The Sports Journal

This Sunday, the New England Patriots will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in a highly-anticipated match of the last two undefeated teams in the National Football League.

Both of these teams are amazing, and I think they’re each heads and shoulders above the next best team in the NFL, whoever that even is (the Cowboys? Giants? Packers? Steelers? Chargers? Tough call).  Whoever loses this game, it may be their only loss of the year. Whoever wins might have a legitimate shot at doing the nearly impossible: going through an entire season undefeated.

The Colts have home-field advantage, and they do love playing at home.  The quick turf in that dome allows the Colts to take full advantage of their natural speed.  In previous match-ups between these two teams, the Colts were considered the offensive juggernaut, while the Patriots were considered the more well-rounded team with a good offense but an even better defense.

Now, however, they’re both much closer on both sides of the ball.  The Patriots’ defense, while still quite good, isn’t quite the impenetrable force it was just a couple of years ago.  Meanwhile, the Colts’ defense, the laughing stock of the league just a short time ago, has improved drastically, led by the very talented safety Bob Sanders.

Perhaps more significant is how close the teams are offensively.  It’s hard to imagine, but New England actually looks like it has a better offense than Indy right now.  Tom Brady is on pace to break Peyton Manning’s single-season record for touchdown passes, and Randy Moss and Wes Welker are looking like every bit the receiving duo that Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne have been for the Colts the past few years.  The rushing offense is a bit more suspectfor the Patriots, as injuries have slowed down Lawrence Maroney and taken out Sammy Morris, but that issue hasn’t hurt them yet.

The Colts are still a great offense, and are more balanced.  Joseph Addai is easily one of the best running backs in the game and a great complement to Peyton Manning’s arm.  The only problem here is an injury to Marvin Harrison that has considerably slowed the great receiver.  So far, Wayne has been able to pick up the slack, and Manning continues to make the most of his other options.

Overall, both teams are great and pretty even.  To me, New England looks a little more impressive, so I’ll pick them to win by about 7.  Should be a really great, fun game.

The following article appears in the Nov. 1 edition of The O’Colly .

No one on the OSU wrestling team was happy in March when, for the first time in five years, the season ended without a Cowboy championship.

“That was by far the hardest loss I’ve ever taken in my life,” senior Coleman Scott said. “I trained seven months for one thing, and that was to win a title, and I didn’t get it. It burns in me every day.”

Coach John Smith, never satisfied with anything less than being the best, said he’s been more demanding in working out the team to make sure it’s ready this year.

“I’ve trained this team harder than I’ve ever trained any team since school started, no question about it,” Smith said.

His wrestlers have noticed the different intensity level of the workouts.

“I don’t ever remember doing stuff we’re doing, but he’s the master,” junior Brandon Mason said. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s going to prepare us. All we can do is follow along and believe in what he’s telling us to do and preaching to us.”

The Boomer run is at the heart of the Cowboys’ training this fall. Senior Nathan Morgan said the Cowboys take off from Gallagher-Iba Arena, run to Boomer Lake, around the lake and back to the arena.

The run is more than seven miles nonstop, with Cowboy coaches stationed at checkpoints or following along in cars to make sure no one cuts any corners.

“That’s what you need,” Morgan said. “You want to do what you don’t want to do. And afterwards, when you’re done with the run; it feels good to know you did it; you conquered it.

“All this training, all the running, all these drills, I think we’re taking it to a new level this year that we haven’t been to before. A few things just went wrong (last year), but this training now is taking away the chances for those mistakes.”

As hard as the runs and technique drills can be, the wrestlers said they know that all the hard work will pay off.

“(The training) gives us a lot of confidence when we’re out there,” Scott said. “When you know you’re in the best shape you can be in, and you’re best prepared for a match, it means all the world out there on the mat.”

In addition to the physical training, the Cowboys said their workouts have benefited from having several graduated wrestlers also working out at the arena.

Older wrestlers, such as Zack Esposito and Steve Mocco, are allowed to use the Cowboy wrestling room as they train to make the Olympic team, and they also help train current Cowboys.

Smith said six of the seven weight classes are represented in the Olympic hopefuls, so nearly all of his wrestlers get to practice against some of the best in the world, an opportunity that the Cowboys appreciate.

