Cowboys Again On Wrong Side Of Close Call On The Road

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Another close call on the road led to another disappointment for Oklahoma State. <br/><br/>For the fourth time in the past two seasons, the Cowboys (3-3, 1-1 Big 12) were in a position

Sunday, October 7th 2007, 7:00 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Another close call on the road led to another disappointment for Oklahoma State.

For the fourth time in the past two seasons, the Cowboys (3-3, 1-1 Big 12) were in a position to come away with a narrow victory away from home and came up short in a 24-23 loss at Texas A&M on Saturday.

``It's a matter of a coach making a great call or a player stepping up and making a play. When you get to a point like that, somebody steps up and makes a play in one of those two areas,'' coach Mike Gundy said Sunday. ``There's really not an explanation for it other than that.''

But instead of coming up with the big plays, the Cowboys have found ways to stub their toe and extend their lengthy struggles on the road. Oklahoma State is 1-11 in its last 12 games at opponents' home stadiums.

In retrospect, it's easy to single out a few plays that could've turned the tide. Without Quinton Moore's personal foul penalty for roughing the punter, Oklahoma State would have had the ball back with a chance to win it with a field goal in the final minutes.

The Cowboys might never have trailed if they could have punched in for a touchdown after reaching second-and-goal at the 1-yard line late in the third quarter. They had to settle for a field goal and a 20-10 lead after a Dantrell Savage rush for no gain and a busted play that resulted in a 6-yard loss.

``You're on the 6-inch line and you get a busted play, those things will wear you out a little bit,'' Gundy said. ``But you've got to keep going.''

The Cowboys have won close games against Alabama in the Independence Bowl last year and against Texas Tech two weeks ago in Stillwater, but it's been a different story on the road.

Oklahoma State either held the lead or had possession with a chance to go ahead in the fourth quarter of losses at Houston, Kansas State and Texas Tech last year. To make the most recent loss even more painful, it was the second straight one-point loss to Texas A&M after a blocked extra point proved costly in overtime last year.

``The players were very emotional and disappointed and so were the coaches, which is the way it should be. When you're in position to win like that against a good football team on the road and you come up short, there should be a disappointment and there was,'' Gundy said.

``The flip side of that is you've got to get over it by (Monday) morning and get back to work.''

Gundy cited team policy in refusing to disclose the injury that knocked starting quarterback Zac Robinson out of the game in the fourth quarter Saturday, and he said he's uncertain whether Robinson will play next week in another road game at Nebraska.

``I don't have any clue right now because I have not seen him,'' Gundy said. ``I'll see those guys in the morning and I'll have a pretty good idea (Monday) morning where he's at. I thought he was fine when we were on the plane (Saturday) night, but of course sometimes that can change overnight.''

Bobby Reid, who was supplanted by Robinson four weeks ago, was 6-for-9 for 72 yards and led the Cowboys on a 14-play, 81-yard drive that resulted in a field goal to cut their deficit to 24-23 in with 3:11 remaining. Gundy said Reid played ``pretty good,'' but shouldn't have taken a third-down sack that forced Oklahoma State to punt. Texas A&M took its first lead at 24-20 on the ensuing possession.

``It's an advantage that we have a guy that can come off the bench that's had a considerable amount of experience,'' Gundy said. ``It gives you an opportunity just to go with the flow of your offense.''