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Jaden Nixon returned a second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and ninth-ranked Oklahoma State beat No. 16 Baylor 36-25 Saturday in a rematch of last year's Big 12 championship game.
Nixon's return started a flurry of 39 combined points in the third quarter. He found an open gap in the middle of the field, broke free from the grasp of Baylor's Devyn Bobby at the Oklahoma State 35 and outran everyone to the end zone.
"Third quarter was like a video game," Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said.
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Oklahoma State defenders Thomas Harper (13) and Jabbar Muhammad (7) celebrate an interception during the second half of a game against Baylor in Waco, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
The Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) also beat Baylor in the regular season last year, but came up inches short of their first conference title since 2011 when the Bears made a fourth-down stop just short of the end zone in the final seconds of the conference championship game.
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders threw seven picks in his two games against Baylor last season, including four in the Big 12 title game, but he was more efficient this time. He finished 20 of 29 passing for 181 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran 14 times for 75 yards with several scrambling runs and had a 1-yard TD plunge.
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"That’s a big win. ... It just shows that the young guys stepped up, you know, did their job," Sanders said. "That’s a great team to win against, especially on the road in their own house."
After Nixon's return, Baylor (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) responded with Blake Shapen's 49-yard TD pass to Monaray Baldwin, who added a 70-yard catch-and-run score on another fourth down play later in the third. True freshman Richard Reese had a 1-yard TD run on a short drive set up when Christian Morgan intercepted Sanders.
Another long kickoff return for Oklahoma State, with Brennan Presley taking it to midfield after Reese scored, was followed immediately by Braydon Johnson's 49-yard catch and Dominic Richardson's 1-yard run. The Cowboys added a 19-yard field goal after Shapen's fourth down incompletion from the Baylor 33 gave Oklahoma State the short field.
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders throws down the field during the first half of a game against Baylor in Waco, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Shapen completed 28 of 40 passes for 345 yards, and Baldwin caught seven passes for 174 yards. Reese had 85 yards and a score on 17 carries. Six of the true freshman's TDs have come in Baylor's three home games.
A week after opening Big 12 play with a win at Iowa State, the Bears couldn't match that at home, where they had been so good. Their only lead came after a field goal on the game's opening drive, before Oklahoma State scored a touchdown its first possession.
"We definitely had points where we were low on that (energy level) throughout the game," Bears standout left tackle Connor Galvin said. "At those times, we had to take a deep breath and like, ‘All right guys, let’s pick it back up. Let’s go. Let’s fix the issue on the field.'"
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THE TAKEAWAY
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys were solid coming off their open date and rose to the challenges of playing their first ranked opponent and leaving Stillwater with the win. Oklahoma State made some highlight catches for Sanders, including Bryson Green's contested leaping catch in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard TD on the Cowboys' opening drive. On Johnson's 49-yard catch in the third quarter, he reached back and through a defender to make the grab near the sideline and, when twisting and turning, his left foot slid out of bounds just short of the end zone.
Baylor: The Bears had won nine consecutive home games since a 42-3 loss to Oklahoma State in the 2020 regular-season finale. That game was pushed back two months because of COVID-19 and was played when Baylor was without 47 people — players, coaches and support personnel — and had one full-time offensive assistant coach at the game.
Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) rushes past Baylor linebacker Tyrone Brown (36) during the first half of a game in Waco, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oklahoma State will certainly remain in the top 10 and may even climb a spot. Baylor could hang in near the bottom of the poll since both of its losses are against Top 25 teams, or it could fall completely out of the rankings.
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UP NEXT
Oklahoma State plays Texas Tech next Saturday at home.
Baylor has a bye before its next game at West Virginia Oct. 13, a Thursday night.
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