Oklahoma State RB Dominic Richardson recalls last year's final drive vs. Baylor: 'I was supposed to be in'

Scott Wright, Oklahoman
·4 min read

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State running back Dominic Richardson often thinks of the final offensive play the Cowboys ran at AT&T Stadium last December.

Needing a touchdown to win on fourth down, running back Dezmon Jackson took the handoff and went for the left pylon, only to be stopped 6 inches shy by Baylor’s Jairon McVay.

The Bears won the Big 12 title, 21-16.

And Richardson watched in agony, wondering what could have been.

“I was supposed to be in that drive,” Richardson said. “It sucks my shoe came off. We were going turbo, so we couldn't sub out.

“But Dezmon is a hard runner. I think about it all the time. I would have stuck my foot and got up to the end zone. But us running backs see things differently.”

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Running back Dominic Richardson often thinks about what might've happened if he had been in the game on the last possession against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game last year, when the Cowboys came up inches short of a victory.
Running back Dominic Richardson often thinks about what might've happened if he had been in the game on the last possession against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game last year, when the Cowboys came up inches short of a victory.

With the rematch fast approaching at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Baylor’s McLane Stadium, Richardson swears he’s going to tie his cleats a little tighter.

Can’t let the same mistake happen again.

“I think about it a lot, honestly.” Richardson said.

In that game, he scored OSU’s lone touchdown, a 4-yard run in the third quarter.

A few days after the loss, OSU coach Mike Gundy said Richardson was dealing with an injury late in the game.

Either way, Richardson is looking to make sure the Cowboys’ don’t fall short in the rematch.

He’s now the starting running back and Jackson is at Sam Houston State. A big game for Richardson could be a bit of redemption for Jackson.

The two remain close, often talking every few weeks.

“He talks to me as a big brother,” Richardson said.

More: Could Oklahoma State-Baylor become the Big 12's biggest rivalry?

Why Korie Black doesn’t remember last game at Baylor

A native of Waco, Texas, Oklahoma State cornerback Korie Black was excited for the Cowboys’ trip to his hometown to play Baylor in December 2020.

A product of Connally High School, he had family and friends watching him in McLane Stadium that day. He even got on the field in the Pokes’ blowout win.

Now, if only he could remember it.

“I don’t remember nothin’,” Black said. “I got a concussion. They said it was a pretty bad one.”

With that, Black is excited for another trip to Waco on Saturday, and he’s already been hearing from plenty of hometown folks in the leadup to the game.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he said. “It’s gonna be fun to go back, see all my family again.

“A lot of Waco people been talking to me. They say they’re still rooting for me, even though I’m going against the hometown team.”

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Black’s family moved to Waco when he was a year old, so he grew up paying close attention to Baylor football.

“It’s kinda weird, because of growing up going to Baylor games when I was younger, and just wanting to play college football,” Black said. “Now I’m in college, and I’m playing against the team I used to always watch. It’s gonna be fun.”

Black, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior, has four tackles and a pass breakup through three games in his first season as a starting cornerback.

More: OSU emphasizing four-wide sets to keep offense moving faster

Oklahoma State defensive end Brock Martin says the Cowboys are expecting Baylor to run its offense at a much slower pace than what OSU is used to.
Oklahoma State defensive end Brock Martin says the Cowboys are expecting Baylor to run its offense at a much slower pace than what OSU is used to.

OSU defense prepping for slow-paced Baylor offense

While the Oklahoma State offense has worked hard to increase the speed with which it can play, the Baylor offense is going the opposite direction.

The Bears are slower to align, then will regularly run the play clock down before snapping the ball. They also use more heavy formations, with tight ends and fullbacks, whereas the Cowboys are using three or four receivers virtually every snap.

So the OSU defenders are making the adjustments to the pace of play differences they’ll see this week, compared to what they saw from their own offense all preseason.

“We just gotta stick to what we do,” super-senior defensive end Brock Martin said. “Every offense in the Big 12 is different. Typically, a lot of them like to go fast. But Baylor, they’re a little slower. We just gotta stay with what we do, and not let their tempo affect our tempo. We gotta take over the game.”

Through three games, the OSU defense has defended 44 possessions through three games, or an average of 14.7 per game, not including end-of-half possessions where a team is just running out the clock.

Baylor has had 42 offensive possessions in four games (excluding end-of-half and overtime possessions), an average of 10.5 per game.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Dominic Richardson looks back at Baylor loss