Stillwater (AP)—For two teams trying to stay perfect on the season,
Oklahoma State and Texas A&M sure made a lot of mistakes.
It came down to Jerrod Johnson making one too many for the Aggies.
Shaun Lewis intercepted Johnson’s pass in the final seconds and Dan Bailey
kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to lift Oklahoma State to a 38-35
victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night.
Johnson turned the ball over five times, including a key fumble that led to
a Cowboys touchdown in the fourth quarter and his fourth interception that Lewis
returned 28 yards to set up the game-winner. The Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)
rallied from a 14-point deficit only to let Texas A&M (3-1, 0-1) do the same,
and nearly win the game, too.
“It was just a very emotional game that had a number of mistakes,” Cowboys
coach Mike Gundy said, “and we were able to capitalize on the last one.”
Johnson threw two touchdown passes in the final 5 1/2 minutes and had a chance
to lead the Aggies on a winning drive of their own before he overthrew a pass
into the arms of Lewis, who fell down at the 40-yard line with 16 seconds left.
Oklahoma State picked up 17 yards on two plays before sending on Bailey.
The Cowboys flooded onto the field to celebrate their first three-game
winning streak in a series that had been dominated by Texas A&M until recently.
The Aggies had won 10 of the first 12 games between the teams following the
creation of the Big 12.
“It was a roller coaster for sure. I thought maybe they were going to get a
game-winning attempt,” said Bailey, who made the first winning kick of his
career. “But our defense stepped up and made a big play and we got a chance to
win it.”
Johnson threw for 409 yards and a career-best five touchdowns but it was his
final pass in the meeting of surging Big 12 South rivals that likely will be
remembered. In the process, he broke A&M’s career record for passing yards and
Jeff Fuller set a new school record with his 20th touchdown catch.