“It’s great wrestling with the older guys,” Morgan said. “Just the techniques that they bring, when you wrestle with one of those guys, you better be mentally focused, or you’re going to get your butt kicked.”

Mason said practicing against wrestlers of that caliber help him gauge where he stands.

“I’m going against them about every other day at least, and that’ll make me better,” he said. “They’re better than anyone I’ll be wrestling this year.”

Although Smith said he is happy with the way his wrestlers have trained and practiced so far, he knows they must keep the intensity up all year to end this season the way they want.

“Early on, everybody’s excited, everybody’s motivated, everybody has goals, but it takes a season of adversity, whatever it may be, that’s thrown your way and maintaining some type of consistency,” Smith said.

“We have a tendency in wrestling to go right to the NCAA Championship in the preseason, but there’s a whole season here, and it’s that season that makes you at the end. You can’t ignore that you’ve got to earn it all through the year.”

Last night, the Green Bay Packers visited the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

Denver’s my favorite NFL team, so I was excited about the game. It’s been a fairly rough season for the Broncos so far, but they’ve pulled off a couple close victories, including a close victory over a good Pittsburgh team last week, and had a .500 record coming into the game. If they could actually beat a good Packers team, maybe it was a sign that they were on the right track.

However, they ran into a slight problem: Brett Favre. Favre has already secured his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL and is marching his way through the record books. Monday night, he added another notch to his belt against my Broncos.

After Denver tied the game as time expired on a Jason Elam field goal (all three of the Broncos’ wins had come on Elam field goals as time ran out), Green Bay won the toss and got the ball first. Then, on the very first play of OT , Favre connected with Greg Jennings for an 82-yard touchdown pass. Game over, just like that.

Three thoughts about the heartbreaker:

• The game never should have gone to overtime. With no time outs and a 3&1 from the Packers 5, Denver’s Jay Cutler ran a quarterback draw and couldn’t even pick up a yard. There’s no guarantee they would have scored a game-winning touchdown by passing, but Cutler’s not a running QB, so I think the chances would have at least been better.
• I still don’t like the NFL’s “sudden death” overtime rules, and I’m not just saying that because my team was the one that lost without getting to touch the ball. I just think college football has it down much better. The NFL should adapt a similar method with each team getting the ball at least once, but just move the starting position back from the 25 to the 40 or so.
• When it comes right down to it, since the Broncos were in that situation, what else could they have really done? They went up against a living legend, and he beat them as he’s beaten so many before them. As a friend of mine and fellow Bronco fan said, “We got Favred.”

The Boston Red Sox wrapped up a four-game sweep on Sunday, beating the Colorado Rockies to win their second championship in four years.

There were some great stories in this Fall Classic, some of which were sadly overshadowed by all the Yankee drama.  Jon Lester, who won the series-clinching game, was just a year removed from chemotherapy.  Mike Lowell, the series MVP, is also a cancer survivor.  Curt Schilling may have pitched his final game for the Red Sox, but he went out on top.  Josh Beckett continued to cement his resume as one of the greatest postseason pitchers of this generation.

I was rooting for the Rockies, but I think the layoff between the NLCS and the WS hurt them.  Even if they hadn’t had to wait so long, though, I don’t think they could have beaten the Red Sox.

Boston’s pitching is too good, its hitting too consistent, and its team chemistry too perfect.  General manager Theo Epstein has built an amazing organization, developing good young talent–Dustin Pedroia, Jacob Ellsbury, Jonathon Papelbon, etc.–but also being willing to make aggressive trades for players like Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell and give big deals to guys like David Ortiz and Jason Varitek to lock them up long-term.

There are a lot of really good teams in the American League, so I don’t know how much of a chance Boston will have to build a true dynasty, but the Sox should at least be in the thick of the race every season for several years to come.

Colorado may have, in some ways, overachieved this year, but the Rockies’ accomplishments were impressive. If they can add just a little more pitching, I like their chances of making another run next year.

The only disappointing thing is that yet again this season, despite some really good early rounds of play, the World Series itself was not overly competitive.  I don’t know what it is, but the past few years, the WS itself has been over fairly quickly, the last great series coming in the Marlins’ 2003 defeat of the Yankees in seven games.  Hopefully next year we’ll see a more dramatic World Series that comes down to the wire.

The following article will appear in the October 31 edition of The O’Colly .

