Oklahoma State Looks To Build After 7-6 Finish

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Oklahoma State's Independence Bowl win over Alabama, and the way the Cowboys prevailed, will pay dividends far beyond giving OSU a winning record for the 2006 football season,

Saturday, December 30th 2006, 2:01 pm

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Oklahoma State's Independence Bowl win over Alabama, and the way the Cowboys prevailed, will pay dividends far beyond giving OSU a winning record for the 2006 football season, coach Mike Gundy said.

In a season defined by missed close calls, four games went down to the final play, with the Cowboys losing all four, Oklahoma State finally won one in dramatic fashion on Thursday against Alabama in Shreveport, La.

The Cowboys blew a 14-point 4th quarter lead and allowed the Crimson Tide to tie the game before Jason Ricks kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8.9 seconds left to lift Oklahoma State to a 34-31 win. The win gave Oklahoma State a 7-6 record, after it struggled to a 4-7 finish in 2005, Gundy's first season.

What is more important, Gundy said, it proved to the Cowboys that they can beat a tradition-rich Southeastern Conference foe. Oklahoma State will open the 2007 season on the road against another such team, Georgia.

``For us to play Alabama and the game to finish the way it did, we couldn't have written a better script for our opener next year,'' Gundy said. The Independence Bowl ``ended up being tighter than what it should have been, but ultimately we found a way to finish, which may be better for the kids in the long run.''

The Cowboys started this season quickly, rolling past overmatched foes Missouri State (52-10), Arkansas State (35-7) and Florida Atlantic (48-8).

But two disconcerting losses followed, 34-25 at Houston, in a game marred by a botched call by a Conference USA replay official that led to a momentum-turning Houston touchdown, and 31-27 at Kansas State, when the Cowboys blew a 10-point 4th quarter lead and allowed the Wildcats to score two touchdowns in the last 3:04. Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid threw an interception in the end zone as time expired.

The Cowboys rebounded with a 42-32 win at Kansas, then overcame an injury to Reid and had then-No. 23 Texas A&M on the ropes before allowing the Aggies a tying touchdown with :03 left. In overtime, Texas A&M blocked an extra-point attempt by Ricks, the difference in its 34-33 win.

Again, the Cowboys bounced back, this time with their biggest win of the season, 41-29 over then-No. 20 Nebraska. They weren't competitive the next week in a 36-10 loss at Texas, but posted their highest point total in 23 years in a 66-24 rout of Baylor, a win that made the Cowboys bowl-eligible.

Losses to Texas Tech (30-24) and Oklahoma (27-21) ended the regular season. Both went down to the final play, with the Cowboys throwing incomplete into the end zone.

``Obviously everybody knows we could have been 9-3 or 10-2 (during the regular season), but sometimes it doesn't work out that way,'' senior offensive lineman Kurt Seifried said.

But Gundy said the Cowboys made significant strides, and, except for the senior-laden defensive line, won't lose too many players heading into 2007.

``We're definitely a better football team,'' he said. ``There's a lot of excitement among Oklahoma State people. We've got a lot of young players coming back who made a lot of big plays this year. I don't think you forget the close games but you learn lessons and try to figure out why those things happened.''

Reid blossomed as a sophomore, passing for 2,266 yards and 24 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and rushing for 500 yards and five touchdowns. He finished second on the school's single-season total offense list.

The Cowboys had three other backs surpass the 500-yard rushing mark: Dantrell Savage (820 yards, 8 touchdowns), Keith Toston (631 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Mike Hamilton (546 yards, 4 touchdowns).

Top receiver Adarius Bowman, who caught 60 passes for 1,181 yards and 12 touchdowns, is expected to return, although the Cowboys must replace his counterpart, D'Juan Woods, who finished his career third on the school's all-time lists for receptions and receiving yards with 163 and 2,751, respectively, behind Hart Lee Dykes and his brother, Rashaun Woods.

Oklahoma State and Boise State are the only two teams in NCAA Division I to average more than 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game this season.

Six of the Cowboys' top seven tacklers also will return. The team's top two tacklers were freshmen, safety Andre Sexton with 79 and linebacker Patrick Lavine with 70.

``As far as where this team could go, I think the seniors set a pretty good standard,'' senior defensive end Darnell Smith said. ``I think that the young guys coming up know that they could be a lot better than a 6-6 team.''

Gundy said a bowl win will give the Cowboys momentum heading into the offseason.

``That allows our coaching staff to push them hard in the offseason,'' Gundy said. ``Most games are won in January through July in offseason conditioning. We're able to tell players that hard works pays off. The guys know that if they pay the price they will have success.''