Runnin’ Rudolph won’t slow down
STILLWATER — Mike Gundy met Mason Rudolph with a fist bump following the quarterback’s 10-yard touchdown run at South Alabama.
At least it looked like a fist bump; maybe it was an intended shot to the head, as a reminder for Rudolph not to run.
Gundy’s already on record as not being a big fan of Rudolph the runner, not to mention his attempts as a lead blocker on several plays already this season.
Fans have voiced their gasping concerns, too, given Rudolph’s ongoing excellence as a passer and as this Oklahoma State team’s most irreplaceable asset and unquestioned rudder in any plotted path to a Big 12 title and beyond.
Rudolph has experienced the potential dangers of putting himself in harm’s way, suffering a broken rib on a 10-yard scoring run against Texas last season; an injury that hampered him for weeks afterward.
Yet Rudolph keeps running – seven times
for 21 yards and two scores so far this season – and you can bet it’s not because offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich keeps calling his number in the ground game.
And Rudolph’s got no intention of backing off.
“That’s fun, man,” he said following the 44-7 rout of South Alabama. “Anytime I’ve got a read option, I’m going to pull it and hope Yurcich doesn’t get mad at me.”
So much for the “read” part of the read option, which was the play Rudolph scored on Friday night. He faked a handoff to tailback Justice Hill, ran right, cutting in and out, and finally barged into the end zone, never taking a hit.
“Great block by Tyron (Johnson), it was a long block, and he held that corner off to help me get
in there,” Rudolph said. “Those are always fun.”
There's that word again, "fun."
So get used to it, Rudolph is running. At least he’s prepped himself for the role.
During his four years at OSU, Rudolph has reshaped his body, now carrying a solid 230 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. He may absorb some blows, but he’s big enough to deliver his share as well.
And learning his lesson in that game against Texas a year ago, Rudolph now is a full-time wearer of the flak jacket he adopted in response to busted ribs.
“I was wearing something a little less bulky and heavy and obviously paid for it pretty well,”
Rudolph said. “We’ve got something new, something lightweight but extremely durable. That won’t be an issue this year, for sure.”
Rudolph’s toughness has never been in question.
As a sophomore, he suffered a broken bone in his foot in a late-season loss to Baylor, briefly tried to play through pain the following week against Oklahoma, had surgery, then returned to start the Sugar Bowl.
Last year, he didn’t even realize how bad his midsection was until the next game, against Iowa State.
“That whole game against Iowa State, it was, like, ‘Why am I feeling this way? Something’s wrong,’” he said. “So we didn’t pop the X-ray until the week after Texas, the Sunday after Iowa State. And that’s when we found out.
“It was on my right side, so my whole rotation – to get through my throws and have velocity – I just didn’t have it that week. I had a cracked rib. It was tough mentally, trying to get above that and not think about it.”
It showed, too, understandably, against Iowa State, as Rudolph was off early and the Cyclones led 31-14 deep into the third quarter. But Rudolph pushed through, completing 12 of his final 16 throws for 144 yards and three touchdowns to spark a comeback win.
“You get caught up in game-planning and you see him in practice and you just assume he’s good to go,” Yurcich said of preparing that week Iowa State. “And he doesn’t say anything, he just grits through it. That’s the kind of kid he is.”
“Anytime I’ve got a read option, I’m going to pull it and hope [offensive coordinator Mike] Yurcich doesn’t get mad at me.” OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph