K-State falls to Oklahoma State, 41-39

STILLWATER, Okla.(AP) -- Jason Ricks kicked a 26-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining and Oklahoma State overcame the best passing performance of Josh Freeman's career to beat No. 25 Kansas State 41-39 Saturday night.

The Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) called all three of their timeouts as Ricks was setting up, but his kick was right down the middle to cap a comeback made necessary when K-State coach Ron Prince decided to go for two points instead of the tie after Leon Patton's 11-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining.

Josh Freeman threw for a career-best 404 yards and three touchdowns to star receiver Jordy Nelson, who also caught the go-ahead 2-point conversion, but it wasn't enough for the Wildcats.

Tommy Devereaux returned the ensuing kickoff to the Oklahoma State 42, and Zac Robinson threw a 24-yard pass that tailback Dantrell Savage leaped and twisted to catch to set up Ricks' field goal. The Cowboys (5-3, 3-1) ran the ball twice to drain the clock and get the ball to the center for the field.

Oklahoma State's players rushed off the sideline when Kansas State's last-ditch kickoff return ended with only one lateral.

Robinson was 11-for-25 for 181 yards and three touchdowns, including two to freshman Dez Bryant, and he also ran for 109 yards as the nation's sixth-ranked rushing attack piled up 329 rushing yards.

Savage had 124 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.

After the teams traded the lead three times in a back-and-forth second half, Kansas State's Brooks Rossman tied it at 31 with a 23-yard field goal with 8:01 remaining. That set the stage for the wild finish.

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Robinson with 4:09 remaining, slipping through the grasp of Kansas State's Marcus Watts before bolting toward the end zone and diving over the pylon -- just as he did when he scored the game-winner in a 49-45 win against Texas Tech last month.

But K-State wasn't done yet. Freeman, who'd never thrown for more than 305 yards, engineered an 80-yard drive to set Kansas State up for the tie -- only Prince decided to go for more. Nelson caught Freeman's 2-point toss while backing up in the right side of the end zone.

Oklahoma State, which gave up a 10-point lead in the final 3:04 of last year's 31-28 loss at K-State in Freeman's first career start, was able to respond with an equal dose of heartache for the Wildcats.

Nelson finished with 176 yards on 12 receptions. He had a 17-yard touchdown catch as K-State opened an early 14-0 lead, and he beat cornerback Perrish Cox down the left side for a 46-yard TD grab that made it 21-7.

Cox came right back by returning the kickoff 98 yards for a score, and that sparked a run of 17 straight points for the Cowboys. Savage's 7-yard score on the opening possession of the second half gave Oklahoma State its first lead of the game at 24-21.

K-State responded with Freeman's third touchdown pass of the game to Nelson, a 10-yard connection as Nelson ran across the front of the end zone. K-State was driving toward another score when a pair of mistakes turned the tide in Oklahoma State's favor.

Tight end Jeron Mastrud caught a pass from Freeman that would've set up a first-and-goal, but had the ball knocked away by linebacker Donovan Woods and the Cowboys recovered. After forcing a three-and-out, the Wildcats gave the ball right back to Oklahoma State when Matt Fodge's wobbly punt bounced off K-State receiver Cedric Wilson and the Cowboys got it again.

Bryant's second TD catch, a 10-yarder, put Oklahoma State up 31-28 with 13:45 to play.

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Team Stats

Josh Freeman

Players Mentioned

Josh Freeman

Jeron Mastrud

Jordy Nelson

Leon Patton

Brooks Rossman

Marcus Watts

Cedric Wilson

Players Mentioned

Josh Freeman

Jeron Mastrud

Jordy Nelson

Leon Patton

Brooks Rossman

Marcus Watts

Cedric Wilson

Kansas State University Athletics