Oklahoma State secured bowl eligibility in thrilling fashion after the team got a last-second play against Oklahoma to get the nod for the Ticketcity Cactus Bowl. The issue is the player that got them to this point will not be present during the team's game against the Washington Huskies as Tyreek Hill was dismissed. Now they have to hope the rest of the roster is enough to beat the Huskies in the Friday bowl game.
The Cowboys were trailing by a touchdowns with under a minute to play in their Dec. 6 final with Hill returned a 92-yard punt for the tying score and the eventual win. He was the hero, being named AP All-Big 12 just a few days later. However, the love was short lived as Hill was arrested and charged with hitting his pregnant girlfriend. He was then dismissed from the team.
Oklahoma State certainly had their ups and downs this season as the Hill situation was certainly a low point. The Cowboys lost five straight games in Big 12 play before finally beating the Sooners and getting the bowl berth. Quarterback Mason Rudolph will make his third start of the season over Daxx Garman. The freshman threw for 273 yards and two scores in the win over Oklahoma. Desmond Roland will replace Hill as he only averaged 3.8 yards per carry, but did get 10 touchdowns.
Washington finished the season 8-5 after beating Washington State. The team suffered losses against opponents that were ranked at the time while most of their victories came against teams under .500 which hurts their overall resume. Quarterback Cyler Miles finished the year with 2,129 passing yards and 16 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions. Dwayne Washington will carry the rushing load with his 5.5 yards per carry and nine touchdowns on the year.
Oklahoma State is getting a look at the future in the Cactus Bowl as they hope a win is a sign of big things to come for the team in the future. The Huskies are still rebuilding in a sense after losing a number of players and simply want to end on a high note.
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