2012 Fiesta Bowl: Grading Oklahoma State's Win Against Stanford

Oklahoma State has beaten Stanford in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl in tightrope fashion.

In a game that they never led in until the very end, Oklahoma State squeaked out a 41-38 win over the Cardinal. But even in amazing wins, we have to do some grading.

Here are the grades for the Cowboys in each facet of this game.

(By the way, I give the above-pictured kiss a C. It just looks a bit forced.)

Offense

Grade: B-

The lack of a rushing game nearly killed Oklahoma State in this game. Thirteen rushing yards isn't going to cut it against anyone.

However, they do get credit for scoring the points they needed to win the game.

The passing game was great at times, not so great at others.

Blackmon came through big in the clutch.

Defense

Grade: C-

I know that Andrew Luck is good, and Stanford's balanced offense is hard to stop. But you can't get a good score when you give up 590 yards of total offense.

Stanford was able to do just about whatever it wanted in this game. Luckily, the Cowboy defense was able to make a few stops.

Justin Gilbert picked off Luck, which bumps up the whole defense a bit.

Special Teams

Grade: A+

This area was the difference in the game, for one obvious reason.

Quinn Sharp was perfect on his field goals, including the game-winner. He also consistently kicked off and punted well.

Justin Gilbert was very good in his kickoff returns, averaging 34 yards per return.

Without all of this, Oklahoma State would have lost.

Coaching

Grade: B+

There was some questionable play-calling in this game, but that's usually the case in every game for this offense.

At times, the defense seemed to be out of place, and the offense had trouble clicking. But I have to give a high score for whatever they did, because they pulled out a win over a very impressive opponent.

Overall

Grade: A+

This grade can't be anything else.

This team just won its first ever BCS bowl game and won a school-record 12th game.

It just showed the nation why Oklahoma State football should be on the radar and showcased NFL talent at multiple positions.

It's just too good to be true.