OSU Football: Takeaways From Oklahoma State's 45-38 Win Over Pittsburgh

Oklahoma State picked up a humongous home win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, beating the Panthers 45-38 despite a nearly two-hour rain delay in the fourth quarter.

Related: Childs' Hat-Trick Powers Cowboys Past Pitt

Here are a few takeaways from the game, as the Cowboys improve to 2-1 on the season:

-Safe to say that Mason Rudolph was ready to sling it down the field on Saturday. The junior quarterback played out of his mind in the game, especially early on. Rudolph totaled 303 passing yards and two touchdowns before the nine-minute mark in the second quarter, while his Cowboys held a comfortable 24-10 lead. Rudolph finished with a school record 540 passing yards to go with his two scores. Oh, and Rudolph’s 86-yard pass to Jhajuan Seales late in the fourth quarter was pretty clutch too, seeing it set up the go-ahead touchdown on the next play.

-Receiver James Washington was the main beneficiary of Rudolph's success on Saturday, as the receiver finished with 296 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Washington's day was highlighted by a 91-yard touchdown on the first play of the game that really set the tone of the the Oklahoma State offense. The junior receiver is one of the better playmakers in the entire country, and when the Rudolph to Washington connection is thriving, the Cowboys are a tough team to stop. 

-Running game looked solid for the Pokes. Justice Hill was making plays when given chances early, while Rennie Childs dazzled the crowd in the second quarter with his 67-yard scamper for a score. Childs ran left, broke down the defense with a nice juke move, and zipped up the sideline for a touchdown that gave Oklahoma State a 31-17 lead. It was definitely a memorable game for Childs, who finished with four touchdowns, including the game winner, and rushed for over a 100 yards for the first time in his OSU career. That type of performance was encouraging for the OSU ground attack, and It will greatly benefit the Cowboys’ offense if Childs can continue that kind of production.

-If you couldn’t tell by the first two quick hits, the Oklahoma State offense was humming against the Panthers. The Pokes totaled 471 yards of offense in the first half against Pitt, which surpasses the 338 yards that OSU managed the entire game in the loss to Central Michigan. The Cowboys finished with 640 yards, mostly because offensive coordinator Mike Yurich wasn’t afraid to take some risks down the field while his players executed nicely.

-Turnovers hurt the Cowboys despite the win. After Rudolph fumbled at midfield in the second quarter, Pitt responded with a 60-yard touchdown on their first play to get within one score before half. If that wasn’t bad enough, Rudolph was strip sacked in OSU territory and Pitt was able to scoop the ball for a score to tie the game in the third. Fortunately, the Pokes were able to squeak out the win and the mistakes weren’t too costly.

-It was a necessary win for Oklahoma State, seeing the Cowboys will start conference play against Baylor this Saturday. With a lot of solid opponents still on the schedule and the loss to Central Michigan in the rearview mirror, Oklahoma State still has a chance to put together a special season.