Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State football: Five takeaways from Cowboys' win over Cyclones
STILLWATER — Spencer Sanders took off his Oklahoma State beanie and put on his cape.
The Cowboys needed a hero.
Enter Sanders, bum shoulder and all — though you could hardly tell as he guided the Cowboys on a go-ahead touchdown drive in a rally for a 20-14 win over Iowa State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Sanders wasn’t expected to play, to the point that he didn’t even participate in pregame warmups. He put on his pads, but spent the majority of the day on the sidelines with his orange and black beanie.
But the injured starter entered the game in the third quarter after the day’s starting quarterback, Gunnar Gundy, threw his second interception.
Though Sanders’ first series was a three-and-out, he guided the Pokes on an eight-play, 63-yard drive. He capped it with a perfectly executed pass to Jaden Nixon for a touchdown after Sanders sold the play as a run while Nixon slipped behind the defense and into the end zone.
Sanders finished 9-of-13 for 84 yards with the one touchdown, improving the Cowboys to 7-3 on the season and 4-3 in Big 12 play. The Pokes head into Bedlam feeling positive about the direction of the team after two ugly losses on the road prior to Saturday.
Here are four more takeaways from OSU’s rally to beat the Cyclones:
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Iowa State threatens late
The Cyclones pushed inside the OSU 30 on its final drive, even throwing to the end zone on a late third-down play. OSU cornerback Korie Black, tight in coverage on Iowa State star receiver Xavier Hutchinson, knocked the ball away at the goal line.
And on the following play, Collin Oliver came around the edge and chased down Iowa State quarterback, who had been pushed out of the pocket by OSU’s Brock Martin, and sacked the quarterback.
It was the second sack for Oliver and fourth sack of the game for OSU, all in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys had not had a sack since the Texas game on Oct. 22.
Iowa State finished with 333 total yards, with 274 through the air and 59 on the ground, averaging 1.6 yards per carry.
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Takeaway time
The Oklahoma State defense did its part to keep the team in game, securing five takeaways — three in the first half.
Redshirt freshman safety Kendal Daniels did the early turnover damage. The Beggs native forced a fumble and intercepted a pass for the first two OSU takeaways.
Jabbar Muhammad had his first interception of the season, and Jason Taylor II had his Big 12-leading fourth.
OSU defensive lineman Nathan Latu recovered a fumble forced by cornerback Korie Black in the third quarter.
It was the most takeaways by the OSU defense since the 2020 game at TCU, when it had five takeaways and lost.
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Gundy starts, offense sputters
Redshirt freshman Gunnar Gundy, the son of head coach Mike Gundy, made his first career start as the Cowboys dealt with a beat-up quarterback depth chart. Sanders was not believed to be available, and did not participate in pregame warmups.
Last week’s starter, true freshman Garret Rangel, suffered an injury against Kansas and was limited in practice all week, leading Gundy to run the majority of the action for the first-team offense — and thus, get the starting nod.
Gundy had his moments as the starter, hitting John Paul Richardson on an 83-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. But overall, he finished 5-of-12 for 103 yards with two interceptions.
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Injury list still long
Sanders took a black marker to his name on the pregame injury report, when he entered late in the third quarter, but it was still an extensive list.
The Cowboy offense was without linemen Hunter Woodard and Preston Wilson.
The defense was missing ends Trace Ford and Tyler Lacy, plus safety Thomas Harper.
On the good side of things, receivers Braydon Johnson and Jaden Bray played for the first time in weeks, and running back Dominic Richardson returned after missing the second half last week.
The Cowboys remained relatively healthy throughout the game.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football beats Iowa State as Spencer Sanders saves day
