No Excuses for Oklahoma State's Loss to TCU

Let’s start with the excuses, which on the surface appear significant toward Saturday’s 29-22 Cowboys loss at TCU.

Chuba Hubbard, Shane Illingworth and Alex Hale were unavailable, again, due to injury or illness. Tre Sterling, Rodarius Williams and Tylan Wallace were all lost to injuries during the game. And Teven Jenkins bowed out of the remainder of the season during the week.

Still, no excuse.

Nope.

Not with the defense forcing five turnovers – FIVE – including three in Horned Frogs territory. Not against a mediocre TCU team that shouldn’t have what it takes to overcome such sloppy play. Not for a team that billed itself as a contender, in the Big 12 and beyond, because teams of that ilk find ways to win, even in times of adversity, and especially when those ways are literally handed to them.

OSU won the turnover battle 5-1. And lost.

“It’s a pretty rare game, when you score on defense and get that many turnovers and not be able to find a way to win,” Mike Gundy said afterward.

Not so rare: late-season disappointment, conjuring up another round of what-ifs and could-haves and should-haves.

“It’s never fun losing,” said Cowboys defensive lineman Brock Martin, who provided a highlight with a 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown. “We had the goal of winning the Big 12 championship and all that stuff. But sometimes your goals fall out of your vision.”

When the season started, this OSU team didn’t seem capable of three losses. Now the Cowboys are 6-3 and headed for Baylor’s McLane Stadium, where they’ve never won.

Gone: the chance to play in the Big 12 title game, for all practical purposes, leaving another talented OSU squad on the outside of a first appearance in that event.

Gone: bigger, better bowl game options.

Gone: all that talk about a special season.

“I don’t think we’re the same team we were when we started the first game,” Gundy said, rather sharply, when the lost goals was mentioned in the Saturday postgame. “We’re down six starters on offense from Day 1.

“It’s not fair to say to the team to say we’re the same team. Now, we’re going to compete our asses off. But we’re a different team than when we played Tulsa.”

Sure, that’s true. Injuries are piling up, erasing some of OSU’s premier players from crunch time, if not complete games. TCU took advantage Saturday, picking on the replacements for Williams and Sterling, and packing the box when Wallace left, ironically after having his knee rolled up in the end zone on a 55-yard TD reception.

“I’d sure love to be healthy. I know that,” offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said. “Hopefully, Tylan is OK.”

Hopefully, for sure. But even if he is OK, will he, should he, return and risk putting his NFL Draft stock in danger? And who else might bail on what’s left of the season?

Brady Pohl missed two field goals and Ben Freehill botched an extra point, costing the Cowboys at least eight points that sure could have come in handy.

Saturday’s game was a mess in many ways.

And the biggest mess seemed to be on TCU’s side, with four lost fumbles and an interception.

But where the Frogs took advantage of OSU’s missing pieces, the Cowboys couldn’t capitalize on TCU’s miscues, scoring but nine following off the takeaways – six on Martin’s scoop and score.

Four of the turnovers occurred in TCU territory, including the final three in the second half. Following those four, the offense totaled 12 yards without a first down.

OSU’s defense, despite all the takeaways, could have played better. Suddenly, big plays have become a problem for the Cowboys, and they were again Saturday. They struggled to corral Frogs quarterback Max Duggan, who ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 265 and another score more.

“I think at times, you lose your stinger a little bit,” offered defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. “There’s a lot of one-on-one matchups all over the field. Those are situations we’ve been succeeding at…

“I think the last couple games we’ve taken a step back.”

Of course, Knowles’ guys were on the field a lot, and quickly, even after the takeaways. And it’s hard to cover up the loss of Sterling and Williams.

Offensively, the Cowboys missed Hubbard and Wallace, whose absence left Spencer Sanders without his one true weapon in the passing game. And Sanders needed that element in the midst of his own erratic game.

Still, no excuses.

Not with a plus-4 turnover count.

Not against this TCU team.

Not even in the year 2020.

“Disappointments come and go,” Martin said on the lost goals of the season.

At OSU, they seem to come far too frequently.