Mason Rudolph. Brandon Weeden. Mike Gundy. That is the new order of most passing yards in Oklahoma State football history. Rudolph passed his friend Weeden (9,260 passing yards) in the first half and finished his night 25-of-38 for 338 passing yards (9,352 for his career) and 3 passing touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown. Cowboys fans need to pinch themselves to think that in the span of six years they’ve had a pair of record-setting quarterbacks. Who would’ve thought that would be the case 15 years ago?
After the game Rudolph told ESPN that breaking the record was “awesome”, adding. “when you think about all the great quarterbacks who have played here in the past and to be in the conversation in one area, in the yardage, is cool. It’s a testament to my teammates and the offensive line. It’s been a great group of guys, a great group of receivers I’ve had here to throw the ball to in my career. Obviously just one more step in the process of my senior campaign.”
That’s awfully modest of Rudolph considering ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported during the game “They’re [South Alabama] complaining about the tempo and saying this is the best QB they’ve ever seen.”
One more step. That’s all this is for Mason Rudolph. The next step is beat Pittsburgh next week. Later in the season, whether it’s Heisman finalist, Big 12 champion or College Football Playoff contender, there are plenty of options on the table for Rudolph at this point.
These are the kinds of moments and plays Oklahoma State fans need to cherish, regardless of how this season turns out. Brandon Weeden was great, but Rudolph is better. Rudolph is twice the athlete Weeden ever was and Weeden had a tough time getting outside the pocket, and his accuracy struggled mightily when he scrambled. As you can see below, that’s not even close to being the case for Rudolph.
Just look at the footwork, pocket awareness and accuracy of on this play against South Alabama.
Great footwork here by Mason Rudolph before throwing a laser to the sidelines. pic.twitter.com/OeTAnlbpSY
— Derek Duke (@DerekDuke25) September 9, 2017
An absolute laser.
Rudolph has passed for over 600 yards in two games with eight touchdowns to zero interceptions and a pair of running tochdowns. The Heisman campaign is off to a strong start.
After the game Mike Gundy said, “I’m very pleased with [Rudolph’s] approach, his ability to understand what we want to accomplish. I met with him yesterday, when we got here in the hotel and went over the play script. He knew it front and back, and he knew every category, and what we should be doing and why. As long as he continues to do that he should continue to have a lot of success.”
The best part of it all? This is just the start. But yes, it is real life, so keep pinching yourself along the way.
