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Oklahoma State Football

Mike Gundy Magnified on the Big Screen at Big 12 Media Days Talking Run Game and Bedlam

July 12, 2023
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ARLINGTON, Texas – The day started with Oklahoma State football head coach playing the role of “lone ranger” at Big 12 Football Media Days and sitting by himself in the stands at AT&T Cowboys Stadium surveying what was going on down on the turf. Gundy was by himself as he came down the day before for meetings and his players including linebacker Collin Oliver, receiver Brennan Presley, cornerback Korie Black, and offensive lineman Preston Wilson were supposed to fly down from Stillwater with senior associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth and football media contact Sean Maguire. The plane that was supposed to pick them up had issues and the Oklahoma State contingent wisely drove to Arlington. 

I went over and asked Gundy to come down and do some radio, which he did, and I found the head coach in a good mood, eager to talk about his return to focusing on run schemes that he pushed as an offensive coordinator for Les Miles and his early years as head coach. He has reason to go back to that.

Pokes Report
Gundy makes the big screen at Big 12 Media Days.

“The reason for that was we played with inexperienced quarterbacks in the latter part of the season, and our inability to rush the football put the game on their shoulders,” Gundy said of playing last season without an injured Sanders and sometimes with. “I wasn't comfortable with that. Years ago, we had inexperienced quarterbacks, and we were a good running football team, and we could still effectively score points and win games. So that reason led to allocating more time into rushing the football.”

He said the decision on quarterback for this season hasn’t been made yet. They will go a couple of weekes into fall camp and he feels that it could happen then.

“If not we’ll keep going,” Gundy told me.

Having Alan Bowman is a huge bonus. yes, as we’ve mentioned often, Bowman can run the air raid in his sleep, but after two years at Michigan he was the one quarterback in th room that had taken snaps under center and practiced power run concepts and complimentary play-action pass game.

“We were lucky he had that experience and he helped (Garret) Rangel, Gunnar (Gundy), and (Zane) Flores because those guys had not been under center maybe ever,” Gundy said of his 23-year-old veteran quarterback, who by the way just got engaged. We're not reinventing the wheel. We went through a period of time from 2010 up until 2021, I guess was the year we played in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, where we're running up massive numbers of yards in points, so as you do that or as we did that, we slowly but surely got away from some of the things that we instilled in our program in my first four or five years as a head coach. I was along for the ride, so it's not like it was on them. But we now have kind of migrated back to these are things we need to do to be successful.” 

He added that he is very comfortable with Bryan Nardo and feels his new defensive coordinator will not take the two years that Jim Knowles seemed to in order to adjust to the conference. 

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Gundy in a good mood at the front desk.

“It will come down to defensive calls, and I feel confident in Nardo and his relationship with his staff and his commiunication with the players,” Gundy said. “That's why we went and got Coach Nardo. I think his relationship with our staff and where we are now gives us flexibility to play some odd front and play some even front. I'm excited about getting started up in a few weeks and seeing the direction it takes us throughout the season.”

Gundy was later reunited with his players and with Klintworth and Maguire. The Cowboys were again a unifoed front and Gundy went to the press conference podium with a good attitude. He was asked about the losses in the portal and the culture in his program and what those losses may have signified. He took it all in stride.

He was more than happy to talk about and compliment the Big 12 commissioner as he seemingly talks frequently with Brett Yormark.  

“I think that we have the most exciting conference right now because it wouldn't be fair for any of us to say that we actually know what's going to happen in Big 12 Conference play this year, based on the last two or three years and how the games have gone and the teams that have had success and the teams that haven't had success,” he said of the leaguee. “I'm excited about that.”

What he appeared to not be as excited about was the repeated questions about Bedlam. Yes, there are reporters that haven’t adjusted to the fact that Bedlam football meetings will go on a hiatus after Nov. 4 this fall. 

Oklahoma State Athletics
No more Bedlam after Nov. 4, not for awhile.

“The Bedlam game is over because Oklahoma chose to leave the Big 12, period,” Gundy said emphatically from the podium in the middle of AT&T Stadium. “It's nothing to do with Oklahoma State. Do I like that? No. Do I like that conferences have broken up in the past? No, I don't. But I also know that we have to control what we can control, which is conference realignment is there. It's probably still going on. Wherever we all end up and whatever schedule they give us to play, we all play it and do the best we can.

“Oklahoma State is not going to change what we do because Oklahoma chose to go to the SEC< Gundy added. “They need to change what they do because they're the ones that made their mind up to go to the SEC. Everybody needs to realize, it didn't have to happen if they didn't change leagues.”

