Oklahoma State impresses in dominant win over Boise State

Boise State squandered a major opportunity on Saturday against Oklahoma State.

The Broncos, ranked No. 17 in the country, had a chance to pick up a huge road win over a ranked Power Five opponent — a win that could prove to be a major résumé booster in the long run. But No. 24 Oklahoma State had other ideas.

The Cowboys were able to push around the Broncos at home, and emerged with an impressive 44-21 victory.

Fresh off a ridiculous 818 yards of offense against UConn, Boise State had nowhere near that level of success this week. In fact, Oklahoma State — a program not known for strong defensive play — made things difficult for Boise quarterback Brett Rypien all afternoon.

Rypien was hit early and often by the Oklahoma State defense. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State’s Taylor Cornelius, a fifth-year senior and former walk-on in his first year as the starting quarterback, played a tremendous game — with both his arm and legs. He threw for 243 yards and a score, but kept the Boise defense on its heels with two rushing touchdowns.

Oklahoma State’s special teams also had a big impact on the game. The Cowboys blocked two Boise punts. The first set up Cornelius’ first rushing touchdown and gave OSU a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

The second blocked punt, late in the third, extended OSU’s lead to 34-14 to put the game totally out of reach.

What does this mean for Boise State?

It’s only September, but Boise State had looked like the best team from the Group of Five conferences. The Broncos trounced Troy, a team that beat Nebraska on Saturday, before destroying UConn. Boise entered the season in the Top 25, and was No. 17 entering Saturday. A win over Oklahoma State would have given Boise something that UCF did not have a year ago: a win over a ranked Power Five opponent.

As UCF embarked on its undefeated season, it never was given serious consideration for the College Football Playoff by the selection committee. If the Broncos did the same, having a win over Oklahoma State on their résumé could have made them a more legitimate team in the committee’s eyes.

But it was all for naught. Sure, Boise is still the favorite in the Mountain West and could very well represent the Group of Five conferences in a New Year’s Six bowl. But that’s Boise’s ceiling now.

What does this mean for Oklahoma State?

With Mason Rudolph and James Washington now in the NFL, many expected Oklahoma State to be in the middle of the pack in the Big 12. Now, at 3-0, the Cowboys look like a team that could make some noise in the conference, especially if Cornelius plays the way he did Saturday and the defense does the same.

Oklahoma, the three-time defending Big 12 champs, look like the class of the league once again, but Oklahoma State has the chance to make things interesting.

Oklahoma State’s schedule shakes out in a way where it can accumulate some wins to put itself in contention. But the month of November will be a challenge. OSU closes out the year with the other three ranked Big 12 teams: at Oklahoma, vs. West Virginia at home and at TCU in the regular season finale.

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