On a huge possession for Oklahoma State late in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Spencer Sanders connected with Dillon Stoner on 3rd and five for what appeared to be a critical first-down conversion.

It was ruled a catch on the field.

The chains moved.

Then the officials went to review and decided otherwise.

Here is the play in question. The ruling on the field was a catch, and it was overturned on replay and deemed that he dropped it.

In a word: WHAT?

How do you overturn that? Not only is there not definitive evidence to overturn it, there’s evidence to confirm the call!

Fox’s Dean Blandino even said as much: “Does he have control prior to, during and after the ball touches the ground? I see both hands on the football. The ruling on the field is a catch. If it’s not clear and obvious you can’t change it.”

OSU as a result of the call had to punt the ball away. The Pokes forced overtime, kicking a field goal with under five seconds remaining on the ensuing possession, but the overturned call was a blatantly wrong call that could have — and maybe did -- sway the outcome of the game. With the Pokes falling 41-34, we’ll perhaps never know the alternative universe in which the right call here would’ve held.

The post Wait, the Officials Overturned this Dillon Stoner Catch? appeared first on Pistols Firing.

Trick or treat.

Oklahoma State fell to Texas 41-34 in overtime despite nearly doubling the Longhorns in total yards gained and losing the turnover battle 4-zip.

Both teams scored early and often. Oklahoma State, thanks to its skill talent, and Texas, thanks to Oklahoma State. A fumbled handoff between Spencer Sanders and Chuba Hubbard that gave UT the ball at the OSU 15-yard line early and set up a TD to tie it up at 7.

It was a mixed bag from Spencer Sanders in the first. He went 14-of-20 for 232 yards and three TDs. But he turned it over three times with all three planting Texas inside the red zone. OSU’s defense was able to hold the ‘Horns to 3 on two of those.

Oklahoma State took a 4-point lead into halftime but it felt like it should have been up by three scores. But after combining for 44 points in the first two quarters, both teams combined for just 13 in the third. Neither scored in the fourth quarter until Texas took at 34-31 lead with 4:27 to play.

That scoring drive that shouldn’t have been was kept alive when an OSU roughing the punter penalty turned a fourth-and-22 into a first down for UT. OSU’s defense still held strong but Texas was able to convert on two fourth downs.

On the ensuing OSU drive, a would-be first down-converting catch by Dillon Stoner was overturned to an incomplete pass after review. Facing fourth-and-5 on its own 30, OSU chose to punt with just under four minutes remaining.

OSU’s defense allowed just its second third down conversion of the game when Sam Ehlinger cut loose for a nine yards forcing OSU to take its final timeout. But OSU was able to hold the Longhorns thanks to a Devin Harper sack.

With a minute and 13 seconds Spencer Sanders was given the rock with no timeouts, down by 3. He carved up the Texas defense, going 4-for-4 for 62 yards to get into field goal range allowing ice-cold Alex Hale to tie it at 34-all from 34 yards away with five seconds left.

Overtime

The Cowboys won the toss and Tylan Wallace said the name of the unit that got them there, defense.

Short Kolby Harvell-Peel and Tre Sterling with injury, it was up to OSU’s defense. A head-scratching pass interference call on Thomas Harper extended Texas’ drive that allowed Ehlinger to find receiver Joshua Moore for his first catch on the day, a 15-yard touchdown to put Texas up 41-34.

The drama was never ending in this one. OSU’s would-be tying touchdown was waved off due to two ineligible Cowboys downfield. A few plays later it came down to fourth-and-8. Sanders had nowhere to go and was sacked for the loss.

Leaders

Sanders finished with a career-high 400 yards and four touchdowns, completing 27 of 39 passes but was credited with three turnovers, one by air, two on the ground.

Texas set out to bottle up Chuba Hubbard and was mostly successful. Hubbard turned in a career-low 2.9 yards per carry and a season-low 72 yards. Chuba did rack up 34 yards and a score through the air.

But that philosophy left Longhorn DBs on lonely islands all afternoon resulting in quite a huge game from Tylan Wallace (x for x). Texas cover men could do little more than grab and pull as OSU receivers ran wild and open by them.

Tylan Wallace was a dude all day, grabbing 11 catches for a season-high 187 yards and two scores.

Ultimately, four turnovers by Oklahoma State’s offense and that roughing the kicker penalty were too much to overcome. OSU tastes defeat for the first time and moves to 4-1 (3-1 in conference). The Cowboys head to Manhattan to take on Kansas State next Saturday.

The post Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to Texas 41-34 in Overtime appeared first on Pistols Firing.

It had to be this way, right? On Halloween, OSU had no choice but to bring out the orange and black. So that’s exactly what the Cowboys will do this afternoon as they welcome Texas to town.

The official look: black lid, black jersey, black pants — all lit up by orange font from top to bottom. Fire!

This is a mean, flawless look. Love it head to toe. OSU gets featured treatment on FOX on Saturday, and it’ll do so in style because I think this is pretty clearly a top-3 look in the rotation.

