STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon scored three touchdowns, including two in a 21-point third quarter, to lead the 17th-ranked Cowboys to a 44-20 victory over South Dakota State in the football season opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at Boone Pickens Stadium.
SDSU, the top-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision after winning back-to-back national titles, had its 29-game winning streak broken. The Jackrabbits’ previous loss also was against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, a 7-3 setback at Iowa in the 2022 season opener.
Leading 17-6 at halftime, the Cowboys extended their lead on the first possession of the second half when Gordon took a swing pass from Alan Bowman and cut down the left hash and sideline, breaking a couple tackles on his way to the end zone for a 22-yard score.
The Jackrabbits quickly responded with a three-play, 75-yard drive all through the air. Mark Gronowski connected with Griffin Wilde on pass plays of 21 and 33 yards before connecting with Grahm Goering in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown. It was Goering’s first touchdown of his career.
OSU would build its lead to 41-13 by scoring the next 17 points. After converting on third-and-9, Bowman hooked up with Rashod Owens on a 58-yard touchdown pass, which was followed later in the quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Gordon.
The Cowboys’ scoring run ended with a 52-yard field goal by Logan Ward 70 seconds into the final stanza.
SDSU again countered with a quick touchdown as Griffin Wilde hauled in a Gronowski pass deep over the middle and out-ran the defense for a 60-yard touchdown. Wilde ended the afternoon with career highs of seven catches and 150 receiving yards.
Oklahoma State scored on each of its first three drives of the game, breaking into the scoring column with a 42-yard field goal by Logan Ward that was followed moments later by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Bowman to Brennan Presley.
Gordon capped OSU’s longest drive of the first half with a 12-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter that was his longest carry of the game. The reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Gordon finished the afternoon with 104 yards on 27 carries and added four receptions for 42 yards.
SDSU put together a pair of scoring drives in the second quarter that ended with field goals of 31 and 48 yards by senior kicker Hunter Dustman. The first scoring march was an eight-play, 58-yard drive that began late in the first quarter.
Yardage totals ended up nearly identical with Oklahoma State holding a slim 394-388 advantage as the Cowboys held an edge of three yards in both the passing (267-264) and rushing (127-124) departments.
Gronowskl completed 20-of-37 passes for 264 yards and an interception, while Amar Johnson paced the ground game with 73 yards on nine carries, including a 40-yard gain on the final play of the first quarter that set up the Jackrabbits’ first field goal. Goering added career highs of four catches and 69 receiving yards.
Bowman was an efficient 25-of-34 passing for 267 yards, with Presley catching seven balls for 35 yards and De’Zhaun Stribling tallying six catches for a team-high 83 yards.
Adam Bock led the Jackrabbit defense with 12 tackles, followed by a career-high eight tackles from Caleb Francl.
OSU’s Trey Rucker registered a game-high 15 tackles. Nick Martin contributed 10 tackles and a sack for the Cowboys.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits are scheduled to open the home portion of their schedule by hosting Incarnate Word on Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium and will be preceded by a celebration honoring the 2023 national championship team.
NOTES
- Saturday’s game marked the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Oklahoma State in football
- The Jackrabbits fell to 2-11 against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents in the Division I era (since 2004), including a 1-4 mark against current Big 12 Conference members
- Gronowski’s 37 pass attempts were a career high
- Starting cornerbacks Dalys Beanum (7 tackles) and newcomer Colby Humphrey (6 tackles) combined for 13 stops
- Bock recorded double figures in tackles for the 15th time in his career
- Dustman averaged 48 yards on three punts with a long of 53
- The Jackrabbits allowed only 14 points in the third quarters of all games last season
- SDSU was 3-of-13 on third-down attempts and 0-for-4 on fourth-down plays
- Attendance was 52,202