Story & Photos By
Michael Kinney
STILLWATER– After more than three and a half quarters of almost nonexistent offense, Oklahoma State waited until the final minutes Saturday to wake up against Utah.
However, despite a late fourth-quarter surge, the Cowboys lost 22-19 to the Utes at Boone Pickens Stadium. The defeat was the first of the year for the Pokes while Utah kept their record unblemished at 4-0.
While OSU coach Mike Gundy was quick to give Utah credit, he knows his squad let an opportunity slip away.
‘I have a ton of respect for (Utah),” Gundy said. “Ton of class in that organization. But I told the team, “You guys gave them a game.”
Utah played without quarterback Cam Rising. The Heisman Trophy hopeful sat out with an injury to his arm.
Rising’s replacement Isaac Wilson didn’t light up the scoreboard but was able to make enough plays on crucial downs to keep the chains moving against a tired Pokes defense. The Utes won the time of possession battle 42 minutes to 17.
“I see that we had 42 minutes and they had 17,” Wilson said. “That’s how you take control of a game. The defense did their part in keeping them off the field.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, Utah seemingly put the game away on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Brant Kuithe. They went up 22-3 and fans from both schools had begun to stream out of the stadium.
But that was when OSU decided it was time to play. It took less than a minute for Alan Bowman to drive Oklahoma State downfield and score on a touchdown pass to Brennan Presley at the 5:37 mark.
The Poke’s defense got a stop and put the ball back in the hands of Bowman. He once again guided the offense the length of the field before connecting with Rashod Owens on a nine-yard touchdown throw. The ensuing 2-point conversion cut the lead down to three points with just 1:47 left.
Oklahoma State failed to get the onside kick. But with one time out left if they were able to get one stop there would be time for a miracle.
Unfortunately for OSU, that stop never came and Utah was able to run out the clock and end the game.
The Pokes were held to 285 yards of total offense. That includes just 57 yards out of the ground game.
“We gave up about 5.7 yards per carry. We only rushed for 3.1 yards per carry, which makes it difficult to win” Gundy said.
Conversely, the Utes poured in a balanced attack of 249 rushing yards and 207 yards through the air.
“Our plan is to be a physical run team and then use the play-action pass off that run game,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “You saw the touchdown to Brant Kuithe. It was the biggest play of the game.”
Oklahoma State will look to get back on track Sept. 28 with a trip to Manhattan Kanas to take on Kansas State.
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