Jaden Nixon returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and No. 9 Oklahoma State defeated No. 16 Baylor 36-25 on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 Championship Game.
With Nixon’s return, they scored 39 in line for the third quarter. He found a gap that opened up in the middle of the field and broke free of Baylor’s Devin Bobby grip at the Oklahoma State 35, passing everyone all the way to the end zone.
“The third quarter was like a video game,” Cowboys coach Mike Gandy said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM.
The Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) also beat Baylor in the regular season last year, but were a little short on their first conference title since 2011, when the Bears made a four-down stop just outside the end zone. did not reach. in the final seconds of a conference championship game.
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders threw picks in seven games in two games with Baylor last season, including four in the Big 12 title game, but he was more efficient this time around. He finished 20 of 29 passes for 181 yards with touchdowns and interceptions. He also ran 14 times for 75 yards on several scrambled runs and made a 1-yard TD plunge.
College Football Week 5 Preview: Alabama Faces First SEC Road Test, Top 10 Matchups at Death Valley
“It’s a big win….It just shows that the young players have stepped up — they’ve done their job,” Sanders said. “It’s the perfect team to win.” and especially on the roads of my home.”
After Nixon’s return, Baylor (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) answered Blake Shapen’s 49-yard TD pass to Monaray Baldwin, who then had another 4-down play in the second half of the third with a 70-yard catch-and-play. Added run score. True freshman Richard Reese made a 1-yard TD run on a short drive that was set up when Christian Morgan intercepted Sanders.
After Reese scored, Braydon Johnson’s 49-yard catch and Dominic Richardson’s 1-yard run soon followed another long kickoff return for Oklahoma State that Brennan Presley brought into midfield. . The Cowboys added his goal on the 19-yard field after Shapen’s incompleteness on his fourth down from Baylor 33 gave Oklahoma State his field short.
Shapen completed 28 of 40 passes for 345 yards, while Baldwin caught seven passes for 174 yards. Reese scored for 85 yards and 17 carries. Six of the true freshman TDs have been in his three home games for Baylor.
A week after opening the Big 12 with a victory over Iowa State, the Bears were so strong at home that they could not match it. Their only lead came after a field goal on the game’s opening drive before Oklahoma State scored a touchdown on their first possession.
“There were definitely points throughout the game where[the energy level]was low,” said Conor Galvin, the Bears’ standout left tackle. “At that point, we had to take a deep breath and say, ‘Okay guys, let’s put it back together. Let’s go. Let’s work things out on the field.'”
Bryce Young leaves game with shoulder sprain
Takeaway
Oklahoma State University: The Cowboys had a solid start to the season, taking on a Rank 1 opponent and handing Stillwater a win. Oklahoma State made several highlight catches for Sanders, including his 8-yard TD end on the Cowboys’ opening drive, including Bryson Green’s contested leaping catch behind his zone . On Johnson’s 49-yard catch in the third quarter, he reached back, went through a defender, made a grab near the sideline, twisted and turned, and landed his left foot just short of the end zone. Now out of bounds.
Baylor: The Bears have won nine straight home games since losing 42-3 to Oklahoma State in the 2020 regular season finale. That game was postponed for two months due to COVID-19 and was played when Baylor was without 47 (players, coaches and support personnel) and had one full-time offensive assistant coach in the game.
poll meaning
Oklahoma definitely stays in the top 10 and may even move up. Baylor could stay near the bottom of the polls or drop out of the rankings entirely, with both losses to top 25 teams.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
next
Oklahoma State will play Texas Tech at home next Saturday.
Baylor will bid farewell Thursday night before the next game in West Virginia on Oct. 13.