Oklahoma State's Rudolph shows NFL form in rout of Pitt

Sep 16, 2017 - 10:16 PM Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph made a strong statement to Heisman voters and NFL scouts Saturday, throwing for 423 yards and five touchdowns in the first half as the visiting Cowboys crushed Pittsburgh 59-21.

Rudolph, NFLDraftScout.com's top-rated senior quarterback, was replaced by backup quarterback Taylor Cornelius after Oklahoma State's first drive of the second half. The Cowboys were leading 56-14.

Rudolph completed 23 of 32 passes for 497 yards with the five touchdowns and his first interception of the season. He has a stellar 11-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through three games.

Taming the Panthers is nothing new for Rudolph, who tossed a career-high 540 yards and two scores in a 45-38 win over Pitt in Stillwater almost exactly one year ago.

Shoddy tackling by the Panthers certainly contributed to Rudolph's eye-popping performance, which, according to ESPN's statisticians, marked the most passing yards by an FBS quarterback in a single half since 2013. Another obvious factor was Oklahoma State's incredible receiving corps, which proved it is much deeper than just James Washington, NFLDraftScout.com's top-rated senior wideout.

While Rudolph's eye-popping statistics will earn him plenty of media attention, the scouts attending this game -- like Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman -- were likely more impressed with his noticeably improved distribution of the ball and overall awareness of the defense.

A year ago against Pitt, Rudolph (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) largely relied upon the playmaking Washington, who hauled in nine catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns. This time, Washington served as an effective decoy for much of game, not recording his first catch until late in the second quarter and ultimately finishing with "just" five receptions for 124 yards.

Washington was one of a school-record four receivers with at least 100 receiving yards on Saturday, joined by Jalen McCleskey (seven receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns), Dillon Stoner (5-100-1) and Marcell Ateman (4-109-1).

One of the knocks on Rudolph -- like most quarterbacks coming out of an up-tempo spread attack -- is that he rarely has to throw from a muddy pocket. Pitt challenged him early in this regard, however, with Rudolph barely escaping a first-quarter safety by extending the ball out of the end zone on a sack.

He showed his strength, mobility and downfield vision on another near-sack in the first quarter, fighting off defenders on a third-and-11 at his 31-yard line before unleashing a deep ball down the left sideline to an open Ateman, who shrugged off a would-be tackle before running away for a 69-yard touchdown.

Rudolph showed other evidence of his improved polish, calling audibles (including switching to runs) at the line of scrimmage to adjust to the defense. He completed throws to all levels of the field, showing the velocity needed for the tough sideline throws required in the NFL, as well as excellent touch and trajectory on his deep balls, allowing his receivers space to run under them. He did not throw a pass into double coverage in the first half.

Even his one mistake -- a third-quarter interception -- showed higher level quarterback skills.

Up 49-14 and seemingly well on the way to an eighth touchdown in nine drives, Rudolph got greedy, rifling a pass into the end zone for McCleskey before confirming the defense. Rudolph initially looked to his left, freezing Pitt's safeties before firing the pass to his right where he had McCleskey and Washington running complementary high and low routes.

The pass was delivered on time and likely would have gone for his sixth touchdown of the game had Pitt senior cornerback Avonte Maddox, a team captain, not dropped off Washington to essentially double McCleskey. Maddox made a terrific adjustment to the ball, breaking Rudolph's FBS-best streak of 216 consecutive passes without an interception.

It was one of the few flaws in Rudolph's performance, strengthening his hold on the top spot among senior quarterbacks on NFLDraftScout.com's board, one week after Baker Mayfield of the rival Oklahoma Sooners staked his claim for this honor.

Scouts are eager to see which player performs best when the Cowboys host the Sooners on Nov. 4 in what should be an epic clash.



Rob Rang is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, a collaboration between The Sports Xchange and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.