QB Cornelius progressing well for Cowboys
Some wondered if it was smart for Oklahoma State to use a fifth-year senior who had never played quarterback for the Cowboys until this season.
Taylor Cornelius quieted some of those critics with a gutsy 501-yard passing performance at Oklahoma, though he could not deliver on a late two-point conversion as the Cowboys tumbled 48-47.
The loss evened Oklahoma State at 5-5 and in a tie for seventh place in the Big 12 at 2-5 entering Saturday’s clash against No. 9 West Virginia (9-1, 6-1), the team that shares first place with Oklahoma in the Big 12.
“He is in his 10th game and he just keeps on getting better and better from experience,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “He’s paid his dues and he has worked hard and it’s awesome for him that we were here to stick with him and believe in him.”
All that is missing is a better win-loss record, though that particular failing will affect Cornelius’ eventual legacy after engineering the Cowboys for one season.
Gundy, however, overlooked that when commenting on the leadership Cornelius exerted leading a valiant comeback bid against an explosive Oklahoma squad that roared to 400-plus yards in the first half.
“The guy is a competitor, he is tough. He takes a lot of hits, keeps fighting, never gives up and made a lot of plays,” Gundy said. “(Cornelius) is a ‘salt of the earth,’ ‘blue collar,’ small West Texas kid. Probably raised a little differently than some kids nowadays. The values that have been instilled in him with his mom and dad were, ‘You need to do what you are supposed to do and figure it out,’ and that’s what he did. It’s worked out well for him.”
Granted, Cornelius never backed out of his commitment to Oklahoma State, something many quarterbacks do anymore when they choose to transfer if a starting berth is not obtained. A new NCAA rule allowing players to redshirt a season if they play just four games has only served to broaden the transfer overload and caused the Cowboys to lose one of their better receivers, Jalen McCleskey, after four games.
Not only did Cornelius stick it out, he became the trigger man for another Oklahoma State receiver with an abundance of promise.
Sophomore Tylan Wallace enjoyed his second 200-yard receiving performance by grabbing 10 passes against Oklahoma, including the touchdown that prompted the Cowboys to go for a two-point conversion late in the game. On that play, Cornelius failed to lead a receiver with a pass that fell incomplete, enabling the Sooners to remain in the College Football Playoff chase.
Still, Wallace has established himself as a receiver who could join the likes of Dez Bryant, James Washington, Justin Blackmon and Hart Lee Dykes as another legendary pass-catcher. Wallace has been named one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the nation’s top receiver.
“He is further ahead of guys that we’ve had that have won the award and it’s not even close,” Gundy said. “He is tough, competitive, unselfish and he is willing to do whatever we ask him to do. He will go block, he is not just a receiver. If you go ask him to block, he will take pride in it.”
The problem for Oklahoma State is it needed just one more big play against Oklahoma. The same challenge could be evident against West Virginia, another high-powered attack that could trouble the Cowboys’ young secondary with Heisman Trophy hopeful Will Grier engineering the Mountaineers.