Oklahoma State football doomed by turnovers, comes up short vs Kansas State | 5 takeaways
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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State trailed by a single point into the early minutes of the fourth quarter, which in a season like this should’ve felt like a reason for excitement.
But Pistol Pete’s sixshooter kept firing into his own boot.
The result was an unsettling 14-6 loss to Kansas State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Five turnovers in all, including three in the second half that came inside the Kansas State 30-yard line. Untimely penalties. Defensive miscues that led to touchdowns.
And another loss.
Nine in a row overall, and 17 straight against Big 12 opponents.
Here are five takeaways from the Cowboy defeat:
Zane Flores has up-and-down day
Like he did against Kansas in OSU’s last game, quarterback Zane Flores showed competence and efficiency in running the offense.
But he also was the triggerman on some of the self-inflicted wounds — though not solely responsible for all of them.
Flores threw two interceptions in the first half and fumbled twice in the second half.
On his first interception, his arm was hit as he released the ball, causing it to float high into the air. The second interception was on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the half.
The second-half fumbles were a mix of slow-developing plays and poor protection.
With OSU at the K-State 10, threatening to take the lead, the ball was knocked out of Flores’ hand as he prepared to throw. On the next possession, OSU moved to the K-State 25 where Flores was drilled from an edge rusher, who jarred the ball loose.
The Cowboys’ fifth turnover came on a trick play with running back Trent Howland throwing a pass into coverage.
The Cowboys had 373 yards of total offense with Rodney Fields Jr. rushing for 51 yards to go with 46 receiving yards.
Flores finished the day 24 of 36 for 233 yards and no touchdowns.
But Flores’ last pass fell harmlessly to the ground, hit as he threw it once again — a play that told the day’s story for the OSU offense.
Strong day for defense
The OSU defense came into the game having allowed at least 38 points in 16 straight games against Power Four opponents.
And if not for an offsides penalty that nullified a fourth-down stop, Kansas State might not have gotten to double-digits.
As for games against FBS opponents this season, Saturday’s performance was OSU’s best.
The Wildcats finished with 284 yards and 14 first downs.
Parker Robertson here, there, everywhere
A crucial figure in the defensive success was senior safety Parker Robertson.
He got his day started with a pass breakup on third down to force a punt on Kansas State’s opening possession.
He had two tackles, one of which was a sack, on the next drive. He added an interception early in the third quarter.
The former walk-on from Dallas finished his next-to-last home game with eight tackles and two pass breakups.
Logan Ward bounces back
A lot of responsibility in the Kansas loss fell on placekicker Logan Ward, who missed from 44 yards and had a 19-yarder blocked.
But he rebounded on Saturday, providing all of the Cowboys’ points.
He made 2 of 3 attempts, with both makes from 47 yards. His miss was a 55-yard attempt.
For the year, Ward is 13 of 18, including 7 of 9 from 40-49 yards.
Injury report: Malik Charles carted to locker room
OSU defensive end Malik Charles suffered an injury early in the fourth quarter, laying on the turf at midfield for several minutes. He was tended to by medical personnel before rising to his feet to walk a few steps to the cart that carried him to the locker room.
It wasn’t immediately clear the type or extent of his injury.
Listed as questionable entering the day, OSU tight end Quinton Stewart did not suit up for the game. That left OSU with just three available tight ends, including offensive lineman Gage Stanaland, who has been wearing No. 89 and aligning as a tight end on occasion.
Grayson Brousseau started at tight end and caught a pass on the opening play of the game. He added another catch later, finishing with 30 receiving yards.
Tight end has been an area of attrition this season, with Josh Ford entering the transfer portal, Will Monney electing to redshirt and Oscar Hammond out all year with an injury.
True freshman Carson Su’esu’e made his OSU debut backing up Brousseau.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
OSU at UCF
KICKOFF: 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida (ESPN+)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football falls short of Big 12 upset of Kansas State
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