Are We Forgetting What a Healthy Mason Rudolph Brings To The Table This Year?

Do you remember who started at quarterback for Oklahoma State during Bedlam last year? I had nearly forgotten until Carson Cunningham brought it up to me earlier this fall.

J.W. Walsh went a respectable 25/42 for 325 yards and two TDs and picked up another 50 yards on the ground. It was a little bit of an empty 325 though as he underthrew the deep ball and didn’t command the game the way Mason Rudolph does.

“J.W. (Walsh) was tremendous for us last year and really played pretty well, but they overwhel”med us rushing the football and made a lot of plays on offense,” said Mike Gundy on Monday. We didn’t play very well defensively in that game. We’re a healthier football team now. I feel like our mental approach with our team and their mental approach is different this year than what it was last year. We were a little bit beat up at this time last season.”

Translation: We didn’t have QB1.

“I think they will mix it up,” Gundy told Go Pokes recently of OU’s defenses. “I think they will play some coverage at James and when they do you know they give up a player in run defense. I can’t see them doing that all the time. I think they will use coverage, but then I think they will pressure some. Last year they used a lot of zero blitz (cover 0 with no safety and heavy blitzing). I don’t think they will do that, but I do think they will pressure and also concentrate of stopping the run. They will mix it up and take some chances.”

Translation: Rudolph can beat you where Walsh can’t.

“I ran into a former OSU player this weekend who will remain nameless, and he and I were talking about Bedlam,” Carson Cunningham told me on our podcast on Monday. “He said, ‘nobody talks about how we didn’t have freaking Mason last year. Our entire offense changed. Nothing against J.W., J.W. was a great quarterback. I love J.W. I’d go to war with him any day. But our entire offense changed. That goes so unnoticed.’”

It does. It really does. But it won’t this year. Rudolph is the last Big 12 QB to beat OU in Norman all the way back in 2014. He is by pretty much any measure one of the best QBs in the country.

It could also be a chance for Rudolph to make fans take note of just how good he has been this season. He has the No. 1 QB rating on deep passes among Power-5 QBs, at 122.3, and his PFF grade of 91.8 puts him third behind only [Baker] Mayfield and [Lamar] Jackson. [PFF]

Rudolph, who is 15-0 against Big 12 teams not named Baylor, said on Monday he laments not being full strength for Bedlam in Stillwater as Oklahoma State got thrashed 58-23.

“It’s what you look forward to all season long and last year I kind of let it slip through my grip,” said Rudolph about only throwing three passes last year. “Injuries happen, but I was kind of angry that I wasn’t able to play and be at 100 percent. I’ve got a completely different mindset this year and I’m ready to get out there and play in the game.”

The feeling is mutual on the other side where Baker Mayfield has led the Sooners to 16 straight Big 12 victories.

“It’s exciting, it’s always fun to go up against someone you know,” said Mayfield. “His talent level, it’s fun especially when the stakes are this high. Bedlam for the Big 12 title game for the first time here in Norman.

“When you become a friend with somebody like that, you’re lining up against him it’s like playing against your brother or stuff like that. You never want to lose to your sibling and I know he feels the same way. We’re going to be friends after but up until that point it’s a competition.”

Hopefully it’s a better one than last year.