Oklahoma State football vs. Kansas takeaways: Cowboys rally late for second straight win

STILLWATER — Instead of giving up big plays, the Oklahoma State defense finally made some big ones of its own.

With the Cowboy offense moving the ball well, it was the defense that couldn’t keep the score in check until a few late plays that saved a 39-32 win over Kansas on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Kansas’ final five possessions came up empty, with two interceptions, two turnovers on downs and the clock running out to end the final drive.

Late in the third quarter, OSU safety Kendal Daniels intercepted a pass near the goal line that turned away a KU scoring threat, giving the Pokes time to pull ahead with effective offense.

Dylan Smith came up with an interception and Collin Oliver forced a fourth-down fumble, the latter of which kickstarted the game-sealing touchdown drive. It ended with Brennan Presley taking a handoff 6 yards for the score.

Running back Ollie Gordon had 29 rushes for 168 yards and 116 yards on six receptions — all career highs — to power the Cowboy offense. He had a rushing and receiving touchdown, and Alan Bowman added 336 passing yards with two TDs through the air.

Here are four more takeaways from the Cowboy victory:

More: How Oklahoma State football is seeking ways to get Brennan Presley involved in offense

Freshmen come up big

OSU had two second-half takeaways, one of which was a combination of freshmen making a big play.

OSU defensive end DeSean Brown, a redshirt freshman from Choctaw, did not rush the quarterback on a third-and-9 play, but drifted back into the area he anticipated the throw going. He jumped and tipped the pass, which was caught by true freshman Dylan Smith.

A product of Little Elm, Texas, Smith did not play in the first four games of the season. Recruited as a cornerback, he moved to safety earlier this year.

He mostly appeared on special teams against Kansas State, but entered in the second half at safety on Saturday.

His pick was the second of the two takeaways by the OSU defense, following Daniels’ interception.

Defense slapped by big plays

Kansas kept itself in the game because of its ability to hit OSU with big play after big play. And not just yardage, but points.

Kansas had five plays of 30 yards or more. All five were passes, and all went for touchdowns.

The reason for the big-play issues on OSU’s end were a mix of busted coverages and simply getting beat.

Kansas finished with 499 total yards, including 410 through the air. Quarterback Jason Bean was 23-of-33 for 410 yards, 122 of which came in the second half. No KU receiver had more than 95 yards.

More: Why Daniel Hishaw Jr. 'wanted to be part of the answer' to Kansas football turnaround

Dalton Cooper exits with injury

OSU came into the game with no new injuries, but lost starting left tackle Dalton Cooper for the day during a possession late in the first quarter.

Cooper moved to left tackle midway through the South Alabama game, and started the next three games there. His presence had helped solidify the Cowboys’ blocking efforts.

The specifics of Cooper’s injury were not known.

In response, OSU moved right tackle Jake Springfield to Cooper’s spot and put Cole Birmingham in the right tackle position.

A salute to Terry Miller

About two hours before kickoff, Oklahoma State players walked into Boone Pickens Stadium each wearing an orange jersey with a white No. 43, a simple but meaningful tribute to legendary running back Terry Miller.

It was the first sign of the special day set to take place, with Miller being inducted into the OSU Ring of Honor at halftime of the game.

OSU wore orange helmets with orange jerseys and white pants, also a salute to the popular uniform combination during Miller’s era of the mid-1970s. And the jerseys included a patch with Miller’s name and number as well.

Miller is the fourth inductee into the Ring of Honor, joining Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders and Bob Fenimore. That makes up the quartet of retired numbers at OSU, Nos. 34, 21, 55 and 43.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football beats Kansas for second straight Big 12 win