Penalty-prone Cowboys head into Bedlam
Messages get repeated, though the punishment could soon ratchet up at Oklahoma State for players who commit costly penalties.
As he evaluated a 35-31 loss at Baylor on Nov. 3, Cowboys coach Mike Gundy could not get over the 12 penalties his team committed, resulting in 133 yards in mark-offs. Three major infractions on the Cowboys aided two fourth quarter touchdowns the Bears used in their rally.
“I don’t see lack of effort. I don’t see frustration that’s created animosity on the team,” said Gundy, who has watched this year’s team create a pace that would make it the most penalized team in his 14 years as Oklahoma State’s coach.
“I have (animosity) before, but I don’t see any of that. I don’t think they’re tuning us out. We’re just not getting results. So the penalty has to be a little more strenuous and maybe we can get some results.”
One suggestion: Bench a player who commits a silly foul.
“You take them out of the game. You don’t put them back in,” Gundy said.
The issue with that is it could rid the Cowboys of key players. At 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12, Oklahoma State has demonstrated little margin for error, a problem that could be magnified in a Saturday matchup against Bedlam rival Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1).
The most punitive action taken in the Baylor defeat was when cornerback A.J. Green was removed for one play after he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Green committed four penalties for 48 yards in the loss, the most foul-prone performance for a team that ranks 123rd in the Bowl Subdivision with a 77.7-yard average. The 2007 Cowboys sustained the most penalty yardage of any team coached by Gundy when they averaged 66.6 yards.
“We have to be a more disciplined football team,” added Gundy, “and the decisions that we have to make from here on out have to be so that, if I don’t come in on a curfew, that I’m not losing my truck for two weeks, I’m losing my truck for two months. Do I want to lose my truck for two months and stay out after curfew? Well, that’s your choice. That’s what has to happen.”
Defensive breakdowns Oklahoma State made in the final six minutes of the Baylor loss only added to difficulties the Cowboys have faced grasping the system implemented by first-year coordinator Jim Knowles. Oklahoma State also had letdowns defensively in the second half of losses to Kansas State and Iowa State.
“I’ve got to do a better job with the boys and get them more prepared and keep working on their habits,” Knowles said. “I can’t blame it on a new defense anymore.”
The challenge only stiffens against No. 6 Oklahoma and an explosive offense engineered by its dynamic quarterback, Kyler Murray, the Big 12 leader in total offense. Murray’s quarterback rating is tops in the country.