1983 Bluebonnet Bowl Recap

Saturday, December 31

Houston, TX

Oklahoma State University

Baylor

December 31, 1983 | Cowboy Football

HOUSTON -- Quarterback Rusty Hilger and tailback Ernest Anderson sparked Oklahoma State past Baylor, 24-14, as a near-sellout crowd of 50,090 in the Astrodome watched the 25th Bluebonnet Bowl.

Anderson carried the ball 27 times for 143 yards and a touchdown while Hilger completed 12-of-17 for 137 yards and a pair of touch-downs to ignite the Oklahoma State win. Hilger, who was later named MVP, left the game late in the first half with a slight concussion. He didn't return but Anderson's nifty running and another strong performance by the Cowboy defense kept Baylor at bay.

OSU held the Bears to just 134 yards on the ground and the Cowboy secondary picked off two passes to help seal the win. Touchdown passes from Hilger to Malcolm Lewis and Jamie Harris and a one-yard scoring run by Anderson gave OSU a 21-0 advantage before Baylor got on the scoreboard late in the first half.

The Pokes added a Larry Roach field goal in the first half while Baylor found the end zone an additional time in the second to complete the scoring.