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A freezing Saturday night in November would define how this season would be viewed by the fans. Oklahoma State hasn't lived up to even the lowest expectations to start the season, but becoming bowl eligible could have saved a little bit of dignity for the fans. The Cowboys need one more win to punch their ticket to the post-season, last night's game looked to be the last 'winnable' game on the schedule. We were wrong. There weren't/aren't any winnable games left. Oklahoma State will not go bowling, nor do they really deserve to.
Texas embarrassed the Pokes in front of a shivering, and disappointed home crowd. As numbness overtook my toes, and I contemplated why I keep subjecting myself to this torture, the brand new ribbon board pierced the night sky with OSU's failure. With 13:09 left in the game the Pokes had just two first downs, 56 total yards, and 55 penalty yards. That's.... well, I'm not sure of a word that encompasses just how bad that is. 'Pathetic' seems too... positive.
The Cowboys found just enough offense in the fourth quarter to mask some of the pain. Here's the box score from the game.
TEAM STATS | :format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2461346/i.0.png)
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|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | OKLAHOMA STATE | |
| 1st Downs | 24 | 9 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 11-19 | 2-13 |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Total Yards | 430 | 192 |
| Passing | 305 | 158 |
| Comp-Att | 24-33 | 17-29 |
| Yards per pass | 9.2 | 5.4 |
| Rushing | 125 | 34 |
| Rushing Attempts | 43 | 23 |
| Yards per rush | 2.9 | 1.5 |
| Penalties | 6 / 49 yards | 5 / 70 yards |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 1 |
| Possession | 38:37 | 21:23 |
| Stats via ESPN | ||
That means Oklahoma State's final two drives (not counting the three plays to end the game) accounted for 71% of their total yards. The game was so bad the only highlights were the 8-yard touchdown pass to James Washington, the fireworks shot from the roof of BPS, and the Punt, Pass & Kick finale where Copan Combs slipped the football through the uprights for $10,000!
Sadly that's where Oklahoma State is as a program. The only thing left for the fans to get excited about are new helmets, ribbon boards, and fireworks. In other words, anything but football. So whether you feel that staying for the entire game earns you some sort of sadistic badge of honor, or you decide to save your sanity and head for the nearest exit sign, we're all in agreement, this is a lost season.
We thought, nay we were promised, Oklahoma State was beyond the struggles that plagued their past. World-class facilities, improved recruiting, and 10-win seasons had announced the Cowboys arrival on the national stage. The stage where they were absolutely embarrassed on last night. So there are no 'hot takes' or over-reaction. It is that bad.
Scoring |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST QUARTER | TEXAS | OK STATE | |||
|
|
TD | 8:07 |
John Harris 19 yard pass from Tyrone Swoopes (Two-Point Run Conversion Failed) DRIVE: 10 plays, 57 yards in 5:10 |
6 | 0 |
|
|
TD | 2:33 |
Johnathan Gray 6 yard Run (Nick Rose Kick) DRIVE: 9 plays, 81 yards in 3:58 |
13 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | TEXAS | OK STATE | |||
|
|
FG | 9:33 | Nick Rose 51 yard Field Goal DRIVE: 12 plays, 31 yards in 5:27 |
16 | 0 |
|
|
FG | 0:43 | Nick Rose 34 yard Field Goal DRIVE: 7 plays, 29 yards in 1:09 |
19 | 0 |
| THIRD QUARTER | TEXAS | OK STATE | |||
|
|
FG | 7:37 | Nick Rose 44 yard Field Goal DRIVE: 8 plays, 53 yards in 4:42 |
22 | 0 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | TEXAS | OK STATE | |||
|
|
TD | 9:02 |
James Washington 8 yard pass from Daxx Garman (Ben Grogan Kick) DRIVE: 10 plays, 61 yards in 4:07 |
22 | 7 |
|
|
TD | 4:31 |
Armanti Foreman 45 yard pass from Tyrone Swoopes (Nick Rose PAT blocked) DRIVE: 8 plays, 91 yards in 4:31 |
28 | 7 |
| Stats via ESPN | |||||
Texas, a team facing their own obstacles this season, methodically and systematically beat down the Pokes. They didn't exercise the scoreboard like Baylor will next week, but they didn't need to. The blueprint to beat OSU is all too easy. Bring Pressure. That's it. Kansas exposed the full weakness of the offensive line, and every team since has been happy to follow in their foot steps. The Longhorns dropped Garman seven times. I'm not sure Brandon Weeden was sacked that many times in his entire career at OSU.
Unfortunately by this time next week, we might be looking back on this game with loving memory. The Baylor Bears are up next, and I have a feeling they aren't in a very forgiving mood.