STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Ollie Gordon II is churning out numbers only the all-time greats have posted at Oklahoma State.
Gordon rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and Oklahoma State defeated Cincinnati 45-13 on Saturday night to win its fourth straight heading into a showdown with rival Oklahoma.
Gordon joined Barry Sanders as the only Cowboys to rush for at least 250 yards in consecutive games. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in five straight contests and has gained 858 yards from scrimmage the past three games.
As the statistics and accolades have piled up, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has remained intent on keeping his budding sophomore star focused.
“He’s not arrived, but we have to give him credit for what he’s done,” he said. “It’s not like it’s the first game he’s done this, but I’ve told him, and I’ll tell him again when I see him tomorrow or Monday, he has to stay hungry and he has to stay humble, period. Or you’ll get your block knocked off.”
Gundy said Gordon is making the most of the offensive line’s strong performances. Gordon’s latest outburst came against a team that was allowing just 100.7 yards rushing per game.
“There’s creases 2- or 3-yards wide,” he said. “And so they’ve done that now. Our offensive line has done that for four or five weeks now. We’re blocking and covering guys, creating some holes. He’s running, and when he gets through there, he’s running physical, he’s running away, seeing. His vision is really good right now.”
Leon Johnson III had five catches for 149 yards and Brennan Presley scored two touchdowns — one rushing and one receiving — for the Cowboys (6-2, 4-1 Big 12), who moved into a five-way tie for the conference lead.
Cincinnati rushed for 277 yards but did not capitalize. Myles Montgomery ran for 90 yards and Corey Kiner had 79 for the Bearcats (2-6, 0-5), who have lost six straight.
In the second quarter, Bowman connected with Johnson for a 67-yard gain, leading to a 28-yard field goal by Alex Hale that put the Cowboys up 10-7 — a score that held up until halftime.
Gordon ripped off a 42-yard run to go over 100 yards early in the third quarter, then Alan Bowman found Presley for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the next play to put Oklahoma State ahead 17-7.
Gordon broke multiple tackles on a 9-yard touchdown run on the next drive to increase the lead to 24-7.
“I give credit to those guys,” Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “(Ollie) Gordon got his carries in the second half and hit some big-time runs. We were missing tackles and he was bouncing off three to four guys, getting big-time runs. Obviously, he’s a good player.”
A 39-yard run by Gordon had the Cowboys knocking on the door again, and Presley finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. Gordon capped off the performance with a 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY
Cincinnati: The Bearcats got virtually nothing out of their passing game. Emory Jones completed just 6 of 16 passes for 117 yards with an interception.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys found the balance they were looking for. Bowman passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns, helping Oklahoma State pile up 601 yards of total offense.
MORE OLLIE NUMBERS
In five Big 12 games, Gordon has rushed for 978 yards and eight touchdowns with 8.0 yards per carry. He joined Sanders, Vernand Morency, David Thompson, Thurman Thomas and Ernest Anderson as the only players in school history to eclipse 200 rushing yards in consecutive games.
BOWL ELIGIBLE
The Cowboys became bowl eligible for the 18th consecutive year. They have come a long way since a 33-7 home loss to South Alabama in the third game of the season.
“I like to see players rewarded and the fruits of their labor, and that’s one of them,” Gundy said. “And it’s good for us. You know, we’ve done it a long time now, so coming from where we were after Game three, I’d say that over the last five weeks, it’s a pretty good accomplishment.”
Cincinnati: Hosts UCF on Saturday.
Oklahoma State: Hosts No. 6 Oklahoma on Saturday in the final regular-season matchup between the rivals before Oklahoma heads to the Southeastern Conference next season.
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