BYU saw itself fall to No. 20 Oklahoma State in a 40-34 double overtime loss on Saturday.
The Cougars led 24-6 at halftime but faltered in the second half and were outmatched by the Cowboys in their one final win of the season.
Here are three takeaways from BYU’s fifth straight loss, one of which dropped the Cougars to 5-7 on the season:
The Cowboys and Ollie Gordon took over.
After Oklahoma State went the first half without finding the end zone, the Cowboys scored five touchdowns — all on running back Ollie Gordon II — in the second half and overtime.
Gordon’s third score – a 15-yarder – put the Cowboys up in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Once the game went into overtime, Gordon added two more touchdowns, including the game-winning 2-yarder in the second OT game.
Gordon, who entered the contest leading the nation in rushing yards per game, finished with 166 yards on 34 carries.
He rushed for 77 yards in the first half and had 89 in the final two quarters and overtime, as BYU’s defense collapsed after a strong first half.
BYU’s second-half offensive woes derail a strong second quarter.
BYU outscored Oklahoma State 17-0 in the second quarter and led by three at halftime. The Cougars’ offense accounted for 10 of those points, and the defense scored as well (more on that in a minute).
BYU marched 89 yards on six plays late in the second half on a 21-6 touchdown drive in the offense’s most dramatic moment of the night — Jake Retzlaff completed passes of 25 and 50 yards on the possession, which ended with an 11-. yard Keelan Marion touchdown run on a Jet sweep.
The Cougars scored a field goal after a successful fake punt — a 36-yard pass to Tyler Batey — putting BYU in prime position to add a 42-yard Will Ferry field goal.
For all the positive momentum BYU built offensively in the first half — BYU had 202 yards of total offense in the first two quarters to OSU’s 169 — the Cougars went against it in the second half.
BYU picked up just two first downs in the second half and totaled 56 yards on six straight drives — all points — before the drive in the final minute of regulation ended with a 48-yard Ferrin field goal that forced overtime.
By the time BYU scored on Retzlaff’s 6-yard touchdown run on the first drive of overtime, however, the Cougars were already trailing OSU on the sidelines.
The game ended with BYU’s second turnover of the night – Isaac Rex’s fumble on the final play of the game. The first time Rex tackled, Trey Rucker stripped him of the ball.
In his fourth straight start, Retzlaff completed 14 of 30 passes for just 161 yards and suffered a loss on BYU’s second offensive play, when the Cougars went three-and-out on six of their 14 possessions.
BYU’s defense simply collapsed
Give credit to Oklahoma State quarterback Allen Bowman – he won the first half to complete 31 of 47 passes for 321 yards.
Eddie Heckard intercepted Bowman twice, the first on a 13-yard pick-six in the second quarter that gave BYU a 14-6 lead.
Heckard’s second interception in the third quarter ended a promising drive in BYU territory.
There were other positive moments for the Cougar defense, such as holding Oklahoma State to two first-half field goals and Batey’s third-quarter sack that led to a score after the Cowboys reached the BYU 30-yard line.
Too often, though, the Cougars failed to make plays at crucial moments in the second half, like a fourth-and-2 turnover for Oklahoma State that led to Gordon’s go-ahead touchdown in the final minute.
The Cowboys ran 88 plays to BYU’s 69 and eventually Oklahoma State took over.
The Cougars were called for pass interference in the end zone three times, and each time it led to Gordon’s short touchdown.
By the end of the game, the Cowboys had racked up 509 yards of total offense and won the Big 12 Championship.
What’s next?
The season is over.
BYU stood at 5-2 on the season before heading into their toughest schedule yet. After early October, however, the Cougars never won again, as they lost five straight to end the season.
For just the second time in 19 years, BYU will not play in a bowl.