WACO, TX — Baylor continued its strong finish to the regular season, forcing costly turnovers and defeating Oklahoma State 38-22 at McLane Stadium. The win improved Baylor to 8-3 and 6-2 in the Big 12, while OSU fell to 7-4 (5-3).
The Bears’ defense provided the biggest momentum swings of the afternoon with two interception returns for touchdowns.
In the third quarter, linebacker Leo Almanza stepped in front of a pass from Cowboys quarterback Ben Orlando and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Then in the fourth, safety Jamarcus Ryder put the game away with a 69-yard pick-six that stretched Baylor’s lead to 38-16.
Oklahoma State briefly grabbed the lead in the second quarter when kicker Theo Clayton connected on a 31-yard field goal to make it 9-7. But Baylor answered before halftime as running back Tyshawn King punched in a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Bears a 14-9 advantage they would never relinquish.
Quarterback Walker White endured an uneven afternoon, throwing two interceptions while accounting for one touchdown pass. He made up for the turnovers with a 1-yard quarterback keeper in the fourth quarter that pushed Baylor’s lead to 28-16 before Ryder’s interception return put the game out of reach.
With the outcome decided, Baylor emptied its bench in the closing minutes, and the Cowboys added a late touchdown with 30 seconds remaining.
Game notes
- Bruce Cook drilled a career-long 51-yard field goal.
- Tyshawn King rushed for 69 yards, marking his first game under 100 rushing yards in the past three contests. Even so, the senior moved closer to the 1,000-yard milestone and now has 981 rushing yards on the season.
