No. 9 Oklahoma State pulled off the biggest comeback in school history, storming back from a 21-point deficit to defeat No. 5 Notre Dame 37-35 in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.
The Fighting Irish came out blazing on offense against Oklahoma State’s highly-ranked defense with quarterback Jack Coan rolling up 342 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Notre Dame built up a 28-7 with just over a minute left in the second quarter, but a quick Oklahoma State score before halftime and an impressive drive to start the third quarter quickly cut the lead to 28-21.
But while the Cowboys offense finally got into a rhythm, it was assisted by an Oklahoma State defense that made the necessary halftime adjustments to slow down Coan and the Notre Dame offense. The Irish signal-caller may have had 342 yards and four touchdowns in the first half — numbers that were already good enough for the best performance by a quarterback against Oklahoma State this season — but he had just 40 passing yards in the third quarter. It should be noted Coan did finish the game with 509 yards and an impressive effort late in the fourth quarter, setting a Fiesta bowl passing record with the performance.
The play of the game might have come early in the fourth quarter when All-American safety Kolby Harvell-Peel crashed in to make a stop on Notre Dame freshman running back Logan Diggs and stripped the ball free before he was brought to the ground. Even though Notre Dame would get the ball right back with a forced fumble at the goal line, the loss of field position and the impact it had on Oklahoma State’s confidence set the tone for the fourth quarter.
The previous record for the biggest comeback in Oklahoma State history was 20 points — in 1979 against Colorado.
Here are three takeaways from the Pokes’ historic win on New Year’s Day.
1. Roller coaster ride for Marcus Freeman
Freeman’s full-time hire brought a buzz to Notre Dame football in the wake of Brian Kelly’s exit, and the fast start seemed to be a continuation of that energy. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who reportedly had turned down a chance to join Kelly at LSU in order to stay with Freeman, was calling a brilliant game that had the offense humming even without star running back Kyren Williams. Unfortunately, both Rees and Freeman are going to enter the offseason with some frustration with how both sides of the ball played in the second half.
2. Spencer Sanders had career performance
It’s been an up-and-down journey at times for Sanders, who started his career with the kind of hype and expectations that comes with being the Offensive Freshman of the Year in the Big 12. His four interceptions in the Big 12 Championship Game played a major factor in that frustrating defeat, but here in the Fiesta Bowl, he got some redemption with the way he carved up a very good Notre Dame defense throughout the first half. Sanders had 371 passing yards with four touchdowns and added another 125 rushing yards, setting a Fiesta Bowl record for total offense.
3. Mike Gundy is one of the best Bowl Season coaches
Gundy has gotten Oklahoma State to the postseason in 16 consecutive seasons and now has an 11-5 record in those games. It’s been different kinds of Oklahoma State teams throughout the years in terms of how they win, but he usually seems to have his group well prepared for the spotlight contest.
CBS Sports will keep you up to date with analysis, highlights and more from whistle to whistle in the live blog below.
Season Leaders
| passing |
|---|
  S. Sanders 2468 YD, 16 TDS, 12 INTS S. Sanders 2468 YD, 16 TDS, 12 INTS |
 J. Coan 2641 YD, 20 TDS, 6 INTS J. Coan 2641 YD, 20 TDS, 6 INTS |
| rushing |
|
J. Warren 237 ATT, 1134 YD, 11 TDS J. Warren 237 ATT, 1134 YD, 11 TDS |
|
K. Williams 204 ATT, 1002 YD, 14 TDS K. Williams 204 ATT, 1002 YD, 14 TDS |
| receiving |
|
T. Martin 70 REC, 942 YD, 7 TDS T. Martin 70 REC, 942 YD, 7 TDS |
|
K. Austin Jr. 42 REC, 783 YD, 6 TDS K. Austin Jr. 42 REC, 783 YD, 6 TDS |
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Notre Dame just went three-and-out when it needed a long drive, or at least points. Oklahoma State has the Fighting Irish defense on their heels and now they’re back out there hoping to avoid another easy march down the field. They can’t count on a Drew White strip at the goal line as a way to save touchdowns every time.
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