Oklahoma State: 2023 Texas Bowl Champions

 Oklahoma State won the Texas Bowl behind some big performances from its receivers.

OSU beat Texas A&M 31-23, thanks to Rashod Owens and Brennan Presley. Owens finished with 164 yards and two touchdowns, while Presley added 152 yards on 16 receptions to set OSU’s bowl game record.

With 5:07 left, Texas A&M kicker Randy Bond nailed a 51-yard field goal off the crossbar to cut OSU’s lead to eight. However, OSU did not give the ball back until there were only 17 seconds left, and Kendal Daniels picked off Texas A&M’s last-second Hail Mary.

With Texas A&M looking to get within one score to begin the fourth quarter, Nick Martin recovered a fumble forced by Xavier Benson to set OSU up at its 1-yard line. Leon Johnson III came up with a huge third-down catch to get out of their end zone. However, that drive would end abruptly with Bowman throwing his second interception.

Rashod Owens’ big night was highlighted in OSU’s only scoring drive of the third quarter. Including an 18-yard grab in the end zone, Owens had 48 yards on that drive.

Despite Owens’ big gains, Texas A&M kept fighting. Marcel Reed’s 20-yard scamper along the right sideline into the end zone made it 31-20 midway through the third quarter.

On the first drive of the second half, Alan Bowman threw an interception to give the Aggies some much-needed momentum. Amari Daniels finished off the Aggies’ first touchdown drive a few plays later with a 2-yard score to get back within 11.

Although he is in the transfer portal, OSU quarterback Gunnar Gundy came in and ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Before that, Brennan Presley’s 34-yard pass to Owens put OSU’s offense in position to score.

After three catches by Presley on their last drive of the half, the Cowboys went for fourth down for the first time and found Presley again to keep the drive going. Bowman then found Braden Cassity for a 17-yard gain before Ollie Gordon punched it in a play later to take a 24-6 halftime lead.

In what may have been his final college game, Bowman went for 402 yards passing and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, OSU’s star running back went for 118 yards in his first game since announcing his return for the 2024 season.

Oklahoma State: 2022 Fiesta Bowl Champions

After Oklahoma State completed the largest comeback in team history, coach Mike Gundy put his own label on a 37-35 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame.

"This is clearly the biggest win in the history of the school," Gundy said. "You're in a New Year's Day bowl. You're playing Notre Dame. Biggest comeback in the school history. ... The biggest win in the history of the school."

Oklahoma State rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the second quarter to score 30 straight points. The team's previous biggest comeback was 20 points down against Colorado in 1979.

The Cowboys won 12 games for the first time under Gundy, a former Oklahoma State quarterback in his 17th season as head coach.

Oklahoma State also won the Fiesta Bowl after the 2011 season to finish No. 3 nationally. This season, Oklahoma State ended a six-game losing streak to rival Oklahoma, and it made its first Big 12 championship game appearance but fell to Baylor as running Dezmon Jackson was stopped inches short of a potential winning touchdown.

"We feel like if we didn't win this game, this would be kind of a season of just forgotten greatness," defensive end Brock Martin said after the Fiesta Bowl. "We lost the Big 12 championship, and then you lose the Fiesta Bowl, all that greatness and the great things you did as a unit, the D-line and linebackers and DBs, we kind of felt like it would be forgotten over time."

Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders finished with 371 passing yards and four touchdowns to go with 125 rushing yards on 17 carries. He joined former Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd as the only FBS players to record 350 pass yards, 100 rush yards and four touchdowns in a bowl game.

Gundy said the Cowboys' maturity and experience kept him optimistic when the team fell behind by three touchdowns.

"They're veterans," Gundy said of his players. "They've been in this program, most of them -- particularly on defense -- been in the program four, five, six years. For that reason, I didn't have any concerns. I was just hoping that we could hold up with the length they had on both sides of the ball up front."

