Turnovers, big plays doom upset bid

Sometimes, football can be rather complex.

Sometimes, it is rather simple.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys took on a talented No. 16 Baylor football team Saturday night on the road and committed four turnovers.

That's a recipe for failure almost every time.

OSU fumbled three times and Mason Rudolph threw one interception in its 35-24 loss to the Bears.

The turnover that would have certainly changed the game was a Justice Hill fumble near the goal line as OSU looked to score a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Hill, who rushed for 122 yards and a score, was nearly down by contact when the ball was punched out. He was ruled down by contact, but the call was overturned and Baylor got the ball.

OSU (2-2, 0-1) has now lost five of its past seven games going back to last season.

Rudolph finished 27 of 35 for 279 yards and one interception. His lone pick was the result of a fourth and long play where he simply tried to make a play instead of taking a sack.

OSU coach Mike Gundy said turnovers and allowing big plays decided the game.

On the mistakes, ""It's not just the players, it's the coaches," Gundy said.

As a team, OSU got 3.8 yards per carry on a night where four backs (Hill, Rennie Childs, Barry J. Sanders, Jeff Carr) had a rush of more than 10 yards.

"Their adjustments were really good," Gundy said. ""I believe in taking care of the ball ... I love the kid (Hill)."

Baylor's big-play offense proved too much for Glenn Spencer's defense. The Bears (4-0, 1-0) had runs of 29 and 23 yards and pass plays of 89, 38, 36 and 23 yards.

The Bears had 523 yards of total offense.

Spencer took responsibility for the defense's shortcomings.

"We can't give up those big plays," Spencer said. "It doesn't feel good at all."

The game was delayed almost 90 minutes due to lightning.

:OSU held the ball for 41:27 tonight. It was the third largest time of possession total in school history and the most since OSU reached 42:58 in TOP in 1999 against Baylor.

:: OL Zach Crabtree, WR Jalen McCleskey, LB Chad Whitener and S Jerel Morrow served as Oklahoma State captains for today's game.

:: OSU finished 12-for-20 on third down conversions. Baylor entered the game ranked 13th-nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 24 percent of the time.

:: There was a lighting delay that began at 6:39 p.m. and ended at 8:15 p.m. It was the second straight week in which OSU dealt with a weather delay.

:: RB Justice Hill earned his first career start and scored his first career touchdown on OSU's second possession of the game.

:: James Washington has now caught a pass in 23 consecutive games.

:: Long snapper Tanner Morgan recovered a fumble that led to OSU's first touchdown on his first career play.

:: The Cowboys entered the game ranked third nationally in fumbles recovered and 14th nationally in turnovers gained, leading opponents in points off turnovers, 35-14, on the year. They added one fumble recovery, and one interception tonight.

:: OSU has forced at least one turnover in every game this season and in 14 of its last 15 games.

:: Jordan Burton recorded his first interception of the season and second of his career in the first quarter.

:: In the second quarter, OSU had back-to-back drives of 13 plays for 60 yards in 5:38 and 14 plays for 75 yards in 6:56, marking the second and third longest drives of the season in terms of time elapsed and total plays at that point.

:: The Cowboys added a 16 play, 75-yard drive in 7:14 to open the second half, ranking as the longest of the season in terms of plays and second-longest in terms of time elapsed.

:: OSU entered the game with two drives on the season that lasted at least 10 plays. They had four such drives today.

:: Vincent Taylor recorded a sack in the second quarter that brought his career total to 6.5 and his season total to 1.5.

:: Prior to the desperation hurry mode late in the fourth quarter Mason Rudolph was 6-for-6 passing on third downs with six conversions.

:: With the 100-yard rushing effort by true freshman Justice Hill, OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in consecutive games for the first time since Joseph Randle turned the trick in consecutive games in 2012.