Mike Gundy’s era of football at Oklahoma State will be defined by winning.
Too-close, stress-filled, gut-churning winning most of the time, to the disdain of many Cowboys fans, but winning nonetheless.
So it was, again, Tuesday night in Orlando, where the Cowboys raced to a 21-0 early lead in dominant fashion, then hung on – by a Malcom Rodriguez takedown late – for a 37-34 win over Miami in the Cheez-It Bowl.
Just winning won’t be enough for some folks, those who claim reason to complain as a personal right. Watch four hours of football once a week and declare themselves experts. Kind of like the critics who once panned “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
And yet, for a lesser bowl in the waning days of the worst year most of us can ever remember, the game delivered much of what Cowboys fans should want and need.
Strong play from quarterback Spencer Sanders, who’s been inconsistent for much of his career, but enters the offseason off two big-time performances.
A breakout by freshman receiver Brennan Presley, who staked a claim to playmaker in waiting with Tylan Wallace’s premier career now over.
Two big statements from veteran linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, the first a declaration to return for another season, the second a fourth-down stop of Michael Redding III shy of the sticks, essentially ending the Hurricanes’ final attempt at a rally.
The defense stopping Miami not once, but on back-to-back series at the end, after the Canes seemingly seized momentum by pulling within three with 5:39 remaining and possessing arguably the college game’s best kicker.
Tre Sterling doing what he does, totaling a game-high 13.5 tackles, including 2.5 for losses, with a pass breakup, then declaring his intention to return to what proved to be the best Cowboys D in quite some time.
“The boys are back in town. Let’s ball out next year,” Sterling proclaimed.
That’s the good news, rediscovered in the shadow of what a certain theme park claims as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
Yeah, this season didn’t go as planned, far from it. But who’s going to claim joy in 2020 anyway?
Tuesday provided positive answers and plenty of reason for optimism in 2021, which has to be better than the year we’re just wrapping up, right?
The Cowboys will return a hefty roster, a quarterback seemingly gaining traction as a game-changer – Sanders was named the bowl MVP – and the bulk of a defense that stood up and stood out frequently.
That should be enough to keep the fanbase warm through the cold months ahead.
Mike Gundy likes to judge quarterbacks after they’ve played 15 or so college games. Sanders passed that mark this season and now carries two superb games into the offseason. Against Miami, he completed 27-of-40 throws for 305 yards and four touchdowns, with no turnovers. That came after he torched Baylor for 347 yards and three scores.
“Spencer did a great job out there, just finding everybody, multiple guys,” said Tay Martin, who enjoyed his best game with six catches for 73 yards. “Got us the win.”
Presley was electric, setting OSU freshman bowl records with 118 yards and three TDs.
And the defense denied the Canes when it mattered most, without corner Rodarius Williams (who opted out to ready for the NFL Draft) and end Trace Ford (recovering from surgery). Most of the defenders who played Tuesday night will return, including Rodriguez and Sterling, who announced their intentions Tuesday night.
So go ahead and move on, and look ahead, with optimism, 2020 be damned.
Leave it to Gundy to remind us that amid the disappointments, no thanks to injuries and the weirdness of the year, this season wasn’t all that bad after all.
The Cowboys finished 8-3, and missed out on playing Oregon State and Western Illinois.
“If we’d played a regular season, we probably win 10 games again,” Gundy said. “If you think about, this team almost won 10 games with a lot of injuries.”
Injuries that limited Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace and shuffled an offensive line that already ranked as a question mark.
Still, Cowboys fans will point out, there’s a difference in beating Oregon State and Western Illinois and taking down Oklahoma and Texas and TCU, which accounted for three losses.
And they’re right.
Still, Gundy added another solid year of winning to his legacy.
And Tuesday’s win should offer just enough of what Cowboys fans want and need.
Until next fall.
