Gundy Talks Martin Injury and Collin's Ascension/Baylor LB Bernard Iffy

STILLWATER – You could sense the depression in the crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium late in the third quarter as they saw a Cowboy defender laying on the field, then discovered it was senior defensive end Brock Martin. The Oologah, Okla. product is a fan favorite. The three-time State Champion wrestler is the kind of tough guy that fans really appreciate at Oklahoma State.

A first-time father this summer, he has shared the change in his life and how much it has changed him and motivated him to work even harder for his team, his family and his future. Head coach Mike Gundy went out to check on him and even walked alongside as head football trainer Scott Parker carefully held Martin’s forearm on the way to the training room and X-rays.

The X-rays were negative, and Mike Gundy updated the defensive end’s situation on Monday as the game notes for the Baylor game revealed freshman Collin Oliver of Edmond Santa Fe is now listed as the starter at a position that has seen not just Martin, but also the loss of Trace Ford to a knee injury in preseason.  

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Brock Martin rushing the quarterback on Saturday.

"Brock’s injury, which is unbelievably painful, is not an injury that ends his season,” updated Gundy in his news conference Monday. “We don't think that he had any internal damage to that area. So, it's a pain management situation now, just like I had mentioned. As he progresses and starts to manage the pain, he can get flexibility, and then he can start working back in and play in games. They're (players) all different. Brock is going to be back as fast as Brock can be back because he has a very high tolerance of pain, and he's tough. So, when he's ready, you'll know he's ready."

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Martin said Maverick’s birth has motivated him.

Martin has 13 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks so far this season. Gundy believes he will add to that. A big part of that is that wrestling background, a great aid in dealing with pain management is wrestling toughness.

"There's truth to that. The wrestling coach here wrestled in the Olympics with torn ACL,” Gundy said of John Smith, the wrestling mentality, and how it mixes with pain. “They just do it. So, we're all different, right? Everybody has a pain tolerance, and everybody has a mental makeup. (Brock) is like, 'I forget the pain, you tell me I'm okay, I'm going to play.' That's who he is."

I predict that Martin will be back for the Texas game in Austin on Oct. 16. As for the young player that will replace him in the lineup for the Baylor game, Oliver has played in every game and has eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a half sack. Oliver has been on campus since January and has put on some “Body by Glass” muscle at 6-2 and he is close to 240 pounds after showing up at 225.

"I like what I'm seeing from him,” Gundy said. I see a young player that's learning on the run. He gets fatigued quickly in games at times because he hasn't become calloused to play at this level yet because he's so new. He's a hard worker and he seems to be physically tough and mentally tough enough to continue to compete. We'll see where he is a month from now because sometimes those guys hit a wall. He's another young man who fits in our culture. I don't ever see him say anything, he doesn't miss anything, he's always in class, he runs hard and trains hard. He loves to play, and he just competes." 

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Bernard (i9) preparing to make a tackle against Kansas.

Just a note from the Baylor side on injuries as their All-Big 12 linebacker Terrel Bernard went down in the win over Iowa State. Bernard has 21 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack so far this season. He is also an excellent pass defender for a linebacker.

“He got scoped this morning,” Baylor head coach Dave Aranda said at his news conference. “He could be back as soon as this weekend, but it is more likely he is back for West Virginia. We will know more after he comes out of it (surgery).”

Other than Brock Martin, the Cowboys that played against Kansas State should all be back, and they will gradually get more players back. Perhaps, a few for Baylor, and several for sure before Texas on Oct. 16.