The weather in Oklahoma delayed the inevitable as the Cowboys lost their sixth straight game.

On Saturday, Oklahoma State lost 42-21 to Arizona State, dropping to 3-6 overall and still looking for a Big 12 win. OSU’s loss was delayed nearly three hours between halves due to lightning.

While the Cowboys have struggled to find success throughout the season, they appear to have turned the corner after their bye week. But their effort against Arizona State looked a lot like the lackluster team that plagued Stillwater.

Answers to burning questions about OSU’s homecoming game:

At this point, it seems unlikely that OSU will prevail against its conference opponent. This statement can only be made based on their play over the last two months.

But the Cowboys’ remaining schedule looks like a good bet. OSU wraps up the season with games at TCU, at home against Texas Tech, and at Colorado.

It could be a long November stretch in Stillwater, with TCU looking to secure bowl eligibility next week and Texas Tech and Colorado still competing for the Big 12 Championship.

After another disappointing performance by the Cowboys, leaving the current roster untouched would be a disservice to the OSU fan base. While Mike Gundy is almost certain to return next season, his coordinators need to be different.

Bryan Nardo’s defense was one of the worst in the entire country, and after another embarrassing performance, his time in Stillwater was nearly over. Kasey Dunn, meanwhile, is the Cowboys’ longtime assistant and it would be hard for Gundy to let him go. But his performance as offensive coordinator in five years has been poor, and if he stays on, he’ll likely have to play in a different role next season.

It took nine games but Mike Gundy finally released Maealiuaki Smith in the closing stages of Saturday’s defeat. Smith looked solid, but it’s hard to make much of that performance given his limited playing time. He completed one of his two pass attempts for 11 yards and added another 5 yards on his only carry.

Bowman finished the day with 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception, completing 57% of his passes. The seventh-year man has been below average for the Cowboys, and now that the Band-Aid has been ripped off, Smith could be a legitimate starting option.

If the true freshman doesn’t get the nod from TCU, he could be in line to start against Texas Tech after the Cowboys’ second bye week.

Unfortunately for the Pokes, homecoming was a complete washout. America’s best got off to a solid start throughout the first half, but as the rain set in, it also pushed many fans out.

During the long delay most fans left the stadium leaving little energy for the second half. Boone Pickens Stadium was pretty much empty when the teams took the field again. Without any home-field advantage to speak of, OSU fell short and the Sun Devils had no problem pulling away.

READ MORE: Game Time Announced for Oklahoma State at TCU

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