Texas Football: 3 takeaways from overtime loss against Oklahoma State
By Zach Bigalke
2. Mason Rudolph is effectively out of the Heisman race after performance
Sure, Oklahoma State won in Week 8. But a flat performance by star quarterback Mason Rudolph will effectively end any chance he has of becoming the Cowboys’ first Heisman Trophy winner since Barry Sanders in 1988. After putting up ridiculous numbers over the first six games, he was finally held in check by the Longhorns.
In a glutted Heisman field, any inconsistency in performance is bound to hurt a player’s chances of winning the award. For Rudolph, being held under 300 passing yards could be the death knell for his dreams of holding the stiffarm trophy.
Texas held Rudolph to just 282 yards on 25-of-38 passing. More importantly, they prevented the Oklahoma State veteran from throwing a single touchdown pass after he has averaged at least three scores per game over the first half of the season.
Given he is not a dual-threat quarterback, Rudolph is entirely dependent on generating offense through the air. Texas held him in check on Saturday, and the No. 10 Cowboys barely held on to win in overtime. Rudolph didn’t lose the game for Oklahoma State on Saturday, but he also failed to win the game for the Pokes. That will be enough to take him out of the Heisman running.