STILLWATER, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- Last week, Darrent Williams impressed on special teams. This week, his defense helped Oklahoma State snap a lengthy losing streak against Big 12 Conference rival Kansas State.
Williams, who had two punt-return touchdowns last week against Louisiana-Lafayette, returned one interception for a touchdown and set up a key score with another pick as the Cowboys held on to beat the No. 21 Wildcats, 38-34.
Josh Fields tossed two touchdowns and Tatum Bell ran for 143 yards and a pair of scores for the Cowboys (5-1, 1-1 Big 12 South), who had lost their last nine meetings with Kansas State (4-3, 0-2 North) since their last win in 1989.
"We want desperately to achieve in the Big 12 Conference," Cowboys coach Les Miles said. "This was an important victory for us. It lays out the season extremely well, but it's just the next game. We still have to go out and play well throughout in the conference."
The Wildcats, who trailed by 17 points with under eight minutes remaining, pulled within 38-34 on a 22-yard screen pass from Ell Roberson to James Terry with 2:51 left, but they botched the snap on the extra point. Oklahoma State's Gabe Lindsay recovered the onside kick, Bell picked up a first down on a 3rd-and-2 run and the Cowboys ran out the clock.
Oklahoma State, which won its fifth straight game since a season-opening loss at Nebraska, snapped a 21-21 tie when Fields threw a four-yard TD to Lindsay with 2:19 left in the third quarter. The go-ahead score was set up by an 11-yard run by kicker Luke Phillips on a 4th-and-7 play at the Kansas State 31.
"It was the right opportunity," Miles said. "I felt like we needed seven (points). Luke Phillips could have made a long field goal. ... You feel the momentum of the game and you understand that needs to be a seven-pointer rather than three."
"We had not seen the fake, but you have to be ready for fakes at all times," Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said. "We were attempting to block it, fell asleep at the switch and didn't have it covered. Poor coaching on my part."
On the Wildcats' ensuing drive, Williams intercepted a pass from Roberson on the right sideline, and three plays later, Bell ran it in from 12 yards out to give the Cowboys a two-touchdown edge.
"Hats off to Darrent Williams," Miles said. "He had a tremendous game. He has great big-play potential in a number of ways."
Roberson completed 20-of-34 passes for 332 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions for Kansas State, which dropped its third straight game. Terry had six receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns and Darren Sproles five for 82 yards and a score out of the backfield.
"Oklahoma State came out to play," Roberson said. "They got up the field and their tackles made plays."
Fields was 12-for-21 for 190 yards and an interception, while Rashaun Woods had six catches for 118 yards.
The Cowboys and Wildcats alternated touchdowns before Lindsay gave Oklahoma State the lead for good in the third quarter with his four-yard run. Ayo Saba of Kansas State had a four-yard run with 5:33 left in the third quarter to knot the game at 21-21.
Oklahoma State took its biggest lead, 38-21, on a 50-yard field goal into the wind by Phillips with 10:46 remaining before Roberson threw a 16-yard TD to Thomas Hill three minutes later.
"I'd like to believe that we've got a room full of guys that have tremendous character, have a great deal of heart, that care about each other, that believe in the program and are not about to give themselves up," Snyder said.
