OSU Cowboys Hold Off Huskeys 30-22

The Oklahoma State Cowboys may have gone through their most difficult season under coach Mike Gundy, losing five straight games before squeaking into a bowl game. Once OSU got to the Cactus Bowl, they rode a freshman quarterback and an offensively gifted defensive tackle to a spirit-lifting victory.

Mason Rudolph threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Desmond Roland kept the Huskies off-balance by tearing off big runs up the middle, finishing with 123 yards on 32 carries and 300-pound tackle James Castleman showed off his versatility with two big offensive plays lead Oklahoma State to a 30-22 victory over Washington in the TicketCity Cactus Bowl Friday night.

Oklahoma State (7-6) needed a late rally over rival Oklahoma in the season finale to become bowl eligible and played the Cactus Bowl without its most dynamic offensive player. The Cowboys closed out the season with a flourish behind Rudolph, with some help from Castleman.A freshman making his third start, Rudolph kept his composure against Washington's vaunted front seven, overcoming three turnovers to hit 17 of 26 passes. Then there was Castleman.

Though he had never played offense before, the beefy defensive tackle lined up in the shotgun to score on a 1-yard run in the first half, helping Oklahoma State build a 17-point halftime lead.

Washington rallied to within a touchdown in the second half, but Castleman wreaked havoc again, catching a pass out of the backfield and rumbling down the sideline for a 48-yard catch that all but killed the Huskies' hopes.

The Cowboys pulled off a last-minute comeback to earn a spot in the Cactus Bowl, scoring two touchdowns in the final 8 minutes to knock off Oklahoma in overtime. Tyreek Hill had the big play in that game, scoring on a 92-yard punt return with 45 seconds left, but he was dismissed from the team last month. That left Oklahoma State without its most dangerous threat against a Washington defense that has three first-team All-Americans. The Cowboys didn't seem to mind.