LIVE BLOG: OSU Defeats BYU 40-34 in OT Thriller, On to Big 12 Title Game

FINAL: Oklahoma State 40, BYU 34

The Cowboys are headed to Arlington.

Oklahoma State defeats BYU 40-34 in double overtime. OSU wins it on turnover that had to go to review in double-overtime. A perfect microcosm of this season.

Trey Rucker ripped the ball away from BYU receiver Isaac Rex on a second-and-8 play. The Cowboys had just taken the lead on Ollie Gordon II’s fifth rushing touchdown.

OSU fell behind 24-6 in the first half before rattling off 21-straight points to take a 27-24 lead with less than a minute left in regulation. But BYU forced overtime with 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Overtime included a Jake Retzlaff rushing TD followed by two Ollie Gordon scores and then the abovementioned game-winning turnover by Trey Rucker.

With the win the Cowboys move to 9-3 and finish in second place in the Big 12. They’ll play top-seeded Texas in Arlington on Dec. 2 for the Big 12 Championship.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 40, BYU 34 | OT

Ollie Gordon has five rushing touchdowns. The Cowboys miss on the two-point. Need a stop now to win it.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 34, BYU 34 | OT

Ollie Gordon evens things up with his fourth TD of the day. The Cowboys extend extra overtime.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 27, BYU 34 | OT

It’s up the Cowboys’ offense now.

OVERTIME: Oklahoma State 27,  BYU 27

Ugh.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 27, BYU 24 | Q4 | 0:53

The comeback. Ollie Gordon’s 15-yard touchdown puts the Cowboys up 28-24 with just 53 seconds between them and a trip to Arlington. But… the PAT is blocked.

And they go for it and Jaden Nixon has what could be one of the biggest runs of the season.

OSU faces fourth-and-2 from its on 42, down three with 3:17 to go. Timeout OSU. Woof.

BYU punts. OSU’s defense has been strong in the second half, forcing three-and-outs on five of seven BYU drives. Again, I’ll say it: The offense needs to take advantage.

The Cowboys needed to score to tie or take the lead, and they go three-and-out. There was a moderate no-call when Brennan Presley was dragged to the ground.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 21, BYU 24 | Q4 | 10:53

The Cowboys get back into the end zone to pull within three with a successful two-point conversion. That’s 111 yards and two scores for Gordon who came in tied for the FBS lead.

OLLIE WITH THE EXTENSION!! 😤#GoPokes | 📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/gQiB2QfumP

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) November 25, 2023

END OF Q3: Oklahoma State 13, BYU 24

One quarter left. The Cougars face third-and-12 at their own 31. The Cowboys need a stop in the worst way. But even more, they need their offense to get out of its own way.

The rug has been pulled again. Yet another promising OSU drive comes up empty. This one a second INT for Alan Bowman.

The Cowboys’ defense gets another big stop. That’s another three-and-out forced and just 25 total yards allowed in three second-half drives. We’ll see if the offense can take advantage.

After a promising start, that OSU drive stalled out thanks to a holding penalty on Leon Johnson III and then a sack. Cowboys pin BYU at its 10 but the Pokes are still down 11 late in the third quarter.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 13, BYU 24 | Q3 | 11:08

The Cowboys pay if off with Ollie Gordon’s 16th rushing score of the season. OSU needed that badly.

Good golly Ollie Gordon II has done it again 🤠

📺 ABCpic.twitter.com/sHOFtIcpm8

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 25, 2023

Two quick strikes to Brennan Presley, including a 21-yard strike. Then Bowman finds Leon Johnson III for 24.

The Cowboys do get a stop, forcing a three-and-out. Now we’ll see if OSU’s offense can extract its head from its nether regions and start to take back momentum.

And the opening kickoff in the third quarter bounces out of bounds. So the holy water in the locker room has not soaked in yet.

HALFTIME: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 24

Not sure that could have gone much worse for the Cowboys. OSU looks disjointed and lethargic and the Cougars are locked in and playing with house money.

The Cougars will start the third half. It will be a small consolation, but the Pokes were down 23-9 late in the second against Houston and were able to pull off a two-score win. But it feels like a comeback will not be as easy against this BYU team.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 24 | Q2 | 0:42

BYU extends its lead with a 42-yard FG that was made possible by the fake punt. OSU gets the ball with 30 seconds to go after another muff by Presley this time.

BYU just fake-punted and is at the edge of the redzone with a minute to go. BYU could go to the half up three TDs and get the ball back. There’s no doubt who wants it more so far.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 21 | Q2 | 3:29

Cougars score and then a mishandled kickoff pins OSU at its 6. Then Brennan Presley holds up the game to go get checked out by medical staff. Kind of a disaster right now in Stillwater.

