Kicker is hero for Okla. St.

The Cowboys beat Alabama for their first bowl victory since 2002.
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) -- Jason Ricks had attempted only 10 field goals this season for Oklahoma State, and had missed a couple of PATs that cost the Cowboys a victory.
None of that mattered at the Independence Bowl Thursday, when the sophomore kicker teamed up with Dantrell Savage to help snatch victory back from Alabama.
Ricks kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8.9 seconds remaining after to give Oklahoma State a 34-31 victory over Alabama.
"That's what I was looking for," Ricks said. "When you have that opportunity you want to make the most of it."
Key play
Savage ran for 112 yards and a touchdown and made the key play on the winning drive. He took a screen pass from Bobby Reid for 26 yards on third-and-9 to the Alabama 15 to put Ricks in prime position.
Alabama tried to ice Ricks with three timeouts.
"I saw the three timeouts on the scoreboard and I had the feeling they would call all three," Ricks said.
But the sophomore sent the kick through the uprights and he snatched off his helmet and ran to the sidelines with it extended over his head.
"It took a lot of time to get it off," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "Our offensive staff worked on some plays to get the ball in the middle of the field. The snap was a little low, but it was a great hold and Ricks just drilled it."
The kick saved the Cowboys (7-6) from a fourth-quarter collapse and gave them both a winning record and their first bowl victory since 2002. Oklahoma State blew a 14-point lead, setting up the Crimson Tide for the tying touchdown with a fumbled kickoff return.
Emotional swings
"We've had to fight back with some huge emotional swings," Gundy said. "And it's evident that our team has learned to overcome adversity."
Alabama (6-7) was playing in its NCAA-record 54th bowl game and looking for its 31st bowl victory -- another NCAA record -- but for much of the night the Crimson Tide's vaunted postseason history seemed a distant memory. 'Bama played flat until late in the fourth quarter.
With the Tide trailing 31-17, Javier Arenas returned a punt 86 yards to pull Alabama to within a touchdown with 10:50 left in the game.
Then Grant Jones fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Chris Rogers -- who forced the fumble -- recovered, giving Alabama a first down on the Oklahoma State 21. Six plays later, left tackle Andra Smith caught a lateral from John Parker Wilson and ran 2 yards to tie the game at 31.
It was a bitter end to a bitter year for the Tide. Playing for the first time since Mike Shula was fired, Bama was unable to dodge its first losing record since 2003, Shula's first season.
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