Cowboys fall in Bedlam, 38-20. #okstate pic.twitter.com/4z2YMkjIVx
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) December 3, 2016
With the game tied at 17 apiece at halftime, Bedlam looked like it was headed towards another last-minute finish. Much to the disappointment of Cowboy fans, Oklahoma State was unable to get it done in the second half, and the Oklahoma Sooners pulled away for the win. After the 20-38 loss, Oklahoma State fell to 9-3 on the season, and the Cowboys await their bowl game.
Defense Falters in Second Half
The Oklahoma State defense played really well in the first half outside of giving up a few big plays. The Cowboys shut out the Sooners in the first quarter and held them to 40 yards rushing in the first half. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield was able to find Dede Westbrook, Demetri Flowers, and Jeffery Mead for big gains of 69, 67, and 42 yards, but aside from those plays, the Sooners could not get much going offensively. Still, Oklahoma was able to tie it up at 17-17 right before the end of the half.
Oklahoma started the second half with the ball, and whatever adjustments the coaches made in the locker room most certainly worked. The Sooners came out firing on all cylinders as Samaje Perine broke off a 66-yard run on the first play of the half. Oklahoma scored a few plays later to take the lead. The Sooners never looked back as Joe Mixon later caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield and then scored on a 79-yard rush to seal the win.
Mason Rudolph Has Forgettable Game
Blame the weather, blame playing as a visitor in one of the toughest stadiums in the nation, or blame whatever else you can come up with, but the fact still remains: Mason Rudolph played arguably his worst game of the season.
Rudolph had a mediocre first half throwing 5/12 passes for 74 yards, which included a 44-yard bomb to James Washington, and he rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts. He did not throw the ball accurately, under throwing most of his incompletions, and he looked extremely uncomfortable at times.
Going into the second half, hopes were high that Mason Rudolph would come out settled down and more under control, but that was not the case. Rudolph finished throwing 11/25 passes for 186 yards and no touchdowns, and he did nothing running the ball in the second half to add to his totals. With almost a month until the Cowboys play next in whatever bowl they go, Rudolph needs to spend some time and take a close look at some of the things he struggled with today so that he can be ready to play.
What’s Next?
Following the loss to the Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 Conference Title, the Oklahoma State Cowboys finish at #2 in the Big 12, which effectively slots them for the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. The Cowboys will play the #2 team from the Pac-12, which could be Colorado or USC, depending upon who Alamo Bowl officials select. The game will be played on December 29th.