Oklahoma State University Athletics
11 Reasons Why OSU's Win Over Pittsburgh Mattered
September 17, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team improved to 3-0 with a 59-21 win at Pittsburgh Saturday. Quarterback Mason Rudolph continued rewriting the school record books and the Cowboys had four 100-yard receivers in a game for the first time in school history. Some other key notes on the win:
The Oklahoma State win…
• Marked the eighth time it has started 3-0 under Mike Gundy.
• Marked the seventh season Mike Gundy has gone undefeated in regular season
non-conference play.
• Improved its record to 2-0 against Pitt, and marked its second win over the Panthers in
as many years.
• Gave it wins in 11 of its last 13 true road games.
• Improved Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 44-11.
• Improved the Cowboys to 27-5 in their last 32 non-conference games.
• Gave it 11 wins in its last 12 games overall.
• Improved it to 55-6 in its last 61 games against unranked opponents, dating back to
2010.
• Gave it wins in 21 of its last 22 games when playing as a ranked team facing an
unranked opponent.
• Improved it to 5-1 in its last six games against non-conference Power Five
opponents.
• Improved quarterback Mason Rudolph's career record as a starter to 25-6, the second most wins by a starting quarterback in school history.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Mason Rudolph | Quarterback | 6-5 | 230 | Senior | Rock Hill, SC
· Threw for five touchdowns, all in the first half.
· Finished 23-of-32 passing for 497 yards before being pulled in the middle of the third quarter with OSU comfortably ahead.
· Set a school record for passing yards in a half, throwing for 423 in the first half – which is the second best total in Big 12 history and the most against an FBS opponent since 2013 when San Jose State's Dave Fales passed for 451 vs. Fresno State.
· Also set a school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. His streak reached 216 and broke Brandon Weeden's previous record of 194 set in 2011. Rudolph's streak was also the longest active streak in the nation and began Nov. 5, 2016.
· On third down plays, he was 6-for-6 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown with six conversions – all in the first half.
· Helped OSU set another school record for yards in a half with 516 as a team.
· Helped four OSU receivers reach the 100-yard mark in the game, marking the first time that has happened in school history and the first time an FBS team has had four 100-yard receivers since Texas Tech had four against Kansas State in 2005.
· Entered the game ranked second nationally with five 40-plus yard completions and added four 40-plus yard completions in the game – all touchdowns. He now has nine 40-plus passes this year.
· His third career game with at least 300 passing yards in a half
· His 15th career game with at least 300 passing yards, including all three games this season – while still not playing in the fourth quarter. He's surpassed 300 yards in each of his last four games and in six of his last eight.
· The sixth 400-yard passing game of his career.
· Combining last year's game and the first half of this year's game, Rudolph threw for 963 yards in six quarters vs. Pittsburgh.
· Finished the game with a passer rating of 247.7.
Defense
Justin Phillips | Linebacker | 6-0 | 230 | R-Junior | Pearland, TX
· Returned an interception for a touchdown for the second consecutive week.
· His 10-yard pick six came on a Pitt drive that immediately followed an OSU turnover and helped disarm any momentum the Panthers had gained in the third quarter.
· Broke up a third-down pass later in the third quarter to stop another Pitt drive.
· Tied for the team lead in the game with five tackles in a game where most of the starting defense was pulled in the third quarter with the Cowboys comfortably ahead.
· Helped the Cowboys hold the Panthers to just 5-of-15 on third down conversions.
Special Teams
Matt Ammendola | Kicker | 5-9 | 195 | R-Sophomore | Lansdale, PA
· Made his only field goal attempt on a 25-yard kick in the fourth quarter.
· Scored 11 points in the game against Pitt.
· Was 8-for-8 on PAT attempts to remain perfect on the season.
· Kicked off 10 times with four touchbacks.
· With the help of his directional kicking, Pitt's average starting field position after his 10 kickoffs was its own 22.8-yard line.
Newcomer
Dillon Stoner | Wide Receiver | 6-0 | 198 | R-Freshman | Tulsa, OK
· His five catches, 100 receiving yards and 54-yard touchdown catch were all career bests.
· Caught the first of five Mason Rudolph touchdown passes to kick off a historic passing day.
