Mayfield doesn’t start but still leads OU past West Virginia
NORMAN, Okla. — Baker Mayfield began the week with tears and an apology.
He ended it as he so often has — by celebrating a victory.
The Oklahoma quarterback passed for 281 yards and three touchdowns after being punished for directing a lewd gesture toward the Kansas bench last week, and the fourthranked Sooners routed West Virginia 59-31 on Saturday to maintain their momentum heading into the Big 12 championship game.
Mayfield was stripped of his captaincy and starting job for Saturday’s contest — his final home game as an OU player. He received the loudest cheers when the seniors were announced and then more loud cheers when he entered the game to start Oklahoma’s second drive.
“The first steps on the field made that all go away,” Mayfield said. “They (the fans) are always going to have my back. It’s OK for me to grow and learn and move on. If I’m progressing and becoming a better man in their eyes, that’s something I’m proud of. I’m going to learn from my mistakes and move forward.”
The Sooners scored touchdowns on all five possessions Mayfield played in before halftime and on all six drives he completed in the game. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley was pleased with the way Mayfield handled the week’s events.
“His last game here, no matter how you draw it up, was going to be emotional,” Riley said. “I was proud of him. I thought he held it in check. He was definitely emotional before — I know a lot of thoughts were running through his head. So for him to play the way he did considering all the circumstances was again why the guy is the best.”
Mayfield completed 14 of 17 passes in a nearly flawless performance that likely kept him at the front of the Heisman Trophy race.
“(No.) 6 is the best player in college football,” Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said.
Rodney Anderson ran for 118 yards and four touchdowns for the Sooners (11-1, 8-1 Big 12). They will play TCU for the Big 12 title next Saturday at Arlington.
West Virginia’s Chris Chugunov passed for 137 yards in his first start. He stepped in for Will Grier, who injured a finger the previous week against Texas. Kennedy McKoy ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns for West Virginia (7-5, 5-4).
OKLAHOMA ST. 58 KANSAS 17
Mason Rudolph passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores in his final home game to lead the No. 19 Cowboys past the Jayhawks at Stillwater, Okla.
James Washington, Dillon Stoner and Marcel Ateman each went over 100 yards receiving for Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-3 Big 12).
Peyton Bender was 17of-32 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (1-11, 0-9), which lost its 45th consecutive road game.
The Cowboys’ big-play offense delivered again, scoring on five consecutive first-half possessions en route to a 34-10 lead at halftime. They then made it 41-10 just one minute into the third quarter on Rudolph’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Washington.
It was the fifth game this season that Rudolph has gone over 400 yards passing. He also has now been responsible for 45 touchdowns this season, breaking the school record of 44 set by Barry Sanders during his Heisman Trophy season of 1988.
KANSAS ST. 20, IOWA ST. 19
Skylar Thompson scrambled from pressure and threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber on the final play of the game, giving the Wildcats a stunning victory over the Cyclones at Manhattan, Kan.
Thompson threw for 152 yards, none bigger than the one yard that he needed on the final play. The freshman quarterback took the snap with 11 seconds left, rolled to his left and then headed back to his right as Iowa State gave chase and zipped a dart to Zuber for the touchdown.
The 10-play, 87-yard drive took every second of the 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the game.
Kyle Kempt threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State, but he was unable to complete a pass on third-and-6 at the Wildcats’ 49 that would have allowed his team to put the game away.
Kansas State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) rallied from a 19-7 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Cyclones (7-5, 5-4) for the 10th consecutive time.