Oklahoma State's Upset Bid Falls Short After BYU's Last-Second Touchdown
The Cowboys had their chances but couldn’t finish in a heartbreaking loss on the road.
Oklahoma State lost to No. 13 BYU 38-35 on Friday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Coming into the game without a win in Big 12 play, OSU fell in heartbreaking fashion.
In the final moments, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff found Darius Lassiter for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Cougars the lead. With only 10 seconds left, OSU had no chance to respond.
After Will Ferrin’s field goal gave BYU a 31-28 lead, OSU took its time driving downfield as it looked to pull an improbable upset. Desperate for a first down, Alan Bowman found Brennan Presley on a screen pass to convert a third-and-13 on the first play out of the two-minute warning. A few plays later, Presley would finish the drive to give OSU a 35-31 lead with 1:13 left.
In the third quarter, Jake Retzlaff found Keelan Marion for a 34-yard touchdown on the first play after a Bowman interception. That pushed the Cougars back in front as they looked to regain control of the game.
However, Bowman would soon respond, but not in his usual way. After the Cowboys marched downfield, a trick play saw Presley find Bowman, who followed blockers into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown catch.
Garret Rangel made some solid plays in his first start this season and gave the Cowboys reason to believe they could pull the upset. His 56-yard run late in the second quarter set up Ollie Gordon’s third touchdown to give OSU the lead just before halftime. However, Rangel had a rough landing on his big gain, forcing him to exit the game, holding his left shoulder as he went to the locker room.
Without Rangel, OSU’s first drive of the second half stalled in BYU territory, leading to Logan Ward missing a 48-yard field goal attempt. After the miss, the Cougars rushed all the way downfield before LJ Martin’s 9-yard touchdown run capped off the drive to tie the game at 21 midway through the third.
After struggling throughout the first six games, Gordon made an impact to begin the game. On the Cowboys’ first drive, he went for a 50-yard touchdown to tie the game. He was great for the Cowboys throughout the game, finishing with 129 total yards and three touchdowns.
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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.