· Thrown to twice on third downs, making two catches and converting on both occasions
· Entered the game with six catches for 42 yards on the season.
The Oklahoma State win…
• Marked the eighth time it has started 3-0 under Mike Gundy.
• Marked the seventh season Mike Gundy has gone undefeated in regular season
non-conference play.
• Improved its record to 2-0 against Pitt, and marked its second win over the Panthers in
as many years.
• Gave it wins in 11 of its last 13 true road games.
• Improved Mike Gundy's record in non-conference games to 44-11.
• Improved the Cowboys to 27-5 in their last 32 non-conference games.
• Gave it 11 wins in its last 12 games overall.
• Improved it to 55-6 in its last 61 games against unranked opponents, dating back to
2010.
• Gave it wins in 21 of its last 22 games when playing as a ranked team facing an
unranked opponent.
• Improved it to 5-1 in its last six games against non-conference Power Five
opponents.
• Improved quarterback Mason Rudolph's career record as a starter to 25-6, the second most wins by a starting quarterback in school history.
Standout performers included the following:
Offense
Mason Rudolph | Quarterback | 6-5 | 230 | Senior | Rock Hill, SC
· Threw for five touchdowns, all in the first half.
· Finished 23-of-32 passing for 497 yards before being pulled in the middle of the third quarter with OSU comfortably ahead.
· Set a school record for passing yards in a half, throwing for 423 in the first half – which is the second best total in Big 12 history and the most against an FBS opponent since 2013 when San Jose State's Dave Fales passed for 451 vs. Fresno State.
· Also set a school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. His streak reached 216 and broke Brandon Weeden's previous record of 194 set in 2011. Rudolph's streak was also the longest active streak in the nation and began Nov. 5, 2016.
· On third down plays, he was 6-for-6 passing for 152 yards and a touchdown with six conversions – all in the first half.
· Helped OSU set another school record for yards in a half with 516 as a team.
· Helped four OSU receivers reach the 100-yard mark in the game, marking the first time that has happened in school history and the first time an FBS team has had four 100-yard receivers since Texas Tech had four against Kansas State in 2005.
· Entered the game ranked second nationally with five 40-plus yard completions and added four 40-plus yard completions in the game – all touchdowns. He now has nine 40-plus passes this year.
· His third career game with at least 300 passing yards in a half
· His 15th career game with at least 300 passing yards, including all three games this season – while still not playing in the fourth quarter. He's surpassed 300 yards in each of his last four games and in six of his last eight.
· The sixth 400-yard passing game of his career.
· Combining last year's game and the first half of this year's game, Rudolph threw for 963 yards in six quarters vs. Pittsburgh.
· Finished the game with a passer rating of 247.7.
Defense
Justin Phillips | Linebacker | 6-0 | 230 | R-Junior | Pearland, TX
· Returned an interception for a touchdown for the second consecutive week.
· His 10-yard pick six came on a Pitt drive that immediately followed an OSU turnover and helped disarm any momentum the Panthers had gained in the third quarter.
· Broke up a third-down pass later in the third quarter to stop another Pitt drive.
· Tied for the team lead in the game with five tackles in a game where most of the starting defense was pulled in the third quarter with the Cowboys comfortably ahead.
· Helped the Cowboys hold the Panthers to just 5-of-15 on third down conversions.
Special Teams
Matt Ammendola | Kicker | 5-9 | 195 | R-Sophomore | Lansdale, PA
· Made his only field goal attempt on a 25-yard kick in the fourth quarter.
· Scored 11 points in the game against Pitt.
· Was 8-for-8 on PAT attempts to remain perfect on the season.
· Kicked off 10 times with four touchbacks.
· With the help of his directional kicking, Pitt's average starting field position after his 10 kickoffs was its own 22.8-yard line.
Newcomer
Dillon Stoner | Wide Receiver | 6-0 | 198 | R-Freshman | Tulsa, OK
· His five catches, 100 receiving yards and 54-yard touchdown catch were all career bests.
· Caught the first of five Mason Rudolph touchdown passes to kick off a historic passing day.
· Thrown to twice on third downs, making two catches and converting on both occasions
· Entered the game with six catches for 42 yards on the season.
Players Mentioned
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