Chad Whitener galloped downfield with a convoy of Oklahoma State teammates escorting him toward the end zone.
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It was another frustrating finish for Indiana (4-5, 0-5), which got to 21-20 after a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Frogs, who have really played nobody to this point in the season, get a real test in this one against Oklahoma State.
With the Big 12’s exclusion from the top four spots of the initial CFP poll – despite it having three undefeated teams – one message sent by the committee seems pretty clear: Make up for your lack of a strong schedule by running the table. Only Brandon Weeden averaged more for Oklahoma State.
“You go in with a game plan, and the game plan is to throw to No. 9, and then No. 9’s not there anymore, ” TCU coach Gary Patterson said after the loss. Asked about the national perception of the Cowboys, cornerback Ashton Lampkin pushed aside any concern about what people are thinking of his team.
That approach sounds good … for the NFL.
The College Football Playoff was supposed to be the infallible solution to the woes of the BCS era, supplanting computer rankings with human voters. Not good. For the Cowboys to get in the playoff, it could be undefeated or bust. “(TCU receiver Josh) Doctson caught it, then I got yelled at the on the sideline.
TCU finished with 663 yards of offense but was undone by the turnovers and two failed fourth-down conversions, including from the Oklahoma State 1-yard line with 5:01 remaining and the Frogs still clinging to hope of a comeback.
The road to the Big 12 title goes through Stillwater, Oklahoma, now after the Cowboys blitzed TCU 49-29 on a Saturday that featured three marquee games with huge playoff implications.
But defense is only half of the story here, as the Oklahoma State offense was on full display.
The Cowboys employ a unique two-quarterback system with Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh that has been successful, as OSU ranks in the top 15 nationally in scoring offense, total offense, passing offense and red zone offense.
Just like that, everything has changed for TCU.
Who can blame them? After all, the Cowboys’ climb from No. 14 toward a playoff berth is daunting. It would not be surprising to see Oklahoma State start fast, considering it has scored first in six of eight games. An illustration of OSU’s disruptive talents comes in the fact that the Cowboys lead the Big 12 in turnovers forced, sacks, tackles for loss, blocked punts and defensive touchdowns. The game marked TCU’s second-lowest scoring game of the season.
“That’s a long way to make up ground”, Gundy said. They realize that football is just a game. “But I just continue to stress for us, we have to practice well tomorrow”.
Deshaun Watson threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Deon Cain and Wayne Gallman came through with a game-sealing score as No. 3 Clemson held off No. 17 Florida State and Dalvin Cook for a 23-13 victory Saturday to clinch the ACC Atlantic Division.
“We all understand it doesn’t matter what the rankings are right now”, Walsh said.
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-Derrick Henry, Alabama, ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 7 Crimson Tides’ 30-16 victory over No. 4 LSU.
