STILLWATER, Okla. — The new-look Arkansas Razorbacks found a way to tap into an old familiar script in a body blow of a double-overtime road loss at No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

The University of Arkansas dominated the first half and crushed the Cowboys statistically but committed three critical turnovers and missed a pair of field goals to fall 39-31 before an announced crowd of 52,202 at Boone Pickens Stadium.

iframe width=”100%” style=”aspect-ratio: 16/9;” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/P3cN0s-gf14″ title=”Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman’s press conference after 39-31 Oklahoma State loss” frameborder=”O” allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen>

Linebackers Kendal Daniels and Gabe Brown combined to stop 186-pound tailback Rodney Hill on a fourth-and-1 snap from the Arkansas 16 on the final play of the second overtime.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball,” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said. “I like the intensity that we played with, and it came down to we turned the ball over too many times and we got beat.

“It’s early in the year. I think we’ve proved that we’ve got a good team. We’ve just got to hang on to the football and we’ll win a lot of games.”

Arkansas outgained the Cowboys 648-385 in total offense, a disparity of 263 yards. But the turnover battle went 3-1 in the Cowboys’ favor and each lost ball proved critical.

“The only thing I can say statistically is we won the turnover margin,” Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said. “Obviously we won the penalties and then we were really good in overtime on both sides of the ball.”

Oklahoma State (2-0), triggered by Kale Smith’s 73-yard interception return for a touchdown when the Hogs were seemingly in control midway through the first quarter, rallied from a 21-7 deficit with the aid of two more takeaways in the second half.

The turnovers after halftime for Arkansas (1-1) were self inflicted: Big tailback Ja’Quinden Jackson, who chugged for 149 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, simply dropped the ball on a toss play at midfield late in the third quarter, and punt returner Isaiah Sategna muffed a punt with teammate Krosse Johnson legally pushed into his lower legs early in the fourth.

Kody Walterscheid’s recovery of the Jackson fumble led to Logan Ward’s 35-yard field goal to pull the Cowboys within 21-13. Deep snapper Shea Freibaum’s recovery of the Sategna muff at the Arkansas 25 led to Brennan Presley’s 7-yard touchdown catch and a tying 2-point conversion grab by De’Zhaun Stribling with 9:37 left in regulation.

Winning tight games and winning at home, even in the face of tough odds, has become an Oklahoma State specialty. The Cowboys improved to 35-16 (.686) in one-score games since 2015, while the Razorbacks fell to 15-29 (.341).

Oklahoma State is 25-3 at home since 2020, tied for second in the FBS in home wins in that span behind Alabama. The Cowboys also broke a five-game losing streak against the Razorbacks and improved to 5-4-1 at home in the series, which Arkansas now leads 30-16-1.

Arkansas lost its fourth game when leading by 14-plus points under Pittman, joining games against BYU in 2023, Texas A&M in 2022 and Missouri in 2020. The Razorbacks, who had been 3-0 in overtime games under Pittman, lost a multiple-overtime game for the first time since a 41-38 loss at Tennessee in six overtimes in 2002.

Arkansas drove into Oklahoma State territory on 10 of its 13 offensive possessions and took another series to the 50 while enduring only one three-and-out series.

Quarterback Taylen Green completed 26 of 45 pass for 416 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 61 yards, a figure that was dinged by 43 yards in losses as the Cowboys sent consistent blitzes at him. Jackson had 170 all-purpose yards but he was slowed by cramps a few times and was not available for the last snap in double overtime. Receiver Andrew Armstrong, held out with a hamstring issue last week, had 10 catches on 13 targets for a career-high 164 yards, including 66 yards after the catch.

Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman passed for 326 yards and a touchdown, while Presley scored twice and amassed 94 all-purpose yards.

Arkansas contained Ollie Gordon, the nation’s leading returning rusher, who never got heated up. Gordon had 6 carries for 11 yards at halftime and 17 attempts for 49 in the game.

“Basically we knew that if we stopped the run that would make their offense scramble,” Arkansas defensive tackle Cam Ball said. “But at the end of the day, it was only so much, because we still lost.”

A chunk of Gordon’s yards came in overtime, including his 12-yard touchdown on a pitch at left end to give the Cowboys a 37-31 lead. Gordon also caught the mandatory 2-point conversion pass. That touchdown came after linebacker Xavian Sorey committed a costly unnecessary roughness penalty with a suplex-style tackle on Presley at the Arkansas 24 when a regular tackle would have set up third and 9 in the second overtime.

