DALLAS -- So much for the idea that Oklahoma State didn't care about playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Clint Chelf threw three of his team's five touchdown passes and the Cowboys shook
off a tough Big 12 finish by rolling up 524 yards and forcing five Purdue turnovers in a dominating 58-14 victory on Tuesday.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy didn't hide the
disappointment of sliding down the bowl priority list with an overtime
loss to Oklahoma when the rival Sooners scored in the final seconds of
regulation, followed by another narrow defeat at Baylor to finish the
regular season.

The Cowboys (8-5), a year removed from finishing
the best season in school history with a win in the Fiesta Bowl, sure
didn't seem to lack motivation. They put together the biggest bowl win
for Oklahoma State since Gundy was the quarterback in a 62-14 rout of
Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.

"Some of the seniors, those
guys, would like to have been in a better bowl," said Chelf, who was 17
of 22 for 197 yards with no interceptions. "We're a highly motivated
group. I think everybody wanted to go out there and prove people wrong,
show them we could win a game like this."

With former Purdue quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kyle Orton watching, Robert Marve didn't get to 100 yards passing until Oklahoma State led 45-0 as the Boilermakers (6-7) fell to 0-4 on New Year's Day.

The Boilermakers gave the Cowboys short fields on their first two scores after a long punt return from Josh Stewart
and the first of Marve's two interceptions. Various mistakes with the
game still close in the first half -- a missed field goal, a drop with a
receiver behind the defense, and failing to hold on to an easy
interception -- ended any hope for Purdue.

"When you turn the ball
over five times, you don't take advantage of your opportunities, the
game can turn out like this," said interim Purdue coach Patrick Higgins,
who had fired coach Danny Hope visit the team in the locker room. New
coach Darrell Hazell, hired from Kent State, also attended the game.

Leading 28-0 at halftime, Oklahoma State erased any lingering doubt three plays into the second half when Justin Gilbert stripped Purdue receiver O.J. Ross on a short completion. The loose ball shot straight to Daytawion Lowe, who ran 37 yards down the sideline in front of the Purdue bench for a 35-0 lead.

Lowe's
score was the third fumble return for a touchdown at historic Cotton
Bowl Stadium dating to the namesake bowl game that started in 1937 and
moved to Cowboys Stadium in 2009.

Oklahoma State's 58 points were the most in a bowl game at the Fair Park stadium, topping the 55 scored by Keyshawn Johnson and Southern California against Texas Tech in 1995.

Posted: Tuesday, January 1 2013, 09:48 PM CST