Oklahoma State Stalls Out in Second Half, Losses to TCU 43-40 in Double Overtime
Despite holding a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma State lost to TCU in double overtime, 43-40.
It marks the Pokes first loss of the season, moving them to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in Big 12 play.
The Cowboys are 1-5 in overtime games under head coach Mike Gundy, with three of those losses coming with OSU ranked in the top 10 and marking their first loss of the season; Iowa State in the 2011 season, Texas in the 2020 season and now TCU in 2022.
“We had a 14-point lead multiple times and just never could put it away,” head coach Mike Gundy told the Cowboy Radio Network. “We had opportunities in different areas; we could not rush the football effective enough to balance our offense in the second half. [TCU] made some good calls coaching-wise in the fourth quarter and they made some plays. So, you have to give them credit for that. They’re a good football team, we know that. The tough part, for me, is we played well enough to win the game. We played better defensively than I thought we would against them playing here. They’re pretty high-powered right now.”
Rumors were all over the place on social media on Saturday ahead of the game regarding starting quarterback Spencer Sanders’ status. There were questions about him dealing with a rolled ankle, as well as him still dealing with a shoulder injury he sustained in the 41-31 win over Texas Tech last weekend.
Well, you could tell the shoulder wasn’t an issue early on as Spencer started the game with three passes on the Pokes’ opening drive and capped it with a 29-yard rush for a touchdown.
He threw six passes on the ensuing drive for 61 yards and had two carries for 13 yards, eight of which came at the end of the drive for a touchdown.
Spencer finished the first half going 8-of-17 for 129 yards and one touchdown through the air and four carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboy offense combined for 211 yards in the first half, 129 coming through the air.
The second half was a bit of a different story. The Pokes combined for 118 yards in the third quarter, 84 of which came through the air, but they were held to two field goals. The positive is the Cowboys held TCU to just 80-yards of total offense and three points.
The Cowboy offense stalled out in the fourth quarter as they failed to score, while the Horned Frogs scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with the second one coming on a 94-yard drive to score with less than two minutes left in the game, tying the game at 30 apiece.
TCU scored first and fast in the first overtime period, getting into the end zone on the second play of the period.
The Cowboys entered the overtime period having not scored a touchdown since the 12:56 mark of the second quarter. After three-straight busted plays, a one-yard rush and two incomplete passes, the Cowboys needed a miracle on 4th and nine. Going into the fourth down play, Spencer Sanders had gone just 1-of-9 passing before hitting Braydon Johnson for 23-yards down to the one-yard line. Dominic Richardson got into the end zone one play later to tie the game up at 37.
While the offensive line struggled late, especially in the overtime periods, it’s possible Spencer’s shoulder was bothering him as threw three-straight incomplete passes, leading to an impressive 52-yard field goal by Tanner Brown, a career-high, to give the Pokes a 40-37 lead.
As he had most of the second half, TCU quarterback Max Duggan led the Horned Frogs down to the two-yard line, leading to a two-yard score by running back Kendre Miller.
In the fourth quarter alone, the Cowboys combined for just 43-yards of total offense, 23 coming on the ground, and zero points. Spencer finished the game going 16-of-36 for 245 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also had 11 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Dominic Ricardson led the way on the ground with 22 yards for 72 yards and one touchdown.
The Cowboys will face Texas next Saturday, Oct. 22, for a 2:30 p.m. CT kick on ABC for homecoming.