Cowboys Comeback Over BYU Sends OSU To Arlington

Ollie Gordon II ran for his fifth touchdown of the game in the second overtime, and No. 21 Oklahoma State rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat BYU 40-34 on Saturday, securing a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.

BYU had a chance to win after Gordon’s final score, but Oklahoma State’s Trey Rucker ripped the ball from Isaac Rex after a catch and recovered the fumble to end it. The Cowboys celebrated after the play was confirmed by replay review.

Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2 Big 12, No. 20 CFP) eliminated rival Oklahoma from the title game. The Cowboys will play No. 7 Texas next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Gordon, who entered the week as the nation’s leading rusher, finished with 166 yards rushing on a cold, rainy day and has 1,580 this season. Alan Bowman passed for 321 yards and Leon Johnson III had nine catches for 132 yards for Oklahoma State, which matched the third-largest comeback in school history.

Jake Retzlaff passed for 166 yards and ran for two touchdowns for BYU (5-7, 2-7), which needed a win to become bowl eligible. Retzlaff started in place of Kedon Slovis, who has been fighting shoulder and elbow injuries.

The teams traded scores in the final minute to force overtime. Gordon’s 15-yard touchdown with 53 seconds remaining put Oklahoma State ahead 27-24, but BYU’s Simi Moala blocked the extra point. BYU finally put some offense together, and Will Ferrin made a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Retzlaff and Gordon traded rushing touchdowns in the first overtime before Gordon’s go-ahead 2-yard run in the second OT.

BYU led 24-6 at halftime. Gordon’s first touchdown, a 2-yarder four minutes into the third quarter, got the Cowboys within nine. Another 2-yard touchdown by Gordon and a 2-point conversion pass from Bowman to Rashod Owens cut BYU’s lead to 24-21 with 10:53 remaining.

Retzlaff scored on a 2-yard run to put the Cougars ahead 7-6 late in the first quarter. BYU seemingly gained more momentum by recovering an onside kick, but an illegal block took it away.

Early in the second quarter, Eddie Heckard intercepted Bowman and ran it back 13 yards for a touchdown to put the Cougars up 14-6.

The Cougars struck again, closing an 89-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run by Keelan Marion. BYU added a 42-yard field goal by Ferrin before halftime.

THE TAKEAWAY

BYU: The Cougars were gritty and tough, much like they were in a seven-point loss to Oklahoma the week before. But they couldn’t sustain drives for most of the second half, allowing Oklahoma State to rally.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys overcame mistakes by outgaining the Cougars 503 yards to 327.

UP NEXT

BYU: Season over.

Oklahoma State: With three losses, the Cowboys won’t make the College Football Playoff, but they could knock the Longhorns out of playoff contention with a win next week.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football