Coming off the biggest turnaround in the nation last year, the Cowgirl basketball team will see if it has what it takes improve again this season.

The team has the experience, after making it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.

It has the guards, with Big 12 Freshman of the Year Andrea Riley and honorable mention All-Big 12 Danielle Green returning to lead the way.

But a big presence inside? Perhaps not on the surface, but the Cowgirls are trying their best to make the most of what they have on the post.

“The mystery again is our post play, what kind of results can we get inside,” coach Kurt Budke said. “I think that’s going to go a long way toward determining how far we go or if we take another step forward this year.”

Leading the way for the Cowgirls inside will be senior center Maria Cordero, who was OSU’s leading scorer early last season, but came down with a viral infection late in the year that slowed her down.

“After she got ill, she never recovered and got back to that level that she was at early in the season,” Budke said. “I think Maria is going to be a key for us this year.

“I think she can easily average double figures like she did at the beginning of last year. She’s a tremendous player.”

Cordero said she’s fully recovered now and back to full strength.

“I feel a whole lot better, and I think it’s shown in practice too,” she said. “I’m been taking care of my body and sleeping more. I feel great now.”

Budke said Cordero lost weight over the summer and is in the best shape of her life, and will have to be in order to play as much as the Cowgirls need her to—possibly more than 30 minutes per game.

Cordero said she’s looking forward to the challenge.

“My thought on the pressure of us not having great post position right now is that I’m going to do a good job, and we’ll be fine,” Cordero said.

After Cordero, the Cowgirls will also look to junior forward Shaunte Smith to play a lot of minutes, another player Budke said slimmed down and improved over the summer.

“She’s a different player than she was last year,” he said. “She’s flying all over the gym.”

Cordero’s main backup will be sophomore center Megan Byford, a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College, already nicknamed “Big Country” after Bryant Reeves, the men’s basketball center who led OSU to a Final Four in 1995.

“She is solid, and she doesn’t move, but she can really score inside,” Budke said. “She’s a tough one; when she’s on the block, you’re going to have to really push her and shove her to get her out of the way. We’re looking for big things from her.”

Cordero also had praise for Byford, and said she thought the two of them would work well together on the court at the same time.

“Megan’s really strong, and a good scorer,” Cordero said. “I can shoot from outside too, so I think that’ll help clear it out for her inside to go to work on the stronger girls.”

Rounding out the interior depth for the Cowgirls is junior forward Shyvon Spears, a transfer Coffeyville Community College who’s expected to get significant playing time, and Alex Richardson, a freshman center from Edmond.

These Cowgirls will all have their work cut out for them, playing in a conference with several tough post players, such as Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and Colorado’s Jackie McFarland.

Cordero said that the Cowgirls know their competition inside will be tough, but that they’re working hard to rise to the challenge.

“You have to be strong at the post position,” Cordero said. “I think that’s a part of our team that we’re trying to get involved more. We just have to show in practice that Coach can trust us, inside and out.”

The following article was in the October 30 edition of The O’Colly .

When Oklahoma State hosts the Texas Longhorns in its biggest game of the season thus far, the defense will face one of its greatest challenges in slowing down junior running back Jamaal Charles.

Charles is averaging 112.4 rushing yards per game, second to only OSU’s Dantrell Savage in the Big 12, and is coming off the biggest game of his career.

Charles ran 33 times for a career-high 290 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska, including 216 yards in the fourth quarter alone when he single-handedly brought the Longhorns back from a late deficit to win 28-25.

OSU defensive coordinator Tim Beckman, in his first year in the Big 12, has played Texas each of the last two years while at Ohio State and knows how good Charles is.

“He’s a very talented, skilled running back,” Beckman said. “He’s got great speed, and he runs hard. He’s not one of those guys you bring down with just an arm tackle.”

Senior defensive end Nathan Peterson said Charles’ greatest weapon is his speed, which he showcased in an 86-yard touchdown run against Nebraska.

“If you give him an opening, he’ll be gone,” Peterson said. “He’s one of the fastest running backs I’ve ever faced.”

Beckman’s Ohio State defenses were able to contain Charles’ speed the past two years, holding him to a combined 27 carries for 96 yards, or 3.6 yards per carry, although the running back was then sharing time with recently graduated Selvin Young.

