No. 24 Oklahoma State heads to Houston, eager to bounce back from a blowout loss on the road

HOUSTON (AP) — No. 24 Oklahoma State still has a lot to play for heading into the final two games of the season.

After a 45-3 loss to UCF last week, the Cowboys still have a chance to play for the Big 12 Championship. However, the margin for error is slim.

Oklahoma State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) visit Houston (4-6, 2-5) on Saturday looking for a bounce-back performance.

“One game at a time,” Oklahoma State linebacker Xavier Benson said. “We know what’s ahead of us and we know what could happen, but if you look too far, you’ll stumble. We got to take every day as serious as Saturdays, because they are as serious as Saturdays. This is a really good conference and people are trying to beat us every week. Nobody is going to let up just because of your name. Football is football at the end of the day, you show up or you don’t.”

The Cowboys are in a four-way tie for second in the Big 12 with Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas State. Texas leads the Big 12 at 6-1. The importance of Saturday’s game is not lost on the Cowboys.

“It’s not like us to lose, but it’s also not like us to dwell on it,” fullback Braden Cassity said. “So, everyone’s (mad) and ready to come back again and go down to Houston. We’re excited to just do what we do.”

The Cowboys have allowed an average of 435.8 yards per game this season, which ranks 119th in the nation. UCF piled up 592.

“Big plays have been a problem for us. In the last month, we stabilized it pretty good against some good football teams,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “Good football teams are going to make plays, you’re not just going to go into the game and stop them. We just have to minimize it the best we can.”

Houston, which is coming off a 24-14 loss to Cincinnati, knows slowing down the Cowboys is going to be difficult, especially when it comes to Ollie Gordon II, who leads the country with 1,250 yards rushing.

“He’s one of the best backs in the country,” Houston coach Dana Holgorsen said. “This is going to be a heck of a challenge for us. … They’re in the Big 12 race, so they have a lot to play for. You look at all the teams tied for second, … they’ve beaten a lot of those teams.”

QB COMPARISON

Houston’s Donovan Smith and Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman lead two high-powered offenses.

Smith has thrown for 2,405 yards with 20 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He has struggled in two of the last three games, throwing for 88 yards and an interception in a 41-0 loss to Kansas State a month ago before throwing for 102 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions against Cincinnati last week.

Bowman has thrown for 2,139 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions, but was picked off three times last week in the loss to UCF.

TWO FOR BOWLING

Oklahoma State has already clinched a bowl berth, but Houston needs wins over the Cowboys and UCF next week to reach six wins and become bowl eligible.

“That’s the standard you want to be in,” Holgorsen said. “I care if it’s year one (in the Big 12), your goal is a bowl game.”

KICKING RECOGNITION

Oklahoma State kicker Alex Hale was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. Hale is 21 of 27 this season on field goals and his 93 points scored are second in the Big 12.

“It’s nice to get some recognition, but I just take it one kick at a time,” Hale said. “Go out there when the team calls for a kick, go out there and kick to the best of my ability.”

REMEMBERING THREE FORMER COUGARS

Houston will wear a decal for the remainder of the season to commemorate the lives of former football players D.J. Hayden, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu, who were killed in a car accident Nov. 11.

“I was probably hiring D.J. here in the next couple months,” Holgorsen said. “That was a sad day. We lost three good Coogs. … Former Coogs are no different than current Coogs. They’re all family. That was a sad day.”

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