Notre Dame's loss spoiled the head-coaching debut for Marcus Freeman, promoted Dec. 3 from his defensive coordinator spot to succeed Brian Kelly. The Irish fell to 0-8 in BCS or New Year's Six bowls, the most losses by any team without a win. Their most recent win in a bowl that is now part of the New Year's Six was the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic.

"For me, as the leader of this program, it's a pit in your stomach ... that you want to bottle it up, and you want to remember how this feels," Freeman said. "The honeymoon stage is over, right? The whole new head coach, it's a great story. No, it's about having a great product, and it's about having a great team. So we have to make sure that it's about developing this team for next year. This year's over. So everything we do from now moving forward is going to be development and making sure we're prepared to have success."

Freeman added: "We're going to use this game as motivation. We're going to use this game to look back and say, 'Remember that first one? Look where we've come from there.'"

Quarterback Jack Coan, playing his final game for Notre Dame, passed for 509 yards, the second-highest single-game passing total in team history, and five touchdowns.

After Oklahoma State scored to cut its deficit to 28-14, Notre Dame took over at its own 25-yard line with 37 seconds left in the first half and all three timeouts. But the Irish elected to run out the clock, not wanting to risk a potential turnover, Freeman said.

"I wouldn't change that," he said. "We all can learn from it and look at every situation."

Oklahoma State: 2020 Cheez-It Bowl Champions

Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The Oklahoma State Cowboys stormed out to a 21-0 lead before they held off a late Miami Hurricanes rally to win the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl.

Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders completed 27 of 40 passes for 305 yards and four scores in the 37-34 win on Tuesday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

"[We are] playing with 22 people, and there's 11 people on defense and 11 people on offense," Sanders told reporters. "I feel like everybody deserves it. It's not just one person. And I feel like I did a great job of spreading the ball this game."

The Cowboys (8-3) and Hurricanes (8-3) combined for 930 total yards in the postseason matchup.

"That was probably an outstanding ballgame, highly competitive," Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz said.

"At no point did I think we would lose that game, and I don't think our team did, either, until it hit triple-zeros. The way we battled, the way we fought, the way we played for each other was inspiring."

The Cowboys began the game with 15 consecutive pass plays. They used that script to produce touchdowns on their first three drives.

Sanders threw a 30-yard score to Brennan Presley on the opening possession. L.D. Brown ran for a two-yard touchdown on the Cowboys second drive.

Sanders then threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Presley for a 21-0 Cowboys lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Hurricanes answered when quarterback D'Eriq King threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brevin Jordan to start the second quarter. Miami added a field goal on its next drive, but lost King for the remainder of the game due to a right knee injury.

Oklahoma State held onto a 21-10 lead at halftime.

The Hurricanes got a second Jose Borregales field goal to start the second half. Miami then cut the Oklahoma State lead to two points with a Cam'Ron Harris 42-yard touchdown run with 8:45 remaining in the third quarter.

The Cowboys answered with a Brady Pohl field goal on their next drive. They then capitalized on a Hurricanes fumble to push their lead to 31-19 at the start of the fourth quarter. Sanders threw a touchdown toss to Dillon Stoner to end that drive.

The Hurricanes and Cowboys then traded touchdown drives before the Oklahoma defense tightened up and secured the victory.

N'Kosi Perry threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes for the Hurricanes. Presley also caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Sanders in the final frame.

Presley had six catches for 118 yards and three scores in the win. Perry completed 19 of 34 passes for 228 yards and two scores for the Hurricanes. King completed 10 of 13 passes for 113 yards and a score for Miami.

"This was a really, really good college football game and we beat a good football team," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said.

"Miami is very talented and very athletic. I don't know if anybody has done their research, but the last four years, they have had 26 players that are in a draft-able position for the NFL. That will give you some kind of idea of what kind of talent and players that they have."

