Tech’s offense finally stymied

? Two weeks ago, Oklahoma State took a 19-point lead against No. 2 Texas, only to see the Longhorns score 38 straight and win in a rout.

The Cowboys were determined not to squander another big lead against another ranked opponent.

Al Pena scored on a one-yard run with 23 seconds remaining to stave off a rally by No. 13 Texas Tech and give Oklahoma State a 24-17 victory Saturday.

Julius Crosslin did most of the work on the Cowboys’ last drive with runs of 12, 11, 10 and nine yards, putting Pena in position to break a 17-17 tie in a game Oklahoma State (4-5 overall, 1-5 Big 12 Conference) led, 17-0, with 6:41 left in the third quarter.

“We were dealt some adversity in the fourth quarter, and we handled it very effectively in this game,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “We were able to drive the ball at the end. I wanted to go down there and score and not leave them any time on the clock.”

Oklahoma State quarterback Al Pena looks for an open receiver against Texas Tech. Pena scored the game-winning touchdown in the Cowboys' 24-17 victory over the Red Raiders on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

It was the first conference victory for Oklahoma State and spoiled Texas Tech’s hopes of its first 10-win season since 1976.

“They hit harder than we did. They ran faster than we did,” Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. “They wanted to win the game more than we did.”

The Red Raiders (8-2, 5-2) finally got on the board with a field goal, and Cody Hodges threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Hicks with 14:42 to go.

Seconds later, after a penalty left the Cowboys driving from their own eight, Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid fumbled, and Chris Hudler jumped on it in the end zone for the tying TD.

Oklahoma State held down Red Raiders top-ranked passing attack, which came in averaging 433.3 yards, and smothered Tech’s running game throughout. The Red Raiders managed only 30 yards on the ground. Hodges was 29-for-42 for 308 yards.

Gundy praised his defensive staff’s game plan, which was aimed at stopping Hodges.

“They gave up 10 points. I did not know how it was going to work with all the jumping around we did. As an offensive coach, if a team did that to me, I would just run it,” Gundy said. “However, that is not their team.”