No. 17 Oklahoma State ends South Dakota State winning streak with ease

Field Level Media|published: Sat 31st August, 17:52 2024

Oklahoma State walks onto the field before the college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Aug., 31, 2024.

Ollie Gordon II ran for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass as No. 17 Oklahoma State beat South Dakota State 44-20 on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The loss snapped the Jackrabbits' 29-game winning streak. South Dakota State has won back-to-back FCS championships.

Gordon, last season's Doak Walker Award winner, got off to a bit of a slow start.

But he helped break the game open in the third quarter, with 58 of his 104 rushing yards and 36 of his 42 receiving yards coming in the quarter.

Alan Bowman hit Gordon for a 14-yard completion on fourth-and-3 from the Jackrabbits' 36 on the first drive of the second half and then found Gordon again on the next play for a 22-yard touchdown.

South Dakota State quickly answered with three consecutive long completions by Mark Gronowski, capped by a 21-yard touchdown to Grahm Goering.

The Cowboys stretched their lead once again on a 58-yard touchdown catch from Rashod Owens.

After forcing a punt, Oklahoma State went ahead 38-13 with a seven-play touchdown drive.

Gordon carried the ball on each of the last six plays, finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown.

Gordon topped the 100-yard mark for the 10th time in his last 12 games. He led FBS 1,732 yards rushing as a sophomore last season.

The Cowboys got on the board early on Logan Ward's 42-yard field goal less than four minutes into the game.

After Korie Black's interception on the next drive, Oklahoma State found the end zone on Brennan Presley's 6-yard touchdown catch from Bowman.

Five of Presley's seven receptions came in the first quarter.

Ward later added a 52-yard field goal early in the fourth and a 25-yarder late in his first game as the Cowboys' kicker after taking over for Alex Hale.

Gronowski, last season's Walter Payton Award winner as the top player in FCS, threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

Griffin Wilde had seven catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.

Bowman threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 25 of 34 passes, including 13 consecutive at one point.

--Field Level Media