Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: Game Grades, Analysis for Cowboys and Sooners

The Oklahoma State University Cowboys (6-6, 4-5) defeated the University of Oklahoma Sooners (8-4, 5-4) in overtime on Saturday, 38-35, to win the Battle of Bedlam and become bowl-eligible.

Down 28-14 midway through the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph hit Brandon Sheperd for a 43-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 35-28. Then the Cowboys forced a three-and-out to get the ball back. From there, junior all-purpose back Tyreek Hill took the Oklahoma punt 92 yards for the touchdown to tie the game with about one minute remaining.

Ben Grogan won it in overtime with a 20-yard field goal for the Cowboys after Oklahoma just missed a field goal wide-left. 

Here is how both Oklahoma State and Oklahoma graded out after Saturday's game with a brief analysis on each positional unit.  

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	B	B+
Run Offense	C	B-
Pass Defense	B-	B+
Run Defense	D	C
Special Teams	B	A+
Coaching	C	A-

Oklahoma State Cowboys Game Grades Analysis:

Pass Offense: Rudolph was solid throughout the game. He took at least two sacks that he shouldn't have, but overall, he was poised in the pocket and made several strong throws.

Run Offense: The Cowboys did a good job running the football. They weren't overly explosive, but Desmond Roland's 22 yards in overtime clinched this win for Oklahoma State. 

Pass Defense: It's tough to grade OSU's secondary, as Oklahoma didn't really challenge them. Just about everything was underneath. No mistakes, though. 

Run Defense: Oklahoma's offensive line dominated this game for over three quarters. However, when the Cowboys needed a stop late in the fourth quarter, they stopped the Sooners and forced the game-tying punt return. 

Special Teams: Hill won this game with his punt return. Outside of that, it was a pretty quiet game for OSU on special teams. That is not always a bad thing. 

Coaching: Mike Gundy and his staff made several gutsy calls on both sides of the ball. And Gundy's faith in Rudolph appears well-placed at this point. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	C	C-
Run Offense	A+	A-
Pass Defense	B-	C
Run Defense	B+	C+
Special Teams	B	F
Coaching	B+	D+

Oklahoma Sooners Game Grades Analysis:

Pass Offense: Cody Thomas was efficient early, hitting his first six passes. However, he completed only four of his final 11 passes. He never threatened the Cowboys down the field.

Run Offense: Samaje Perine was dominant yet again. Unfortunately for the Sooners, he went down in the second half when they needed him the most. Overall, Oklahoma ran for over 300 yards. 

Pass Defense: Outside of the deep ball to Sheperd in the fourth quarter, OU's secondary played a good game. The Sooners pressured Rudolph, but they only forced him into one big mistake. 

Run Defense: The Sooners did a solid job of stuffing Oklahoma State's running game until the overtime period. Then OU could not stop Roland, who set up the game-winning field goal. 

Special Teams: There were two disastrous plays for the Sooners on special teams: Hill's punt return for a touchdown and Michael Hunnicutt's missed field goal in overtime. 

Coaching: Bob Stoops' decision to kick it to Hill may have cost his team the game. Had Stoops told his punter to kick it out of bounds or toward the sideline, Oklahoma State probably doesn't drive the entire length of the field with no timeouts and under one minute remaining.