Texas Longhorns

Another kicking blunder sinks Texas to second gut-wrenching loss

Published Sep. 26, 2015 7:52 p.m. ET

foxsports

This time the colossal special teams blunder wasn't an automatic extra point that went awry, but a routine snap that slipped through the hands of punter Michael Dickson.

The unthinkable struck again, dooming Texas to a 30-27 loss to No. 24 Oklahoma State on Saturday, a second consecutive gut-wrenching defeat.

A week ago, Texas coach Charlie Strong consoled kicker Nick Rose in the locker room until 1 a.m. after Rose botched a game-tying extra point with about a minute to go that allowed Cal to hold on to a 45-44 victory following a frantic Texas comeback.

This time Texas held the lead over Oklahoma State, 27-24, before giving up a game-tying field goal with 1:33 to go, a scoring drive that was aided by a 15-yard penalty on Strong for arguing with the official.

When the Longhorns failed to convert a first down on their ensuing possession, they were forced to punt from their own 18-yard line. The snap was a strike, but Dickson, a freshman punter from Australia, mishandled it. He picked it up off the turf, tried to salvage the error by getting off a running kick, but he shanked it out of bounds, putting the Cowboys in instant field-goal position.

With six seconds to go, Oklahoma State's Ben Grogan converted a 41-yard field goal for the victory in front of another stunned Texas home crowd.