By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
STILLWATER, Okla. – Two teams, two different growth patterns. In a Big 12 South Division showdown, one team proved its mettle. The other team proved that returning to respectability can involve reversals of fortunes.
Oklahoma State’s "rebuilding" season continued to take on the look of a championship season. The No. 18 Cowboys threw a complete game Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium, overwhelming No. 22 Baylor, 55-28.
The victory gives Oklahoma State (8-1, 4-1) a favorable position in the South Division. The Bears (7-3, 4-2) saw their three-game Big 12 winning streak was halted – in large part due to three first-half turnovers that the Cowboys converted into 17 points.
"Before the season people were talking like we might win two, three games," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "My response was we get to play 12, no matter what.
We’re a pretty good football team right now but we have to earn everything we get.
"If you start listening to people say how good you are, then you’re setting yourself up for a disappointing Saturday."
Oklahoma State’s next two games are at Texas and at Kansas. They close the season hosting Oklahoma in Bedlam. As of Sunday morning, the Cowboys find themselves as the only South Division team with just one conference loss and in control of their destiny.
"We try to block things out of minds, just play football, go to work every day," senior linebacker Orie Lemon said.
Baylor, which is bowl eligible for the first time since 1994, gained considerable praise and notoriety following last Saturday’s 30-22 victory at Texas – the first Baylor victory in Austin since 1991. However, visiting Oklahoma State means hibernation time – the Cowboys are 8-0 here against the Bears with the average score 47-19.
"You’re acting like we’re at the bottom of the Big 12 South; we’re not," Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III said of the Bears’ status. "We’re still there at the top. Maybe not at the very top, but we’re still in this race."
Oklahoma State held up its end of what was anticipated to be a showdown shootout. The Cowboys’ offense was like water flowing down hill. The defense made sure that Griffin was unable to make big passing plays (his longest completion was 19 yards).
"It was one of those games where everything worked," Gundy said. "As good as the offense was, the defense was even better. (Defensive coordinator Bill Young) had a really good game plan. Our players have done a good job of focusing on preparation and the game plan."
Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden was efficient and accurate. He set school single-game records with 435 passing yards and 34 completions. Weeden finished 34-of-42 with three touchdowns.
Returning after serving a one-game suspension, sophomore wide receiver Justin Blackmon picked up where he left off. His 5-yard, back-of-the-end zone touchdown reception gave the Cowboys a 10-0 lead and gave the 50,741 fans in attendance an idea of what was to come.
And what was to come was a 13-catch, 173-yard performance. On Oklahoma State’s first play of the second half, Blackmon scored on a 69-yard wide receiver reverse. Weeden’s nonchalant flip to Blackmon had a Statue Of Liberty feel and it bamboozled Baylor’s distressed defense.
"That was a great call," Weeden said. "We had 11 (Baylor) jerseys running one way and Justin going the other way. "Our defense gave us great field position with those first-half turnovers. You give us good field position, I like our chances."
In the Bears’ three losses, their opponents have scored 145 points and totaled 1,918 yards (639 per game). The Cowboys’ 725 total yards are the most Baylor has ever allowed.
Blackmon’s first TD reception was set up by Baylor’s first turnover. Sophomore receiver Josh Gordon had the ball ripped from his grasp by Oklahoma State’s Brodrick Brown. That led to the Cowboys’ 6-play, 37-yard drive.
Trailing 17-0 midway through the second quarter, Baylor’s best drive of the first half again ended in disaster. Running back Jay Finley gained eight yards on a swing pass but as he hurdled a tackler, his arm motion resulted in a fumble. Oklahoma State’s Johnny Thomas recovered at the Cowboys’ 18.
The ensuing 82-yard touchdown drive for a 24-0 OSU lead featured 32 yards on three Blackmon receptions plus another 15 yards on a Baylor pass interference penalty on a deep pass to Blackmon.
"It’s easier to call plays when Justin’s on the field," Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said. "He’s a security blanket, the guy who can go to after you’ve made all your reads."
A sign being held up on the Baylor bench had the words "Start Fast." By the time Oklahoma State had built its 24-0 lead, the sign had been folded and stowed. The Bears can again display – and perhaps obey - the sign Saturday when they play Texas A&M.