Arkansas gained early control by scoring touchdowns on its second and third possessions on 5-yard Jackson runs that capped drives of 45 and 83 yards.

The Hogs’ defense stopped a fourth-and-1 play at its 20 on a Jaylon Braxton pass breakup to open the game, then dominated the rest of the half.

Leading 14-0, Arkansas was in the midst of a 55-yard march that reached the Cowboys’ 29 when the Oklahoma State defense forced a mistake. Ace pass rusher Collin Oliver hit Green as he fired a crossing route for Sategna and the pass landed in the hands of Smith, the trailing defender who returned it for a score and got the Cowboys and their fans back in the game.

The Razorbacks responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown run, to make it 21-7 at the half.

Arkansas rattled off a 49-yard drive early in the fourth quarter while leading 21-13 but could not expand on it as Kyle Ramsey missed a 41-yard field-goal try just to the right.

With the game tied at 21-21, Arkansas drove to the Oklahoma State 24 and faced fourth and 5. Instead of attempting a 41-yard field goal, the Razorbacks went on fourth down and Green was stopped after a gain of 4 yards.

A scoring frenzy engulfed the last six minutes of regulation. Oklahoma State took a 28-21 lead on Presley’s end around from 3 yards out with 5:13 to play. The Razorbacks answered with a three-play sequence started by Sategna’s 31-yard catch and run and capped by Luke Hasz’s 43-yard touchdown catch to forge a tie.

Helped by two pass interference calls, the Cowboys drove 55 yards and took a 31-28 lead on Ward’s 38-yard field goal with 55 seconds remaining. Arkansas turned in a clutch, two-minute drill, with Green directing a 48-yard march, capped by Ramsey’s tying 45-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.

Both kickers missed a field goal in the first overtime, Ramsey from 46 yards and Ward from 41 yards, to set up the decisive second overtime.

FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 6 Arkansas soccer team closed its nonconference slate Saturday with one of those nights where it seemed most things went in its favor. 

The Razorbacks, during a 4-2 win over BYU, attacked vigorously and conceded few chances against a Cougars program that has reached the College Cup in two of the past three seasons. 

“We needed this game, right? BYU is a good team,” Arkansas coach Colby Hale said. “We needed to be tested and stretched a little bit. … For us, it’s growth. Obviously it’s great, we want to win all of our games. I was most pleased with the performance in the second half and the recovery from the first.”

BYU had some key graduations since last season, but it was still picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason coaches poll and entered the season ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches top 25. Saturday marked a meeting of two of college soccer’s premier programs of recent years, with Arkansas’ third-largest crowd in program history of 3,046 welcoming the occasion, and the spectacle matched the anticipation.

“That team is going to just keep getting better,” Hale said. “They’re pretty young. … That was the best we’d seen them play. They’re going to keep winning games.”

The Razorbacks — with goals coming through an Anaiyah Robinson brace, Ava Tankersley’s penalty and Kate Doyle’s opener — finished nonconference play unbeaten and as the highest-scoring team in the country at five goals per game. 

“We have so many girls that can contribute,” forward Macy Schultz said. “I think that people contributing, coming onto the game, and starters contributing is our biggest thing and we just continue to score goals.”

The Cougars’ scorers were Erin Bailey — whose goal ended a nearly 370-minute Razorback shutout streak — and Tara Warner.

Arkansas’ defense largely held firm against BYU’s high-profile attack, with goalkeeper Keegan Smith making six saves while seeing other shots sail comfortably away from goal. The Razorbacks monitored the Cougars’ runs well and didn’t allow for much space with the ball.

Arkansas’ defense was stout throughout nonconference play, with five total goals conceded in seven matches.

“I really think our big thing has been communication,” defender Avery Wren said. “Our back line is constantly changing. People are constantly changing. … Being on the same page and also playing good balls for our forwards so they can go score.”

Hale felt the second half was better than the first, with the Razorbacks controlling the play and emphasizing movements into wide areas with the ball and suffocating space on defense. He felt the connecting passes were better in the second half and that they were better at avoiding BYU counterattacks.

“We were able to connect the second and third pass,” Hale said. “The first half, we just kept giving the ball away and we couldn’t get numbers forward. … I thought, in the second, we pushed higher, we found the attack, we locked it in and we were off to the races.

“I thought we were just a lot more composed in transition in the second.”