Oklahoma State: 2018 Liberty Bowl Champions

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- In a story Monday about the Liberty Bowl, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Oklahoma State set a Liberty Bowl record by gaining 637 total yards. Missouri gained 637 total yards to set the record.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Oklahoma State edges No. 24 Missouri 38-33 in Liberty Bowl

Oklahoma State hangs on to beat No. 24 Missouri 38-33 in Liberty Bowl

By STEVE MEGARGEE

AP Sports Writer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Oklahoma State hung on for dear life to win a Big 12-style Liberty Bowl against its former conference rival.

Taylor Cornelius tied a Liberty Bowl record with four touchdown passes and Kolby Peel made a critical fourth-down stop with 1:01 left as the Cowboys upset No. 24 Missouri 38-33 on Monday.

The teams combined for 1,139 total yards in the type of game that the Big 12's high-powered offenses produce on most autumn Saturdays. Missouri left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference in 2012.

"(It was) like a lot of games that we play in our conference," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "As I said on the press conference a few days ago, Missouri would fit right in. It ended up being somewhat of a shootout, and the defense made a play at the end."

Missouri (8-5) faced fourth-and-1 from Oklahoma State's 9-yard line when quarterback Drew Lock attempted a keeper around the right end. Peel, a freshman, made a diving ankle tackle that stopped Lock short of the first-down marker.

"It's a game of inches, we all talk about it and know it," Missouri coach Barry Odom said. "I wouldn't want the ball in anybody else's hand besides No. 3 for the Mizzou Tigers (Lock)."

That allowed Oklahoma State (7-6) to survive a game it had led 35-19 heading into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys snapped Missouri's four-game winning streak and avoided their first losing season since 2005, the first year of Gundy's tenure.

Cornelius, a fifth-year senior and former walk-on, went 26 of 44. His four touchdown passes tied a record set four previous times in the Liberty Bowl's 60-year history.

"It's a great feeling to just go out on top," Cornelius said. "As long as we get the win, that's all that matters to me. I don't care about the record."

Cornelius also threw two interceptions to Cam Hilton that sparked Missouri's comeback try. Both interceptions led to Missouri touchdowns -- an 86-yard completion from Lock to Memphis resident Johnathon Johnson and a 55-yard run by Larry Rountree III.

Rountree ran for 204 yards and Johnson caught nine passes for 185 yards. Lock was 23 of 38 for 373 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Chuba Hubbard rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma State. Tyron Johnson had seven catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Missouri wasted two chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma State was clinging to a 35-33 lead when Mike Scott blocked Tucker McCann's 42-yard field goal attempt with 9:22 left.

Matt Ammendola kicked a 27-yard field goal that extended Oklahoma State's lead to 38-33 before Peel's tackle sealed the win.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: This marks the second straight year that Missouri has lost a bowl game after a late-season surge. Last year, Missouri won its final six regular-season games but followed that up with a 33-16 loss Texas Bowl loss to Texas.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys entered the game ranked 99th in total defense and tied for 96th in scoring defense, but that beleaguered unit delivered when it mattered most. Oklahoma State is 6-1 in its last seven games against teams in the Top 25, and Gundy owns a 9-4 bowl record.

PUZZLING MOVES

Oklahoma State was clinging to a 35-33 lead when the Cowboys made an unsuccessful fake punt attempt on fourth-and-8 from their own 27. Oklahoma State stayed ahead only after blocking a field-goal attempt.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Missouri made a curious move of its own by calling a timeout after scoring a touchdown to cut Oklahoma State's lead to 35-25. After burning the timeout, Missouri chose to kick an extra point to make it 35-26 rather than attempting a two-point conversion.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Missouri's hopes of ending a season ranked for the first time since 2014 are likely dashed.

RECORD PERFORMANCES

The four previous Liberty Bowl players to four touchdown passes were Purdue's Mark Herrmann (also against Missouri) in 1980, Illinois' Johnny Johnson in 1994, South Carolina's Blake Mitchell in 2006 and Texas A&M's Kyle Allen in 2014.

Missouri's 637 total yards also set a Liberty Bowl record.

