STILLWATER — Bedlam’s last hurrah deserved a game like this.

Oklahoma State 27, Oklahoma 24.

Nail biting. Hand wringing. Gut-wrenching.

What a wildly entertaining game we were treated to as this football series came to an end. We don’t know when these two programs will again meet on the gridiron, but these players and coaches sent it into the sunset with a heck of a game.

Now, it wasn’t necessarily a well-played game. Several fourth-down tries that failed. A couple of trick plays that were disastrous. Another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the OU sideline. (I mean, c’mon, where are the adults in the room?) 

But it made for a heck of a ball game.

One we’ll remember for a long, long time.

One we’ll have to remember. It’s all we’ve got.

Someone remind me again why this rivalry has to end.

Here are rapid responses from some other Sellout Crowd colleagues:

Ollie & Co. kiss Sooners goodbye 

Guerin Emig: Coaches praise “program wins” so often we don’t tune in as closely as we should. OSU’s “program win” in Bedlam’s finale will ring loudly and clearly for as long as the Sooners and Cowboys decide to play again, and that might take a very long time.

The Pokes won’t care when that is. They’ll have that much longer to puff on victory cigars. 

Ollie Gordon can light one up for his latest workhorse effort. Nothing surprising about that, but how about the rest of his crew?

Alan Bowman made the plays OU would not allow Gordon to make. No more wondering what might happen the day OSU’s starting quarterback would have to win a game, and not just protect one.

Rashod Owens and Brennan Presley made catches at the end of a week during which we wondered how much damage OU’s receivers might do to OSU’s secondary.

Dylan Smith picked off Gabriel. Xavier Benson and Kody Walterscheid recovered fumbles in a game where turnovers always mean more than usual. 

Benson ran down passes out wide. He and Anthony Goodlow sacked Gabriel. He did everything, it felt like, but sell programs. 

Alex Hale made both of his field goal attempts in a game Zach Schmit missed one of his. What was the final margin of victory? A field goal.

Kasey Dunn, Bryan Nardo and Mike Gundy put their players in more right spots to make the right plays.

The ultimate “program win” for OSU? Who’s gonna argue?

Because this was the ultimate Bedlam. 

OU will regret missed opportunities before halftime 

Eli Lederman: The Sooners had their chances in the first 30 minutes Saturday.

OU was driving on its second offensive series before Jovantae Barnes fumbled the direct snap Jeff Lebby dialed up and turned the ball over in OSU territory. The Sooners were pushing for points again in the second quarter when Austin Stogner missed a block and OU back six yards on third down. Zach Schmit pushed his 51-yard field goal attempt wide right one play later. 

OU could have had points just before the break, too, if not for Dillon Gabriel’s underthrow on a pass to Jalil Farooq and a killer drop from Nic Anderson.

There were another 30 minutes after halftime and the Sooners’ Week 10 performance featured plenty more errors, blunders and miscues. But the opportunities OU squandered before halftime proved costly in a one-possession game.

Little things have stung the Sooners in their recent struggles. Small misses in the first half helped sink OU and handed the Cowboys the last Bedlam laugh. 

More swings than an elementary school playground

Ed Murray: The thing that has made Bedlam so special for 118 years- plays that are talked about for decades. This one is loaded with them, and good thing, since these memories will have to last until someone figures a way to get these two matched up again in the future. 

Alan Bowman stepped up huge when he knew going in that the Sooners would try to dare him to beat them. Ollie Gordon reached 100 yards for the sixth straight game and scored twice when the whole defense was out to stop him. However, he needs to leave the passing to Bowman. Gavin Sawchuk’s breakout game and Tawee Walker’s tough running in the second half. Receivers on both sides making key plays and tough yards. Both defenses with key fourth-down stops denying points. Nothing bigger than OSU stopping Drake Stoops on fourth down with 1:01 to play.

But it may be the mistakes that are remembered the most. OU’s two fumbled snaps leading to 10 OSU points. Nic Anderson dropped a sure touchdown late in the second quarter. And the shades of OU’s loss to Kansas resurfacing in the fourth quarter. Three failed runs after a key interception followed by four penalties, one on the OU head coach, on OSU’s game winning 93-yard drive.

OSU fans will long relish the Cowboys’ 20th victory in this series. OU fans will long be asking where was pass interference in the end zone with about five minutes to play.