Oklahoma State Postgame Notes vs. Notre Dame

9/9/9 Oklahoma State vs. 5/5/5 Notre Dame

January 1, 2022  |  PlayStation Fiesta Bowl  |  State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)

• Final Score: Oklahoma State 37, Notre Dame 35
• Updated Records: Oklahoma State 12-2 overall; Notre Dame 11-2 overall
• Offensive MVP: Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State
• Defensive MVP: Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State Postgame Notes

• Oklahoma State erased a 21-point deficit, as the Cowboys trailed, 28-7, with 1:16 remaining in the first half. It was the largest deficit overcome to win a game in OSU history.
• Saturday’s victory marked the Cowboys’ third comeback of 14 points or more to win this season, as the Cowboys trailed both Boise State and Texas by 14 points before rallying to win.
• A key part of the turnaround came when Spencer Sanders engineered a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Tay Martin going into halftime. Coming out of the half, OSU received the kickoff and marched 87 yards in 12 plays to trim the deficit to 28-21.
• The Oklahoma State defense forced two turnovers and broke up 10 passes in the game.
• Oklahoma State lost two fourth-quarter turnovers while driving deep into Notre Dame territory. One was a lost fumble at the Fighting Irish one-yard line and the other was a lost fumble at the Notre Dame 12-yard line. In both of those occasions, the Cowboy defense responded by holding the Fighting Irish without a first down on the ensuing possession.
• Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders had 496 yards of total offense in the game – 371 passing and a career-high 125 rushing. His performance against Notre Dame marked just the second time in OSU history that a player passed for more than 300 yards and rushed for more than 100 yards in a game. He earned Fiesta Bowl offensive MVP honors.
• Spencer Sanders became just the second player in FBS history with 350 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and four passing touchdowns in a bowl game, joining Clemson’s Tahj Boyd in the 2014 Orange Bowl.
• Oklahoma State All-Americans Kolby Harvell-Peel and Malcolm Rodriguez both recorded fourth-quarter turnovers, as Harvell-Peel forced and recovered a fumble and Rodriguez had an interception. Rodriguez added a game-high 11 tackles, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry to earn Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP honors.
• Entering Saturday’s game, there were only three instances of an Oklahoma State player catching 10 passes or more in a bowl game. Both Tay Martin (10) and Brennan Presley (10) accomplished the feat against Notre Dame.
• Jaden Bray’s first-quarter touchdown reception was his second of the season, with the only other coming in week two against Tulsa.
• Notre Dame entered the game averaging 152.2 rushing yards per game. Oklahoma State held the Fighting Irish to 42 yards on the ground.
• Ranked No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff standings, Notre Dame was the first team left out of the CFP. The Fighting Irish defense entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense, interceptions, sacks, defensive touchdowns scored and fewest first downs allowed.
• Playing the game was not a given, as a surge of the omicron variant of the COVID virus was part of the backdrop. Four bowl games were cancelled during the 2021-22 bowl season as a result of the virus. Notre Dame’s band was not at the game due to a COVID outbreak within its ranks.
• Saturday marked the third consecutive game where OSU's opponent was ranked in the AP top 10. The Cowboys beat No. 10 Oklahoma to close out the regular season, then faced No. 9 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game before facing No. 5 Notre Dame in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The only other time in school history when OSU faced three straight AP top-10 teams in one season was from Oct. 23 - Nov. 6 of 1976, when the Cowboys beat No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 10 Missouri before falling at No. 9 Nebraska. OSU also faced three straight top 10 teams in the final game of 1962 and the first two games of 1963.
• Oklahoma State captains for the Fiesta Bowl as voted by their teammates were Jaylen Warren, Josh Sills, Devin Harper, Malcolm Rodriguez and Kanion Williams. Being a captain for the bowl game is one of the greatest honors for a player within the Cowboy Football culture.

