Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: Score and Twitter Reaction

In one of the most exciting Bedlam games ever, Oklahoma State shocked No. 20 Oklahoma 38-35 in overtime Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.

The victory represented the Cowboys’ second Bedlam triumph over the Sooners in 12 seasons and their first win over Oklahoma away from home since 2001.

As the Big 12 Conference's Twitter account pointed out, Oklahoma State's clutch victory means it is bowl-eligible at 6-6:

Unfortunately, Oklahoma's loss was even tougher for the Sooners to swallow, as superstar freshman running back Samaje Perine was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury, per The Oklahoman:

Much of the talk entering the game focused on the freshman quarterbacks on both sides. Cody Thomas registered his third consecutive start under center for the Sooners as Trevor Knight remained out with a neck injury, according to Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com.

As for the Cowboys, Mason Rudolph drew his second straight start after an impressive showing against Baylor two weeks earlier. ESPN.com's Brandon Chatmon is among those who believe Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy waited too long to play him over struggling junior Daxx Garman:

Despite the quarterback talk, it was all about the running game early on for the Sooners. After taking the opening kickoff, Oklahoma engineered a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-0 lead.

Per Kyle Fredrickson of The Oklahoman, the Sooners marched down the field by solely utilizing their running backs:

Chief among them was Perine, who scored the touchdown and put up some big numbers en route to it, according to Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman:

Oklahoma State's defense allowing the Sooners to score so quickly certainly didn't seem to impact the psyche of the Cowboys offense. In fact, OK State nearly matched Oklahoma's efficiency on its first drive of the game, as a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Desmond Roland capped a nine-play, 77-yard series.

The Cowboys' drive was predicated largely on the aerial game, though, as Rudolph racked up 57 passing yards.

Following a pair of unsuccessful drives, Oklahoma once again started to move the ball late in the first quarter. This time, it was Thomas who did the bulk of the damage. 

The freshman signal-caller threw for 74 yards on the drive, including a 47-yard completion to senior tight end Blake Bell. Senior fullback Aaron Ripkowski scored a one-yard touchdown plunge on the 13th play of the drive to put the Sooners back on top 14-7.

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Oklahoma's defensive deficiencies returned on the ensuing series. It took the Cowboys less than three minutes to equalize with Rudolph finding junior wide receiver Brandon Sheperd for a 39-yard scoring strike.

As pointed out by John Klein of the Tulsa World, Rudolph's masterful command of the OK State offense was a sudden revelation after it struggled without him for most of the season:

Unfortunately for Rudolph and the offense, Oklahoma State's defense and special teams didn't hold up their end of the bargain for the remainder of the opening half.

After the Cowboys' touchdown tied the game at 14-14, a short kickoff allowed Oklahoma to start at its own 45. Perine was once again the focus on this drive, as he totaled 20 yards on the ground and drew a 15-yard face-mask penalty before scoring from nine yards out.

An Oklahoma State three-and-out quickly put the ball back in Oklahoma's possession, and it made no mistake. A 42-yard run by Perine put the Sooners deep in Cowboys territory, which allowed Ripkowski to get in the end zone for the second time on a two-yard reception.

Oklahoma entered the locker room with a 28-14 lead due largely to Perine's 126-yard effort. According to Bob Barry Jr. of KFOR, Perine made Sooners history with the most prolific three-game stretch ever by an Oklahoma running back:

Perine was well on his way to another huge statistical day after running for 213 and an NCAA-record 427 yards in his previous two outings. Per The Oklahoman's Jason Kersey, it took the Sooners some time, but they finally put together a winning formula offensively:

In some ways, the Cowboys may have been their own worst enemy in the first half from a defensive standpoint. While it can be argued that Thomas' efficiency prevented them from selling out to stop the run, Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer made it clear prior to the game that his defense wouldn't be single-minded, according to Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.

"

People don't realize that. They think, just load the box and you can stop the run. That's a fallacy. The quarterback can pull it and run it, numbers are back even, unless you want to leave one uncovered on the edge, and you don't' do that, right?

