Ranking the Top Wide Receiver Performances in OSU History (Part 2)

Let’s finish our countdown of the top wide receiver performances in OSU history.

Be sure to check out Nos. 6-10.

5. Rashaun Woods – Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma – November 30, 2002

The most memorable play in Rashaun Woods’ career is probably the most memorable OSU moment for many fans. “The catch” secured a win in Norman, which is hard to come by. But it was a year later that he really took it to OU.

The No. 3 Sooners rolled into Stillwater looking for a little payback but came up shorthanded again thanks in part to Woods, who corralled 12 catches for 226 yards and three scores. Josh Fields also recorded a career game with 357 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

Why it mattered

This was just the third time OSU had strung together back-to-back Bedlam wins and it came against a really good Oklahoma team that ended 12-2 and ranked 5th in the AP poll. The performance further solidified Woods as a Bedlam hero. It also got the Cowboys into the Houston Bowl (Les Miles’ first bowl) which they won 33-23 over Southern Miss.

4. Adarius Bowman – Oklahoma State at Kansas – October 14, 2006

It’s Kansas. But this was not exactly the same Kansas we’ve seen the last few years. They went 6-6 that year but a lot of players on that team went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl a year later. Bowman lit up the Jayhawks for a record 300 yards and four TDs on 13 catches, all while lining up opposite future Pro Bowl corner Aqib Talib.

Kansas had a 17-0 lead in the second half before Bobby Reid found Bowman for touchdown passes of 54, 25, 55 and 64 yards. It was as impressive a second-half performance as we have seen, maybe ever. Bowman scorched the turf at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, helping his team outscore the Jayhawks by 24 in the final two quarters. He also helped Bobby Reid throw for 411 yards and five touchdowns — his best game statistically by far.

Why it mattered

This is pretty obvious. Bowman recorded the Oklahoma State record for most receiving yards in a game that still stands. His four touchdowns also stand tied for second-most in a single game by a Cowboy. And he did against an elite cover man.

3. Justin Blackmon – Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State – November 5, 2011

The two-time Biletnikoff winner reached 200 receiving yards twice during his career. In 2010, he had a 207-yard, one touchdown game as the Cowboys dispatched Texas Tech 34-17. But he had plenty of huge games. If you said his 186-yard, three-TD Fiesta Bowl ranked higher, I wouldn’t argue.

But I picked this game for what it meant both historically and to the team that year. The 205-yard, two touchdown performance helped seal the Cowboys’ closest win in five games. Since that wild 30-29 win over Texas A&M, Oklahoma State had turned into a juggernaut, mowing through the meat of their schedule. Then No. 15 Kansas State came to Stillwater and threatened to derail the train. The Cowboys came up with a 52-45 win with a lot of credit due to Blackmon’s two scores.

Why it mattered

Aside from the gaudy numbers and being a crucial win, this was also a bit of redemption game for the All-American. One year prior, Blackmon set an NCAA record for 12 1oo-plus yard receiving games in a season — which still stands. The reason he didn’t reach 13? He wasn’t with the team in Manhattan in 2010. Blackmon was suspended by Mike Gundy following his DUI arrest. Blackmon had driven some teammates and a former player on a Monday Night Football trip to Arlington to see Dez play earlier in the week. Whether or not that provided extra motivation to show out against the Wildcats, we don’t know. All we know is that he had a game for the ages.

2. James Washington – Oklahoma State vs. Pittsburgh – September 17, 2016

Like Blackmon, Washington has had two 200-plus yard games but this was his most impressive. It stands as the second-highest yard total in school history and started off with the second-longest passing play in school history — 91 yards and a score.

Why it mattered

It was the bounce-back game OSU needed after the gut punch they received against Central Michigan the week before. That 91-yard Rudolph-to-Washington bomb was met with half cheers, half sighs of relief by the 53,514 attending. Although the Cowboys would falter late against Baylor a week later, the Pitt win was a needed confidence (and resume) booster.

Washington’s career-high mark also helped Mason Rudolph write his own history. His 540 passing yards is the single highest passing yardage game in OSU history.

1. Rashaun Woods – Oklahoma State at SMU – September 20, 2003 

Any game that was highlighted by this type of NCAA record has to top my list. When a receiver gets the ball, his goal is to score and Rashaun scored more times in this game than any receiver has — ever.

The competition level was obviously not high — the Mustangs went a cold oh-fer in 12 games that year. But throughout his career, Woods showed he could put up crazy numbers against anyone. The year before he came in second nationally with 1,695 receiving yards and is the all-time leading receiver in OSU history with 4,414.

Why it mattered

Woods is still the only receiver to pull down seven touchdowns in a game. Not just at OSU. That’s an NCAA record. He had five in the first half. The Cowboys threw the ball 19 times and Woods caught 13 of them for 232 yards, which still sits at No. 4 in OSU history for yards in a game.