Oklahoma State Comeback Falls Short Against Iowa State
Oklahoma State threw away what may have been its best opportunity at a conference win this season.
After forcing a late three-and-out, the Cowboys had one last chance to tie the game but could not finish the job. Alan Bowman, trying to make a play on fourth down, threw a game-sealing interception to give the Cyclones a 34-27 win and move both teams to 2-2.
ISU freshman quarterback Rocco Becht killed the OSU defense all game. Becht finished with 348 yards and three touchdowns to lead ISU to its first conference win of the season.
Becht’s touchdown throws were all significant gains, including a 26-yard pass to Daniel Jackson to put the Cyclones up two possessions for the first time. On their next possession, Becht and running back Eli Sanders helped push the lead to 14 after a Collin Oliver roughing-the-passer penalty kickstarted the Cyclones' drive.
After getting minimal touches last week against South Alabama, Ollie Gordon was clearly a focal point of the OSU offense. Gordon finished with 18 carries for 121 yards.
The running back’s biggest play was a 71-yard run on the Cowboys’ first scoring drive of the afternoon. That gain set up a Bowman touchdown run from 11 yards out, putting the Cowboys on the board first.
Bowman had only one interception before the one that sealed the game, but it was a critical blow to the OSU offense. OSU was driving downfield on its first drive of the second half and had gotten into ISU territory before Bowman was picked. The OSU offense struggled to get much going for a while after that turnover.
With some help from the Cowboys’ defense, Bowman kept them in the game until the final moments but could not pull off the comeback. There are some positives the Cowboys can take from this game, but they still have a lot of work to do to get back on track as they head into the bye week.
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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.