Come sit in the film room and watch it with me for about an hour, and I can show you how difficult it is when people can get blocked and a running back who can make people miss and quarterback who can run it.

"

That failure to stop the run ultimately didn't work in Oklahoma State's favor in the first half, and it certainly put it at a disadvantage entering the third quarter.

While both teams were able to move the ball at various points throughout the third quarter, neither could manage to get on the scoreboard. The Sooners appeared to be heading toward at least a field goal with a 14-play drive early in the second half, but Perine fumbled on the Oklahoma State 29.

Per Aber, a pair of firsts occurred on that particular play:

More importantly, though, Perine was injured in the midst of fumbling. It looked serious as he favored his ankle, but he managed to go to the locker room under his own power, according to John E. Hoover of the Tulsa World:

It remains to be seen how significant the ailment is, but Perine did not return to the contest. He racked up 151 rushing yards before his injury.

The Sooners led by 14 when Perine left the game, but it was blatantly obvious that the Oklahoma offense wasn't the same without him. In fact, the Sooners had a pair of three-and-outs in its first two possessions following the injury.

With OU's offense scuffling, it opened the door for OK State to make a run. That is precisely what it did on its first drive of the final frame, as it orchestrated a seven-play, 79-yard foray down the field, culminating in Roland's second touchdown run of the game to make it 28-21.

That score seemed to swing the momentum in the Cowboys' favor, which meant the pressure was on Oklahoma to stop the bleeding, per Hoover:

To say that the Sooners responded would be a major understatement. A 56-yard run by Perine's replacement, sophomore Keith Ford, put Oklahoma deep in Cowboys territory. Shortly after that, Ripkowski found paydirt for the third time, which restored the Sooners' 14-point cushion at 35-21.

Just when it seemed like the game was well in hand, a quick-strike drive from Oklahoma State tightened things up again. A poor Sooners punt allowed the Cowboys to start from their own 43, and Oklahoma State was in the end zone two players later when Rudolph hit Sheperd for 43 yards.

According to Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press, that play contributed to a career-best day for Sheperd:

Oklahoma got the ball back with a chance to salt the game away, but it could only muster a three-and-out, which took just 55 seconds off the clock. That meant the Cowboys would have an opportunity to tie it starting from their own 27 with a tad less than four minutes remaining.

The Sooners got a big play when they needed it, though, as sophomore cornerback Zack Sanchez picked off Rudolph with roughly three minutes left.

Per Josh McCuistion of Rivals.com, it was an example of Sanchez's gambling paying off:

Most people probably assumed the game was over, but Oklahoma couldn't get a first down and had to punt again to the Cowboys. That proved costly, as junior wide receiver Tyreek Hill amazingly took Jed Barnett's punt 92 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 35-35 with only 45 seconds remaining in regulation.

That play sent the game into overtime. The Sooners got the ball first and lost two yards, so they had to settle for a 44-yard field-goal attempt by kicker Michael Hunnicutt. He was unable to covert, which meant Oklahoma State needed just three points to complete the comeback.

The Cowboys didn't let that opportunity slip through their fingers, as sophomore kicker Ben Grogan converted a 21-yard field goal to cap the improbable victory.

Winning a rivalry game is always a big deal, but Saturday's win was especially meaningful for Oklahoma State since it gives the Cowboys a 6-6 record, making them bowl-eligible.

As for Oklahoma, the loss certainly hurts, but concern over Perine’s health may take precedence. More will probably be known about his status in the coming days, but there is certainly no guarantee that he'll be ready to go for Oklahoma's bowl game.

This defeat may very well knock the Sooners out of the Top 25, though, and it will most likely negatively impact their attractiveness in terms of a bowl bid.

The Cowboys aren’t necessarily guaranteed a spot in a bowl since there are so many bowl-eligible teams, but their win Saturday was so impressive that they should be able to extend their bowl streak to nine years. 

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