'This one's mine': How Jaden Nixon's kick return TD propelled Oklahoma State past Baylor
Jacob UnruhScott WrightOklahoman
WACO, Texas — Jaden Nixon was just trying to focus on getting prepared for the second half when an Oklahoma State coach approached with an assignment.
Nixon, OSU’s speedy back-up running back, was going to be on the kickoff to begin the half. Get ready.
He did more than get ready.
Nixon took the kickoff at the 2 and found a big hole early. Then he broke free of a tackle from Devyn Bobby. Baylor kicker Noah Rauschenberg, a Tulsa Union graduate, attempted to get in the way.
Nixon just stumbled, regained his feet and pulled away for the wild score.
“I’m definitely not going down,” Nixon said. “I gotta stay up, and from there, I’m like, ‘I’m not getting caught. I gotta take this one all the way.’ I was like, ‘This one’s mine.’
“My teammates did too great of a job kicking everybody out, making great blocks for me not to score.”
On a day the ninth-ranked Cowboys got some strong payback for a Big 12 championship game loss to Baylor with a 36-25 road win over the 16th-ranked Bears, it was special teams play that again separated OSU.
“The difference in the game was special teams,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “We have four guys that coach our special teams and we have an analyst, and they do a really good job.”
Nixon had his kick-return score for a 23-3 lead just seconds into the second half. Brennan Presley had a 50-yard return that set up another quick touchdown.
And 32-year-old punter Tom Hutton had arguably one of the best days of his career, placing two punts inside the 5 that were downed and two others inside the 20.
Hutton’s first punt came from Baylor’s 39 and was downed on the 2, rolling into the waiting hands of freshman Braylin Presley. A risk, considering the positioning on the field. But ultimately well worth it.
One play later, OSU’s Brock Martin forced Baylor running back Richard Reese to the edge on a pitch, where safety Kendal Daniels was waiting for the tackle and safety.
Hutton also had a huge punt late in the fourth, kicking the football 47 yards, where it was fair caught at the 15, flipping the field as OSU used the clock to put the game away.
“It was almost a 5-second hang time,” Gundy said. “That’s a big deal.”
But nothing was as electric as Nixon’s moment.
He punctuated it with a nice taunt of the Baylor band, waving his arms like a band director.
“It was all excitement from there,” Brennan said.
Taylor ‘finally’ gets first interception
OSU safety Jason Taylor II was getting ancy the first three games of the season.The ballhawk had yet to get his first turnover, even when he had opportunities. He knew it would happen eventually.
And he thought he had his best chance early in the third when he appeared to have a play on a 49-yard pass from Baylor’s Blake Shapen in the middle of the field.
But he timed his jump wrong and Monaray Baldwin easily caught the pass for the touchdown.
So, that made Taylor’s fourth-quarter interception with 2:55 remaining that much sweeter.
“Even then I was thinking, ‘Finally,’” Taylor said.
Taylor, who last season was a master at making the big play at the right moment, believes this is what can kickstart a secondary in need of more interceptions.
The Cowboys had not recorded an interception since the opener against Central Michigan until Thomas Harper’s pick of Shapen in the fourth quarter.
“He got that and then I was able to get one,” Taylor said. “We hadn’t got our hands on the ball in a while, so it felt good to do that.”
Gundy takes blame for Baldwin TD
Gundy is putting the 70-yard touchdown reception by Baldwin on fourth down on a call he made at the last second.Baylor switched its play. Gundy then told defensive coordinator Derek Mason on the headset to make a change, but it was essentially too late.
Baldwin broke free seconds later and OSU’s lead was just 33-25.
“That was my fault,” Gundy said. “I usually know better than to make a decision on defense because I’m not a defensive guy.”
The Cowboys responded by not letting Baylor score again, though.
“After that, I’m glad we stuck together and figured out how to come out with a win,” Taylor said.
Cowboys prepped for Baylor’s fourth-down attempts
Even with all of the preparation for Baylor’s preference to go for fourth-down conversions, there were times that the Cowboys were a little shocked.“I was even a little surprised at some of the fourth downs they went on,” Taylor said. “We just have to buckle up and make plays, and I think that’s the name of the game. Who’s going to make more plays, who’s going to stay together and do what they have to to win.”
Baylor was 3 for 5 on fourth down. It entered the day tied seventh nationally with 11 attempts on fourth down.
It was such a concern for the Cowboys that Mason made sure his defense had more preparation for the boldness, adding about five more calls to the play sheet.
But it’s still a shock when an opponent attempts fourth-down conversions on four straight possessions, like the Bears did in the second half.
“There’s no way to practice that,” Mason said. “Our guys grew up today. I could care less about statistics when it comes to numbers. There’s only one number that counts and that’s winning.
“This group did enough today to win. On the road, that’s a tough thing to do.”
Mason started noticing a difference when linebacker Mason Cobb stopped running back Richard Reese short on fourth-and-1 from the 7 with 8:23 left in the second.
That set the tone.
“That’s what we need,” Mason said. “We need that type of effort in order to play the style of football we’re going to play. We’re not going to be perfect. I just ask these guys to be consistent.”
Confidence remains high in Gordon
Clinging to an eight-point lead with 8:52 remaining, the Cowboys turned to true freshman running back Ollie Gordon.Big moment. Mixed response.
Gordon rushed for 19 yards on his first four carries. On the fifth, he fumbled and quarterback Spencer Sanders desperately dove on top of the football, setting up a crucial field goal.
“He’ll be better next time for it,” Gundy said of Gordon.
Gordon did not play the remainder of the game. But Gundy said the Cowboys will quickly go back to him in the future.
That’s a true sign of growth for a young player.
“You guys have seen him,” Gundy said. “He’s played well. But now he’s played well, he’s been tired and he’s carried the ball multiple times and his head’s wandering and he’s swinging, and he got lit up and the ball came out.
“So, we have confidence in him and we still have confidence in him, because he’s a smart young man and he’ll learn from that mistake.”
Injury doesn't stop Tyler Lacy
Panic hit briefly at halftime when OSU defensive end Tyler Lacy was seen riding to the locker room on a cart with his sock and shoe removed from his left foot.Lacy didn’t play the first defensive series of the third quarter, but returned on Baylor’s next possession and played regularly throughout half, finishing with one tackle and one quarterback hurry.
There was little concern about Lacy’s condition after the game, Mason said.
“I saw him in the locker room, and he said, ‘Hey Coach, don’t worry, I’m good,’” Mason shared. “I’m not an athletic trainer. I let our medical staff handle that. But I just looked at the big fella, and the big fella winked back at me.
“We’ll move to Sunday and we’ll figure all those things out. But it was good to see the big fella with a smile on his face.”