But they did and it’s almost time to move on, almost.

And, I’ve seen Gundy over the years. In case you’re wondering this does look like the Gundy that knows he was picked seventh, but has a poker hand that he feels is much better than that.

Discussion from...

Mike Gundy Magnified on the Big Screen at Big 12 Media Days Talking Run Game and Bedlam

4,207 Views | 11 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by RodeoPoke
Joe Khatib
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Don't tell me it was the same reporters from the Oklahoman beating the dead horse about the end of Bedlam after this season!!!
Eddy Hackleman
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Good stuff, thanks for the update.
Orangeheart72
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Strange to me Gundy said he didn't know about our qb Bowman going to a qb coach in California with a few of our receivers. How can that lack of internal communications be present in our "Cowboys culture."
OT
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Players are on their own right now, and have their own money now. Gundy may have heard through the grapevine, but also might be dancing some crazy NCAA tightrope on communications with players.

Like Bowman's initiative. Only has 4-6 weeks remaining to try and unseat incumbent QB1 that's got 1.5 years in the system now.
RodeoPoke
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when Gundy was on the Podium he sounded like it was Bowman's job to lose.

He couldn't stop gushing about how Bowman had play in the air-raid and had 2 years at Michigan running the new offense that we are putting in, and that he's 24 years old, and won't be out after curfew because he just got engaged, etc.. etc..

Gundy said the young QBs last year didn't get a fair shot because we couldn't run the ball, so they were essentially sitting ducks back there. I'm sure Gundy wants to give them a bit of a shot to see if they young guys didn't get a shot, or just are not quite ready yet.

NJAggie
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Orangeheart72 said:

Strange to me Gundy said he didn't know about our qb Bowman going to a qb coach in California with a few of our receivers. How can that lack of internal communications be present in our "Cowboys culture."
More likely its plausible deniability. Those kids went out there on NIL money, while its probably not actionable, if Gundy admits he knows how long before the NCAA would find a way to charge OSU? Then throw the book at us? I'm sure Gundy knew and was good with it, but he can't say it on record at the media days.
RodeoPoke
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If Gundy said he didn't know, then he probably didn't know (at the time they went). Doesn't the coach have limited interaction with the players during summer?

Brennen talked about it on air, 3 of them were planning to go to Nashville when one of them said, "hey, why not Vegas, I have a relative in Vegas we can stay with". Presley said they changed plans, got to stay and "eat up" with family, and the flight to Vegas was even less expensive.

Nothing nefarious going on, just a few kids taking a summer vacation trip.
OT
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Media hype is definitely all about the 5th year Tech/Michigan transfer, as is every single media question. So yeah, there is more chatter about the new guy. I haven't actually heard Dunn or Gundy giving Bowman a comparative nod over Rangel or Gunnar except on the under-center play.

If you grade every play from Rangel last year, he grades out extremely well. Outside of 1 fumble and maybe 2 picks, Rangel made literally zero unforced errors. What's not there Offensive production given anemic run game, horrific pass blocking against 3-4 man rushes, and throwing into 7-8 man coverage sets.

Whoever trots out as QB1 will be one fine QB for us.

GO POKES!
RodeoPoke
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OT said:

So yeah, there is more chatter about the new guy. I haven't actually heard Dunn or Gundy giving Bowman a comparative nod over Rangel or Gunnar except on the under-center play.

Not chatter, I'm telling you what Gundy actually said in the podium interview with Kris Budden.

He did not say that Bowman would definitely start, but he only gave accolades to Bowman (experience, age, maturity, knows all the offenses, etc. - Gundy said that). He did not say anything positive about the other QBs aside from, they didn't get a fair chance last year because of our injury problems.

He didn't say it (starter), but he said it.

Pistolp
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Warning - slightly off topic.

I listened to Coach Gundy's comments at the Big 12 Conference site, and then listened to several other coaches. Every Big 12 HC should be required to listen to Gus Malzahn's comments: he did a great job repeatedly making very positive statements about the Big 12 Conference. This is something I've noticed about SEC coaches in every sport; they never fail to plug their conference in media interviews. Big 12 coaches are the primary contacts between the conference and the media, and they need to use that to help build a positive image of the conference. It makes a difference over time.
RodeoPoke
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I think the SEC coaches use it as an excuse for losing.... "yeah, but, we play in the SEC, and it's hard" (so don't blame me for losing... it's the SEC)

the media will always dictate who the major conferences are, based on media contracts and dollars per school.

IMO, our coaches can say whatever they want to say and it will fall on deaf ears.
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