Cougars win 38-35 over Oklahoma State with a final-minute miracle

PROVO, Utah — No. 13 BYU picked up a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State in a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire Big 12 contest at Lavell Edwards Stadium Friday night, thanks to a final-minute 75-yard touchdown drive.

“Great game,” said Kalani Sitake, BYU head coach. “I was just really happy about the win, but I’m just really proud of the way the guys played. This wasn’t easy, but just proud of our guys, and it’s the fight and the belief that they have in each other, leadership, our team, just really proud of our guys being in an elite place. And, you know, it was an exciting game, but the culture wants us to get better, obviously, but felt like we had some good moments.”

BYU edged out the victory with a game-winning drive propelled by quarterback Jake Retzlaff with 1:12 remaining on the clock. Retzlaff threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter who dodged multiple Cowboys and snuck into the endzone with 10 seconds on the clock, helping the Cougars secure move to 7-0 on the year for the first time since the 2020 season. 

Prior to the win, the last time BYU secured a victory with a go-ahead score with under 1:30 remaining (1:12) was in the 33-28 Nebraska win in 2015 (0:40 remaining).

Retzlaff went 13-for-26 for 218 yards and two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He also gained 81 rushing yards on the night. The wide receiver room was led by Lassiter who gained 129 yards on six receptions. He started and ended the game with big-play catches. Keelan Marion followed with 56 yards on three receptions and one touchdown. Chase Roberts had three catches, all three for first downs.

LJ Martin recorded a career high in rushing yards (120) and tied a career-high with two rushing touchdowns on a season-high 20 carries. Hinckley Ropati rushed for 81 yards on nine carries. 

The BYU defense was led by Harrison Taggart with 11 total tackles, six of which were solo. Isaiah Glasker had eight total tackles. Crew Wakley had six total tackles, while Jack Kelly earned five. Tanner Wall and Tommy Prassas had an interception each.

1st Quarter

The Cougars started the night off with a 50-yard connection from Retzlaff to Lassiter on the first play from scrimmage to land at the Cowboys’ 25-yard line. Retzlaff rushed up the middle to find the endzone with 11:57 on the clock. 

The Cowboys responded with a quick seven points of their own moments later. Oklahoma State located the endzone after a five-play scoring drive, capped off with a 50-yard rush by Ollie Gordon to knot the contest at 7-7 with 9:42 left in the first quarter. 

The Cougar defense locked down on the Cowboys second offensive drive, earning a quick three-and-out, highlighted by a third-down sack by Kelly. 

The first quarter concluded with a BYU drive deep into Oklahoma State territory that ended with an interception thrown by Hinckley Ropati. 

2nd Quarter

On the first play of the second quarter, the play right after BYU’s thrown interception, the Cougars got the ball right back as Tanner Wall picked off an overthrow at the 48-yard line and took it all the way down to the one yard line. One play later, Martin rushed into the endzone to give BYU its second touchdown of the night with 14:01 on the clock. 

The Cowboys came right back with a 75-yard drive, with Gordon finding the endzone for the second time after a 10-play scoring drive with 7:55 left in the quarter to tie the contest at 14-14. 

BYU drove back inside the Oklahoma State 25-yard line before the Cowboys picked up another interception with 3:44 on the clock. 

Oklahoma State took the 21-14 lead after an eight-play scoring drive capped by Gordon finding the endzone once again with 0:32 remaining in the half. The Cowboys secured the touchdown on a 76-yard drive, fueled by a 54-yard quarterback run. 

The first half ended with a third Oklahoma State interception as time expired. 

3rd Quarter

BYU started the second half with a much-needed stop on defense after an 11-play progression from Oklahoma State which ended in a missed field goal from the 48-yard line. 

The Cougars went to work on their offensive drive, running the ball seven times in a row, gaining 69 yards and eventually knotting the game 21-21 with an eight-yard rush by Martin. The touchdown came with 5:51 left on the clock. 

The BYU defense stifled Oklahoma State’s response with an interception by Tommy Prassas on the first play of the next Cowboy drive. The Cougar offense quickly capitalized on the action, initiating a four-play progression which resulted in a 34-yard connection from Retzlaff to Marion who found the endzone. BYU moved up 28-21 on the series with 3:43 remaining. 

The Cowboys arranged an eight-play sequence to get down to the Cougars’ 16-yard line to end the third quarter. 

4th Quarter

Oklahoma State opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown off of a double pass to finish off a 79-yard scoring drive. The Cowboys tied the contest 28-28 within the first 10 seconds of the quarter. 

The Cougars went back in front with a 41-yard field goal from Will Ferrin with 9:44 on the clock. The kick was set up by a series of plays that included Martin with 17 rushing yards and a 22-yard catch from Marion. 

The Cowboys put together a clock-draining drive that included two fourth-down conversions and resulted in a touchdown to hoist Oklahoma State to a four point lead, 35-31 with 1:13 left on the clock. 

With 1:13 left in the game, Retzlaff propelled the Cougar offense down the field for a final scoring drive. The junior quarterback threw three short passes, including a crucial fourth-down conversion to Roberts, to get the Cougars to the 38-yard line. 

 

ARE U KIDDING!!?

BYU COMES UP CLUTCH IN THE FINAL SECONDS 😳 pic.twitter.com/TVT3xeRivt

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2024

 

After a BYU timeout, Retzlaff found a lane down the right side for a 27-yard run to get to the Oklahoma State 35-yard line. After a spiked ball to stop the clock, Retzlaff then located Lassiter at the Cowboys’ 10-yard line. Lassiter faked out one defender and powered into the endzone to put LaVell Edwards Stadium into a frenzy and eventually secure a 38-35 BYU victory.

Next Up

BYU will head east to face UCF at FBC Mortgage Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26. The game will air on BYU Radio, while the television broadcast details are yet to be announced.