A slow offense picked up by a spunky defense lifted OSU to a 16-6 verdict over WAC champion Brigham Young.

State didn’t get a first down in the opening quarter as the Cougars posted a pair of field goals. Midway in the second period Charlie Weatherbie pitched to Kenny Walker, who scored from 12 yards out. OSU made three deep drives in the third period but settled for a single field goal, a 42-yarder by Abby Daigle.

After subduing a fourth-quarter Cougar drive at the OSU 28, the Pokes wedged their way past midfield in a time-consuming drive. Leonard Thompson then lofted the halfback pass to split end Gerald Bain for 40 yards and the clinching score. State’s Phillip Dokes decked Cougar quarterback Gary Shiede late in the first period with a jarring tackle which dampened BYU hopes but understudy Mark Giles almost bailed the Cougars out of trouble with his fourth-quarter efforts. Dokes picked up the outstanding defensive player trophy and Walker was chosen top offensive player.

Billed as a showdown between Brigham Young pass-happy quarterback Gifford Nielsen and Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller, the Cowboy defense and Miller were the standouts in a 49-21 win.

Defensive tackle Chris Dawson intercepted a Nielsen pass in the first quarter and returned it 36 yards for a TD. While Nielsen completed 23-of-34 passes for 209 yards and a TD, he was intercepted three more times by defensive backs Milton Kirven, Gary Irons, and Jerry Cramer.

Meanwhile, Miller ran wild for 173 yards and had scoring jaunts of 78, 3 and 6. The Cowboys rolled up 402 yards total offense, including 375 on the ground. Cowboy Robert Turner supported Miller’s running with 80 yards on 22 attempts and a TD. All-America tackle Phillip Dokes led a parade of OSU defenders that kept constant pressure on Nielsen.

Oklahoma State’s nationally-ranked defense did its job for a while, but Texas A&M opened up late in the first half to score two quick touchdowns and went on to hand the Cowboys just their second bowl loss.

OSU’s opportunistic offense turned an Aggie fumble into a 7-0 lead only minutes into the game. Defensive back Pete DiClementi recovered a fumble for the Pokes on A&M’s 25, and running back Ernest Anderson got the score on a oneyard plunge.

The Aggies responded with the first-of-four David Hardy field goals to cut the margin to 7-3, but all-Big Eight kicker Larry Roach put OSU back up by seven, 10-3, with a 43-yarder of his own. Midway through the second period, Hardy closed the margin to 10-6, and moments later the Aggies scored two lightning quick cross-country aerial touchdowns to move to a 20-10 halftime lead. Two Hardy field goals upped that lead to 26-10 before the Cowboys drove 66 yards for Vince Orange’s five-yard TD burst.

O-State was crippled by disabling injuries to several running backs during the contest, and A&M showed its versatility with 223 rushing yards and 225 passing yards.

Linebacker Mike Green led OSU’s defense and was voted outstanding defensive player.

Quarterback Rusty Hilger and tailback Ernest Anderson sparked Oklahoma State past Baylor, 24-14, as a near-sellout crowd in the Astrodome watched the 25th Bluebonnet Bowl.

Anderson carried the ball 27 times for 143 yards and a touchdown while Hilger completed 12-of-17 for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns to ignite the Oklahoma State win. Hilger, named the game’s MVP, left the game late in the first half with a slight concussion and didn’t return. But Anderson’s nifty running and another strong performance by the defense kept Baylor at bay.

OSU held the Bears to just 134 yards on the ground and the Cowboy secondary picked off two passes to help seal the win. Touchdown passes from Hilger to Malcolm Lewis and Jamie Harris and a one-yard scoring run by Anderson gave OSU a 21-0 advantage before Baylor got on the scoreboard late in the first half. The Pokes added a Larry Roach field goal in the first half while Baylor found the endzone an additional time in the second to complete the scoring.