In Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State football team had a strong third quarter, propelling them to a 45-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats on a chilly and rainy Saturday night at Boone Pickens Stadium.
At halftime, the Bearcats (2-6, 0-5) were trailing 10-7 against the Cowboys (6-2, 4-1) but received the ball to start the second half. In the first half, they had successfully contained Oklahoma State's star running back, Ollie Gordon.
However, the third quarter saw a shift in momentum as Ollie Gordon, the Big 12's second-leading rusher, came alive. He had two long rushes that led to touchdowns for the Cowboys. His 42-yard run was the first time a running back had reached 100 yards against the Bearcats that season, and it set up a touchdown pass from Alan Bowman to Brennan Presley, making the score 17-7.
On Cincinnati's next possession, a high pass from Jones led to an interception by Oklahoma State's Cameron Epps. Gordon continued to make an impact, breaking tackles for a nine-yard touchdown run, extending the Cowboys' lead to 24-7.
In the same quarter, Gordon had a 39-yard run, followed by a 1-yard touchdown run by Presley, which gave the Cowboys a commanding 31-7 lead. Gordon finished the game with an impressive 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Cincinnati's offense was led by Myles Montgomery and Corey Kiner in the rushing department, with Montgomery accumulating 90 yards on eight carries and Kiner gaining 79 yards on 17 carries.
However, their defense struggled to contain Oklahoma State's quarterback, Alan Bowman, who completed 17 of 34 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
The game started with Oklahoma State taking a 7-0 lead on their first drive, as Bowman connected with Josiah Johnson for a 29-yard touchdown catch. Cincinnati had a chance to respond when Xzavier Henderson made a 53-yard catch and run, but their field goal attempt hit the left upright, leaving the score at 7-7 when Montgomery sprinted 63 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Oklahoma State reclaimed the lead with a field goal, making it 10-7 just before halftime. They had a chance to add more points, but a 40-yard field goal attempt by Alex Hale missed wide left. Cincinnati's Jordan Young recorded his first career interception just before the halftime break.
In the fourth quarter, Cincinnati's backup quarterback, Brady Lichtenberg, took the field and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Turner with 4:54 left in the game.
Cincinnati is set to return to Historic Nippert Stadium for their next game, hosting UCF next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
