Ranking Every Oklahoma State Game in 2023: No. 13 UCF
Oklahoma State was among the best in college football in the second half of 2023, but not every game went well.
After a disappointing 2-2 start, OSU rattled off five straight wins and controlled its destiny for the Big 12 title game. OSU capped the five-game winning streak with a comeback win against Oklahoma in the final Bedlam matchup on the schedule.
However, the Cowboys’ momentum from Bedlam was halted dramatically a week later. OSU had its first road matchup against one of the new conference opponents, traveling to UCF.
In Orlando, the Cowboys played through torrential rains and struggled to find anything to be optimistic about. The Knights won that game 45-3, as they held the Cowboys to their lowest-scoring total of the 2023 campaign.
READ MORE: Report: Oklahoma State in the Mix for 4-star Wing Ryan Crotty
Ollie Gordon fumbled on OSU’s opening drive, followed by an Alan Bowman interception on the second. While OSU struggled to make anything happen, a 17-point deficit in the early stages of the second quarter seemed possible to overcome.
However, OSU’s offense again stalled out and had to punt, which led to John Rhys Plumlee’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson. While UCF had a big play through the air to help it take a 24-0 lead to halftime, running back R.J. Harvey dominated.
Harvey finished the matchup with 24 carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns, easily outplaying Gordon, who finished with 12 carries for only 25 yards. OSU scored a field goal to start the second half and forced a fumble to set up deep in UCF territory before a Bowman interception ended the drive. UCF put the game out of reach on the first play after the interception with Harvey's 92-yard score on the ground.
OSU rebounded to win its final two regular season games and make the Big 12 Championship, but the team felt the hopelessness of September again in the mid-November blowout.
Ranking OSU's 2023 season:
READ MORE: Oklahoma State to Honor 1974 Fiesta Bowl Team Next Season
Want to join the discussion? Like AllPokes on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
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.