Come Together: OSU's Win A Glimmer Of Light On A Dark Day In Stillwater

The Oklahoma State football team did its best to provide a temporary smile on an otherwise tragic day in Stillwater.

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Hours after a car crashed into OSU’s Homecoming Parade, killing four and injuring another 44, OSU faced the unenviable task of trying to gear up for a must-win Big 12 contest against the Kansas Jayhawks. Coach Mike Gundy began the game by leading players and fans in The Lord’s Prayer on the field.

It was all business from there.

Oklahoma State ran the Jayhawks off the field, 58-10, improving to 7-0 (4-0) on the season and giving the homecoming crowd a three-hour distraction.

The Cowboys scored at will all day long. OSU scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions and took a 28-0 lead with 10:31 left in the first half. The Pokes led 35-10 at the half, and really opened it up in the third quarter.

The Cowboys opened the second half by marching to the end zone on just three plays to seize a 42-10 lead. Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh finished the drive with a four-yard keeper. Walsh was responsible for five touchdowns on the day.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Seth Jacobs intercepted Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis at the KU 30 yard line, and three plays later, the Pokes scored again. Walsh found Chris Lacy from six yards out to make it 49-10. Lacy, who entered Saturday’s game with just two grabs for 22 yards on the season, hauled in four passes for 76 yards and a pair of scores.

Oklahoma State led 56-10 after three and added a safety in the fourth to put this one in the books.

Mason Rudolph led the Cowboys with 305 passing yards and a touchdown, but a lot of backups got a lot of run. Walsh completed all five of his passes for 68 yards and two scores. Even Taylor Cornelius saw action and completed 2 of 5 passes for eight yards.

Third-string back Jeff Carr led OSU in rushing with 12 carries for 51 yards and a score. Chris Carson ran nine times for 44 yards while Rennie Childs carried just four times for 21 yards. Nine different Cowboys got carries while 11 caught passes. James Washington led that group with six grabs for 103 yards and a score.

The statistics and numbers are impressive, yet predictable. Kansas (0-7, 0-4) could very well be the worst Big 12 team to ever take the field, and the Cowboys merely took care of business on a very difficult day.

OSU President Burns Hargis said that there was discussion as to whether the game should be played, but after speaking with Gundy, the two decided that things would proceed.

“We really talked a lot about whether to play the game,” Hargis said. “The decision was finally made that we’re going to play and we’re going to remember the victims at the game. We’re going to move forward, but we will remember what’s happened today.”

Gundy described the decision to play “a no-win situation.”

"We've had some tough situations at Oklahoma State,” Gundy said. “This one was as difficult as any one we've had."

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OSU travels to face Texas Tech (5-3, 2-3) next Saturday in Lubbock. Stick with news9.com for full coverage from the tragedy in Stillwater.