Oklahoma State's Win Against BYU Another Example of Resiliency This Season
Oklahoma State punched its ticket to the Big 12 Championship the only way it knows how: with its back against the wall.
The Cowboys used an 18-point comeback against BYU to clinch a berth in Arlington. But Saturday’s 40-34 win in double overtime was far from the first time the Cowboys had to fight through adversity.
Against BYU, Alan Bowman’s pick-six in the second quarter set up a difficult path for OSU to win. A couple of other BYU scores before halftime made it 24-6, as it looked like OSU would cede its conference title game bid to its biggest rival, Oklahoma.
Ollie Gordon set up the Cowboys for a win with his 15-yard touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter, but Alex Hale’s missed extra point gave the Cougars a field goal to tie it as time expired. Then, Jake Retzlaff ran it in on the first possession of overtime to put the Cowboys down a touchdown.
But Gordon would not be denied as he sent OSU to a second overtime and then took the lead with his fifth touchdown. With Trey Rucker’s strip and recovery, OSU sealed the win and led Mike Gundy to reflect on the wild season.
"It’s amazing what a group of young men and a team can accomplish if they ignore the outside circumstances and grind,” Gundy said.
The outside circumstances have been plentiful for Gundy’s team this season, as no reasonable person would have put OSU in the conference title game after losses to South Alabama and Iowa State. However, the bye week before a matchup with Kansas State was enough to turn the season around.
The Cowboys began to rely heavily on Gordon offensively and played much more physical defense to address the missed tackle concerns of the early season. That strategy helped them take a four-game winning streak into Bedlam.
Again, facing adversity throughout that game, OSU overcame OU’s fourth-quarter lead to win after stopping Drake Stoops short of a first down. But with OSU controlling its Big 12 destiny, it came up empty with a 42-point loss to UCF.
OSU was not out of the chase for a championship game bid, but with a 23-9 deficit against Houston the week after, it looked like it was over. Just as they did Saturday against BYU, OSU made a comeback and won by a couple of scores to keep the season’s goals alive.
OSU may not win the championship game against Texas, but the team's resiliency is something to build on in 2024. Still, OSU is confident in its chance to bring home a Big 12 title.
"They’re really good, but I like my team," Gundy said.
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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.