STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and quarterback Mason Rudolph took their shirts off for an adoring crowd at a Homecoming pep rally on Friday, and the good times just continued on Saturday. Rudolph passed for 459
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and quarterback Mason Rudolph took their shirts off for an adoring crowd at a Homecoming pep rally on Friday, and the good times just continued on Saturday.
Rudolph passed for 459 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 14 Oklahoma State to a runaway 59-16 victory over Baylor.
“I’m having fun now,” Gundy said. “When we win, I’m having a good time.”
Rudolph guided an offense that gained a school-record 747 yards. James Washington caught six passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for a 2-yard score.
After the game, Gundy said he was trying to send a waiver to the NCAA to get Washington an extra year of eligibility. He later said he was joking and asked the media not to print his comment.
“That would have only been better if I had my shirt off when I said it,” Gundy joked.
Rudolph and Washington, both seniors, got their first career wins in four tries against the Bears.
“I think it was important to the whole team,” Washington said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve never beat Baylor, so going into this game, I felt like we had a chip on our shoulder, and we just really wanted to get a win from them for the guys that hadn’t.”
Marcell Ateman caught four passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Justice Hill ran for 117 yards and a score for the Cowboys (5-1, 2-1 Big 12).
Oklahoma State grabbed control with a 28-point second quarter that made it 35-10 at halftime.
Terence Williams ran for 95 yards for Baylor (0-6, 0-3). Denzel Mims, one of the most productive receivers in the nation so far this season, was held to 20 yards on two catches.
“At the end of the day, Oklahoma State was just better than us,” Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. “We have to be honest with ourselves. In a lot of games, we’ve been able to hang in there. Today, we weren’t able to hang in there. We have to get better, and we recognize that.”
TAKEAWAYS
Baylor: Things had started to look promising after close losses to Oklahoma and Kansas State last month, and the Bears actually scored first on Saturday. Very little went right after that. Now, the Bears are on the brink of a losing season.
“I mean, it’s awful losing this many games in a row, but we are going to come back and we are going to get better,” quarterback Zach Smith said. “I think that has been noticeable that every week, we have come back and we have fought, so we have fought so we are going to keep doing that. We are going to continue to fight and have each other’s backs.”
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys avoided the kind of slip that would have cost them a shot at chasing the Big 12 and national titles. Oklahoma State gave up 44 points in the loss to TCU and 34 in a close win over Texas Tech before allowing just 387 yards against Baylor.
“Defensively, we forced some turnovers,” Gundy said. “We got a fumble, a couple interceptions when it mattered. I thought we defended better on third downs.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys could move ahead of Washington State after the Cougars lost to California on Friday night. Though Oklahoma State won big, the Cowboys were heavily favored against a winless team, so it won’t carry much weight with voters.
WASHINGTON’S PERFORMANCE
Washington’s 235 yards receiving was the second-best yardage total of his career and just the third time he has gained at least 200 yards receiving.
His career-best total was 296 yards last season against Pittsburgh. He gained 200 yards his sophomore year against Texas Tech.
He also broke a tie with Hart Lee Dykes and moved into sole possession of third place in school history with 32 touchdown receptions.
Gundy said Washington won’t make too big a deal about any of it.
“The good news with James Washington is, he stays humble,” Gundy said. “He’s going to be the same now that he was before the game.”
SILVER LINING
Baylor ran 46 times for 219 yards. The Bears dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 35:39.
“We really focused on it,” Baylor tight end Jordan Feuerbacher said. “We basically made our whole game plan on running the ball. I feel like we dedicated more time to it in the bye week, and I think a couple of those things made a big difference.”
UP NEXT
Baylor: The Bears will host West Virginia on Saturday. The Mountaineers are coming off a 46-35 comeback win over Texas Tech.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys will play at Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns are coming off a tough 29-24 loss to rival Oklahoma.
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