Roadkill: Cowboys Drop 69 On Roadrunners

Mason Rudolph looked sharp, Chris Carson broke loose, and Oklahoma State destroyed UTSA 69-14 on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.  

This sucker was over from the opening kick. The Cowboys led 17-0 after the first quarter and 31-7 at halftime. The Pokes added 10 more in the third and right when you thought the punishment was over, dropped 28 more in the fourth.

OSU dominated play, but UTSA was totally inept. The Roadrunners coughed it up seven times, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

“To be able to force those turnovers on special teams makes a big difference,” coach Mike Gundy said. “There are only so many possessions that are gained when the defense gives the offense extra possessions. When you take those away from the other team, you're obviously going to have a chance to put up some big numbers.

Rudolph completed 17 of 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. J.W. Walsh also got some burn with 48 total yards and a touchdown.

Twelve different Cowboys caught a pass on Saturday, but no one caught more than three. David Glidden led the way with 67 yards and a score, while Jaen McCleskey hauled in three balls for 58 yards. McCleskey, a freshman, increased his season catch total from two to five.

Marcell Ateman  and Jhajuan Seales each caught just one ball, but both were good for six.

But as impressive as the passing attack was, it was the Cowboy’s ground game that provided the most encouragement. Chris Carson ran for 105 yards, and while that might not sound overly impressive, here’s why it is: This is only the second time in two seasons that OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in a regular-season game. The other was Tyreek Hill last season in a blowout loss to Kansas State.

Carson carried 17 times, 11 more than backup Rennie Childs, who finished with 32 yards and one score. This was the first time this season that we’ve seen one of OSU’s backs emerge as a true lead dog, so expect to see Carson begin to shoulder the load on a consistent basis moving forward.

"He's gaining confidence,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “Anytime you average six yards a carry you're going to gain more confidence. We're to the part of the season where you want to be feeling good about yourself, so he should. He's run the ball hard and it's good to see him get the results and the statistics tonight.”

One underrated success story on Saturday was kicker Ben Grogan. The struggling Grogan made both of his field goal attempts and all eight of his extra point tries. It is the first time this season where Grogan has succeeded on all of his kicks.

The real season begins now. OSU heads to Austin to face Texas next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Longhorns host Cal on Saturday night, and depending on the outcome, will enter next week’s game either 1-2 or 2-1.