Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
9-0 , 6-0
Kansas State
7-2 , 3-2
Cowboys Outlast Wildcats, 52-45
November 05, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 5, 2011
Final Stats |
Quotes |
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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 502 yards and four touchdowns, and Joseph Randle scored the final, tiebreaking 23-yard touchdown with 2:16 remaining to lift No. 3 Oklahoma State to a 52-45 victory against No. 17 Kansas State on Saturday night.
The Cowboys (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) matched the best start in school history and survived quite a scare from K-State (7-2, 4-2), which had three shots at the end zone in the final 12 seconds.
Collin Klein missed on 5-yard passes intended for Tyler Lockett and Chris Harper and then overshot Tramaine Thompson in the end zone as time expired. Oklahoma State's players rushed on to the field to celebrate, their national championship hopes still intact.
"You know the season's on the line, so we're definitely not going to back down," defensive end Jamie Blatnick said. "There's no way that we're going to just break and just let the game go out of our hands.
"We've got a great team and we fight hard and I'm proud of them."
All-America receiver Justin Blackmon caught 13 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns, atoning for his two-fumble game with a 54-yard touchdown catch with 4:47 remaining that pulled the Cowboys out of a 38-37 deficit.
He also caught the 2-point conversion for a 45-38 lead.
Kansas State responded right back with Lockett's 80-yard kickoff return and three straight runs by Klein, who barged in from 12 yards out to tie it up with 3:18 remaining.
It took Oklahoma State's quick-strike offense just four plays and 62 seconds to respond again. Weeden found Isaiah Anderson for a 33-yard gain, and Randle ran through a big hole on third-and-1 before dodging safety Jordan Zimmerman to waltz in for the game-winner.
Klein drove the Wildcats down for a chance to tie - or perhaps go for the win with a 2-point conversion - by converting a fourth-and-4 with a quarterback keeper and then connecting with Harper for 22 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 5-yard line.
With no time to rely on his potent running game, coach Bill Snyder called three straight passing plays but none got the job done.
"We play for games like this. This is an exciting game and when it comes down to it, you've got to dig down deep and you've got to make a play," Blatnick said. "We did that today and I'm really proud of everybody, how hard they played."
Klein finished with 231 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 144 yards and three scores.
With starting receivers Josh Cooper and Hubert Anyiam out, Tracy Moore set career-highs with nine catches for 146 yards for Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State capitalized on Klein's fumble on the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage to strike first with Randle's 4-yard touchdown run, and it was soon 14-0 after Weeden hit Moore for a 44-yard gain to set up the Cowboys' second score.
Blackmon stutter-stepped at the line to get Nigel Malone on his heels, then caught Weeden's pass and stutter-stepped again to get past him for an 11-yard score.
Then the Cowboys' stars made a series of mistakes to let K-State get back in the game.
Blackmon fumbled on a punt return to set up Anthony Cantele's 37-yard field goal, then Weeden gave the ball right back by throwing a pick to Tysyn Hartman on a deep ball. Angelo Pease and Klein had short TD runs on Kansas State's next two possessions before another Weeden interception was returned 60 yards for a score by Allen Chapman.
Kansas State led 24-14 - the biggest home deficit this season for the Cowboys - then started piling up errors of its own.
James Thomas intercepted a pass that Klein threw into coverage and Brodrick Brown tipped. His 47-yard return set up Weeden's 5-yard TD pass to Moore on the next play. Then, instead of pinning Oklahoma State deep, Ryan Doerr's punt went out of bounds after only 19 yards and gave OSU good field position to drive for Quinn Sharp's 29-yard field goal and a 27-24 halftime lead.
"The one thing that I like about our team is they really don't flinch very much," OSU coach Mike Gundy said. "They just keep fighting. So as long as they do that, so be it."
The Cowboys were 1 yard away from claiming a 41-31 lead late in the third quarter when Blackmon fumbled for the second time in the game and Lyndell Johnson recovered in the end zone for Kansas State.
That opened the door for K-State to come back again and take a 38-37 lead on Klein's 4-yard option keeper, three plays after he converted a fourth-and-6 with a 13-yard scramble.
Oklahoma State needed just two plays to save its season, with Blackmon streaking down the middle of the field for his 54-yard TD.
"In a perfect world, they're all going to be double-digit wins but it's not like that," Weeden said. "College football is just not like that.
"In order to achieve a goal and win every game, there's going to be some close ones and there's going to be some games that show a lot of character."
Team Stats
KSU 0, OSU 7
OSU - Randle, Joseph 4 yd run (Sharp, Quinn kick), 1 plays, 4 yards, TOP 0:05
KSU 0, OSU 14
OSU - Blackmon, J. 11 yd pass from Weeden, Brandon (Sharp, Quinn kick) 5 plays, 85 yards, TOP 1:33
KSU 3, OSU 14
KSU - Cantele, A. 37 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 2:14
KSU 10, OSU 14
KSU - Pease, Angelo 5 yd run (Cantele, A. kick), 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:57
KSU 17, OSU 14
KSU - Klein, Collin 4 yd run (Cantele, A. kick), 9 plays, 76 yards, TOP 3:26
KSU 24, OSU 14
KSU - Chapman, Allen 60 yd interception (Cantele, A. kick)
KSU 24, OSU 17
OSU - Sharp, Quinn 19 yd field goal 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:56
KSU 24, OSU 24
OSU - Moore, Tracy 5 yd pass from Weeden, Brandon (Sharp, Quinn kick) 1 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:08
KSU 24, OSU 27
OSU - Sharp, Quinn 29 yd field goal 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 3:03
KSU 24, OSU 34
OSU - Randle, Joseph 15 yd pass from Weeden, Brandon (Sharp, Quinn kick) 6 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:30
KSU 31, OSU 34
KSU - Lockett, Tyler 14 yd pass from Klein, Collin (Cantele, A. kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 4:36
KSU 31, OSU 37
OSU - Sharp, Quinn 40 yd field goal 7 plays, 53 yards, TOP 1:54
KSU 38, OSU 37
KSU - Klein, Collin 4 yd run (Cantele, A. kick), 14 plays, 70 yards, TOP 8:28
KSU 38, OSU 45
OSU - Blackmon, J. 54 yd pass from Weeden, Brandon (Blackmon, J. pass) 2 plays, 64 yards, TOP 0:29
KSU 45, OSU 45
KSU - Klein, Collin 12 yd run (Cantele, A. kick), 3 plays, 20 yards, TOP 1:29
KSU 45, OSU 52
OSU - Randle, Joseph 23 yd run (Sharp, Quinn kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:02
