STILLWATER – For anybody from media to fans that expected Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy to come into his weekly news conference on bended knee asking for forgiveness for his team’s 33-7 loss to South Alabama on Saturday you can use the old line, “wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first.”
The author Stephen King is credited with that line from his book, The Dark Tower.
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Gundy isn’t about to let the media see weakness in a news conference.
Gundy is like any other coach in college football. Do you see Nick Saben coming into his press conference after a rare loss to Texas showing a softer side? No, you don’t. Coaches use the media. Yes, sometimes they send messages to their fans, to players, but mostly they get through press conferences and then go back to their offices, meeting rooms, and practice fields looking for ways to win games.
You have a lot better chance of insight listening to Gundy on the coaches radio show with Dave Hunziker on Monday night.
Now, Gundy needs a win this week, so when he came in with an opening statement that he hoped would eliminate some questions, and then got out of the room in a season speediest 28 minutes he had to be happy.
Along the way, he got the usual dose of questions that his house is on fire. The largest came from Berry Tramal who inquired about major problems for his team and if they could be solved?
“I don’t think we have majors,” answered. “I’m just being honest. I’m going to be able to give you a really good thought three weeks from now.”
That has always been a common theme for Gundy that he would know more in October. In fact, that is a regular answer over the years in times of both success and struggle. Gundy has no reservations about raw results. He said it after the game on Saturday and repeated it in the Monday news conference, his team got outplayed and outcoached. That is football etiquette, to the victors go the spoils and the compliments.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Part of the ugliness was the hit that De’Zhaun Stribbling took onthis play. Gundy did say Stribling is okay and could play this week.
“Let me go back now,” Gundy followed up his no major issues answer. “What we did out there Saturday was ugly. I’m not saying anything other than that, but I’m saying I don’t see it as a major issue. When I watched the tape, I felt a lot better than I did when I went home, let’s put it that way.
I watched the coaches video, both sides of the ball and I agree. Oklahoma State had lots of unforced errors in drop passes, penalties, mental mistakes (coach and player), and missed tackles, which in the end allowed South Alabama once they took the lead to control the clock better with the new clock rules.
“I think everything that we’re doing we can improve in enough to play, compete, and give ourselves a chance to win games,” Gundy added.
Again, I would agree with the assessment. One of two I disagreed with was his straight out answer on physicality and offensive line play, especially protection.
“They really weren’t as much as I thought,” Gundy answered on the pass rush beating the OSU offensive line. Remember South Alabama had four sacks and five quarterback hurries.
“After I watched the tape, they were more physical because of the way they were able to rush the ball at times,” he continued. “But when we got beat in protection, it wasn’t because of them being more physical. It was because we were in poor technique and they ran around us.”
There is no doubt that after the clock wore down and the option of running the football much, whether it was with the backs or the effective quarterback draws and scrambles of Gunnar Gundy, was out the window then the Jags defensive line could tee off. That is also why the backs especially fan favorite and leading rusher coming into the game Ollie Gordon got limited tries.
Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer
Cowboys struggled to run anyway.
“We didn't have a chance this game because we were too far behind, because if you run the ball with a running clock now, you're just going to run out of time,” Gundy explained. “The math of the clock versus being down three scores is going to work against you. That's what happened to us."
Also, what happened to Oklahoma State was they did get whipped. South Alabama is the Football Writers Association of America Team of the Week. They give that award to teams that whip somebody’s butt.
