NEW ORLEANS – The Cowboys were trying to end the season on a high note after losing the last two games of the regular season.
On Friday, Oklahoma State took on Ole Miss in the AllState Sugar Bowl.
Ole Miss started moving down the field early with a series of quick passes to get a couple first downs on the Rebels’ first possession of the game.
However, an interception by Oklahoma State’s Ashton Lampkin on a deep ball thrown by Chad Kelly turned the ball over.
The Cowboys responded, quickly moving down field, but a sack on quarterback Mason Rudolph forced OSU to punt.
During the next series, OSU’s defense responded. Jordan Burton and Vincent Taylor sacked Kelly twice in back-to-back plays.
As the Rebels’s punt barely made it to mid-field, Oklahoma State’s receiver was tackled, even after signaling for a fair catch.
That set up the Cowboys near the Rebels’ 40 yard line.
Kicker Ben Grogan put the Cowboys on the board first with a field goal, making it 3-0 OSU.
However, that was the first and only time the Cowboys would lead in the game.
Ole Miss responded with a field goal of their own, tying the game at 3 a piece.
The Rebels took the lead when Chad Kelly threw a bullet to the tight end, followed by a pass down field to wide receiver Cody Core, who ran in to the end zone untouched.
Ole Miss took the lead 10-3 with less than a minute left in the first quarter.
To start off the second quarter, quarterback Mason Rudolph threw a 41 yard pass down field, but it was negated by a personal foul. Ultimately, the Cowboys were forced to punt the ball back to the Rebels.
On second and 20, Chad Kelly’s pass to Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was caught down field for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 14.
Rebels led the Cowboys 17-3 with more than 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was on fire, throwing a backwards pass down the field before catching a touchdown pass on the next play. That catch put the Rebels up 24-3 over OSU.
Things only got worse for the Cowboys when the Rebels scored a 38 yard field goal, putting them up by 24 points.
Nearing the end of the half, the Cowboys were able to march down field but couldn’t make it into the end zone. Instead, they settled for a field goal by Grogan.
However, Ole Miss wasn’t done yet. Chad Kelly scrambled for big yardage, moving the Rebels into the red zone.
With five seconds left in the half, offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil caught a backwards pass to stroll into the endzone.
At halftime, the Rebels led the Pokes 34-6.
Things didn’t get much better for the Cowboys in the third quarter. Ole Miss didn’t do much at the beginning of the quarter and ended up punting the ball to the Pokes.
At that point, OSU’s Jalen McCleskey fumbled the ball during the punt return, turning it over to the Rebels.
Once they had the ball back in their hands, it didn’t take long for Ole Miss to score again.
Running back Jordan Wilkins found a seam and ran it all the way to the end zone, boosting their lead to 41-6.
OSU responded, throwing a long pass to wide receiver Brandon Sheperd. A few plays later, a short screen got the Pokes within the 5 yard line.
J.W. Walsh kept the ball, running it in for the first touchdown for the Cowboys of the game.
At the end of the third quarter, it was 41-13 Ole Miss.
Starting off the fourth quarter, Chad Kelly already had 288 passing yards and 73 rushing yards.
As the pocket crumbled under the pressure of OSU defenders, Kelly scrambled all the way to the 15 yard line.
A couple plays later, Kelly’s pass to the corner got the Rebels back into the end zone, leading OSU 48-13.
J.W. Walsh went back in as quarterback and used his legs to gain several first downs for the Pokes.
However, they couldn’t turn the possession into points on the scoreboard after a fourth-down pass in the red zone fell incomplete.
A little while later, that all changed when J.W. Walsh threw a low pass to McCleskey, who scooped it up, making it first and goal.
On the next play, Walsh ran it into the end zone, making it 48-20 Ole Miss.
The Rebels won the Sugar Bowl with that score, making it OSU’s third straight loss.