The post OSU Rocking Orange and Black Unis on Halloween appeared first on Pistols Firing.

The 4-0 Cowboys host the 3-2 Longhorns, who boast a spooky offense, for Halloween. OSU’s defense has been as good as any we’ve under Mike Gundy in a while, but the Longhorns are the Big 12’s best offense so far this season.

ESPN’s GameDay crew agrees with that sentiment but ultimately picked the Cowboys 3-2.

Celebrity guess picker Trace McSorley started things off by siding with his fellow Baltimore Raven Justice Hill’s team, but he was focused on a pair of dynamic Cowboys also destined to play on Sundays.

“I think the combination of Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace on the outside is gonna be enough,” said McSorley. “[I] really like Sam Ehlinger’s game. I think he’s able to keep it close, but at the end, Oklahoma State pulls it out.”

Desmond Howard continued riding for the brand predicting that “the offense hits their stride today.”

David Pollack is taking the ‘Horns. His rationale, “defense don’t win championships anymore.” (I’m kinda more excited by this comment than any of the others. OSU has a defense.)

Kirk Herbstreit picked the home team. “Texas’ defense will win this game because of how Oklahoma State’s offense will move the ball on them.”

Lee Corso was absent from his seat but picked Texas based on some obscure footnote about its kicker.

The post ESPN GameDay Crew Split, Picks Oklahoma State to Beat UT appeared first on Pistols Firing.

Halloween is a time for scary stories, and Landon Wolf has one for you.

Wolf narrated Oklahoma State’s Game 5 hype video, where he warned of monsters that are real, hungry and can sense fear.

The Cowboys host Texas at 3 p.m. Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

The post Oklahoma State Warns of Monsters in Hype Video appeared first on Pistols Firing.

The post Oklahoma State-Texas Game Thread (+) appeared first on Pistols Firing.

The Daily Bullets are brought to you by Hoboken Coffee: Get 20% off your first order.

Three Notes Before the Bullets:

1. OSU landed a four-star athlete from OK yesterday – nice win on the recruiting trail for the Pokes
2. Happy Halloween! Reece’s peanut butter cups are the best candy and it’s not even close.
3. Beat Texas.

Three Thoughts

• It’s early… But has Gundy nailed two defensive coordinator hires in a row?

In 2013, Spencer’s first season as coordinator, the Cowboys had the Big 12’s best defense. And now, in Jim Knowles’ third year as coordinator, OSU has a defense that not only is the Big 12’s best but is the primary reason the Cowboys are a College Football Playoff contender.

Excellent piece if you want to dive into the DC transitions at Oklahoma State

• Why is Texas not back yet? Not enough difference-makers – something the Pokes have found

• This surprised me – if you had to guess what OSU’s record against Big 12 teams has been and where their record against Texas ranks in that bunch… Where would you guess?

In fact, Texas ranks in the middle of OSU opponents in terms of success. Since the end of the 2009 season, the Cowboys are 11-0 vs. Kansas, 9-2 vs. Iowa State, 8-2 vs. Texas Tech, 7-2 vs. West Virginia and 7-3 vs. Texas. That means UT ranks fifth among the Cowboys’ nine conference foes. OSU is 2-8 vs. OU, 4-6 vs. Baylor, 5-3 vs. TCU and 6-4 vs. Kansas State.

[NewsOK]

Two Quotes

• Solid quote from Mike Gundy on the development of left tackle Jake Springfield:

“Jake Springfield has come a million miles in a short period of time,” Gundy added. “The one thing he doesn’t have and is lacking, is experience. His best years are ahead of him. 

[Pokes Report]

• Tom Herman had plenty of great things to say about Jim Knowles’ defense.

“So you’ve got a bunch of fourth- and fifth-year guys that have been in the same system for years and years,” Herman said. “They’re all older, they’re all developed and they’ve all been in the same system for years.”

[NewsOK]

One Question

• Thinking about today’s game, are you more encouraged that:
OSU put up 24 on Iowa State’s defense or that Texas only put up 27 on Baylor?

Most Viewed of the Week

• No. 1: Ten Thoughts after the Iowa State Win

• No. 2: Time to Respect the Pokes

• No.3 : National Media Remarks after ISU Win

• No. 4: PFB Picks the Iowa State Game

• No. 5: Three Things Tom H. Had to Say about the Pokes

Non-OSU Bullets

• Dallas Cowboys are in a division too bad to fail
Solid, faith-based reflection on autumn and anxiety
• Enjoying these reads about the Philadelphia 76ers and their new management (see below also)

I don’t know what OKC does with Adams (who I love) but I want this deal so bad after the Morey hire in Philly:

We’ll assume that Horford and Thybulle are going to Oklahoma City to make this work. So are Scott and Zhaire Smith for salary purposes, and probably a future pick or two for good measure. 

[CBS Sports]

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