The Razorbacks open SEC play against LSU at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Razorback Field. League play should offer more tests than some of the nonconference opponents.

But Arkansas showed its potential with Saturday’s win, as well as the win over Gonzaga and 10-player road draw against No. 5 Michigan State. 

“I think it was a good final test before the SEC because no one in the SEC is going to be an easy win,” Schultz said. “It was good preparation for sure.

“Games like this really prep us,” Wren added. “We’re going to to play two games a week that are going to be just like this, so this was huge.”

In an unexpectedly wild Week 2 matchup, No. 16-ranked Oklahoma State outlasted Arkansas to win 39-31 in double overtime. The Razorbacks started strong, but the Cowboys marched back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, and eventually win after multiple overtime periods.

Arkansas, who was expected to sit at the bottom of the SEC, didn’t look that way on Saturday. The Razorbacks got off to a fast start, getting two touchdowns in the first quarter off of running back Ja’quinden Jackson.

Oklahoma State followed it up with a pick-six from cornerback Kale Smith to put points on the board. But it didn’t take long for Arkansas to respond again, with Jackson getting his third touchdown of the day.

In the third quarter, a called-back touchdown and a field goal for the Cowboys was followed by a key Arkansas fumble was recovered by Oklahoma State, opening the door, but the Cowboys had to settle for another field goal, bringing the score to 21-13.

Arkansas’ missed field goal attempt and muffed punt return gave Oklahoma State a lucky break as the Cowboys were able to recover their own punt. With the ball suddenly back in their hands — and with great field possession — OSU quarterback Alan Bowman was able to get an easy pass for the touchdown. A successful extra point tied the game, 21-all.

The Cowboys then got a huge stop on defense, forcing Arkansas to turn over on downs. From there, Bowman threw a massive 64-yard flea flicker to fullback Jake Schultz to push OSU down the field. Receiver Brennan Presley ran in for another touchdown to take the 28-21 lead.

But the Razorbacks fought back, getting a touchdown in less than two minutes off a wide-open pass to tight end Luke Hasz, tying things up at 28-28.

With the final minutes, Oklahoma State were in dangerous position after Bowman got a big 36-yard throw to Presley. But Bowman’s choice to taunt the Arkansas sideline after the throw proved costly, pushing the ball from the six to the 21.

The Cowboys were eventually forced to fourth-and-four with less than two minutes left, but their attempts to waste time were ruined by the officials’ call to re-add several seconds, and a false start penalty that stopped the clock just under a minute — much to OSU coach Mike Gundy’s visible frustration.

Oklahoma State’s 38-yard field goal attempt from kicker Logan Ward gave the Cowboys the 31-28 lead.

Arkansas marched down the field with the remaining seconds, getting within field goal range with only 11 seconds remaining. In the final seconds, the Razorbacks made the risky decision not to spike the ball, but kicker Kyle Ramsey was able to successfully get the 45-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Arkansas started with the ball, but were stopped by the Cowboys’ defense. On third-and-13, quarterback Taylen Green was sacked, setting the Razorbacks up for a last-ditch field goal attempt, but Ramsey missed the 46-yard field goal.

OSU’s overtime drive didn’t go much better, as the Razorbacks stopped the Cowboys and forced them to go for a field goal on fourth-and-9. Ward, who had been so clutch earlier in the game, missed the 41-yard attempt and forced the game to go to double overtime.

The Cowboys got the ball first for the second overtime, initially struggling to move the ball, but a unnecessary roughness penalty on Arkansas moved Oklahoma State into the red zone. Bowman was able to get the ball to star running back Ollie Gordon II twice — once for the touchdown, and once for the two-point conversion — to take the lead. Arkansas got close to returning the favor, but couldn’t get the final yard on fourth-and-1 to keep the game going.

Despite the loss, Arkansas’ first two games have been a strong showing, particularly for disgraced former head coach and current offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Under Petrino, the Razorbacks have been relatively efficient in the red zone, buoyed by Jackson, who finished with 24 carries for 149 yards. However, there are certainly some wrinkles to iron out, with a handful of messy fumbles and mistakes threatening Arkansas’ success as the game went on.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, survives by the skin of its teeth. Although the Cowboys did not end up with the loss, the game was initially reminiscent of last year, when OSU suffered a humiliating 33-7 loss to Southern Alabama in Week 2. Luckily for the Cowboys, though, they stay 2-0 heading into Week 3.