None of that matter at the Independence Bowl on 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 eight 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.”

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.

“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.

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.