Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State

Tay Martin

Oklahoma State Cowboys

By Ron Sanzone

On the strength of one of the nation’s most dominant defenses, No. 9 Oklahoma State returns to the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl for the third time. In its previous appearances, the Cowboys defeated BYU 16-6 in December 1974 and Stanford 41-38 in January 2012.

Oklahoma State rolled through the regular season and into the Big 12 Championship game with just a single loss. Along the way, it defeated Kansas State 31-20 on September 25, Baylor 24-14 on October 2, and rival Oklahoma 37-33 on November 27. Heading into a rematch with Baylor in the conference title game on December 4, the Cowboys were up for a possible spot in the College Football Playoff.

In the Big 12 Championship, OSU trailed by 15 at halftime, turned the ball over four times, and still could have won with 30 seconds left in the game. On fourth and goal from the Baylor 1, running back Dezmon Jackson sprinted toward the end zone pylon and extended the ball toward it. Despite his effort, he was stopped about an inch or two short, effectively ending the game and the team’s hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Head coach Mike Gundy says that gut-wrenching loss to Baylor does not subtract from his team’s accomplishments this season.

“I told them I was proud of them,” he says. “There’s nothing that happened that can take away from what these guys have achieved this year.”

Gundy, who was named Big 12 coach of the year, does not think that heartbreak will interfere with the team’s preparation for Notre Dame.

“This is a mature group,” he says. “They’ve handled themselves the right way. They compete each week.”

When the Cowboys’ offense takes the field against Notre Dame, they will do so with dual-threat junior quarterback Spencer Sanders under center. Sanders, who was named First Team All-Big 12 quarterback, threw for 2,468 yards and ran for another 543 this season. But he will have to take better care of the ball than he did when he threw four interceptions in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Powerful redshirt senior running back and Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year Jaylen Warren muscled his way to 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. However, he missed the conference championship game with an injury and at press time his availability for the Fiesta Bowl was undetermined.

The Big 12 has a reputation as a conference featuring great offenses and poor defenses. However, Oklahoma State’s defensive unit was among the absolute best in the nation this year, finishing third in allowing just 278 yard of offense per game. That success was the result of a years-long process.

“We made an adjustment four years ago,” Gundy says. “We moved over three scholarships from offense to defense to load up a little bit there, felt like that would help us long term in our conference.”

Four Cowboy defenders were recognized as First Team All-Big 12 this season: defensive lineman Brock Martin, linebacker Malcom Rodriguez and defensive backs Jarrick BernardConverse and Kolby Harvell-Peel. Defensive end Collin Oliver was named the conference’s defensive newcomer of the year.

The Cowboys’ vaunted defense might have a different steward at the helm for the Fiesta Bowl. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the best assistant coach in the nation. However, he was hired on December 27 by Ohio State for the same role. His new job does not begin until January 2. At press time, it was unclear whether he would coach in the Fiesta Bowl.

Season at a Glance Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-2)

Sept. 4 vs. Missouri State W 23-16 Sept. 11 vs. Tulsa W 28-23 Sept. 18 @ Boise State W 21-20 Sept. 25 vs. Kansas State W 31-20 Oct. 2 vs. Baylor W 24-14 Oct. 16 @ Texas W 32-24 Oct. 23 @ Iowa State L 24-21 Oct. 30 vs. Kansas W 55-3 Nov. 6 @ West Virginia W 24-3 Nov. 13 vs. TCU W 63-17Nov. 20 @ Texas Tech W 23-0 Nov. 27 vs. Oklahoma W 37-33 Dec. 4 vs. Baylor L 21-16