Now, Charles is the featured back for the Longhorns, and won national honors for offensive player of the week for his performance against Nebraska.

Despite the end results, Beckman said he felt like the Cornhuskers played good defense most of the game, but noted that he wouldn’t be following their strategy.

Nebraska constantly blitzed the Longhorns, so when Charles broke through the first wave of defenders, he was off to the races.

“To me, defense isn’t blitzing 75-80 percent of the time,” Beckman said. “It’s being able to utilize the pressure, and then showing pressure but not coming with it. In the fourth quarter, just a couple guys out of place cost them some big plays.

“You take bits and pieces from each one of the games that you watch and you formulate how that can help the Cowboys when they play the Longhorns.”

Senior linebacker Rodrick Johnson said the key for the Pokes is to not let Charles get out in open space, where his speed is most effective.

“If you make one mistake, he can punish you for it,” Johnson said. “You just got to contain him and keep him between the tackles. You can’t let him get on the outside and get space. We’re going to bring some heat on him; we’re going to sit back in the zone; we’re going to do a lot of different things to kind of mix it up.”

No matter how well the Cowboys game plan for the running offense, they can’t let up the entire game. Charles’ 216 yards in the fourth quarter were just six yards shy of Corey Dillon’s NCAA record for rushing yards in a quarter.

The Cowboys said they believe their conditioning will help keep them from suffering the same fate as the Cornhuskers.

“We’re fairly confident about our conditioning,” Peterson said. “We do conditioning every day, and we take pride in it. We know we can’t get lazy in the fourth quarter.”

When asked about his concern that the Texas rushing attack could wear his defense down late in the game, Beckman just smiled.

“We’re fighters, and we’re going to fight ’til the end.”

The following article will appear in the October 29 edition of The O’Colly .

The Oklahoma State equestrian team rode all over defending national champion South Carolina for a dominant 16-3 victory Saturday.

The Cowgirls (3-0) also won three of four MVPs, the award given to the outstanding player in each of the four disciplines, while routing South Carolina (1-2).

Coach Larry Sanchez was happy with the way the Cowgirls competed against the team that had defeated them last season.

“They beat us in the semifinal round at nationals, so we definitely were looking to compete against them again,” Sanchez said. “They’re a good team, they’ve got some really good riders, but I’m glad the girls showed me what they’re capable of. The girls rode very smart.”

OSU had to cope with unruly horses not reacting the way the Cowgirls expected, but sophomore Leah Kuehn, who won the MVP in reining, said the experience was good practice for the team.

“The horses did kind of throw us off today,” Kuehn said. “We weren’t really expecting a lot of the things they did, but that’s even better. That prepares us for going on the road and having no idea what those horses do.”

The Cowgirls got off to a quick start, with both the English and Western teams winning four of five matches in the early rounds of horsemanship and equitation over fences.

Senior Samantha Davidson was one of the riders who had to deal with a difficult horse, but made the necessary adjustments to post a score of 76 and capture the horsemanship MVP.

“When horses act up like that, it’s how you ride and adjust to that situation that determines who wins,” she said. “The real rider will be able to get through that challenge that the horse gives you. I think it adds to the competition, makes it a little tougher.”

The Cowgirls kept the intensity up in the afternoon. The Western team won three of five matches with one draw in reining, and the English group swept all five matches in equitation on the flat.

The English team was competing outside for the first time this season but never lost a step, winning nine of 10 matches on the day.

Senior Bailey Mahoney won her match in equitation over fences in the morning, then came back in the afternoon and earned the highest score of the competition for OSU, posting an 81 and winning the MVP in equitation on the flat.

Davidson credited good preparation with the Cowgirls’ impressive victory.

“We knew that going against South Carolina would definitely be a challenge,” Davidson said. “I just think that we were really prepared, and it really showed today in our performance. Each show we’ve gotten a lot stronger. We’re looking to the next competition and what we need to do, how we need to ride our horses, and I think each show we’re definitely progressing.”

The Cowgirls return to action November 10 to take on Big 12 rival Texas A&M at 11:00 at Animal Science Arena in Stillwater.

Kuehn said the big victory over the defending national champions has the team feeling good about the season going forward.

“It gives us more confidence going into A&M, who’ll be really tough to beat,” Kuehn said. “Like coach said, it gauges us and shows how well we’re doing. Our team is totally moving in the right direction. We’re just super pumped about the rest of the season.”

