Late interception helps No. 15 Oklahoma State hang on to beat No. 21 Iowa State
Oklahoma State defensive back A.J. Green gave the loser of Saturday night’s game between TCU and Oklahoma a huge boost.
Green held on to an interception with 32 seconds left to seal a 49-42 win over Iowa State on Saturday. The victory keeps No. 15 Oklahoma State in third place in the Big 12 and drops Iowa State to fourth and likely knocks the Cyclones out of contention for the Big 12 title race.
Green fought off Iowa State receiver Marchie Murdock for the ball in the end zone. Had Murdock wrestled the ball away from Green in time, Iowa State could have gotten the touchdown. By rule, simultaneous possession goes to the receiving team.
But Green clearly had more of the ball as he was down in the end zone.
Iowa State jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Oklahoma State scored 21-straight points later in the first half. The Cyclones took a 42-34 lead with 8:38 left, but Oklahoma State immediately tied the game with a seven-play drive on its next possession and a two-point conversion that was successful after two defensive penalties on Iowa State.
Oklahoma State’s defense then came up big for the first time in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys defense subsequently forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with five minutes left. On OSU’s third play of the possession, QB Mason Rudolph found wide receiver Dillon Stoner for a 19-yard touchdown that turned out to be the game winner.
Iowa State played the second half with Zeb Noland at quarterback after Kyle Kempt left with an injury in the first half. Linebacker and (former) quarterback Jake Lanning took some snaps too. Lanning ran for a touchdown and also threw a touchdown to wide receiver Allen Lazard.
Had Iowa State won Saturday the loser of the game between the No. 5 Sooners and No. 6 Horned Frogs would be at a head-to-head disadvantage. Iowa State has beaten both teams and would get into the title game on a tiebreaker with wins over Baylor and Kansas State to finish the season.
But since Oklahoma State won, both teams can breathe easier. OSU’s two conference losses came to OU and TCU. While the Cowboys will be tied for second in the standings with Saturday night’s loser, they’ll lose the head-to-head tiebreaker. Oklahoma State’s conference title hopes are still alive, but they need some help from others.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
