If Mike Gundy has some spare time, football is often still part of his agenda.
He will watch another random game, see a play or a formation that could work favorably for Oklahoma State, then address the possibility with his staff.
“I’m having a lot of fun with these players,” Gundy said. “Offensively, there’s a lot of scheming and X’s and O’s going on and I enjoy that.”
Much of it is spent devising ways to make the Cowboys unpredictable, in spite of a running game that has sputtered much of the season. Oklahoma State needed every wrinkle it could manufacture Saturday to avoid an upset at Iowa State, rallying from a 17-point road deficit for the second time this season to nip the Cyclones 35-31.
The victory enabled Oklahoma State to remain the lone undefeated team in the Big 12 as it carries a 10-0 overall mark and 7-0 league record into Saturday’s game against Baylor (8-1, 5-1). The matchup is the first of two games at home for the Cowboys to conclude their schedule. They play Oklahoma on Nov. 28.
Players notice the scheming Gundy conducts, sometimes installing a play at practice while knowing it will not be run in the game but can be incorporated down the line.
“You can just tell when (Gundy) comes in and gets involved with the offense, how happy or excited he is,” wide receiver David Glidden told The Oklahoman.
Of course, part of that mood stems from an unbeaten start few predicted after Oklahoma State snapped a five-game losing streak and qualified for a bowl on the last day of the season a year ago, then beat Washington in the Cactus Bowl to finish 7-6.
That was when quarterback Mason Rudolph was inserted into the lineup as a freshman, and his development has continued this season with a unorthodox two-quarterback setup that also involves senior J.W. Walsh. Walsh typically takes over in the red zone, while Rudolph engineers the team downfield. Both have been effective, enabling Oklahoma State to pull out several tight wins, including big comebacks at Texas Tech and Iowa State.
Maybe that was what Gundy was referencing when he described some outsiders’ opinion of Big 12 attacks as “hocus-pocus offense.” The coach mostly refuses to politick for his team with the College Football Playoff selection committee.
“We’re playing a team that’s been top-10 in the country for how many years?” Gundy said of Baylor, which finished in the top 10 of the final Associated Press poll in each of the last three years and is the two-time defending Big 12 champion.
“So, it doesn’t matter to us. We’ve just got to play the next game. At the end of the day, if you do really well and the committee leaves you out, then what are you gonna do? There’s nothing we can do about it.”
To remain undefeated will be tough enough.
While the Cowboys finish out at home, they know the Bears will be seething after getting knocked from the unbeaten ranks with a 44-34 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Freshman Jarrett Stidham has taken over at quarterback after Seth Russell (neck) was lost for the year. Stidham absorbed some big-time hits in the OU defeat and was intercepted twice.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–DE Emmanuel Ogbah remains one of the most disruptive defenders in the Big 12 and was influential in the win at Iowa State when he came up with key sacks and pressures late in the game. Ogbah was credited with seven tackles, including two sacks and two quarterback hurries. He leads the Big 12 with 15.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
–RB Chris Carson, a junior college transfer who came to Oklahoma State with premier billing, has not produced as expected. Against Iowa State, however, the Cowboys turned to Carson to convert on third-and-8 in the fourth quarter, and he responded by gaining the first down. He finished with 70 yards on 12 carries and looks to be gaining more comfort in the system after dealing with ankle issues.
–WR Marcell Ateman led the Cowboys with eight receptions for 132 yards and one touchdown at Iowa State. He was one of nine receivers Oklahoma State incorporated into the offense as the ball continues to be spread around in a passing game engineered by two quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh.