No. 9 Oklahoma State posts impressive 36-25 road win over No. 16 Baylor

No. 9 Oklahoma State passed its first test of the season with flying colors.

Entering Saturday’s visit to No. 16 Baylor, OSU had played three games against lackluster competition — Central Michigan, Arizona State and Arkansas Pine-Bluff, all at home. The trip to Waco was a significant step up in competition, and the Cowboys looked like a Big 12 title contender in an impressive 36-25 victory.

Oklahoma State controlled play early, going into halftime with a 16-3 lead. The Cowboys then returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to increase that lead to 23-3.

But just when it seemed like Oklahoma State was in complete control, Baylor mounted a ferocious comeback. In the span of about seven minutes, that lead shrank to 23-17 thanks to two Baylor touchdowns. One was a beautiful deep ball from Blake Shapen to Monaray Baldwin. The second was a one-yard plunge from Richard Reese after Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders tossed an interception.

Of the 33 interceptions Sanders has thrown in his Oklahoma State career, 11 have come against Baylor. That includes four in last year’s heartbreaking Big 12 title game loss.

This time, though, Sanders wouldn’t dwell on his mistake. He came out chucking on the next drive and hit Braydon Johnson for a 49-yard gain on the very next play from scrimmage to set up a Dominic Richardson touchdown run.

Later on, Shapen again hit Baldwin for a long touchdown — this time a 70-yarder on a gutsy fourth-down call — to again make it a one-score game, 33-25, with 2:14 to go in the third. But that was as close as Baylor would get.

The next two Baylor possessions would end with Shapen interceptions. One led to an Oklahoma State field goal and the other allowed the Cowboys to eat up a significant chunk of the fourth-quarter clock.

And when the dust finally settled, Oklahoma State had a decisive road victory to open Big 12 play.

It had to feel good for Sanders and the Cowboys after the turnover-plagued loss in last year’s Big 12 championship game — a game that came down to a goal line stand in the final seconds. That loss cost Oklahoma State a potential College Football Playoff berth.

Entering 2022, there were a lot of questions about Oklahoma State, particularly on defense after defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Ohio State. With Derek Mason now running the defense for head coach Mike Gundy, this group may not be quite as impressive as last year’s group after so many of last year’s top players — particularly on the back end of the defense — are no longer with the program.

Nonetheless, this was a stellar effort from OSU to hold Baylor to just 3.7 yards per rush, limit BU to 3-for-11 on third down and get those two clutch interceptions in the fourth quarter.

Now 4-0, Oklahoma State returns home next week to face Texas Tech. Baylor, meanwhile, enters its bye week with a 3-2 record.