Sanchez also felt good about the way his team looks right now.

“The more we get into our season, the better they’re getting,” Sanchez said. “But what I’m really excited about is that they’re growing closer together as a team.

“When you get that kind of team unity and team harmony, you can reach the goals that you set.”

The following article will appear in the October 26 edition of The O’Colly .

Oklahoma State has a bye this week, giving the team a much-needed opportunity to rest up and prepare for a November 3 showdown with Texas.

The Cowboys have been plagued by injuries recently, especially on defense, where five starters have been hurt this season. Coach Mike Gundy said the open week will give the players a chance to rehab.

“We need to get healthy on defense,” Gundy said. “An open week couldn’t come at a better time for our team. We need a little rest, we need to have some good practices and we need to give them some days off and try to get them back on the field.”

The Cowboys only practiced Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, and have the weekend off before returning to their normal routine next week. Gundy said the lighter schedule is good mentally for the players.

“I think one of the most important things is it gives the players a chance to get away from the coaches,” he said. “I’m sure they’re tired of us. They’ve been around us 10 weeks straight, all day.”

The players are also indeed forward to having some free time. Senior defensive end Nathan Peterson said he plans to go home and do some hunting, but he doubts football will be far from his thoughts.

“I don’t think it’ll ever totally be off my mind, but (the bye week) gives me, and all our team, a chance to relax, rest up and heal, maybe go home and see our families and stuff like that,” Peterson said

Offensively, OSU has been in a groove recently, averaging 39.4 points in its last five games, but sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson said he isn’t worried about the bye disrupting the offense’s momentum.

“No, I think we’re all ready for an off week,” Robinson said. “It’ll give us a chance to rest up and the coaches a chance to put together a game plan for Texas.”

The Pokes won’t have long to relax, however, with the game against the Longhorns, and all its Big 12 South implications, looming. The open week could give the Cowboys an edge, but that hasn’t always been the case in the recent past.

OSU is 4-5 after open weeks since 2001, including 1-2 under Gundy. Gundy’s first Big 12 victory came after a bye in 2005, pulling off the upset against Texas Tech, 24-17.

Still, the coach downplays the benefits of an extra week of preparation.

“I don’t think you gain a big advantage scheme-wise,” Gundy said. “You can only put so many plays in anyway. Now, if your players and disciplined and watch more tape, they should gain an advantage from recognition.”

Defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said he’s glad to having an extra week to work on improving defensively after allowing 529 yards of total offense to Kansas State.

Beckman said that injuries the defense suffered were no excuse for the team’s play, though he is making adjustments to work around hurt players.

Two linebackers, sophomore Patrick Lavine and senior Jeremy Nethon, had to leave the game against KSU. Now, senior Rodrick Johnson, who played at linebacker his first three years before switching to defensive end, will move back to linebacker.

While Johnson uses the extra week to acclimate himself back to the position, other players on defense are also happy to have more time to make adjustments.

“(The bye week) is really coming at a good time,” sophomore cornerback Perrish Cox said. “We have a lot of things we need to work on. Whatever we’re having trouble on, we can focus better on everything we need to do.”

Peterson said that how well players can recover from their injuries and make those necessary adjustments will determine how the rest of the season goes for the Pokes.

“We have injuries, but we also have many, many mistakes we have to correct,” Peterson said. “We played pretty poor throughout the K-State game on defense, so there’s a lot of things we need to get better at.

“If we want to seriously be a challenger for the Big 12, we have to play better defense.”

Well, I correctly predicted the winners of both League Championship Series. In the ALCS, I even got the number of games right, though the Rockies won even faster than I expected in the NLCS. Now it’s time for the greatest event in sports: baseball’s fall classic, where heroes are born and legends made. Should be a great one. Here’s my humble breakdown:

