiscent of the Houston game, the Pokes just couldn’t get stops and the home team held all the momentum going into a dramatic finish down the stretch.

Both teams found the end zone on their first drives, but then the Cowboys threatened to finally take control in a first half. But Ames was Ames-ing on Halloween night.

LaDainian Fields nabbed an interception for the third consecutive game, but it led to a missed 45-yard field goal attempt by Sam Keltner. He came in leading the FBS at 18-of-18 on the year.

Caleb Hawkins scored on a big 59-yard catch and run but the Cyclones answered with a TD drive of their own and then blindsided the Pokes.

After tying it up with early in the second quarter, the Cyclones caught the Cowboys off-guard with an offside kick, stealing another possession and some momentum. A couple plays later, Jaylen Raynor found Jamal Polite for a 43-yard score to put Iowa State up 21-14.

More importantly, they kept Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboys’ offensive playmakers off the field. When the Cowboys did get the ball, they typically scored. But OSU only got four actual possessions not including a seven-second knee to end the half, while the Cyclones had seven drives in the first.

After all of that craziness, the Cowboys were lucky to be within three at halftime. Iowa State even had a late touchdown called back for holding and settled for three.

The Cowboys stalled out on the opening drive of the third quarter just to fall back by 10. The Cyclones kept coming, Jaylen Raynor between them with his arm and his legs.

But Caleb Hawkins appeared to slip his Tylan Wallace costume on at halftime. He took a handoff, hit the sideline and then ran 75 yards to the end zone to pull the Pokes within 31-28. He finished the look with a Cyclone-stuffing stiff arm.

By the fourth quarter, the game devolved into a big-play highlight factory for both offenses. But you can’t afford to make mistakes and trade touchdowns when you’re trailing on the road.

It looked like the Cowboys were going to get a chance to pull it off when the defense got a stop to give Mestemaker the ball down three with five minutes to go. But after throwing several near interceptions throughout the night, he was picked off at the worst possible time.

The Pokes’ defense was able to hold Iowa State to a field goal to get one more chance. OSU had the ball down six with 2:56 to go and they pulled off the most Cardiac-Cowboy finish possible.

The Cowboys drove down the field and were able to score on a reverse play to Wyatt Young. They took a 49-42 lead with 53 seconds to go, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on Wyatt Young gave Iowa State favorable starting field position. The Cyclones were able to drive the field and win with a walk-off 34-yard attempt.

One week after being benched, Jaylen Raynor took back the reins of the Cyclones’ offense and led it to a win. Raynor finished with 18-of-28 for 309 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 48 yards another score.

A couple of young Cyclones had huge games at the expense of OSU’s defense. Freshman receiver Jamal Polite Jr. caught six passes for 171 yards and a score and sophomore running back Aiden Flora gashed the Cowboys’ defense for 221 yards and two TDs on the ground.

Mestemaker finished 27-of-42 for 323 yards and five touchdowns plus that late pick.

Justin Bowick led the Cowboys with 124 receiving yards and two scores. Young added 74 yards and two scores of his own.

Caleb Hawkins once again did it all for the Cowboys. He had 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns plus six catches for 81 receiving yards and another score.

With the loss, OSU falls to 5-3 and 3-2 in Big 12 play, Next up, the Cowboys head back on the road to face Kansas State next Saturday in Manhattan.