ARLINGTON, Tex. — When the Oklahoma State Cowboys were driving into the Missouri red zone late in the fourth quarter threatening to pull ahead, the Tigers needed its All-American to step up. Defensive end Michael Sam was quiet for most of the Cotton Bowl, but came up with a crucial sack and strip of Cowboys’ QB Clint Chelf.
Teammate Shane Ray scooped the ball up off of the turf and sprinted 73 yards down the sideline for a TD that pushed the Missouri lead to 41-31. That score stood as a final and gave the Tigers the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl championship.
The Tigers’ efforts on offense were highlighted by running back Henry Josey, who scored three touchdowns and picked up 92 yards on the ground. The win vaulted head coach Gary Pinkel into the top spot on Missouri’s all-time wins list with 102, surpassing Don Faurot.
The game was a topsy-turvy affair, Missouri led at the half 17-7 and then 17-14 after a quiet and punt-heavy third quarter. But that peace and quiet was replaced by chaos in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma State pulled even at 17 after a 25-yard field goal only for Josey to score his second touchdown of the game on a 25-yard run that put the Tigers back on top 24-17.
Oklahoma State sandwiched a Tiger field goal with two touchdowns to take its first lead of the game at 31-27 with only five minutes to play. They were led by Chelf who tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another, he finished the night with 429 total yards on offense.
But another Tiger who had a mostly down night was senior quarterback James Franklin, who finished the game 15 for 40 with one interception. He helped redeem himself with one pass when the Tigers were trailing and the situation looked bleak.
On a third and nine play at the OSU 43, Franklin avoided pressure and threaded a downfield pass to Dorial Green-Beckham for 27 yards and a first down. Josey took the next play for 16 yards into the end zone for his third touchdown of the night, putting the Tigers ahead 34-31.
Oklahoma State mounted an impressive drive of 10 plays and 48 yards before Sam and Ray ended its chances. The teams combined to score 41 points in the fourth quarter, which is now a Cotton Bowl record for scoring in a single quarter. The eighth ranked Tigers finish the season 12-2 and may end up in the top 5 of the final poll rankings after bowl losses by Alabama, Stanford, Baylor and Ohio State.
