BYU saw its bowl hopes fade Saturday with a 40-34 double-overtime loss to No. 20 Oklahoma State.
The Cougars led 24-6 at halftime, but stagnated in the second half and were ultimately overwhelmed by the Cowboys, who lost for the final time this season.
Here are three takeaways from BYU’s fifth straight loss, one that dropped the Cougars to 5-7 on the season:
The Cowboys and Ollie Gordon took over
After Oklahoma State failed to reach the end zone in the first half, the Cowboys scored five touchdowns in the second half and overtime, all thanks to star running back Ollie Gordon II.
Gordon’s third score – a 15-yarder – gave the Cowboys the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
As the game went into overtime, Gordon added two more touchdowns, including the game-winning 2-yarder in the second OT.
Gordon, who entered the contest leading the nation in rushing yards per game, finished with 166 yards rushing on 34 carries.
He ran for 77 yards in the first half and rushed for 89 yards in the final two quarters and overtime as BYU’s defense faded after a solid first half.
BYU’s offensive woes in the second half negated a strong second quarter
BYU led by three points at halftime after outscoring Oklahoma State 17-0 in the second quarter. The Cougars’ offense accounted for 10 of those points, while the defense also scored (more on that in a minute).
BYU marched 89 yards in six plays on a touchdown drive late in the second half to take a 21-6 lead. Most impressive offensive moment of the night – Jake Retzlaff completed passes of 25 and 50 yards on the possession, ending in an 11-6 score. Yard Keelan Marion touchdown run on a jet sweep.
The Cougars later scored a field goal after a successful fake punt – a 36-yard pass to Tyler Batty – put BYU in prime position to extend its lead with a 42-yard field goal by Will Ferrin.
Despite the positive momentum BYU built on offense in the first half – BYU had 202 total yards of offense in the first two quarters compared to 169 yards for OSU – the Cougars turned back in the second half.
BYU recorded just two first downs in the second half and totaled 56 yards on offense on six straight drives – all punts – before a drive in the final minute of regulation ended with a 48-yard field goal by Ferrin , which forced an extension.
However, by the time BYU scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Retzlaff in the first overtime, the Cougars were already pulling back and OSU took the momentum right to their side.
The game ended with BYU’s second turnover of the night – a fumble by Isaac Rex on the final play of the game. Trey Rucker took the ball away as Rex was fighting for a first down.
In his fourth straight start, Retzlaff completed just 14 of 30 passes for 161 yards and lost a fumble on BYU’s second offensive play as the Cougars went three-and-out on six of their 14 possessions.
BYU’s defense simply let up
Commendable is Oklahoma State University quarterback Alan Bowman – he overcame a difficult first half and completed 31 of 47 passes for 321 yards.
Eddie Heckard intercepted Bowman twice, the first being a 13-yard pick-six in the second quarter that gave BYU a 14-6 lead.
Heckard’s second interception ended a promising drive into BYU territory in the third quarter.
There were other positive moments for the Cougar defense, like holding Oklahoma State to two field goals in the first half and Batty’s sack in the third quarter that led to a punt after the Cowboys reached the BYU 30-yard line had achieved.
However, far too often the Cougars failed to make plays at crucial moments in the second half, such as a fourth-and-2 conversion for Oklahoma State at midfield that led to Gordon’s go-ahead touchdown in the final minute.
The Cowboys ran 88 plays, BYU had 69, and finally Oklahoma State took control.
The Cougars were also called three times for pass interference in the end zone, and each time it resulted in a short Gordon touchdown.
At the end of the game, the Cowboys had totaled 509 yards of offense and secured their place in the Big 12 Championship with the win.
What’s next?
Season over.
BYU was once 5-2 before entering the most difficult part of its schedule. However, after a bye in early October, the Cougars never won again as they lost five straight to end the season.
For the second time in 19 years, BYU will not play in a bowl.