Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph’s study before games impresses coach Mike Gundy.
STILLWATER — Mason Rudolph has been needed for roughly only 8½ quarters of OSU’s three games, due to blowouts, yet his statistics are impressive still.
The Cowboys quarterback is averaging 378.33 yards per game, completing 72.3 percent of his throws, with 11 touchdowns and one interception.
According to ESPN’s quarterback ratings, Rudolph ranks No. 2 nationally.
To his credit, it seems Rudolph has left nothing to chance.
“The guy’s a workaholic,” said Cowboys coach Mike Gundy. “He’s crazy over his footwork, his release, his study, the game plan. I meet with him on the night before games, and he goes over the game plan — he knows it front and back.
“He understands down and distance. He understands hash marks, he understands blitz, he understands everything like a coach. He’s totally committed to being a student of the game.
“He wants to play the game for 20 more years. When you’re that committed to something in life, it’s extremely difficult to not have success.”
Rudolph earns Big 12 honor
Rudolph’s first half at Pitt went about as well as anyone could have planned or imagined.
So well, he was needed for only one series in the second half of a 59-21 rout. Before his early exit, Rudolph led the Cowboys on seven touchdown drives, finishing 23-of-32 passing for 497 yards and five touchdowns.
In a bit of a formality, Rudolph was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
The South Carolina native set a school record for passing yards in a half, amassing 423 yards during the first 30 minutes. That’s 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.
Rudolph also broke a school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception, surpassing Brandon Weeden’s previous record of 194 set in 2011. His streak reached 216 passes and was the longest active streak in the nation.
Opponent watch: TCU’s Patterson plays respect card
Under coach Gary Patterson, TCU has been a consistently strong team, before and after joining the Big 12.
The current Horned Frogs squad stands 3-0 and ranked No. 16 nationally as it prepares to visit Stillwater on Saturday.
Still, that doesn’t keep Patterson from playing the respect card, which is what he did Monday when asked to assess OSU’s explosive offense.
“You’re looking at a football team that’s ranked sixth in the nation, so you need to give them the credit they’re due,” Patterson said. “We understand it’s a challenge.
“But since we’ve been at TCU, that’s usually what it’s been. We haven’t been given much of a chance to be in many ballgames. So for us, we’ll look forward to the opportunity.”
Quotable
Gundy on linebacker Calvin Bundage, who had to sit the first half against Pitt — when the Cowboys led 49-14 — after being ejected for targeting against South Alabama:
“He had to watch the game from the locker room. I think he was watching the game; somebody said he actually flipped it over to SpongeBob at the start of the second quarter. I need to check on that, but knowing Bundage, there’s a chance he could’ve done that.”