Oklahoma State makes statement, stays undefeated with win over TCU
If you had any doubt about the legitimacy of this undefeated Oklahoma State team, the Cowboys answered emphatically on Saturday.
Behind a potent Mason Rudolph-to-James Washington passing combination and a great effort on defense, the 14th-ranked Cowboys trampled No. 8 TCU 49-29, knocking the Horned Frogs from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Oklahoma State jumped out to a big lead in the second quarter and forced Trevone Boykin, TCU’s Heisman candidate quarterback, into some uncharacteristic mistakes. Boykin threw four interceptions on the afternoon, three of which directly led to Oklahoma State touchdowns.
TCU’s secondary had no answer for the speedy Washington early on. Rudolph (352 yards, 5 TDs) hit him on touchdown passes of 48 and 50 yards in the first quarter, but TCU was able to keep pace in the first quarter, scoring on a short run from Boykin and a Jaden Oberkrom field goal.
Things changed in the second quarter. Rudolph threw his third touchdown of the half on a 12-yard connection with Jeff Carr, and the OSU defense forced TCU to turn it over on downs on the Horned Frogs’ ensuing possession.
From then on out, it was all Oklahoma State. Three plays after regaining possession, Rudolph tossed another deep ball, this time connecting with Marcell Ateman for an 82-yard score, allowing the Cowboys to go into halftime with a 28-9 lead.
The second half was more of the same.
Boykin was intercepted by linebacker Chad Whitener on his first attempt of the third quarter. Whitener's return to the TCU 1-yard line allowed J.W. Walsh to score on the next play to increase the lead to 35-9. Boykin responded with a touchdown run on TCU’s next drive, but when the Horned Frogs needed a stop on defense, Rudolph found Washington (five catches, 184 yards) behind the secondary yet again, this time for a 75-yard touchdown, his third of the game.
The Cowboys defense took care of things the rest of the way with Whitener leading the charge. The former walk-on stuffed Boykin (445 passing yards, 73 rushing yards) on a fourth-and-goal play and put the capper on the win with a 42-yard pick-six in the final minute, allowing the Cowboys to cruise to a 49-29 win – their most important triumph of the year by far.
The win improves OSU’s record to 9-0 and 6-0 in Big 12 play to join Baylor (8-0, 5-0) atop the conference standings. On top of that, it gives the Cowboys a huge resume boost in the College Football Playoff picture.
With its No. 14 ranking, the CFP committee clearly did not hold the Cowboys in high regard compared to TCU and Baylor. That will certainly change when next week’s rankings come out. However, there’s still a long way to go for the Cowboys with games against the unbeaten Bears and No. 15 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1) still on the schedule.
The loss is a heartbreaker for TCU (8-1, 5-1) and its quest for a spot in the playoff. The Horned Frogs, who lost star wideout Josh Doctson to a wrist injury in the loss, will certainly get back on track against lowly Kansas next week before closing its schedule against the Sooners on Nov. 21 and in-state rival Baylor on Nov. 27.
For more Oklahoma State news, visit OStateIllustrated.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!