Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Greg Bullard
#TBT To When Upstarts Baylor and OSU Met in 2010
September 22, 2016 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – It was Nov. 6, 2010 and people didn't quite know what to make of Oklahoma State or Baylor.
Generally speaking, both teams were thought to be pretty good, but most people did not know how much talent was actually on display at Boone Pickens Stadium that day, nor did they know that both programs were on the cusp of breaking through to the top tier of Big 12 football.
Start with Oklahoma State. The 2010 Cowboy roster included a staggering 18 players who earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition and eight players who were recognized All-Americans during their OSU careers. Justin Blackmon was that season's Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver and kicker Dan Bailey was that season's Lou Groza Award recipient as the nation's top kicker. There were 18 players on that team who were either drafted into the NFL, spent some time on an NFL roster or are still in the league.
As for Baylor, its 2010 roster included an eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, five recognized All-Americans, 11 players who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and 13 players who were either drafted into the NFL, spent some time on an NFL roster or are still currently in the league.
We'll pause here to mention that even with rosters as loaded as those, the Bears (sixth) and the Cowboys (fifth) were the media's preseason picks to finish dead last and second-to-last in the Big 12 South that season.
By the time the game was played on Nov. 6, Baylor was 7-2 overall and sitting atop the Big 12 South standings with a 4-1 record. The Bears were ranked No. 22 in both the A.P. and coaches polls. OSU was 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the Big 12 and was ranked No. 19 by the A.P. and No. 18 by the coaches. These teams were pretty good, but were not getting an outpouring of national respect, perhaps thanks in part to the fact that this was the first-ever meeting of the two schools in which both teams were ranked – people just weren't used to seeing Oklahoma State and Baylor facing each other in a high-stakes matchup.
Most of the storylines going in revolved around the two teams' respective offenses, both of which ranked among the top 10 in the country at the time. Most predicted this game would be a high-scoring affair, with stars such as Robert Griffin III, Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden pushing the pace.
While the OSU offense lived up to its end of the hype, perhaps the pre-game prognosticators should have given more respect to the Cowboy defense.
OSU forced three first-half turnovers and kept RG3 in check long enough for the explosive Cowboy offense to race out to a 34-0 lead early in the third quarter that Baylor had no chance of erasing, especially with Weeden and Blackmon spearheading an OSU offensive attack that produced a then-school record 725 yards of total offense. The Pokes went on to win the game, 55-28.
The Cowboys rushed 39 times for 290 yards, but one of the most interesting rushing statistics to come from that game is the fact that OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden – a pure pocket passer – had more rushing yards (19) than did Baylor's dual-threat dynamo, Griffin (15).
Blackmon caught 13 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown and also had a 69-yard rushing touchdown on a reverse.
After the game, Mike Gundy summed it up like this – "It was one of those days where everything worked. Obviously, there was a good plan and everyone bought in. Sometimes that happens."
While observers may not have known at the time just how good those two teams actually were, they do now.
Since 2010, the Cowboys and Bears have both won Big 12 championships, have both rattled off four 10-win seasons and are tied for the Big 12 lead with six first-round NFL draft picks apiece. During that time, OSU is 37-16 in Big 12 games, with Baylor just one game behind at 36-17. Only Oklahoma (40-13) has a better record in league games this decade, and the fourth-place team, Kansas State, is four full games behind the Bears.
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Notable Players on the 2010 Rosters For Oklahoma State and Baylor
Oklahoma State
Levy Adcock – 2011 Consensus All-American
Dan Bailey – 2010 Lou Groza Award winner and All-American. NFL Pro Bowler
Justin Blackmon – 2010 and 2011 Biletnikoff Award winner. Two-time unanimous All-American. First-round NFL draft pick
Jamie Blatnick – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Brodrick Brown – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Ugo Chinasa – Detroit Lions
Josh Cooper – Cleveland Browns
Grant Garner – 2011 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2011 All-American
Justin Gilbert – 2013 Thorpe Award finalist, All-American and first-round NFL draft pick
Parker Graham – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Kendall Hunter – Two-time consensus All-American, 2010 Doak Walker Award finalist
Orie Lemon – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Markelle Martin – 2011 All-American
Andrew McGee – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Joseph Randle – 2012 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Quinn Sharp – Three-time All-American, two-time Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year
Kye Staley – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Lane Taylor – 2012 first-team All-Big 12, now starting for the Green Bay Packers
Johnny Thomas – Dallas Cowboys
Bryant Ward – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Brandon Weeden – 2010 first-team All-Big 12, first-round NFL draft pick
Baylor
Mikail Baker, DB – Kansas City Chiefs
Philip Blake, OL – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Ahmad Dixon, S – 2013 consensus All-American, first-team All-Big 12 performer
Terrance Ganaway, RB – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Antwan Goodley, WR – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Josh Gordon, WR – Cleveland Browns
Robert Griffin III, QB – 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, consensus All-American and 2012 first-round NFL draft pick
Bryce Hager, LB – St. Louis Rams
Chris McAllister, LB – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Bryce Petty, QB - 2013 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
Tevin Reese, WR - 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Cyril Richardson, OL – 2013 first-team All-American, two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year
Phil Taylor, DT – 2011 first-round NFL draft pick
Danny Watkins, OL –2011 first-round NFL draft pick
Terrance Williams, WR – 2012 unanimous All-American
Kendall Wright, WR – 2011 All-American and first-team All-Big 12 performer, 2012 first-round NFL draft pick
Generally speaking, both teams were thought to be pretty good, but most people did not know how much talent was actually on display at Boone Pickens Stadium that day, nor did they know that both programs were on the cusp of breaking through to the top tier of Big 12 football.
