Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 JANUARY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: OKLAHOMA STATE Sept. 4: Oklahoma State 23, Missouri State 16 The Cowboys stopped the Bears twice on fourth down during the last two minutes to hold on for a 23-16 victory. Oklahoma State, which built a 20-0 first-half lead behind the play of backup quarterback Shane Illingworth (315 yards and one touchdown through the air), botched a kickoff return deep in its own territory up just seven points with 3:06 remaining before the defense came up with its big stops. Sept. 11: Oklahoma State 28, Tulsa 23 Oklahoma State found itself trailing the Golden Hurricane 17-14 in the fourth quarter before redshirt senior running back LD Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Redshirt senior running back Jaylen Warren was limited to 37 rushing yards, but his 11-yard touchdown run on OSU's next drive helped seal the victory. Sept. 18: Oklahoma State 21, Boise State 20 The Cowboys leaned on their rushing attack to grind out a road win, throw- ing the ball just 13 times while rushing for 246 yards. Warren ran for 218 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense pitched a second-half shutout. Boise State had a chance to steal the win after a turnover late in the game, but the Broncos hooked a 36-yard field goal attempt wide left with 2:05 remaining. Sept. 25: Oklahoma State 31, No. 25 Kansas State 20 Oklahoma State jumped on the Wildcats for 31 first-half points behind redshirt junior quarterback Spencer Sanders and Warren. Sanders completed 22 of 34 throws for 344 yards and two touchdowns, plus rushed for a score, while Warren produced 204 total yards on 31 touches. The Cowboys' defense forced two turnovers and added a score of its own when senior linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez recovered a fumble in the end zone. Oct. 2: No. 19 Oklahoma State 24, No. 21 Baylor 14 The Cowboys got another strong effort from their defense, limiting the Bears to just 280 yards to help overcome three turnovers. Sanders accounted for 258 yards of total offense and one touchdown, but threw three interceptions. Warren rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Tay Martin had seven receptions for 108 yards. Oct. 9: No. 12 Oklahoma State 32, No. 25 Texas 24 Oklahoma State rallied from a 17-3 deficit after getting a spark from its defense. Redshirt junior safety Jason Taylor II returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown to start the comeback. Tanner Brown completed the rally with a 29-yard field goal — his fourth of the game — with 4:37 left, then Sanders added a 10-yard touchdown run with 2:18 to go for insurance. Oct. 23: Iowa State 24, No. 8 Oklahoma State 21 Sanders — who threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns — connected with Martin on a 25-yard scoring pass for a 21-17 lead with 8:36 remaining, but the Cyclones rallied to hand the Cowboys their first loss of the year. Running back Breece Hall scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard run with 5:29 to go, then the Iowa State defense got a fourth-down stop at the 1:09 mark after OSU reached the Cyclones' 41-yard line. Oct. 30: No. 15 Oklahoma State 55, Kansas 3 Oklahoma State dominated an undermanned Jayhawks squad, outgaining them 331-49 in total yards en route to a 38-0 halftime advantage that al- lowed the squad to rest its starters in the second half. The Cowboys defense held Kansas to 143 yards of total offense (44 passing, 99 rushing) and seven first downs for its best defensive effort in nine years. Nov. 6: No. 11 Oklahoma State 24, West Virginia 3 Another dominant defensive performance spurred the Pokes on to an easy win in Morgantown. After allowing an opening-drive field goal, Oklahoma State shut down West Virginia. The Mountaineers were limited to just 133 total yards (64 of which came on their first drive) and 2.3 yards per play, while the Cowboys notched a season-high eight sacks. Nov. 13: No. 10 Oklahoma State 63, TCU 17 Oklahoma State racked up 682 yards of total offense against the Horned Frogs, including an impressive 447 on the ground. Warren led the way with 113 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore Dominic Richard- son posted a team-high 134 yards with two scores of his own. The Cowboys defense recorded seven more sacks. Nov. 20: No. 9 Oklahoma State 23, Texas Tech 0 The Cowboys wrapped up their first-ever Big 12 title game appearance by posting their first road shutout since 1995 against a Texas Tech program that hadn't been blanked since 1997. OSU registered five sacks and totally smothered the Red Raiders, who man- aged only 108 total yards and 1.9 yards per play. Nov. 27: No. 7 Oklahoma State 37, No. 10 Oklahoma 33 Oklahoma State snapped a six-game losing streak against the Sooners, overcoming a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Sanders' 37-yard rush- ing touchdown with 13:52 to pulled them within two, then Warren scored the winning points on a one-yard run with 8:54 remaining. The Cowboys were outgained 441-354 in total yards and lost the turnover battle 3-0, including a fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown, but still managed to knock off their archrival. Dec. 4: No. 9 Baylor 21, No. 5 Oklahoma State 16 Senior running back Dezmon Jackson came up inches short on a desperate, fourth-down dive near the goal line with 24 seconds left in the game and the Cowboys suffered a heartbreaking loss that prevented them from winning their first Big 12 title since 2011. The Bears built a 21-3 advantage in the second quarter but managed only 36 total yards in the second half. However, with Warren sidelined and Sanders throw- ing four interceptions, the Cowboys were unable to complete the comeback. Note: The Associated Press poll was used for rankings until the College Football Playoff rankings came out in Week 10. — Steve Downey The Cowboys snapped a six-game losing streak against Oklahoma with a 37-33 victory in their Bedlam rivalry game Nov. 27. PHOTO COURTESY OKLAHOMA STATE ATHLETICS Oklahoma State's Season In Review