Oklahoma State Turnovers Lead to Unprecedented Loss

STILLWATER, Okla.— No.15 Oklahoma State ended its five-game win streak on Saturday. Turnovers and lack of offensive momentum greatly contributed to the loss.

With an unexpected 45-3 loss against the University of Central Florida Knights, the Cowboys did not look like the team that has put the entire nation on notice over the past few weeks. 

The game's first drive for OSU ended with a fumble from Ollie Gordon II. This is where things took a turn for the worse. On the very next drive, the Cowboys got into scoring range, but quarterback Alan Bowman threw a pass intended for Leon Johnson III that UCF corner Braeden Marshall intercepted.

After back-to-back turnovers, the next three drives for OSU resulted in punts. In the next drive, another interception ended the Cowboy’s drive down the field. The only successful Oklahoma State drive came at 10:00 in the third quarter with an Alex Hale field goal to bring the score to 24-3 UCF.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Garrett Rangel stepped in for Bowman with 8:58 in the fourth quarter. Bowman finished the day with 225 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Now, the weather could be a reasonable excuse for the turnover struggles. However, it looked as if the Cowboys came into the UCF matchup expecting to easily walk away with a win. The Knights had a game plan that the Cowboys just didn’t have a response to.

Stopping Gordon was the game plan. The Knights' run defense has been one of the worst in the Big 12, but they stepped it up a notch to try to contain Gordon. They succeeded.

Gordon finished with 12 carries for 25 yards and a fumble early in the game. These numbers are out of character for the way Gordon has played in the last six games. Gordon’s play has catapulted him into the Heisman conversation, but that might be reevaluated after his recent performance.

Heading back to Stillwater, there is a lot of evaluating to do for coach Mike Gundy and the rest of the team. Whether the Cowboys came in expecting an easier matchup after a tough Bedlam win, or if they were simply unprepared, something has to be addressed going into the Houston game.

Kickoff time will be announced tomorrow with the game being in the six-day window. This week, the Cowboys have to focus on bouncing back and playing like the team they have been the past few weeks.