SHORT-HANDED

Oklahoma State's offense was missing leading rusher Justice Hill and guard Larry Williams, who sat out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. Its defense lost cornerbacks Rodarius Williams and Kemah Siverand to targeting penalties -- Williams in the first quarter and Siverand early in the fourth period -- and safety Malcolm Rodriguez to a second-quarter injury.

Missouri played without injured running back Damarea Crockett and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. The Tigers also lost receiver Emanuel Hall to an injury after he caught two passes for 72 yards.

NEXT UP

Missouri has Clemson graduate transfer Kelly Bryant ready to take over for Lock, the Tigers' starting quarterback the last four seasons. The Tigers open the 2019 season Aug. 31 at Wyoming.

Oklahoma State also will break in a new starting quarterback. The Cowboys begin the 2019 season Aug. 30 at Oregon State.

Oklahoma State: 2017 Camping World Bowl Champions

ORLANDO, Fla. -- They started playing football at Oklahoma State 116 years ago, and never in that span had there been a run of three consecutive 10-win seasons.

Until now.

Mason Rudolph threw for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns on his way to winning game MVP honors, James Washington had a long touchdown grab and became Oklahoma State's career receiving yards leader, and the 17th-ranked Cowboys beat No. 22 Virginia Tech 30-21 in the Camping World Bowl on Thursday night.

"It's cool. It speaks a lot about the senior class, about the leadership on both sides of the ball," Rudolph said. "It's a great achievement for us."

Washington caught five passes for 126 yards, giving him 4,472 for his career and passing Rashaun Woods for the school mark. Justice Hill ran for 120 yards and another score for the Cowboys (10-3).

"A really good win for our organization," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "Defensively, we gave up a lot of rushing yards but we were able to make some stops and force some turnovers. For Oklahoma State, really in the end, that's what it comes down to."

Josh Jackson ran for two scores and threw for another for the Hokies (9-4), including a rush that got Virginia Tech within 27-21 with 5:40 remaining. Deshawn McClease ran for 124 yards, a Virginia Tech season-best, but the Hokies were hurt by two turnovers in Oklahoma State territory.

"We had a plan and we executed well at times," Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "I don't really remember Oklahoma State making very many, if any, mistakes. And we made a handful, just enough to kind of keep us from pulling the thing off. That's not to say that Oklahoma State doesn't deserve credit for winning the game. They do."

Hill came through with perhaps the play of the night. Facing a third-and-11 with 3:30 left, Hill took a handoff, went left, waited for a lane to open -- and broke loose for a 31-yard gain down to the Hokies' 18. Matt Ammendola's 38-yard field goal with 2:34 left put the Cowboys up by nine, essentially sealing the outcome.

"Hats off to them," said Virginia Tech defensive lineman Ricky Walker, who said the Hokies expected a run on that key late third down. "They made a good call and they executed it."

Virginia Tech actually outgained the high-octane Cowboys, 518 yards to 492.

A pair of big missed Hokie opportunities helped Oklahoma State take a 13-7 lead at the break. An 18-play, 10-minute drive that got to the Oklahoma State 1 resulted in no points when the Hokies fumbled a snap away. And after the Cowboys took the lead late in the half, Jackson had a wide-open Henri Murphy down the middle for what would have been a 54-yard score.

But the pass was overthrown, the Hokies never led again, and Rudolph and Washington got the winning ending they sought.

"Just a fun college experience," Rudolph said. "It's been fun."

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State: Rudolph ended his college career with no less than 52 school records. His two touchdown throws gave him 37 on the season, tying Brandon Weeden's school mark. And he came into the game needing 175 yards to break Weeden's season passing record, eclipsing that in the third quarter.

Virginia Tech: Hokies kicker Joey Slye came up with a highlight in his college finale, making a big tackle on a third-quarter kickoff and celebrating by flexing his biceps as he skipped to the sideline. He ended his career as the Hokies' all-time leader in field goals and points.

TOUGH NIGHT


Oklahoma State cornerback Rodarius Williams got shaken up twice -- both after collisions with teammates. He and defensive end Jordan Brailford crashed into one another in the first quarter on a play where they were pursuing Jackson, and Williams went knee-to-helmet with fellow cornerback A.J. Green in coverage during the third quarter.

