Oklahoma State Rides First Half Explosion to 31-20 Win Over No. 25 Kansas State
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State offense had its best performance of the season to start Big 12 Conference play as they rolled to a 31-20 win over No. 25 Kansas State.
This marked the first time the Pokes hit the 30-point mark the season. They move to 4-0 on the season and start Big 12 play 1-0.
Spencer Sanders had a huge game throwing the ball as he finished going 22-of-34 for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished with nine carries for 18 yards and one touchdown.
The Cowboys were electric on the ground as three backs combined for 137 yards and one touchdown against a K-State team that allowed less than 55-yards a game coming into tonight.
Jaylen Warren led the way for the Pokes on the ground with 27 carries for 123 yards, with Tay Martin hauling in nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Despite a K-State field goal to start the game, the Cowboy defense came up huge on the opening drive, especially Jarrick Bernard-Converse. The corner out of Shreveport (LA) Evangel recorded three pass break ups on the opening drive. He recorded six pass break ups last season, five in 2019 and just one in 2018. He currently has four pass break ups in 2021.
Enter the Oklahoma State offense. Spencer Sanders led the Pokes to a score on the Pokes’ opening drive, putting up 52-yards through the air to running back Jaylen Warren and picking up 13 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
K-State would return the ensuing kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown, but Sanders found Brennan Presley from 20-yards out and his first passing touchdown of the day, putting the backs back on top 14-10.
After pinning the Wildcats on their own seven yard-line with a kickoff, Malcolm Rodriguez recovered a bad snap in the end zone for a touchdown to put the Pokes up 21-10.
They’d put 10 more points up on the board before halftime, followed by an interception by Kolby Harvell-Peel towards in the end of the half to enter the locker room up 31-13.
The Cowboys combined for 295 yards of total offense, just 38 less than they posted in the entire game against Boise State, while the defense held K-State to just 176 total yards of offense.
After a powerful first half, the Cowboy offense struggled to get things going in the third quarter as they punted all by one drive in the quarter. The only non-punt was a missed field goal attempt from 48-yards. K-State took advantage of missed OSU opportunities and scored the first offensive touchdown of the game of the Wildcats, a 55-yard pass from backup quarterback Jaren Lewis to Deuce Vaughn, bringing the score to 31-20.
The Pokes offense continued to struggle throughout the 3rd and into the 4th quarter, with the offense stalling out and Alex Hale missing a 49-yarder, his second missed field goal of the game.
On the ensuing drive, Tyler Lacy came up with a strip-sack to force a 3rd and very long, which the Pokes came up with another stop on the 3rd down play.
While the offense didn’t score in the second half, the defense continued to come up with huge stop after huge stop to secure the win for the Pokes.
Oklahoma State plays Baylor next week with another 6 p.m. kick in Stillwater, this time on ESPN2.