Oklahoma State ended Baylor’s nine-game home winning streak. The last team to win in Waco before the Cowboys? The Cowboys.
I already wrote out my recap of the Pokes’ Big 12-opening win, but if you’re interested in my real-time stream of consciousness, here is my running notebook from the thriller in Waco.
• OSU-Baylor going with the color-rush look with the Bears’ all-gold unis and crowd. Quite a sight.
• Cowboys defer, and the Bears rattle off back-to-back plays of 28 and 17 yards after a quick TFL from Thomas Harper. Only took five plays for Baylor to get into the red zone. Yikers.
• The Cowboys escaped with only a Baylor field goal after Bears receiver Gavin Holmes drops a third-down pass near the goal line. 3-0, Bears.
• The broadcast crew just tabbed OSU the second-fastest offense behind only Tennessee in the FBS. Didn’t know that but not surprised.
• And the Cowboys march right down the field. Sanders is playing fast and decisive. The reports of his being haunted by Bears seem to be exaggerated.
• That was just the seventh try from third-and-three of fewer this season. Richardson picks up five when he needed three.
• Cowboys face fourth-and-1 at Baylor 15. It looked like Richardson was called short on an unfriendly spot for OSU. Sanders goes for it and gets it after they bring out the chains. I don’t need OSU coming up short to become a trend in this game.
• There’s not much going in the middle against this Baylor front. Siaki Ika continues to be a dude.
• Bryson Green climbs the ladder in the end zone and the Cowboys score a TD on their first drive. 7-3, Cowboys.
• Thomas Harper had Craig Williams in the backfield on the Bears’ first play of the drive but was shed. Williams picks up eight. Huge miss there.
• Shapen went down the sideline and Holmes had a 60-yard play but just dropped it in the fall. With the red zone drop, that’s two big negative plays for Holmes.
• Mason Cobb has already made a couple of big plays. Blows up a play for a loss of five. The Cowboys get a stop.
• OSU running outside is a good idea with Ika in the middle.
• And on that note, Dominic Richardson just had a grown-man run up the middle taking a hit from the big guy and then spinning and picking up about five.
• Sanders-to-Presley connection is now 3-for-4 for 42 yards. This was from earlier.
• Cowboys had fourth-and-4 at the Baylor 41. Gundy elects to punt it and it pays off when it bounces into Braylin Presley’s bread basket at the 1-yard line.
• And it really pays off now. The Bears pitch it lateral and the Cowboys get a safety. Just like they drew it up. Shades of the Central Michigan game.
• But the Cowboys go three-and-out. Then Kanion Williams makes contact with Baylor’s returner Holmes after he called for a fair catch. That’s both sides of the special teams spectrum on back-to-back punts. That will give the Bears the ball at their own 29.
• Richard Reese just jukes two different Cowboys and a decent run turned into 24 yards. The Bears play off that with a big play-action pass for another big pickup. Bears just marching down the field.
• Brock Martin just hit Blake Shapen from behind deep in the red zone. Then Mason Cobb made a huge play, closing on the ball for a fourth-down stop. Cowboys will take over on downs at their 7-yard line.
• Sanders threw a dangerous dart across the middle that was batted down.
• Preston Wilson double-clutches, and the Cowboys lose five.
• Sanders scramble play, y’all.
• Jake Schultz laid a mean block to get his QB some more open field.
• Cowboys defense stomped out that next Baylor drive after a Collin Oliver sack.
• Sanders is slicing up the Bears. He’s thrown some darts. He’s also rushed 10 times for 72 yards.
• Dominic Richardson got the ball over the goal line, but it’s going to be first-and-1. OSU calls timeout.
• Regardless, Sanders gets in on the next play. Cowboys up 16-3 with 27 seconds left before half. That was masterful clock management for Gundy & Co.
• Cowboys will get the ball back in the third with a chance to take a three-score lead early in the second.
• That’s the fewest points by Baylor in a first half at home since the Cowboys beat them in 2019.
• And the Cowboys take that three-score lead without Spencer Sanders even taking the field. Jaden Nixon takes the opening kickoff of the second half to the Bear cave (???). Need to work on my puns.
• Tyler Lacy was apparently taken off in a cart. Not sure what happened but the Cowboys appear to be missing him on the Bears’ first second-half drive.
• And then Shapen finds Moaray Baldwin for DEEEEP ball. Bears pull within 23-10 on a 49-yard TD.
• Dominic Richardson somehow only has 44 rushing yards.
• And Spencer Sanders throws an interception. Baylor defender just jumped the out route and stepped right in front of the ball. Bears take over in OSU territory.
• Richard Reese is a dude.
• Looks like Tyler Lacy is back from his mysterious injury.
• Bears score to pull within 23-17. That’s back-to-back TDs after OSU’s kickoff return score.
• The very next pass after his interception, Spencer Sanders finds Braydon Johnson for 49 yards.
• Braydon Johnson: Homerun Threat. He was called out at the 1. Dominic Richardson scores on the next play. Cowboys take back some momentum, up 30-17.
• Baylor goes for it on fourth-and-2 in its own territory, and the pass is incomplete. Baylor is 0-for-2 on fourth downs. Pokes take over at the Baylor 33.
• John Paul Richardson just slung a 32-yard pass to Bryson Green. JPR wanted six!
• OSU had a few tries at the one and came up short … again. Ghost of Arlington?
• This time the Cowboys are able to afford to kick a field goal from the 1. Tanner Brown makes it 33-17.
• On fourth-and-5 from their own 29-yard line, Baylor scored a 70-yard touchdown. Not so sure OSU could afford that field goal, now that I think about it.
• Jaden Nixon fumbles his kickoff return, but OSU recovers.
• Momentum might be shifting.
• Trace Ford gets his mitts on more footballs than Vincent Taylor.
• Following that 70-yard score, Shapen throws back-to-back picks thanks to Thomas Harper (off of Gavin Holmes’ hands) and the most Jason Taylor play ever.
• The Cowboys are able to hold on for the BIG win and join TCU (?) and Kansas (?) as the only three unbeaten teams in the Big 12.
Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.