STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Daxx Garman went 16 of 26 for 244 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Oklahoma State to a 40-23 victory over Missouri State Saturday.
Garman entered the contest late in the first quarter, for injured starter J.W. Walsh, with OSU leading 10-6. It was his first game action since his junior year of high school in 2009.
Tyreek Hill ran for 62 yards for Oklahoma State (1-1), while Rennie Childs added 39 yards and two touchdowns.
Kierra Harris threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-21 passing, and ran for 45 yards, for Missouri State (1-1), which falls to 1-30 against FBS opponents.
Garman’s first college touchdown, an 87-yard pass to Brandon Sheperd on a 3rd-and-19 midway through the second, put the Cowboys ahead 24-6 and was the second-longest completion in Oklahoma State history. Sheperd amassed 131 yards on four receptions.
Oklahoma State was already missing starting running back Desmond Roland, who was injured in the squad’s season-opening 37-31 loss to top-ranked Florida State last weekend, when Walsh limped off the field.
Walsh gained 42 yards on four rushes and was 5 of 9 for 30 yards before leaving. He seemed to get hurt when Missouri State’s Andrew Beisel stopped him at the end of an 8-yard run that put OSU on the MSU 2. Two plays later, with Walsh still in, Childs scored to give the Cowboys a 10-0 lead.
Walsh later returned to the Oklahoma State sideline on crutches, wearing a boot on his right foot.
Garman was ruled ineligible for his senior year of high school before attending the University of Arizona, where he red-shirted in 2011. After transferring to OSU, he had to sit out the 2012 season before serving as a depth backup last year, but he showed few signs of rust.
Oklahoma State excelled in special teams, blocking three Missouri State kicks in the first half to set a new school record. It was also just the second time in NCAA history, after Oregon did it to USC in 1996, that a team has blocked a field goal, a point-after attempt and a punt in the same game.
With the Cowboys leading just 3-0 midway through the first quarter, Jordan Sterns blocked Chris Sullens’ punt near midfield and returned it 19 yards to the Missouri State 21-yard-line. That possession led to Childs’ first touchdown and a 10-0 advantage.
Missouri State scored on the following drive to regain some momentum, but James Castleman blocked Marcelo Bonani’s point-after attempt to keep the score at 10-6.
Later, with OSU up 17-6 in the second, Ofa Hautau turned away Bonani’s 39-yard field goal attempt.
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