LEGEND WATCHES

Ryan Howard, who hit 382 home runs in 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, was at the game and cheering for Oklahoma State -- even giving Cowboys DT Enoch Smith a Twitter shoutout.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State: Host Missouri State on Sept. 1 to start the 2018 slate.

Virginia Tech: Visit Florida State on Sept. 3 in an ACC Monday night season-opener.

Oklahoma State: 2016 Alamo Bowl Champions

SAN ANTONIO -- Mason Rudolph passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns and No. 13 Oklahoma State's defense smothered No. 11 Colorado in a 38-8 Alamo Bowl victory Thursday night that gave the Cowboys their fifth 10-win season in seven years.

James Washington caught nine passes for 171 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent hand injury. Rudolph and Washington have already announced they will return for their senior seasons, putting the Cowboys (10-3) among the favorites to win the Big 12.

Rudolph even set up Oklahoma State's first touchdown when he caught a throw-back pass for 24 yards. His 5-yard TD pass to Washington made it 17-0 in the second quarter. Rudolph had scoring throws to Blake Jarwin and Jhajuan Seales in the third to make it 31-0.

Colorado's best season in more than a decade -dubbed "The Rise" -- ended with a thud: consecutive losses in the Pac-12 title game and the program's first bowl appearance since 2007.

Sefo Liufau passed for 195 yards and ran for a touchdown for the Buffaloes (10-4), but was sidelined for part of the second and third quarters after limping off after a sack.

THE TAKEAWAY

Colorado: Thrust into the play-calling role for the bowl game, Colorado's safeties coach Joe Tumpkin had a tall order in trying to keep up with Oklahoma State's head coach and offensive guru Mike Gundy. The Buffaloes were solid in the first half but had no answer for Washington, who easily beat all-Pac-12 cornerback Chidobe Awuzie on several catches. The defense eventually gave out in the second as the Cowboys piled on the points.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys delivered one of the best defensive performances from a Big 12 team all season. The Cowboys play in a league where the touchdowns seem to fly by the minute. Against Colorado, the Cowboys beat up the Buffaloes quarterbacks and gave up a few big plays but didn't break near the goal line.

UP NEXT

Colorado: The Buffaloes won't be a surprise story in 2017 and will have to follow their big season without their senior quarterback Liufau and eight senior starters on defense. Colorado opens 2017 against Colorado State in Denver on Sept. 2.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys expect to be a big factor in the Big 12 in 2017 with Rudolph and Washington leading the way. Their season opener is Sept. 2 at home against Tulsa.

Oklahoma State: 2015 Cactus Bowl Champions

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Oklahoma State went through its most difficult season under coach Mike Gundy, losing five straight games before squeaking into a bowl game.

Once the Cowboys got to the Cactus Bowl, they rode a freshman quarterback and an offensively gifted defensive tackle to a spirit-lifting victory.

Mason Rudolph threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, and 300-pound tackle James Castleman showed off his versatility with two big offensive plays lead Oklahoma State to a 30-22 victory over Washington in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl Friday night.

"Our offense was resilient," Gundy said. "I thought we blocked well, our running back ran hard, we made big catches and we turned James Castleman into a wide receiver."

Oklahoma State (7-6) needed a late rally over rival Oklahoma in the season finale to become bowl eligible and played the TicketCity Cactus Bowl without its most dynamic offensive player.

The Cowboys closed out the season with a flourish behind Rudolph, with some help from Castleman.

A freshman making his third start, Rudolph kept his composure against Washington's vaunted front seven, overcoming three turnovers to hit 17 of 26 passes.

Desmond Roland kept the Huskies off-balance by tearing off big runs up the middle, finishing with 123 yards on 32 carries.

Then there was Castleman.

Though he had never played offense before, the beefy defensive tackle lined up in the shotgun to score on a 1-yard run in the first half, helping Oklahoma State build a 17-point halftime lead.

