Throwback Thursday: The history between Baylor and Oklahoma State
The Baylor Bears will be traveling to Stillwater to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys for their 44th matchup since the two teams first met in 1914. The Cowboys currently lead the series with 23 wins to the Bears' 20 wins.
Most recent matchup: Baylor 38, Oklahoma State 28
Baylor and Oklahoma State last met last year, with the Bears coming away with a 38-28 victory. Quarterback Sawyer Robertson came away with a three-touchdown day despite only completing 11 of his 19 pass attempts. While no receivers had an exceptional day for the Bears, Ashtyn Hawkins had a strong day, finishing with 4 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Baylor relied on their run game in their high-scoring victory, with the team finishing for 333 yards. Running back Dawson Pendergrass had a monster day for the Bears in which he finished with 142 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Starting running back Bryson Washington didn't have as much success, finishing with 78 yards on 17 carries.
2021 Big 12 Championship: Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16
The most iconic matchup of the two teams over the last decade is their meeting in the Big 12 Championship in December 2021. The No. 9-ranked Bears took down the No. 5-ranked Cowboys in the final minutes. Since winning the Big 12 Championship 4 years ago, Baylor hasn't returned, while Oklahoma State would make its way back in 2023.
In the 21-16 victory, neither offense found much success, with the Bears finishing with 333 total yards, while the Cowboys would only reach 242. The story of the day would be turnovers, with Baylor fumbling twice, including once on the opening drive of the game. Oklahoma State would double the Bears' turnovers, however, with quarterback Spencer Sanders throwing four interceptions.
Despite all the offensive struggles, the Cowboys had one last chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, down 21-16. The Oklahoma State offense would drive 89 yards on 17 plays to the Baylor one-yard line, where they would famously be denied on four straight plays.
Baylor is the heavy favorite going into Saturday's matchup as they opened as 19.5-point favorites. Oklahoma State fired longtime head coach Mike Bundy after an embarrassing loss to Tulsa and will have a freshman starter at quarterback. While the Bears are the heavy favorites, they're also coming off a loss to Arizona State, dropping them to 0-1 in Big 12 play.
Baylor should come out of Week 5 with a 3-2 record, but going against an opponent whose had their number throughout history and coming off a big coaching change, the Bears have to prepare for the possible trap game.
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Kyle is a writer for the Baylor Bears on SI. He is a student at the University of New Orleans and studies journalism. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and has previously covered the LSU Tigers football team. Kyle loves all aspects of sports and has used that to pursue a career as a writer.