Rudolph Strong In Debut, But Cowboys Fall To Baylor

Bryce Petty threw touchdowns on Baylor's first two drives that took less than a minute combined, putting the No. 6 Bears ahead to stay in a 49-28 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday night. Playoff-contending Baylor (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) won its 15th consecutive home game on a dreary and rainy night along the banks of the Brazos River, staying in a three-way tie with No. 5 TCU and No. 12 Kansas State for the Big 12 lead with two games left.

Devin Chafin ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns, while Shock Linwood had 113 yards rushing with a score for Baylor. Corey Coleman extended his nation's best streak with a TD catch in his seventh consecutive game.

Oklahoma State (5-6, 3-5) has lost five games in a row. That is its longest losing streak since also losing five in a row during Mike Gundy's first season as head coach in 2005, and the last time the Cowboys didn't go to a bowl game.

The Cowboys were the only team to beat Baylor in the regular season a year ago, a 49-17 thumping after the Bears were No. 3 in the country and undefeated through nine games. Baylor still went on to win its first Big 12 title.

Highly touted freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph was 13-of-25 passing for 281 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his debut for the Cowboys, who have to win at No. 23 Oklahoma in two weeks to get to their ninth straight bowl game.

Baylor, whose home winning streak matches Alabama for the longest in the nation, was up 42-14 when Chafin scored on a 1-yard run with 14:21 left.

But Rudolph threw a 68-yard touchdown to James Washington, whose 38-yard grab on the next drive set up a 2-yard TD run by Rennie Childs.

The Cowboys were driving again when Rudolph's pass was intercepted by Orion Stewart with 5 minutes left. Five plays later, Petty scored on a 21-yard run.

Petty completed 18 of 29 passes for 262 yards with the two early TDs and only the second two-interception game of his career. He had 149 of those yards on the opening two drives, the first lasting 36 seconds and the other 25 seconds. Petty hit Jay Lee in stride for a 65-yard TD on the second play of the game and Coleman made an over-the-shoulder grab for a 54-yard catch.

Rudolph started in place of Daxx Garman, who was in uniform and wearing a baseball cap on the sideline. The Cowboys gave no immediate explanation for the switch, and the decision that took the redshirt off of the quarterback who finished Northwest High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, early and enrolled at Oklahoma State last spring.

Five teams ranked ahead Baylor in the College Football Playoff rankings played and won Saturday. The only higher-ranked team idle was TCU, whose only loss was at Baylor six weeks ago after blowing a 21-point lead in the final 11 minutes.

The Bears play Texas Tech at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium next weekend. Their regular-season finale is at home Dec. 6 against Kansas State.