Washington rallied to within a touchdown in the second half, but Castleman wreaked havoc again, catching a pass out of the backfield and rumbling down the sideline for a 48-yard catch that all but killed the Huskies' hopes.

"Honestly, I'm like, `Why hasn't somebody hit me yet?" Castleman said of his reception. "Next thing, I look up to the screen, I see someone coming and I try jabbing inside trying to get him to miss. Once he hit me, the check engine light came on."

Washington (8-6) stumbled out of the gate on both sides of the ball in the first half in the first half before finding a rhythm on offense in the second.

The hole proved to be too deep, ending coach Chris Petersen's first season with a loss.

John Ross scored on a 96-yard kickoff return and Cyler Miles threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, but had an interception on Washington's last-ditch drive.

"If we would have come out ready, it would have been a different outcome," said Huskies receiver Jaydon Mickens, who scored two touchdowns.

The Cowboys pulled off a last-minute comeback to earn a spot in the Cactus Bowl, scoring two touchdowns in the final 8 minutes to knock off Oklahoma in overtime.

Tyreek Hill had the big play in that game, scoring on a 92-yard punt return with 45 seconds left, but he was dismissed from the team last month after being arrested on charges of choking and punching his pregnant girlfriend.

That left Oklahoma State without its most dangerous threat against a Washington defense that has three first-team All-Americans.

The Cowboys didn't seem to mind.

They had no trouble against Washington's ferocious front seven on their opening drive, confidently converting a midfield fourth-and-1 to set up Castleman's 1-yard dive off left tackle.

Rudolph turned it over on the next two drives, losing a fumble when he was sacked, then on a one-handed interception by Budda Baker.

The freshman kept his poise, though. He caught a pass from receiver Brandon Sheperd on a trick play to set up a 28-yard touchdown pass to James Washington, who one-upped Baker with a one-handed catch in the end zone.

The Sheperd-Rudolph connection worked again just before the half, this time in reverse: Rudolph on the throw, Sheperd on the catch for a 47-yard touchdown that put the Cowboys up 24-0.

Washington had just as much trouble on offense, finishing with 113 total yards in the half.

"The first half was, obviously, on offense, still in practice mode," Petersen said.

The Huskies finally showed signs of life on their opening drive of the third quarter, cutting into Oklahoma State's lead on Mickens' 31-yard reverse.

Washington got a bad break when a punt hit one of its players and Oklahoma State recovered, but held the Cowboys to Ben Grogan's 27-yard field goal. Ross took the ensuing kickoff up the middle, made a couple of jukes and raced off to a 96-yard touchdown that cut the Cowboys' lead to 27-14.

Miles followed with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Mickens, trimming the lead to 30-2 with 3 1-2 minutes left.

The Cowboys then turned to Castleman again and he played the receiver role well, killing off precious seconds that helped the Cowboys finish a difficult season on a positive note.

"This was a great finish for this team," Gundy said.

They can thank their freshman quarterback and new -- and big -- offensive weapon.

Oklahoma State: 2013 Heart Of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS (AP) -- Clint Chelf threw three of Oklahoma State's five touchdown passes and the Cowboys shook off a disappointing Big 12 finish by dominating Purdue 58-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Tuesday.

The Cowboys, a year removed from a Fiesta Bowl win that capped the best season in school history, forced five turnovers and had another short touchdown drive after a 64-yard punt return fromJosh Stewart.

It was the biggest bowl win for Oklahoma State since coach Mike Gundy was the quarterback in a 62-14 rout of Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl. The Cowboys (8-5) missed out on upper-tier bowls after narrow losses in their last two Big 12 games.

With former Purdue quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kyle Orton watching, Robert Mavre didn't get to 100 yards passing until Oklahoma State led 45-0 as the Boilermakers (6-7) fell to 0-4 on New Year's Day.

