South Dakota State football falls short vs. Oklahoma State, snaps 29-game winning streak
There was hope that South Dakota State could earn their first win over an FBS opponent in program history, but it was never going to be easy. Oklahoma State entered the highly anticipated matchup ranked No. 17 in the FBS and looked impressive in their 44-20 win over the Jackrabbits.
The loss snapped South Dakota State's 29-game winning streak, the third longest in FCS history.
The Cowboys roster features the top running back in the country Ollie Gordon II, who won the Doak Walker Award last season as a sophomore, and he turned in a strong performance. Although Gordon II rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns against South Dakota State, they were able to hold him to only 3.9 yards per rush
Overall the Jackrabbits struggled to get stops against the Oklahoma State offense. They only stopped the Cowboys from scoring points on one drive in the first half. Cowboys quarterback Alan Bowman completed 25 of his 34 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
On the other side, SDSU’s offense was solid, but they struggled to put points on the board, only managing six first-half points despite almost equaling Oklahoma State in total yardage at the halfway mark, 182-179. Jackrabbits senior quarterback and FCS Walter Payton Award winner Mark Gronowski had a couple miscues in the first half that slowed their progress down the field in key moments.
Gronowski got going on the first South Dakota State's first drive of the second half. He strung together a couple passes to move SDSU down the field in a hurry and then connected with Grahm Goering on a 21-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 11.
After that touchdown, the Jackrabbits defense continued to struggle to contain the explosive Oklahoma State offense, allowing two more touchdowns in the quarter. On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys forced a three-and-out between their two third-quarter touchdowns. Early in the fourth quarter Gronowski connected with sophomore wide receiver Griffin Wilde for a 60-yard touchdown.
Amar Johnson and Wilde were standouts against one of the top teams in the FBS. Johnson rushed for 73 yards on only nine carries while Wilde had 150 receiving yards on seven receptions and a touchdown. Gronowski ended the game with 264 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
South Dakota State will play Incarnate Word at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday, Sep. 7 at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: SDSU football falls short against FBS opponent Oklahoma State
