STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State needed a respite, on a football and an emotional level.

On a day that started with a tragic accident amid the school's homecoming parade, the No. 14-ranked Cowboys played on and offered some measure of relief with a 58-10 rout of Kansas.

With the parade nearing a close just blocks from Boone Pickens Stadium, a woman drove a car into the crowd, killing four and injuring more than 30 others to put a damper on what the school hails as "America's Greatest Homecoming Celebration."

University officials decided to continue with the game.

"We really talked a lot about whether to play the game," Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis said. "The decision was finally made that we're going to play and we're going to remember the victims at the game. We're going to move forward, but we will remember what's happened today."

While the mood in and around the stadium was subdued, fans found reason to cheer, at least for a while.

"We touched on it in our prayer before the game; God is using this opportunity to shed a little light in some darkness," said quarterback J.W. Walsh. "We were able to do that and maybe just lighten the mood, take everybody away for a couple of hours. It's one of those deals that's a very delicate situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families that are involved."

Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington acknowledged the difficulty of playing following such grim news, but hoped that playing offered a brief escape from reality.

"You have to find a way to put it to the side and focus on (the game) firsthand," he said. "When you focus on that, it's actually helping them, because it gave them a sense of hope and might have eased the situation a little bit. We pretty much came out and did it for them today."

For the Cowboys, the romp was a welcome departure from a string of three games that had seen them win, but only after they trailed or were tied with a minute to play in all three: at Texas, at home against Kansas State and at West Virginia.

This time, Oklahoma State led 14-0 after one quarter and 35-10 at the half, on its way to improving to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12 to remain among the conference leaders.

Kansas, falling to 0-7 and 0-4, saw its road losing streak extended to 36 games.

"This is just a football game," said Kansas coach David Beaty. "As upset as I am right now, it pales in comparison to what these families are going through. I can't imagine. This university is made up of some resilient folks, because they have been through some tragedy. And I'm amazed at their resilience. It's impressive."

Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph passed for 300 yards and a touchdown, taking a seat early. Walsh, Rudolph's backup, who is mostly utilized in a special offensive package near the goal line, ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more.

Walsh scored Oklahoma State's first two touchdowns, both times after Rudolph had led the team down the field. Walsh scored on runs from the 3- and the 1-yard lines to provide the 14-0 start.

Miketavius Jones, a reserve cornerback, made it 21-0 when he blocked Matthew Wyman's punt, then scooped up the ball and covered the final 13 yards for a special teams' touchdown. Running back Jeff Carr, another reserve, boosted the lead to 28-0 on a 2-yard run.

The Jayhawks got on the scoreboard with kicker Nick Bartolotta's 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. After a Rudolph touchdown pass made it 35-3, Kansas produced its offensive highlight while the game was still semi-competitive.

Capping a 62-yard drive, Jayhawks quarterback Ryan Willis hit wide receiver Steven Sims on a 33-yard scoring pass with 1:15 left in the half.

Willis, a true freshman on a rebuilding team that ranks among the youngest in the country, struggled overall. He finished 12-of-31 passing for 191 yards with the one touchdown and two interceptions.

Kansas managed just 221 yards of offense.

"We knew it was going to be tough," said Jayhawks offensive lineman Keyon Haughton. "We knew they're undefeated, so we knew it would be tough coming in here."

Wide receiver Tre Parmalee provided a big game in defeat for the Jayhawks, finishing with six receptions for 115 yards.

NOTES: Oklahoma State improved to 7-0 for the third time - and the first time since 2011 - under coach Mike Gundy. Before Gundy took over, the Cowboys had but one 7-0 start (1945) in 103 seasons of football previously. ... The Cowboys have won five straight against Kansas, improving to 35-29-2 all-time against the Jayhawks. ... No active Kansas player has experienced a game away from Lawrence, with the Jayhawks' last road victory coming in 2008 at Iowa State.