Photo by: OSU Athletics
One More Ride: Mason Rudolph
August 27, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER - Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph has been the Cowboys' on-field general for two-plus seasons, and in that time, he has played at a level that matches some of the best players in team history. This season, the senior will look to cement his place among the all-time greats at Oklahoma State.
Rudolph first arrived in Stillwater prior to the 2014 season. Like most freshman, he was ticketed for a redshirt until an injury to Daxx Garman thrust him into the starting lineup for a week 11 showdown against No. 6 Baylor.
On a rainy night in Waco, Texas, the true freshman turned a tremendous performance, as he recorded the most passing yards ever by an Oklahoma State player in his first game with 281 yards through the air.
Rudolph's rise to fame among the OSU fans continued one week later when he etched his name into Bedlam lore by leading the Cowboys to their second-largest fourth-quarter come-from-behind win in school history in a 38-35 win over the No. 18 Sooners in Norman. He tallied 273 passing yards in his Bedlam debut, which ranked as the second-most ever for an OSU quarterback in a Bedlam Series game.
The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native capped off his late-season heroics by nearly throwing for 300 yards during Oklahoma State's win over Washington in the Cactus Bowl. Rudolph also threw for two touchdowns against the Huskies, which included a highlight-reel touchdown pass to James Washington.
His performances at the end of his freshman season earned Rudolph the nod as the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 2015, and in his first full season as a starter, Rudolph did not disappoint.
Mason Rudolph became one of the Big 12's best quarterbacks as a sophomore. He finished the season with 264 completions, 424 pass attempts, 3,770 passing yards, 290.0 passing yards per game and 287.3 yards of total offense per game. All five of those marks trailed only Brandon Weeden's historic 2010 and 2011 campaigns in the Oklahoma State single-season record books.
Rudolph surpassed 300 yards passing six times, including three 400-yard performances, during his sophomore campaign. The biggest of his performances came when he threw a career-best five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the Cowboys' win over No. 5 TCU. After that showing, he received the Walter Camp National Player of the Week, Big 12 Player of the Week, Davey O'Brien Performance of the Week, Manning Award Star of the Week and OSU's offensive player of the game honors.
Rudolph put on a passing clinic against Kansas State, when he recorded a career-high 437 yards through the air. His 437 passing yards were the most by ever in a game for an OSU sophomore and the fourth-most passing yards in a single game in team history. Rudolph also threw for 430 yards against Baylor, giving him two of the top seven passing performances in school history at the time.
After an incredibly successful season, Rudolph was recognized by the OSU coaches with the Bob Fenimore Award, which is given to the team's offensive MVP. He also earned his first Academic All-Big 12 selection, as he garnered second-team honors.
Rudolph's explosive sophomore season earned him plenty of national acclaim, and he would continue to build on that success as a junior in 2016.
After entering the season on the watch lists for the Maxwell, Manning and Lombardi awards, as well as earning a nomination for the Wuerffel Trophy, Rudolph was the only player in the country in 2016 who surpassed 4,000 passing yards while throwing less than five interceptions. He was also the only quarterback in the nation who averaged more than 34 pass attempts per game while throwing less than five interceptions.
At one point, Rudolph threw 164 consecutive passes without an interception and he finished the season with a second streak of 123 consecutive passes without being picked.
He also continued to be an explosive playmaker in the pocket for the Cowboys, as he surpassed 350 yards passing in five games and 300 yards passing in a half on two occasion. Throwing for 300 yards in a half had only been achieved twice in Oklahoma State history prior to what Rudolph accomplished in 2016.
Rudolph's historic junior season also saw him break the school record for passing yards in a game when he threw for 540 yards against Pittsburgh. That mark also represented the fifth-highest single-game figure in the nation last season. His 20.77 yards per completion that day also set a single-game school record (min. 20 completions).
At the season's end, Rudolph had once again recorded some of the most impressive single-season numbers in Oklahoma State history.
His 4,091 passing yards ranked as the third-most in a season in school history, trailing only Brandon Weeden's 2010 and 2011 campaigns. Rudolph also completed 284 passes and attempted 448, both of which rank second in school history. His 28 passing touchdowns also rank as the fourth-highest total by an OSU quarterback.
Now entering his senior season in 2017, Mason Rudolph has been tabbed as the No. 1 senior quarterback in the country by Mel Kiper and the No. 19 player in college football by Athlon Sports. He currently ranks among the top six among active FBS players in career passing yards (third), career passing yards per game (second), career passing yards per attempt (second), career pass efficiency (third) and career touchdown-to-interception ratio (sixth).
