Oklahoma State vs. Baylor: Score and Twitter Reaction

No. 7 Baylor took another step in its late-season quest to win the Big 12 Saturday night at home, toppling Oklahoma State 49-28 in McLane Stadium.

Bears quarterback Bryce Petty was on point from the get-go, throwing two touchdowns in the opening three minutes and getting his team to an early lead that it wouldn't relinquish. He finished 18-of-29 with 262 yards and three total scores.

ESPN College Football capped up the result:

The Cowboys were within a score just before halftime, but Baylor (9-1) pushed it to a two-touchdown advantage with 23 seconds left in the opening half and only added to its lead throughout the second half. Mason Rudolph's strong outing (13-of-25, 281 yards, two TDs) in his starting debut wasn't enough to complete a late comeback.

That was largely due to a dominant Baylor run game, as Devin Chafin and Shock Linwood both surpassed the 100-yard mark.

Here's a glance at the final quarter-by-quarter box score:

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Oklahoma State	7	7	0	14	28
Baylor	21	7	7	14	49

Saturday's game didn't feel like a revenge game upon watching, with the now-5-6 Cowboys looking to turn around their woeful season. But after they ended Baylor's championship hopes in a 49-17 win last year, the Bears came in with a chip on their shoulder.

"It's hard not to (call it a revenge game),'' Petty told The Associated Press via Fox Sports. ''Last year we had one (regular season) loss and it was to them, so we want to make sure we right our wrongs. ... I'd love to come out and show them who Baylor football really is.''

They certainly did that from the opening possession.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Baylor sprinted down the field in a jiffy, scoring on a 65-yard pass from Petty to Jay Lee for a score to go up 7-0 just 26 seconds in. 

One Oklahoma State three-and-out later, the Bears got the ball back and immediately went back to the air. Petty hit another long pass, this one to Corey Coleman for a 54-yard touchdown.

After just five offensive plays, Baylor led 14-0 as Big 12 Conference noted:

It didn't take long for the Cowboys to respond, and it came shortly after a Petty interception that set them up near midfield. A six-play drive ended with Desmond Roland's one-yard plunge into the end zone that made it 14-7.

Baylor extended its lead to 28-7 off a two big-boy drives that ended in Chafin touchdown scampers. But just before the half, Oklahoma State rattled off a drive at the end of the half to score and go into the locker room down 28-14.

KFOR's Bob Barry Jr. noted the Cowboys again started slow defensively and still trailed by 14 after improving as the half went on:

Meanwhile, Max Olson of ESPN.com capped up Baylor's mindset after sputtering late in the half:

Oklahoma State continued performing on defense in the second half, picking off Petty for the second time. It didn't set up any field position for the Cowboys, however, and they gave the ball right back only to concede a penalty on the punt and set up Baylor in great position.

Starting a drive at the Oklahoma State 28, Baylor wasted no time getting into the end zone on Linwood's 11-yard touchdown run—his fourth straight carry of the drive—to go up 35-14.

Linwood reached the 100-yard plateau on that carry, per The Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton:

"

And Shock Linwood scores from 11 yards out for a 35-14 lead. Linwood now has 101 yards on 18 carries. Baylor with 431 yards late in the 3rd.

— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) November 23, 2014"

Baylor entered the fourth quarter with that three-touchdown advantage, but started the final frame inside the Cowboys' red zone. The Bears took advantage, as Chafin got his third touchdown of the game to put Baylor up 42-14.

As KOKH's Sam Gannon noted, Oklahoma State's defensive formidability doesn't matter much when the Cowboys offense cannot score:

The Cowboys were seemingly motivated by the four-touchdown deficit, as they took the ensuing kickoff into Baylor territory and scored one play later on Mason Rudolph's 28-yard pass to James Washington. Oklahoma State scored again on its next possession to make it 42-28.

Baylor's late woes in the secondary alarmed Houston Chronicle's John McClain:

Also noticeable late in the game was Rudolph's emergence. Playing in his first start, he impressed with some late poise as NewsOK.com's Jenni Carlson noted:

But it wasn't enough to generate any serious momentum for a comeback. A Baylor interception with five minutes left thwarted the Cowboys' efforts to make it a one-possession game, as Petty ran it in from 21 yards out on 4th-and-2 to seal the game.

Baylor Football captured the winning moment:

While many colleges played their final home game Saturday, Baylor still has one left. The Bears travel to Texas Tech next weekend before closing out against Kansas State at home on championship weekend.

Oklahoma State is already done at home for the season, but it still has bowl eligibility on the line on the road at Oklahoma to close out 2014. A loss there would mark the Cowboys' first bowl-less season since 2005—Mike Gundy's first year at the helm.