Oklahoma State Football: 3 takeaways from Big 12 title loss

Baylor won the battle of defense

The Big 12 is normally known for its great offenses but both of the teams playing Saturday got there because of defense.

Oklahoma State football came in with one of the top scoring defenses in the country but the Cowboys struggled to slow down Blake Shapen who completed his first 17 pass attempts and finished 23-of-28 for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

The reality is that Oklahoma State did well on defense. It held Baylor to 21 points and 14 of them came in adverse situations after turnovers. The Cowboys also held the Bears without points two other times after turning it over.

The OSU defense even got two turnovers of its own, so it’s not like Baylor dramatically outplayed the Cowboys — the Bears just forced more mistakes and made a championship stand at the end when it mattered most.

Too often, Oklahoma State kicked field goals and didn’t score touchdowns. That and losing the turnover battle isn’t a championship recipe against an elite defensive team.

And on Saturday in the Big 12 title game, Baylor proved its defense is just better.