Oklahoma State's Big Second Half Lifts Them Over Cincinnati, Winning 45-13
Week 9 of college football also happened to be homecoming for Oklahoma State as the Cowboys hosted the Cincinnati Bearcats. It wasn't an easy environment to play in, as a mix of cold weather, wind and rain impacted this one.
Behind a huge second half and third quarter in particular, the Cowboys were able to run away with this game, winning 45-13 and setting up for a potentially entertaining final Bedlam matchup in a week.
Oklahoma State, once again, got off to a hot start as they scored on their first drive for the fourth game in a row. Alan Bowman found Josiah Johnson on a play-action pass for 29 yards to get the game started.
Cincinnati then attempted to strike back, and they looked on pace to do so after a huge 43-yard play got them into the red zone, but the Cowboys defense tightened up and forced a field goal. The Bearcats, though, missed the field goal.
With two opportunities to extend their lead and go up two possessions, the Cowboys had to punt back to Cincinnati. The Bearcats, of course, made the Cowboys pay for that. Myles Montgomery took a run for 63 yards and squared the game off at 7-7, forcing the Cowboys' hand for a response.
It took the Cowboys a while, but after forcing a stop on the Bearcats, the Cowboys eventually took a 10-3 lead courtesy of Alex Hale and his 28-yard field goal.
While he didn't find the end zone in the first half, Leon Johnson had an incredible first half, reeling in three catches for 83 receiving yards midway through the game. He stepped up in a big way in the absence of a few other wide receivers.
After a first half that saw plenty of wasted potential, the Cowboys' defense got the ball back from the Bearcats to start the second half, and the offense backed them up. Ollie Gordon rushed for 42 yards to set up an eventual 15-yard touchdown pass where Bowman connected with Brennan Presley, which gave the Cowboys a 17-7 lead over Cincinnati.
The defense responded to the touchdown with a stop, and this led to an eventual Gordon touchdown as he was well across the century mark of yards, too. He had gotten going and Presley was finding success in the passing game.
From there, the Cowboys' offense was moving quite seamlessly. Presley was the next player to find the end zone, which was his second touchdown of the game. This time, though, Presley scored on a one-yard rush. This gave the Cowboys a 31-7 lead over the Bearcats.
Both Gordon and Elijah Collins cruised into the end zone to run the score up late in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys were then able to cruise to victory, defeating the Bearcats 45-13.
Gordon finished with 25 carries which went for 271 yards and two touchdowns. This was good for 10.8 yards per carry. On the season, Gordon is up to 1,109 rushing yards.
The Cowboys also saw an offensive breakout from Leon Johnson, who finished with 149 receiving yards on five receptions. His big play ability significantly boosted the Cowboys' offense on the night.
Advancing to 6-2 on the season, the Cowboys now control their destiny for the Big 12 Championship game, as they could use Bedlam to boost into a firm position to make the conference championship. They'll play at 2:30 p.m. CT next Saturday and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
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