No. 6 Oklahoma State gets upset by Texas, 41-34 in overtime

Oklahoma State’s undefeated season is over after a 41-34 overtime loss to Texas on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

The sixth-ranked Cowboys (4-1, 3-1 Big 12) gave up an 11-point lead in the second half to Texas when Sam Ehlinger found Jake Smith for a go-ahead, 12-yard touchdown with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter.

After exchanging punts, OSU drove 88 yards in only 63 seconds to tie the game when Alex Hale kicked a 34-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. The Cowboys then stopped Texas’ kick return to officially force overtime.

Then in case this game was spooky enough, it goes into overtime. OSU won the coin toss and chose to start on defense. Thomas Harper was called for pass interference while covering Joshua Moore on a third-and-8 play to extend Texas’ drive. It was controversial as it looked on replay as if Moore tripped over his own feet. Two plays later, Ehlinger found Moore for the go-ahead touchdown.

When the Cowboys got the ball back, they couldn’t get anything going. They came so close on a pass to Jelani Woods. He would have a play that was negated on a call for ineligible man down the field against Teven Jenkins. It was the bad cherry top of a horrible day for the Cowboys.

OSU managed only seven yards on their next three plays before a fourth-down sack from Joseph Ossai sealed the game, handing the Big 12’s last undefeated team its first loss.

The Cowboys out-gained Texas 530-287 and held the Longhorns to 2-of-15 on third down, but four turnovers — and a fair share of costly penalties — prevented the Cowboys from staying undefeated. OSU allowed 21 points off turnovers.

Spencer Sanders started with an 11-yard strike to Tylan Wallace then some miscommunication with Chuba Hubbard led to a fumble, the first of two from Sanders, that led to a Texas score.

After exchanging punts, OSU needed only five plays to drive 62 yards to take a 14-7 lead. LD Brown bursted free for 32 yards then Sanders connected with Landon Wolf from 25 yards to set up a 5-yard score.

Sanders threw an ill-advised pass, which Jalen Green intercepted and ran back 41 yards to the OSU 8. Aside from Hubbard as the tweet below mentions, Sanders could’ve thrown to Jelani Woods, who was running across the middle of the field. Hubbard, however, likely would’ve been able to turn the corner and get closer to the first-down marker.

The Cowboys defense, as they often have this season, bailed out the offense and held Texas to a 20-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker for the Longhorns to take their first lead of the game, 17-14.

Sanders responded by leading OSU on a 7-play, 75-yard drive in 2:41. He ended the drive with a 35-yard run, with an incredible juke on Juwan Mitchell, then a 5-yard pass to Hubbard to regain the lead, 21-17.

The Cowboys took their largest lead, 31-20, on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Wallace with eight minutes to go in the third. But the Longhorns responded on the ensuing kickoff when D’Shawn Jamison went 100 yards for a score.

Jason Elmquist of the Stillwater News-Press pointed out something of note after Texas’ special teams touchdown.

The teams traded two punts apiece until LD Brown fumbled for OSU’s fourth turnover of the game, which Ossai scooped up and set Texas at the 41.

Ehlinger led the Longhorns on a 15-play, 68-yard drive which chewed up almost eight minutes on the clock for a 34-31 lead. OSU’s defense forced a fourth down three times. A roughing the kicker penalty on Kanion Williams extended the drive then Ehlinger had two completions to Jake Smith of 9 and 12 yards, the the later being the go-ahead score from the OSU 12.

Sanders was 27 of 39 for a career-high 400 yards and four touchdowns, but threw one interception and lost two fumbles in the first half. Wallace had 11 catches for 187 yards and two scores.

The Cowboys fall to 3-1 in conference play, a half-game back of Iowa State and Kansas State at the top of the Big 12. OSU handed the Cyclones their lone conference loss a week ago. ISU handled Kansas, 52-22, on Saturday in Lawrence.

Up next

OSU visits K-State next week in Manhattan. The Wildcats will also be coming off an upset loss after a 37-10 setback at West Virginia.