Record Book Look: The Five Highest Passing Efficiency Ratings in OSU History

Calculating passing efficiency ratings from scratch isn’t any fun, but I found this list interesting and luckily it was all done for me.

So, despite not knowing entirely how to calculate this, today we’ll look at the five highest passing efficiency ratings (with at least 20 attempts) in Oklahoma State’s history. There’s another passing efficiency rating list in OSU’s media guide with a 10-attempt minimum. That list is headlined by Josh Fields’ 311.5 against Baylor in 2002.

I think some of this list will surprise a few. Brandon Weeden is absent, probably because he usually threw well over the 20-attempt minimum. And the top of this list might be the most surprising.

1. Taylor Cornelius at Kansas in 2018 — 262.0

Taylor “Corndog” Cornelius has the best passing efficiency rating with at least 20 passing attempts in program history.

Against Kansas in his one season as OSU’s starter, Cornelius went 15-for-20 and threw four touchdowns to a single interception.

It was OSU’s first game without Jalen McCleskey, who announced he would transfer, and Cornelius hit McCleskey’s replacement, Landon Wolf, six times for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Tylan Wallace also hit the century mark, having 104 receiving yards and a touchdown on just four catches. And Cornelius hit Tyron Johnson three times for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

2. Mason Rudolph vs. TCU in 2015 — 258.6

Watching Trevone Boykin get stuffed on the 1-yard line was perhaps the loudest I’ve heard Boone Pickens Stadium in my time in college, but it turns out Mason Rudolph was pretty good that day too.

As a sophomore against the No. 5 Horned Frogs, Rudolph completed 16 of his 24 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns. James Washington caught three of those scores as part of his five-catch, 184-yard outing. Marcell Ateman and Jeff Carr caught the other two scores.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this game was that Rudolph didn’t have hardly any run support. Raymond Taylor was OSU’s leading rusher with a whopping 28 yards. Rudolph himself was second with 26.

3. Mason Rudolph at Pittsburgh in 2017 — 247.6

We’ve harped on this game quite a bit in this record book look series, so here we go again.

Rudolph went 23-for-32 with 497 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in the stadium he would one day call home with the Steelers.

Jalen McCleskey (162), James Washington (124), Marcell Ateman (109) and Dillon Stoner (100) all had triple-digit receiving yards, and the Cowboys comfortably thumped the Panthers 59-21.

4. Josh Fields at Kansas in 2002 — 243.3

Josh Fields, Rashuan Woods, Tatum Bell and the crew lit up Lawrence in 2002.

Fields completed 17 of his 27 passes for 354 yards and six touchdowns. Woods had seven catches for 171 yards and three scores. John Lewis also caught a touchdown pass and Bell caught two.

I couldn’t find any highlights from this game, but know that OSU won 55-20 to get to 5-5 on the year. It dropped KU to 2-10.

5. Zac Robinson vs. Iowa State in 2008

Before Iowa State was slightly above average, the Cyclones were way below average, and Zac Robinson proved it in his junior season.

Robinson threw for 395 yards and five touchdowns against ISU, completing 18 of his 27 passes while also throwing a pick.

To no one’s surprise, Dez Bryant was Robinson’s target of choice. Bryant caught nine balls for 171 yards and four TDs. Jeremy Broadway caught the other score on a casual 95-yard catch and run.