WORLD SERIES

Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox

• How they got here: The Rockies continued their torrid pace yet again, sweeping a talented young Diamondbacks team in four games to win the National League Pennant. They’ve won a ridiculous 21 of their last 22 games, but they’ve had to wait more than a week since their last game for the WS to start. The Red Sox made another amazing comeback, conjuring memories of their miraculous 2004 run, by overcoming a 3-1 game deficit to beat the Indians in 7, led by two of the all-time great postseason starting pitchers, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling.
• What Happens Next: A week ago, the Rockies would’ve looked pretty strong in this match-up, but it remains to be seen if the long wait will cool them off. They’re certainly well-rested though, and they get back pitcher Aaron Cook, previously left off the postseason roster due to injury. The Red Sox, on the other hand, have more recent momentum after beating Cleveland just days ago, and by getting a strong start from Dice-K in Game 7 of the ALCS, they were able to save Beckett for the series opener. At the same time, though, while Colorado is gaining a pitcher, Boston is losing one, as Tim Wakefield went down with injury. Both teams are offensive juggernauts, and both should have a significant advantage at home, but Boston’s pitching should be better. This is a difficult series to predict, since we don’t know yet how the layoff will affect the Rockies, but the Red Sox seem to have more experience and more immediate momentum and thus are the favorites in the season (not that being underdogs has stopped the Rockies yet).
• Final Outcome: Boston wins, 4 games to 2.

The following article is in the October 21 edition of The O’Colly.

Adarius Bowman couldn’t even watch.

As junior kicker Jason Ricks lined up to kick a 26-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game Saturday, the senior receiver sat down on the end of the bench with his head turned away, too overcome by the intensity of the moment to see the kicker drill the game-winner.

“I looked at the crowd, and I knew the crowd was going to tell me if we made it or not,” Bowman said. “They jumped, I jumped, and I’m still smiling.”

Ricks’ field goal would propel Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) to a 41-39 victory over Kansas State (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) and keep the Cowboys in a tie for first in the Big 12 South.

Perhaps Bowman was so nervous because the Cowboys had struggled so many times before in similar situations.

Five of the Cowboys’ six losses last season were decided late in the fourth quarter, and OSU fell again in a 24-23 heartbreaker to Texas A&M two weeks ago. But between a victory earlier this year over Texas Tech and the comeback Saturday, the Pokes look like they’re learning to win the close games.

“It’s really been tough, cause we’ve lost so many close games, coming in from last year and carrying them over, and that’s what we talk about all the time — finish,” Ricks said. “Finish as a team, finish as a special teams unit, and that’s just huge momentum for us to carry into next week.”

The setback against A&M left a bad taste in OSU’s mouth, Bowman said, and the team has been determined not to let it happen again.

“All I could think of since the Texas A&M game was our guys were trying real hard on finishing,” Bowman said. “That’s been our thing the past three weeks of scrimmage, and our guys have been doing it on special teams, offense and defense.”

OSU had to overcome constant roadblocks to make it to that late field goal. The defense, ravaged by injuries, surrendered 529 yards of total offense, and twice the Pokes faced a 14-point deficit.

But the Cowboys kept making plays when they needed to. OSU recovered three K-State fumbles, and the Pokes converted on several key plays, including a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown by sophomore cornerback Perrish Cox.

“There were a lot of things that went our way,” offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said. “I think that’s all about preparation. When you’re prepared and you play hard, usually good things happen.”

Senior running back Dantrell Savage ran for 129 yards, his fifth straight game with more than 100 yards on the ground, and sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson had 109 rushing yards in addition to his three passing touchdowns.

But perhaps the most electrifying play of the game came in the fourth quarter when junior tight end Brandon Pettigrew broke a tackle and outran the Wildcat defense for a 39-yard touchdown catch.

Yet in spite of all their breaks and big plays, the Cowboys still found themselves with their backs against the wall after a Kansas State two-point conversion gave the Wildcats a 39-38 lead with just 1:10 remaining.

Robinson said the team never lost faith with the game on the line.

“We go through that situation every week in practice,” Robinson said. “That’s where I feel most comfortable, and the guys were fired up and ready to go. We knew we were going to get it done.”

Senior receiver Tommy Devereaux returned the KSU kickoff to the 42-yard line, and Robinson connected with Savage on a 24-yard pass to get the Pokes within field goal range.

Kansas State took all three timeouts to try to ice the kicker, but this was the Cowboys’ day, and with Ricks’ kick sailing through the uprights, Oklahoma State found a way to finish the close game.

“We’ve come a long way as a football team, and I’m proud of them for that,” coach Mike Gundy said. “Mr. Pickens always says, ‘Your team is learning to find a way to win in the end, and when you do that, eventually it’s going to pay off.’”