OSU was close to getting a stop but BYU takes a screen on third-and-8, 25 yards. Follow that up with a 50-yard pass on the very next play and BYU is back in the redzone with a chance to go up two TDs.

Cowboys punt again (from the BYU 38). OSU’s offense has been out-of-sync and Alan Bowman has been doing a lot of running for his life. That normally hasn’t bode well for the Pokes. OSU does pin BYU back at its own 11.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 14 | Q2 | 12:47

That’s was one of the worst pick-sixes I’ve ever seen.

The Pokes’ defense digs in and forces another three-and-out.

Head-scratching. The Cowboys face third-and-1, elect for a QB run, get stonewalled and then go for it on fourth-and-a long one at the 50, then a miscommunication between Bowman and Gordon gives it back to BYU.

END OF QUART 1: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 7

The period ends with another near-interception by a scrambling Alan Bowman. This game has a stink to it. OSU faces a second-and-10 at its own 41.

The Cowboys catch a break. Upon review, the officials determined that a BYU player contacted an OSU player before the ball traveled 10 yards.

Big Play Alert: The Cougars want it.

Following that touchdown, BYU elects for the onside kick, with a lead in the first quarter, and it looks like they recover it. Play under review.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 7 | Q1 | 1:24

The Cougars didn’t fumble = the Cougars march down the field.

touchdowns > field goals

— Dekota Gregory (@dekotagregory) November 25, 2023

And just like that the Cougars are in the redzone after a couple of big plays by running back Aidans Robbins, including a 24-yard run.

Uglier start than it looked like. OSU goes three-and-out after Bowman’s pass is very nearly intercepted. It’s still early, but I wonder if the Cowboys are going to kick themselves for settling for that second FG.

BYU fumbles again. After turning it over with a mishandled backwards pass, a handoff exchange is fumbled and fallen upon by Retzlaff on third down. Cougs go three-and-out.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 6, BYU 0 | Q1 | 8:48

The Cowboys made it to the BYU 4-yard line but Gordon got denied multiple times but on fourht-and-3, Gundy takes the points. OSU settles for another field goal.

Huge Play Alert: The Cowboys take it back.

BYU Jake Retzlaff’s pitch (backwards pass) is fumbled and picked up by Trey Rucker at the BYU 19.

Scoring Update: Oklahoma State 3, BYU 0 | Q1 | 12:26

The Cowboys stall but get on the board on their first drive. Alex Hale dials one up from 40 yards.

Ollie Gordon and Brennan Presley combined for 50 total yards on the first drive.

— McClain (@McclainBaxley) November 25, 2023

Then Brennan Presley takes a pass for 20 tough yards. That’s two big plays on the first two snaps.

On the first play of the game, Ollie Gordon takes a handoff 23 yards.

OSU wins the toss and wants the ball. After taking the ball last week, OSU stumbled out of the gate at Houston. We’ll see if they can get off to a faster start at home.

Storylines galore.

Oklahoma State will host Big 12 newcomer BYU for the first time ever. It’s Senior Day (although, who can really tell what eligibility is anymore anyway). Oh yeah, and Ollie Gordon II is tied for the FBS rushing lead with a chance to not only move ahead, but to help his team add another game (and opportunity to pad his lead).

But all of those are all subplots. Here’s the story: Win, and the Cowboys are in. Lose, and the Sooners are.

To think about where the Cowboys were in August, how they stormed back with that five-game win streak just to fall on their faces in Orlando — and still have the opportunity to play in their second Big 12 championship game in three years? That’s nothing short of amazing.

A 1B storyline is that winning also boxes Oklahoma out of a Red River Rematch for the Big 12 title — what would be a black eye on the league in those teams’ final year. If the Cowboys get supplanted for the Sooners in Arlington, it takes a little edge off of that pronounced Bedlam-ending win in Stillwater.

That’s a lot to unspool, but you can be sure that OSU coaches and players are focusing on getting through the Cougars and onto Arlington.

If you’re a PFB+ subscriber, head over to The Chamber. We’re already getting into it.

Injury Report: Elijah Collins out, Jaden Bray “closer to 100%”.

Uni Reveal: OSU goes B-O-B for season finale.

Pre-game Homework

PFB Staff predictions: We’re liking the Cowboys’ odds to get to Arlington.

Texas cleared the path for Cowboys to Arlington. They just need to close.

Previewing the OSU-BYU QB matchup.