Record Book Look: The Largest Fourth-Quarter Comebacks in OSU History

In researching this, it turns out the cardiac Cowboys mantra has long been a thing following Oklahoma State athletic programs.

A good comeback is one of the best moments in sports. It’s the type of thing they make movies about. Here are the six biggest fourth-quarter comebacks in OSU’s history.

1. 20 points against Colorado in 1979

Coming off a 31-point loss to Oklahoma the week before, the 4-4 Cowboys were getting thumped 20-0 entering the fourth quarter in Boulder against the 1-7 Buffaloes.

That was until senior quarterback Harold Bailey got cooking in the fourth quarter. The first points the Cowboys scored actually came off a Bailey reception on a trick play. Running back Terry Suellentrop made the pass.

Bailey threw a pass to Don Echols to make it 20-14, and then he led a five-play, 38-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Mel Campbell.

It was a nice confidence boost for the Pokes, who won their final two games of the season to finish 7-4.

Bailey finished that season with 1,301 pass yards, an impressive feat considering the most he threw before that in a season was 267.

2. 14 points against Oklahoma in 2014

This was the day that saved the 2014 season and gave the program as a whole some momentum heading into the Mason Rudolph era.

Oklahoma scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the second quarter. No body scored in the third, and the teams traded touchdowns to start the fourth. So, down 35-21 with 7:54 to play, Rudolph, Tyreek Hill — and even OU coach Bob Stoops — carried the Pokes to a bowl game.

It started with a two-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a 43-yard connection between Rudolph and Brandon Sheperd. But then it looked like the Sooners were going to be able to stall for another Bedlam win.

OSU got the ball back with 3:56 to play. Rudolph was sacked, threw an incompletion then threw an interception to Zack Sanchez.

OU’s ensuing drive started at OSU’s 41 with 3:56 to go, still cushioning a touchdown lead. After three rushing attempts in which OU went backward, Stoops decided to punt.

Hill made a fair catch at OSU’s 15, but a running into the kicker was called on OSU defender Jordan Sterns. Stoops accepted the penalty that moved his punt attempt up from the 45 to the 40.

Hill caught the second punt at the 8-yard line and sprinted 92 yards into history. Hill’s score came with 45 seconds on the clock. The game went into overtime where OU kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed a field goal, and Ben Grogan nailed a 21-yarder to extend the Cowboys’ season.

It was just Rudolph’s second start and started a 12-game winning streak for the Pokes.

3. 11 points against Louisiana in 1986

OSU had a young team in 1986, and if it wasn’t for some what would come to be vintage Hart Lee Dykes play, the Cowboys would’ve started that season with a loss.

Ronnie Williams connected with Dykes for a touchdown with eight seconds to go to give OSU a 21-20 win. The Cowboys trailed 20-9 in the fourth.

Dykes also had a 45-yard receiving touchdown in the game and finished with 121 yards.

OSU stumbled out of the gates in that 1986 season, finishing its nonconference schedule just 2-2. However, the Cowboys were able to go 4-3 in Big Eight play to finish 6-5.

T4. 10 points against West Virginia in 2018

The one year of the Taylor Cornelius era was highlighted with two upsets in Boone Pickens Stadium, with OSU’s 45-41 win against No. 7 West Virginia coming on Cornelius’ senior night.

The Mountaineers scored with 14:56 to play to take a 34-24 lead.

Two drives later, Cornelius marched the Cowboys back down the field and capped off a drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Tyron Johnson, but then West Virginia clapped right back and scored on its next possession.

Down 41-31 with 7:07 to go, Cornelius accounted for 76 yards of OSU’s ensuing 78-yard drive that ended with a gutsy 9-yard TD scamper.

The Cowboy defense was able to hold and get Cornelius the ball back with 2:38 to play down 41-38.

Cornelius started the drive with a 17-yard run. After an incompletion, Cornelius ran for anther 12 yards. After another incompletion, Chuba Hubbard had back-to-back runs of 23 and 11 yards. Then Cornelius found his trusty target Tylan Wallace on a slant route for an 11-yard go-ahead score.

With just 42 seconds to go, West Virginia was able to march to OSU’s 14-yard line, but A.J. Green batted down a last-second pass to David Sills.

T4. 10 points against Iowa State in 2016

Iowa State entered its 2016 matchup against Oklahoma State in Boone Pickens Stadium just 1-4, but the Cyclones brought a 31-21 lead into the fourth quarter. In fact, with three minutes left in the third, ISU led 31-14.

It was an odd game in that it was obvious OSU was the better squad, but it just wasn’t coming together on the day. That was until the Pokes scored 24 unanswered in the game’s final 18 minutes to squeak by.

The Cowboys’ comeback started with 2:24 to go in the third quarter when Mason Rudolph hit James Washington for a 35-yard score.

Tre Flowers forced a fumble on the Cyclones’ next possession, and OSU scored on a Jalen McCleskey reception just nine seconds into the fourth to make it 31-28.

After OSU’s defense forced a three-and-out, OSU’s offense put together a six-play, 52-yard drive that ended in a Ben Grogan game-tying field goal.

After OSU did all that scoring, no one scored for about eight minutes before Washington capped off a 64-yard drive with his second touchdown of the day, a touchdown that would secure OSU’s 38-31 victory.

T4. 10 points against Iowa State in 2015

The Cyclones are back again.

OSU had won nine straight games to start the season heading into this matchup with the Iowa State, and it looked as if another perfect Poke campaign might end in Ames (spoiler alert, it ended the next week).

At one point in this game, OSU was down 24-7. The fourth quarter started with OSU down 31-21.

J.W. Walsh scored on a 16-yard run in OSU’s first drive of the final frame.

Jeff Carr scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:06 to play.

ISU would get the ball twice more with a chance to win, but OSU’s defense held true. Jordan Sterns picked off Joel Lanning with 1:38 to go, and the Pokes were able to ice it.