Burning Answers: Lessons Learned in Oklahoma State's Shootout Loss
Oklahoma State nearly pulled it off.
The Cowboys were tied with the Texas Tech Red Raiders at a few points throughout the second half, but they fell short 56-48. Their performance was still an inspired one and gave fans a reason to stick around in the season’s final home game.
A couple of late turnovers sealed OSU’s loss and kept Mike Gundy’s team winless in Big 12 play. Still, OSU was in a position for its first win in over two months and just couldn’t get things to fall its way.
Answers to burning questions for OSU’s Senior Day matchup:
Can the OSU defense slow Tahj Brooks?
Brooks finished his afternoon in Stillwater with 28 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Considering OSU allowed 543 total yards and Brooks finished right around his season average, the Cowboys did a solid job.
Brooks’ 40-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat on fourth-and-1 was the only massive bust the Cowboys’ defense had all game. Still, that run pushed Brooks over the 100-yard mark and gave Texas Tech one of its many scores.
Can the seniors go out with a bang?
Unfortunately, the Cowboys couldn’t get a win in their seniors’ final game in Boone Pickens Stadium. However, the crowd was engaged throughout the game, and the team continued to give them something to cheer about.
Does Alan Bowman get the majority of snaps at quarterback?
Despite being listed as QB1 on the depth chart going into the week, there was always a chance Bowman wouldn’t start. Still, it was a bit surprising when Maealiuaki Smith took the field on the first series, and Bowman never took a snap on Senior Day.
Smith looked impressive in his first full game, throwing for 326 yards, two touchdowns and one desperation interception at the end of the game. With Smith set to start at Colorado in the season finale, OSU might have found its man under center moving forward.
Do the Cowboys look like a different team after the bye week?
Yes. OSU looked like a team excited to be on the field, and the players were more than ready to give it their all for 60 minutes. As Gundy noted in the postgame press conference, Saturday’s matchup did indeed feel like an old-school Big 12 game where the offenses trade blows.
That alone showed how much different OSU looked. The Cowboys scored 48 points on Saturday, compared to 34 points in their past two games combined.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.