Bowl Records Watch

• Receiver Tay Martin entered the game with 942 receiving yards on the season. He finished with 104 to bring his season total to 1,046 and become the 10th Oklahoma State player to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season. The other nine were Justin Blackmon (2010, 2011), Rashaun Woods (2001, 2002, 2003), James Washington (2015, 2016, 2017), Tylan Wallace (2018), Dez Bryant (2008), Hart Lee Dykes (1987, 1988), Josh Stewart (2012), Adarius Bowman (2006, 2007) and Marcell Ateman (2017).
• All-America linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez entered the game with 398 career tackles. He finished with 11 to become just the fourth player in Oklahoma State history to eclipse 400 career tackles. The other three are John Corker (496 tackles from 1976-79), Mike Green (485 tackles from 1979-82) and Ricky Young (451 tackles from 1978-81).
• Malcolm Rodriguez made the 48th start of his Oklahoma State career in Saturday’s game to tie Rodarius Williams for third on the OSU career list. Only Andre Sexton (51) and Marcus Keyes (50) have more.
• In his two career starts in bowl games, Spencer Sanders threw four touchdowns against zero interceptions against Miami (Fla.) in the Cheez-It Bowl last season and threw four touchdowns against zero interceptions against Notre Dame in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
• Quarterback Spencer Sanders finished the 2022 season with 2,839 passing yards – a mark that ranks ninth in Oklahoma State history.

The Oklahoma State win…

• Tied the school record for most wins in a season. OSU also won 12 games in 2011.
• Capped a 2021 season that saw Oklahoma State claim wins over traditional powers Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas.
• Snapped the seven-game win streak Notre Dame brought into the game.
• Made it 15-6 in its past 21 games vs. AP Top 25 teams.
• Marked the Cowboys' 10th win over an AP Top 10 team since 2008.
• Made it 14-2 in its past 16 games overall, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Marked Mike Gundy's 36th career win vs. AP Top 25 opponents. Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are the only other active coaches with more wins over AP Top 25 teams at their current schools.
• Gave OSU a 21-11 all-time record in bowl games, ranking among the top three in bowl winning percentages among teams with at least 20 appearances.
• Marked its fifth bowl win in the past six seasons, its sixth bowl win in the past eight seasons and its ninth bowl win in the past 12 seasons.
• Gave the Cowboys five wins this season over teams ranked in the AP top 25 at game time, matching the school record of five set in 2011. Only Oklahoma State, Georgia, Alabama and Baylor have four AP top 25 wins heading into Bowl Season.
• Marked the Cowboys' sixth win over an opponent with a winning record this season.
• Marked the Cowboys' eighth win over an opponent who reached a bowl game this season.
• Made it 1-0 all-time vs. Notre Dame.
• Marked Mike Gundy's first win over an FBS independent.
• Made it 4-2 all-time in New Year's Day games.
• Improved OSU to 5-0 all-time against current FBS independents.
• Made it 19-2 in its past 21 non-conference games and 41-7 in its past 48 non-conference games.
• Improved Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 58-13.
• Marked the fifth win in school history in a game between two teams ranked in the AP Top 10.
• Made it 148-68 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Made it 8-3 in its past 11 games when both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.
• Improved it to 30-23 vs. AP ranked teams since the beginning of the 2011 season.
• Was Spencer Sanders’ 24th as OSU’s starting quarterback, moving him to sole possession of third place on the school’s career list. Only Mason Rudolph (32) and Mike Gundy (28) have more.

Continued Success

The 2021 season is just the latest chapter in a long story of success for the Oklahoma State program. Consider the following:

• Oklahoma State made its 16th consecutive bowl appearance and secured its 16th consecutive winning season, both of which are school-record streaks. OSU's bowl streak is the seventh-longest active streak in the FBS, and the is longest active streak for any school with the same head coach.
• Mike Gundy has coached the Cowboys to five New Year’s Six bowl games since 2010. The Pokes appeared in the 2010 Cotton Bowl, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, the 2014 Cotton Bowl, the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. Among head coaches nationally, only Nick Saban (12) and Dabo Swinney (10) have more 10-win seasons since 2010 than Mike Gundy (7).
• Since 2010, Oklahoma State has two 12-win seasons, seven seasons with at least 10 wins, an outright Big 12 title (2011) a first-place finish in the Big 12 standings (2021) and a share of the Big 12 South title (2010). OSU reached the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.
• Oklahoma State is one of only six teams to post a winning season every year from 2010-21, joining Alabama, Boise State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. It is one of only three Power Five teams with winning seasons each of the past 16 years, joined by Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
• Including the 2021 season, Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll in 12 of the past 14 seasons and reached the top 10 in 10 of those 14 years.
• OSU has finished in the top three of the Big 12 in three straight seasons and has finished in the top three nine times in the 11 seasons since the conference moved to a full round robin schedule in 2011.