Ranking Every Oklahoma State Game in 2023: No. 14 South Alabama
Oklahoma State turned around its season after a rough start, but its nonconference finale was the team’s lowest point.
OSU finished last season with 10 wins and made a trip to the Big 12 Championship. Of the thousands of people in Boone Pickens Stadium in mid-September last season, none would have believed that as they walked out of the stadium.
After two uninspiring nonconference wins against Central Arkansas and Arizona State, the Cowboys hosted South Alabama and looked poised for a last-place finish in the Big 12 by the end of the night. OSU entered the game as a 6.5-point favorite but did not deliver in any way.
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Still trying the three-quarterback system, Alan Bowman got the start and did not look impressive. He completed six of his 12 passes for 42 yards and an interception.
South Alabama’s Caulin Lacy caught a 39-yard touchdown early and La’Damian Webb ran for a touchdown on the first play after Bowman’s interception to take an early 16-0 lead. Offenses stalled out for most of the second quarter before Lacy caught a 59-yard touchdown just before halftime and sent the Cowboys to the locker room facing a 23-0 deficit.
Gunnar Gundy was the second quarterback to see the field, and he also looked rough. Still, he led OSU in passing yards and helped the team to its only touchdown drive of the night in the fourth quarter. After OSU scored to cut the lead to 16, the team forced a punt, but Brennan Presley muffed it, and South Alabam sealed the game with another score.
Infamously, Ollie Gordon had only five touches throughout the game, with three carries and two receptions. While the fix was simple, OSU did not look capable of turning around a disastrous start to the season.
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IVAN WHITE
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.