By Michael Doutey
Oklahoma State comes up short in another thrilling Bedlam game, losing 48-47 to the University of Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday. Oklahoma State falls to 5-5 on the season with two games to go. OSU has two weeks to find at least one more win to gain bowl eligibility. But here are your five observations from OSU’s crushing Bedlam loss.
ONE: OSU Comes Up a Few Plays Short
Football is a game of inches. When games come down to a one point contest, you can identify a few key plays where either a team made the plays to win or they didn’t make enough plays. For OSU, there are about four plays that you can point to that caused Saturday’s loss. First, Matt Amendola missed a 41 yard field goal attempt in the first half. Those three points would have been huge for OSU down the stretch. Up until the last three weeks, Ammendola has been good from that distance. But not anymore I guess. Then, with 12:20 left to go in the game, OSU had tied the game up 41-41 off a Chuba Hubbard touchdown. Ammendola was set to give OSU the lead with the PAT, but he missed. That one point (combined with his 41 yard miss from earlier) made a huge difference in the game, especially when OSU had to go for two at the end. The third play was Hubbard’s fumble with 6:09 left in the game. OSU was up 41-41 and driving. Hubbard was hit hard and taken down awkwardly and coughed up the football, which turned the momentum in the game. Then the last play was the two-point conversion where Taylor Cornelius short-armed the throw to Tylan Wallace, who was open on an arrow route. If one of those plays had gone differently then OSU may have found a way to win this game. Again, football is a game of inches and OSU came up a few inches short.
TWO: Cornelius One Throw Away from OSU History
Corn became the first OSU quarterback to throw for over 500 yards in Bedlam. He threw for 501 yards on 34-53 passing and three touchdowns. But what will be remembered is his awful throw on the two-point conversion. It was a great play call too. OSU had Tylan Wallace lineup on the left side of the formation and sent him in motion to the right. OU’s Tre Brown ran with Wallace in man-to-man defense and was beat off the snap but Corn’s throw was in the dirt and two bodies behind Wallace. The call to go for two was the right call. The play call was the right call. But for the consecutive week in crunch time, OSU didn’t execute the play called on the biggest play of the game. It is a shame that this is how fans will remember this performance, given that this was the best game Cornelius has played in his life. But that’s how it goes. Corn was one play away from potentially beating OU in Norman. Now, OU had just over a minute to drive the field and get at least a field goal attempt for the win. Even still, Corn could have been a hero in OSU history. Instead, fans will still call for his backup to finish the season in his place.
THREE: Chuba Hubbard’s Breakout Game
Hubbard was huge in this game for OSU. Justice Hill left the game in the first half with bruised ribs. In steps Hubbard, who had the most productive day of his young career. He lead the team in rushing with 104 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns. He was massive, breaking tackles and then showing off his speed. He was also involved in the passing attack, catching five passes for 49 yards. Hubbard showed that he has the potential to be one of the most dynamic playmakers OSU has had in the Gundy era. However, he did have a tough lesson to learn in his fourth quarter fumble. It was much like Hill’s lesson at Baylor in 2016 where he had two key fumbles. But outside of that, he was one of the best players on the field on Saturday.
FOUR: Tylan Wallace a Legit Biletnikoff Contender
Tylan Wallace was a monster game again. He has 10 catches for 220 yards and two touchdowns. He just keeps stepping up and making big plays. He didn’t have a perfect game because he had a couple drops. Even when he made mistakes, he didn’t let it bother him and he came back and made a big play afterwards. But he was possibly the best wide receiver on the field this game. I think Marquise Brown would have something to say about that, but both of them might be 1A and 1B in the entire country in best receivers. Wallace is now ahead of where James Washington was from a year ago who won the Biletnikoff. Wallace has caught 68 passes for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns. Right now Tylan is third in the country in receiving yards and is third in yards per game with 128.2. He’s been super impressive and he is just a sophomore. Monday morning he was announced as a semi-finalist for the award.
FIVE: Defense Issues for Both Schools
The OSU defense was completely awful on Saturday. They did play decent in the second half, limiting the Sooners to just 14 points and sacked Kyler Murray three times. But the OU running game gashed Oklahoma State all game long. The Sooners gouged the Pokes for 353 yards on 47 carries, good for 7.5 yards per carry. Yeesh. Then the Cowboys had a hard time containing “Hollywood” Brown, who has clearly not even 100 percent. Brown caught eight passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. Now, the OU defense was equally as bad. Maybe worse. OSU gave up six touchdowns on Saturday. OU gave up seven. OSU gained 39 first downs. OSU was 10-16 on third-down-conversions. They also allowed Cornelius to throw for 501 yards, a Bedlam record for OSU. They were awful, but came up with one stop on the fumble, their first fumble recovery of the year. But for OU, the defense is the downfall of the season and I can guarantee that the playoff committee has noted just how bad the OU defense is. It could be the thing that keeps OU out of the Playoffs.
OSU looks to their final home game on Saturday to potentially grab their sixth win and send OSU’s senior class out on a win over a top 10 team in West Virginia. Kick is set for 2:30 p.m. inside Boone Pickens Stadium.
