Oklahoma State Upends No. 21 Kansas State 38-34

Saturday, October 11

Stillwater, OK

TBA

Oklahoma State University

5-1 , 1-1

Kansas State

4-3 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Kansas State

Oklahoma State

October 11, 2003 | Cowboy Football

Box Score

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Tatum Bell ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns and Darrent Williams returned one of his two interceptions for a score as Oklahoma State beat No. 22 Kansas State 38-34 on Saturday.

Kansas State, ranked as high as No. 6 a month ago, has watched its season of promise unravel with three straight losses. The Wildcats (4-3, 0-2 Big 12) have virtually no chance of advancing to the conference title game and will probably drop out of the poll.

After a deflating season-opening loss at Nebraska that cost the Cowboys their Top 25 ranking, Oklahoma State (5-1, 1-1) has won five straight and managed to make amends for last season's embarrassing 44-9 loss at Kansas State.

The Cowboys owe much of this win to Bell's hard-charging runs up the middle and some well-timed trickery by coach Les Miles.

Bell, benched in the first quarter of last week's win over Louisiana-Lafayette after a fumble, rebounded in a big way as he repeatedly found holes in a Kansas State defense that had held 11 of its past 14 opponents under 100 yards rushing.

But the game turned late in the third quarter on a fake field goal call by Miles. The Cowboys faced fourth-and-7 from Kansas State's 31 when kicker Luke Phillips scampered 11 yards around the right end for a first down.

Three plays later, Fields hit Gabe Lindsay across the middle for the go-ahead touchdown.

Ell Roberson's pass was intercepted by Williams on the next series and, three plays later, Bell scored on a 12-yard run to give the Cowboys a 35-21 lead.

Phillips added a 50-yard field goal, but the Wildcats still tried to make a game of it.

Roberson threw two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter, but a botched hold on the second extra-point attempt left Kansas State down by four points.

Oklahoma State recovered the onside kick and ran the clock down with several runs by Bell.

The loss wasted a career day passing for the normally scatter-armed Roberson, who threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns. He also tossed three interceptions.

It was one of Roberson's errant throws, however, that Williams took back 63 yards for a score in the second quarter to give Oklahoma State a 14-7 lead. It was the fourth interception return for a touchdown in his career, setting a Big 12 record.

Roberson responded later in the quarter with a 40-yard touchdown throw to James Terry, who caught the ball off a tip by cornerback Robert Jones at the Oklahoma State 5.

With the win, Oklahoma State snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Wildcats that dated to 1990.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and Oklahoma State alum Barry Sanders was honored at halftime for his recent selection to the College Football Hall of Fame. The orange-clad crowd of 46,087 greeted the normally reclusive star with a standing ovation as some of his college highlights played on a video screen.