Trio of Cowboys Honored Headed by Ollie Gordon as the National Running Back of the Week

(Multiple sources contributed to this story as well including Sean Maguire from Oklahoma  State University Athletic Media Relations.)

STILLWATER – All it takes is a couple of big wins and Oklahoma State and several of the Cowboys players were making national marks with player of the week awards and honor rolls. On Monday in his weekly news conference Mike Gundy was asked about Ollie Gordon withhis double 100-yards in rushing and receiving getting the Co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and who got the national player?

Gundy was one day ahead as the Doak Walker Award folks always announce their national running back of the week on Tuesdays and right on time there it was and Ollie Gordon was the guy. Gordon also picked up the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week as the top college performer that is from Texas. Gordon is from Euless, Texas and attended Trinity High School in Euless.

Besides Gordon, two other Cowboys came in for awards as well with slot receiver and returner Brennan Presley honored by the folks that reward versatility. Meanwhile Alex Hale came in for the weekly top college kicker award in back-to-back weeks. 

It was Ollie Gordon that gets top billing. 

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Gordon on the run against Kansas.

In the Cowboys 39-32 win over Kansas on Saturday, Gordon turned in a career-best game with 168 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries (5.8 yards per carry) while adding 116 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches.

To put those numbers into perspective, no other FBS player in the past seven seasons has reached Gordon's rushing and receiving totals in the same game, and only five total FBS players have done it since 2000: Gordon vs. Kansas in 2023; MTSU's Richie James vs. FAU in 2016; WVU's Steve Slaton vs. Pittsburgh in 2006; Utah State's Emmett White vs. NMSU in 2000; and Minnesota's Tellis Redmon vs. Illinois in 2000.

Gordon is now the only player in the FBS this season and the first OSU player since 1989 (Gerald Hudson vs. Kansas) to record more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in a single game. He also became the first Cowboy running back with 100 yards receiving in a game since 1992 (Rafael Denson vs. Missouri). His 282 all-purpose yards were the most by a Cowboy since All-American Chuba Hubbard posted 303 against Kansas State in 2019, and his offensive yardage accounted for 51.3% of the Cowboys' offensive production in the game.

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

I love this shot of Brennan Presley.

The Louisville Sports Commission and the Paul Hornung Award honored Presley. The Oklahoma State senior slot receiver and return specialist touched the ball four different ways and scored twice, including the winning touchdown, in the Cowboys’ 39-32 come-from-behind home win over no. 23 Kansas. Presley had eight catches for 79 yards and a score and ran six yards for the winning score with 2:33 left in the game. He accounted for six first downs receiving, returned a kickoff 22 yards and fair caught a punt near midfield that led to an OSU scoring drive.

Finally, kicker Alex Hale has been on a role and Palm Beach County Sports Commission has noticed the last two weeks as Hale has been designated as one of the top kickers from the organization that gives the annual award for college football’s top place kicker.

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Alex Hale with a 42-yard kick.

Hale is a Groza Star, this time for knocking through four field goals in Oklahoma State’s 39-32 upset of Kansas. Following last week’s 5-FG game, the senior from Point Frederick, Australia becomes the first kicker in program history to make nine field goals in a two-game span. Three of the four kicks came in the Cowboys’ comeback from 8 points down late in the third quarter. Hale now sits in a three-way tie atop the FBS leaderboard with 15 field goals this season.

Other kickers honored included Troy’s Scott Taylor Renfroe and Florida’s Trey Smack. Smack is a good name for a kicker, huh?

Overall, a good week for the Cowboys as a team and for some of the individuals a little extra rewards.