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100 Days of Summer: Mason Rudolph’s Top Five Plays

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We’re just two days away from the start of college football and No. 2 on our countdown is arguably the most important player to OSU’s success this year.

Since I don’t think I can tell you much about Mason Rudolph that you don’t already know, let’s take a look at five of the best plays from the record-setting quarterback’s career.

While selecting these I didn’t start with a particular stat line or matchup. I simply sat down and thought about the plays that were most memorable to me. Some were based on straight SportsCenter top-10 potential and some based on their overall significance.

Rudolph’s 39-yard one-shoe TD to Brandon Shepherd (Bedlam 2014)

https://youtu.be/cj-BjiSId4k?t=46m26s

This was the first of Rudolph’s two touchdowns in the game but it came on a crucial third down. Oklahoma State needed to score here to keep up with the Sooners. The game was far from over but this helped OSU hang around for the late comeback win that helped change the program’s trajectory for the better.

Elusive Scramble-then-scores against Southeastern Louisiana in 2016

Okay, it may be a Southland Conference opponent. And it may have been a game that John Kolar could have started and won. But that doesn’t take anything away from Rudolph’s two elusive scoring plays. They’re just too good not to show both.

There was this impressive toss on the run after the pocket had collapsed which was facilitated by an equally impressive high-point grab by Jhajuan Seales.

And this cool-under-pressure throw also to Seales.

Let’s just ignore how much pressure the Lions were able to get on Rudolph in the first place.

Rudolph’s onslaught against TCU in 2015

We could do a post just on the five best touchdowns Rudolph threw on Gary Patterson’s crew in Boone Pickens Stadium that evening. Those five scores went for 48, 50, 82, 74 and 12 yards. That’s an average of 53.2 yards per score. There was the pair of halfcourt shots to Washington on the right sideline or the 74-yarder to the Prez.

But let’s just go big on this 82-yard bomb that pretty much set the Pokes on cruise control halfway through the second quarter. He was standing on the 10-yard line when he slung that thing and it went 50 yards in the air.

This play also ties for the ninth-longest passing play in OSU history. Rudolph has five of the top 10 in that category.

Rudolph-to-Washington for 82 yards against Texas Tech in 2016

This is similar to the pass against TCU shown above but it travels nearly 55 yards before it falls to James Washington in-stride. The Cowboys were only up three at the time and would end up needing every bit of Rudolph’s 395 yards to hold on and win this one.

There’s nothing quite like a perfectly timed and executed deep ball and Rudolph has been one of the best in the nation at producing those over the last three years. Here’s to more plays that negate starting field position.

A quick strike against Pitt in 2016

This one is going to end up on a lot lists for a lot of reasons. It’s the second-longest passing play in OSU history. It set the tone for both Rudolph’s and Washington’s record-setting nights. Most importantly, it was an answer to the OSU faithful to keep their collective chin up one week after an officials/unknown rules/not-putting-down-a-MAC-team-when-you-should-have fiasco left a bruise there.

And, it’s just fun to watch. The good news is that with the NFC’s Pro Bowl receiving corps taking the field every Saturday, this type of single coverage is going to be a common look from opposing defenses.

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