Malcolm Rodriguez couldn’t recall another time when he returned an interception for a winning touchdown.
Not in a youth game. Not in high school. Not at Oklahoma State, where he had zero interceptions before playing at Iowa State during the past weekend.
That didn’t matter in Ames. Refusing to allow a fourth-quarter collapse, Rodriguez grabbed his first winning pick six when the Cowboys and Cyclones were tied at 27. Two days after OSU’s 34-27 victory, Rodriguez, a junior linebacker and former safety from Wagoner, was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
The energy he sparked in the defense has carried into this week as the Cowboys prepare to take on TCU.