RECAP: Epic comeback falls short; Oklahoma State eliminated from Big 12 championship discussion

Well. . . that was something else. A furious fourth-quarter comeback fell short for the Cowboys as Kansas State marched into Boone Pickens Stadium and left with a 45-40 win.

Oklahoma State made it interesting, and I loved the fight from the Cowboys, but those first three quarters were inexcusable.

After taking a 10-7 lead after one, Oklahoma State fell apart until the fourth quarter. Kansas State outscored the Pokes 35-10 in the second and third quarters, which was ultimately too much to overcome. The Cowboys scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and had the ball in good field possession to go win the game on their final possession, but instead of an all-time comeback, it’s just more heartbreak.

Speaking entirely for myself right now, I was not that excited for this game. Once Texas Tech lost, I just couldn’t get as hyped as I usually do for an Oklahoma State football game.

And it really seems the players weren’t interested either.

Mason Rudolph was not himself for most of the game. He was inaccurate, his decision making was questionable, and he took some unnecessary sacks. Rudolph still put up monster numbers — 32 of 53 for 425 yards and three touchdowns — but two interceptions hurt an Oklahoma State team that only forced one turnover.

The defense was just as disappointing as the offense. Kansas State has literally been doing the same thing offensively since Bill Snyder was in diapers, yet another third-string quarterback tore us apart. Skylar Thompson was 10 of 13 for 204 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions through the air, combined with 93 rushing yards and a score on the ground. The Cowboys had no answer for Byron Pringle, who caught three touchdowns on only four passes for 166 yards. Pringle also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Wildcats were simply the more physical and motivated team, and as a result, they came away with the win.

It wasn’t all bad (agree to disagree) as James Washington had another stellar game. The Biletnikoff front-runner hauled in eight passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Even though most of the team just seemed off today, Washington still was on his A-game.

I've been an Oklahoma State fan my entire life; I can handle being below-average, average, above average, and life is pretty good when we’re good. But with expectations and hype and falling well short of our potential. . . it really sucks. So how do we take the next step as a program? Do we fire Mike Yurcich? Fire Glenn Spencer? Mike Gundy has created a monster at Oklahoma State, but can he feed it? Everyone has opinions about these questions, and I won’t pretend to have the answers.

Barring a massive upset next week, Oklahoma State is going to finish 9-3 in the regular season. For the third straight year, we’re looking at 10-3. A lot of us, including myself, will never buy into the hype again. All we can do at this point is beat Kansas, win our bowl game, and hope to God OU doesn’t win a national championship.

But whether we’re 0-12, 12-0, or any combination in between, Go Pokes.