Garret Rangel completed 10 of 15 passes for 118 yards and a score, Elijah Collins and Ollie Gordon II rushed for one touchdown apiece, and Oklahoma State pulled away for a 27-13 win over Central Arkansas on Saturday evening in Stillwater, Okla.
Brennan Presley had the lone receiving touchdown for Oklahoma State (1-0), which started the season on a positive note one year after losing five of its final six games last year. The Cowboys won their 28th consecutive home opener, adding to their school record.
Will McElvain completed 24 of 37 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns for Central Arkansas (0-1). Kylin James and Christian Richmond had one receiving score apiece for the Bears.
Oklahoma State opened the scoring with 2:58 to play in the first quarter. Rangel turned to his left and zipped a short pass to Presley, who broke a tackle and scampered into the end zone.
The Cowboys pushed their lead to 10-0 on Alex Hale’s 36-yard field goal with 5:34 left in the second quarter.
Hale connected again, this time on a 45-yard-field goal, to make it 13-0 as time expired before halftime.
Central Arkansas trimmed the deficit to 13-7 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter. McElvain threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to James to finish an eight-play, 95-yard drive.
The Cowboys created some breathing room early in the fourth quarter when Collins scored on a 17-run to make it 20-7 with 10:44 to go. Collins’ run capped a nine-play, 93-yard drive.
A 2-yard rushing touchdown by Gordon gave Oklahoma State a 27-7 lead with 5:54 remaining.
Central Arkansas responded with a 2-yard touchdown pass from McElvain to Richmond with 3:28 to go. The Cowboys blocked the Bears’ extra-point attempt to keep the score at 27-13.
The Cowboys used three quarterbacks in their season opener. Rangel led the team in passing yards and notched the only passing touchdown, and Alan Bowman (13 of 24, 80 yards) and Gunnar Gundy (7 of 9, 106 yards) also saw playing time.
–Field Level Media