Mason Rudolph, Baker Mayfield ready to renew college rivalry

Baker Mayfield got the upper hand on Mason Rudolph in college.

Rudolph would like to return the favor Thursday night in their first NFL matchup. Mostly because it’s an AFC North showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns and not because of any simmering remnants of the “Bedlam” rivalry between the former Oklahoma and Oklahoma State quarterbacks.

“You want to win every game you can, man,” Rudolph said Tuesday. “Do your rival games hurt more when you lose? Sure, and you wouldn’t be human if you said otherwise.”

Rudolph got a taste of it in college.

In the four years Rudolph spent at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys beat Oklahoma just once, when Rudolph was a freshman and Mayfield sat out because of his transfer from Texas Tech. From 2015-17, Mayfield guided the Sooners to 58-23, 38-20 and 62-52 victories. Rudolph played only one series because of an ankle injury in the 2015 matchup.

“He’s a competitor, and they had a great team every year,” Rudolph said. “Most years it came down to that game deciding the Big 12. It was fun playing in those games.”

Rudolph completed 58 of 117 (49.6%) for 907 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions in four games against Oklahoma. Mayfield was 54 of 80 (67.5%) for 1,066 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in three games against OSU.

The quarterbacks went head-to-head twice as starters, with their final encounter being the most memorable. In 2017, Mayfield threw for 598 yards and five touchdowns; Rudolph had 448 yards passing and also threw five TD passes. James Washington had seven catches for 128 yards and a touchdown for OSU in that game.

“The last one was a good one, an exciting one,” Mayfield told Cleveland reporters on Tuesday. “I think it’s all a little bit different now. I’m sure as the years go on, we’ll continue something, but it’s different.”

Rudolph said he and Mayfield are friends in the same way the he is friends with other quarterbacks from the 2018 NFL Draft class.

“We might be a little closer because we were an hour away from each other,” Rudolph said. “We would interact at a charity event here and there, so there’s more comfortability. But I’m friends with all those guys. They are all great, and we all talk when we see each other.”

Rudolph and Mayfield will start against each other in an NFL stadium for the first time Thursday. Rudolph was inactive last year when Mayfield made his fifth career start in the Browns’ 33-18 loss at Heinz Field. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Mayfield is impressed with how Rudolph has directed the Steelers to a 5-4 record after 0-3 and 1-4 starts.

“He’s a great guy who is playing well, talking care of the ball and he’s putting them in a good position to win,” he said. “They’ve reeled off four straight so he’s doing his job.”

Mayfield also downplayed any residue from college factoring into the matchup against Rudolph.

“It’s interesting because now it’s a division rival, that’s all,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”