Rudolph is already the owner of no fewer than 11 school records, and he is in prime position to set OSU career records for pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in the 2017 season. He also has a very real chance to finish his career as the most efficient passer in Oklahoma State history.
Rudolph first arrived in Stillwater prior to the 2014 season. Like most freshman, he was ticketed for a redshirt until an injury to Daxx Garman thrust him into the starting lineup for a week 11 showdown against No. 6 Baylor.
On a rainy night in Waco, Texas, the true freshman turned a tremendous performance, as he recorded the most passing yards ever by an Oklahoma State player in his first game with 281 yards through the air.
Rudolph's rise to fame among the OSU fans continued one week later when he etched his name into Bedlam lore by leading the Cowboys to their second-largest fourth-quarter come-from-behind win in school history in a 38-35 win over the No. 18 Sooners in Norman. He tallied 273 passing yards in his Bedlam debut, which ranked as the second-most ever for an OSU quarterback in a Bedlam Series game.
The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native capped off his late-season heroics by nearly throwing for 300 yards during Oklahoma State's win over Washington in the Cactus Bowl. Rudolph also threw for two touchdowns against the Huskies, which included a highlight-reel touchdown pass to James Washington.
His performances at the end of his freshman season earned Rudolph the nod as the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 2015, and in his first full season as a starter, Rudolph did not disappoint.
Mason Rudolph became one of the Big 12's best quarterbacks as a sophomore. He finished the season with 264 completions, 424 pass attempts, 3,770 passing yards, 290.0 passing yards per game and 287.3 yards of total offense per game. All five of those marks trailed only Brandon Weeden's historic 2010 and 2011 campaigns in the Oklahoma State single-season record books.
Rudolph surpassed 300 yards passing six times, including three 400-yard performances, during his sophomore campaign. The biggest of his performances came when he threw a career-best five touchdown passes and no interceptions in the Cowboys' win over No. 5 TCU. After that showing, he received the Walter Camp National Player of the Week, Big 12 Player of the Week, Davey O'Brien Performance of the Week, Manning Award Star of the Week and OSU's offensive player of the game honors.
Rudolph put on a passing clinic against Kansas State, when he recorded a career-high 437 yards through the air. His 437 passing yards were the most by ever in a game for an OSU sophomore and the fourth-most passing yards in a single game in team history. Rudolph also threw for 430 yards against Baylor, giving him two of the top seven passing performances in school history at the time.
After an incredibly successful season, Rudolph was recognized by the OSU coaches with the Bob Fenimore Award, which is given to the team's offensive MVP. He also earned his first Academic All-Big 12 selection, as he garnered second-team honors.
Rudolph's explosive sophomore season earned him plenty of national acclaim, and he would continue to build on that success as a junior in 2016.
After entering the season on the watch lists for the Maxwell, Manning and Lombardi awards, as well as earning a nomination for the Wuerffel Trophy, Rudolph was the only player in the country in 2016 who surpassed 4,000 passing yards while throwing less than five interceptions. He was also the only quarterback in the nation who averaged more than 34 pass attempts per game while throwing less than five interceptions.
At one point, Rudolph threw 164 consecutive passes without an interception and he finished the season with a second streak of 123 consecutive passes without being picked.
He also continued to be an explosive playmaker in the pocket for the Cowboys, as he surpassed 350 yards passing in five games and 300 yards passing in a half on two occasion. Throwing for 300 yards in a half had only been achieved twice in Oklahoma State history prior to what Rudolph accomplished in 2016.
Rudolph's historic junior season also saw him break the school record for passing yards in a game when he threw for 540 yards against Pittsburgh. That mark also represented the fifth-highest single-game figure in the nation last season. His 20.77 yards per completion that day also set a single-game school record (min. 20 completions).
At the season's end, Rudolph had once again recorded some of the most impressive single-season numbers in Oklahoma State history.
His 4,091 passing yards ranked as the third-most in a season in school history, trailing only Brandon Weeden's 2010 and 2011 campaigns. Rudolph also completed 284 passes and attempted 448, both of which rank second in school history. His 28 passing touchdowns also rank as the fourth-highest total by an OSU quarterback.
Now entering his senior season in 2017, Mason Rudolph has been tabbed as the No. 1 senior quarterback in the country by Mel Kiper and the No. 19 player in college football by Athlon Sports. He currently ranks among the top six among active FBS players in career passing yards (third), career passing yards per game (second), career passing yards per attempt (second), career pass efficiency (third) and career touchdown-to-interception ratio (sixth).
Rudolph is already the owner of no fewer than 11 school records, and he is in prime position to set OSU career records for pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in the 2017 season. He also has a very real chance to finish his career as the most efficient passer in Oklahoma State history.
