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In its biggest game yet this season, Oklahoma State got into the kind of shootout that had proven to be a path to victory before.
Only this time, Nebraska was up to the challenge.
Eventually, the Cowboys' high-powered offense stopped producing and the defense never could stand its ground in a 51-41 loss to the Cornhuskers on Saturday. Oklahoma State fell three spots to No. 20 in The Associated Press poll after its first defeat of the season.
Coach Mike Gundy said the first taste of adversity will show what the team is made of.
''That's a part of the college football season. It's a long season and you can't have too big of a hangover on a win or too big of a hangover on a loss,'' Gundy said Sunday. ''You've got to move forward and get ready for the next game.''
The Cowboys (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) are still in the thick of the South division race heading into Saturday's game at Kansas State, where they have lost six straight times. Oklahoma State is tied for second with No. 11 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1), which lost its first game Saturday night at Missouri, and a half-game behind No. 25 Baylor (6-2, 3-1).
''We can still accomplish all of the things that we want to accomplish,'' quarterback Brandon Weeden said. ''This loss will be tough to swallow, but we still have a lot of season left.''
Until this week, the Cowboys had been able to outscore opponents with an offense that was No. 2 in the nation in points per game. Despite putting up 41 points, the offense still played a role in Oklahoma State's demise against Nebraska.
The Cowboys went three-and-out on three of their first four possessions in the second half, sending a struggling defense right back onto the field with an average of 56 seconds taken off the game clock. The culprit: a 3-for-13 performance on third downs.
''It keeps your defense on the field a lot and against an offensive style like that, the clock just keeps moving,'' Weeden said. ''I think that was the difference in the game.''
Oklahoma State only got five second-half possessions, with the Cornhuskers chewing up more than 6 minutes on one 12-play scoring drive. Nebraska was 6-for-10 on third downs in the second half, possessing the ball for 22 of the 30 minutes played.
''We have allowed people to convert on third downs too much this fall,'' defensive coordinator Bill Young said. ''We have got to get out there and correct that and make sure it won't happen (again).''
After giving up a season-best 323 yards passing by a Nebraska offense that came in as one of the top rushing attacks in the country, Oklahoma State is now the sixth-worst Bowl Subdivision team against the pass.
The Cowboys are also the only FBS team that has given up three touchdowns on kickoff returns this season after Niles Paul's 100-yard runback on Saturday.
''We just have to keep playing hard,'' defensive end Richetti Jones said. ''It wasn't our best game and we have to just roll with the punches. There are a lot of things we can improve on.''