Start with Oklahoma State. The 2010 Cowboy roster included a staggering 18 players who earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition and eight players who were recognized All-Americans during their OSU careers. Justin Blackmon was that season's Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver and kicker Dan Bailey was that season's Lou Groza Award recipient as the nation's top kicker. There were 18 players on that team who were either drafted into the NFL, spent some time on an NFL roster or are still in the league.
As for Baylor, its 2010 roster included an eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, five recognized All-Americans, 11 players who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and 13 players who were either drafted into the NFL, spent some time on an NFL roster or are still currently in the league.
We'll pause here to mention that even with rosters as loaded as those, the Bears (sixth) and the Cowboys (fifth) were the media's preseason picks to finish dead last and second-to-last in the Big 12 South that season.
By the time the game was played on Nov. 6, Baylor was 7-2 overall and sitting atop the Big 12 South standings with a 4-1 record. The Bears were ranked No. 22 in both the A.P. and coaches polls. OSU was 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the Big 12 and was ranked No. 19 by the A.P. and No. 18 by the coaches. These teams were pretty good, but were not getting an outpouring of national respect, perhaps thanks in part to the fact that this was the first-ever meeting of the two schools in which both teams were ranked – people just weren't used to seeing Oklahoma State and Baylor facing each other in a high-stakes matchup.
Most of the storylines going in revolved around the two teams' respective offenses, both of which ranked among the top 10 in the country at the time. Most predicted this game would be a high-scoring affair, with stars such as Robert Griffin III, Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden pushing the pace.
While the OSU offense lived up to its end of the hype, perhaps the pre-game prognosticators should have given more respect to the Cowboy defense.
OSU forced three first-half turnovers and kept RG3 in check long enough for the explosive Cowboy offense to race out to a 34-0 lead early in the third quarter that Baylor had no chance of erasing, especially with Weeden and Blackmon spearheading an OSU offensive attack that produced a then-school record 725 yards of total offense. The Pokes went on to win the game, 55-28.
The Cowboys rushed 39 times for 290 yards, but one of the most interesting rushing statistics to come from that game is the fact that OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden – a pure pocket passer – had more rushing yards (19) than did Baylor's dual-threat dynamo, Griffin (15).
Blackmon caught 13 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown and also had a 69-yard rushing touchdown on a reverse.
After the game, Mike Gundy summed it up like this – "It was one of those days where everything worked. Obviously, there was a good plan and everyone bought in. Sometimes that happens."
While observers may not have known at the time just how good those two teams actually were, they do now.
Since 2010, the Cowboys and Bears have both won Big 12 championships, have both rattled off four 10-win seasons and are tied for the Big 12 lead with six first-round NFL draft picks apiece. During that time, OSU is 37-16 in Big 12 games, with Baylor just one game behind at 36-17. Only Oklahoma (40-13) has a better record in league games this decade, and the fourth-place team, Kansas State, is four full games behind the Bears.
-----------
Notable Players on the 2010 Rosters For Oklahoma State and Baylor
Oklahoma State
Levy Adcock – 2011 Consensus All-American
Dan Bailey – 2010 Lou Groza Award winner and All-American. NFL Pro Bowler
Justin Blackmon – 2010 and 2011 Biletnikoff Award winner. Two-time unanimous All-American. First-round NFL draft pick
Jamie Blatnick – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Brodrick Brown – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Ugo Chinasa – Detroit Lions
Josh Cooper – Cleveland Browns
Grant Garner – 2011 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2011 All-American
Justin Gilbert – 2013 Thorpe Award finalist, All-American and first-round NFL draft pick
Parker Graham – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Kendall Hunter – Two-time consensus All-American, 2010 Doak Walker Award finalist
Orie Lemon – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Markelle Martin – 2011 All-American
Andrew McGee – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Joseph Randle – 2012 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Quinn Sharp – Three-time All-American, two-time Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year
Kye Staley – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Lane Taylor – 2012 first-team All-Big 12, now starting for the Green Bay Packers
Johnny Thomas – Dallas Cowboys
Bryant Ward – 2010 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Brandon Weeden – 2010 first-team All-Big 12, first-round NFL draft pick
Baylor
Mikail Baker, DB – Kansas City Chiefs
Philip Blake, OL – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Ahmad Dixon, S – 2013 consensus All-American, first-team All-Big 12 performer
Terrance Ganaway, RB – 2011 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Antwan Goodley, WR – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Josh Gordon, WR – Cleveland Browns
Robert Griffin III, QB – 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, consensus All-American and 2012 first-round NFL draft pick
Bryce Hager, LB – St. Louis Rams
Chris McAllister, LB – 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Bryce Petty, QB - 2013 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
Tevin Reese, WR - 2013 first-team All-Big 12 performer
Cyril Richardson, OL – 2013 first-team All-American, two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year
Phil Taylor, DT – 2011 first-round NFL draft pick
Danny Watkins, OL –2011 first-round NFL draft pick
Terrance Williams, WR – 2012 unanimous All-American
Kendall Wright, WR – 2011 All-American and first-team All-Big 12 performer, 2012 first-round NFL draft pick
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