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HOUSTON — It was just a year ago that OSU was the team playing in a bowl without its starting quarterback. OSU that had a slew of players, five of them starters, who defected via the transfer portal before the bowl game. The short-term future of the program looked shaky.
But Wednesday night in Houston, OSU’s stability won out — glaringly so compared to a mishmash Texas A&M team left in ruins following Jimbo Fisher’s ousting.
The Cowboys rode their cast of main characters to a 31-23 Texas Bowl win against the Texas A&M extras. Alan Bowman threw for 402 yards, his most in a Cowboys uniform. Receivers Rashod Owens and Brennan Presley, trusted hands all season, cruised past the century mark with 164-and 152-yard games.
Owens was the Texas Bowl MVP, which is saying something given that Presley’s 16 catches tied an OSU record.
Oh, and that guy Ollie Gordon II had a ho-hum 118 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Defensively, Nick Martin and Kendal Daniels shared the team high in tackles with seven, and Daniels had the game-sealing interception, taking a knee after the pick to start the victory celebration.
More: Brennan Presley ties Oklahoma State football record & more stats from Texas Bowl win
Oklahoma State linebacker Xavier Benson (1) and safety Kendal Daniels (5) celebrate Daniels’ interception of a Texas A&M pass on the final play of the Texas Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
The same core players who sparked a turnaround season and led OSU to the Big 12 Championship Game were the same players who starred Wednesday night in Houston.
And here’s even more good news for the Cowboys: most of that group, headlined by Gordon, plans to return in 2024.
“We have good young guys that are gonna be developed, and then we might have 18 or 19 returning starters, I…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mussatto-oklahoma-state-football-wins-081406825.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2023-12-28 08:14:06
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