Oklahoma State football: 5 takeaways from Cowboys’ 2018 season

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 31: Taylor Cornelius #14 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs with the ball as Terez Hall #24 of the Missouri Tigers defends during the first half of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on December 31, 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 31: Taylor Cornelius #14 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys runs with the ball as Terez Hall #24 of the Missouri Tigers defends during the first half of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on December 31, 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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It was a turbulent, underwhelming year, but Oklahoma State football finished 2018 on a high note after a 38-33 Liberty Bowl win vs. Missouri.

The dust has settled from an up-and-down 2018 campaign, and the Cowboys have some food for thought as they enter the spring 2019 offseason.

Oklahoma State entered the season with mid-tier expectations before rising to a No. 15 national ranking. Fresh off the heels of an impressive 44-21 victory against Boise State, the Pokes dropped three of their next four games with the start of Big 12 play.

The season-long slide continued with defeats against lesser Big 12 foes like Texas Tech and Kansas State, followed by wins over Top 25 programs in Texas and West Virginia, including a near miss against No. 4 Oklahoma.

Although a 6-6 mark in the regular season was a disappointment to the Cowboys faithful, a Liberty Bowl win against former conference opponent Missouri on Dec. 31 might be the offseason momentum panacea that the program needs. A 13-season winning  record and postseason streak continued and Mike Gundy’s mullet, for better or for worse, remained one of the symbols of OSU football.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Oklahoma State’s 2018 season.