Leading 28-0 at halftime, Oklahoma State erased any lingering doubt three plays into the second half when Justin Gilbert stripped Purdue receiver O.J. Ross on a short completion. The loose ball shot straight to Daytawion Lowe, who ran 37 yards down the sideline in front of the Purdue bench for a 35-0 lead.

Lowe's score was the third fumble return for a touchdown at historic Cotton Bowl Stadium dating to the namesake bowl game that started in 1937 and moved to Cowboys Stadium in 2009.

Oklahoma State's 58 points were the most in a bowl game at the Fair Park stadium, topping the 55 scored by Keyshawn Johnson and Southern California against Texas Tech in 1995.

The Cowboys pushed the lead to 45-0 on Chelf's third touchdown pass, a leaping 37-yard grab in the end zone by Isaiah Anderson, who had 78 yards receiving. Chelf was 17 of 22 for 197 yards before J.W. Walsh replaced him in the third quarter.

Walsh had two touchdown passes, and freshman Wes Lunt, who won the quarterback job in summer workouts before getting hurt during the season, played the last half of the fourth quarter.

Purdue finally scored late in the third quarter when Mavre found a wide open Brandon Cottom for a 32-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. Mavre finished 21 of 34 for 212 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions, but was just 11 of 20 for 80 yards before the first scoring drive.

Gundy didn't hide the disappointment of Oklahoma State's bowl status sliding with an overtime loss to Oklahoma when the rival Sooners tied the score late in regulation, followed by a loss at Baylor to end the regular season. But the Cowboys seemed motivated enough against the Boilermakers.

Oklahoma State went up 14-0 on a pair of short touchdown drives set up by a 64-yard punt return by Josh Stewart and Shamiel Gary's interception of a pass tipped by Calvin Barnett. Both scores on came on passes from Chelf.

Purdue answered with its best scoring chance of the first half when Akeem Shavers, who had 93 yards rushing, ran 24 yards to the Oklahoma State 23. After Gary made a strong tackle in the open field on third down, Sam McCartney missed a 34-yard field goal.

The Cowboys then went 80 yards the other way, sparked by a 26-yard completion to Blake Jackson, who had a 7-yard scoring catch earlier. Oklahoma State scored on fourth-and-1 when Walsh, the short-yardage specialist, replaced Chelf and threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Jeremy Seaton.

Trailing 21-0, the Boilermakers were in scoring range again when Marve threw high on fourth-and-2 to an open Kurt Freytag, who got a hand on the ball but couldn't make a juggling catch.

Purdue's best moment came on its first possession when interim coach Patrick Higgins ran a fake punt from his 13, and punter Cody Webster easily picked up the first down with a 16-yard run. Webster ended up punting anyway five plays late.

Introducing the Bobby Knight of Big XII football…Mike Gundy?

There already is an equivalent of Bobby Knight in Big Ten football. He was a guy by the name of Woody Hayes. But up until this point, I though Woody Hayes was the only Bobby Knight of college football. It turned out that I was wrong..by a country mile.

Enter the 40-year old football virgin, Mike Gundy. Here he is, after a 49-45 slugfest over Texas Tech, in which he rips apart Jenna Carlson for her presumed smack-talking of one of the reserve quarterbacks who is benched anyway…and he does an average, if D-grade, effort in delivering the backlash.

I mean, it’s hilarious, and I applaud the fact that he is standing by his words, at the risk of being chewed up like Hank Hill in the first episode of King of the Hill. At least, he didn’t pull out a Don Imus-like impersonation. Carlson can breathe easy, now that she wasn’t painted in the same brush as the runner-ups on the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

But it takes courage to stand by your words, and face the music. Even I have trouble apologizing for my choice of words, because I believe that apologies never reversed the damage done, and it won’t. You gotta hand it to coaches like Mike Gundy. They would bring tears to Bud Kilmer’s eyes, or at least a chuckle or a smirk.

And one wonders if Bobby Knight is impressed by the choice of words, if at all. After all, he now coaches the basketball team from the university that Mike Gundy’s boys defeated the other weekend.

So much for getting the facts straight…