You Have to Go Back to 2014 to Find This Long a Losing Streak for Oklahoma State

STILLWATER – The current four-game losing streak for Oklahoma State has people in my business looking back to see the last time anything remotely this bad for Cowboy football was going on. The only losing season in the Mike Gundy coaching tenure at Oklahoma State was in his first season as after he let go of some 16 players including some of the more talented players in the program the team finished 4-7. The gradual build upsaw the teams in 2006 and 2007 finish 7-6 and then things ramped up. There was a slide and it was that biggest slide season that takes us to the answer of when was the last time it was this bad and felt this way. 

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The Cowboys played defending national champion Florida State tough as Winston is sacked.

The year was 2014. Oklahoma State started the season in Arlington, Texas at Jerry’s World and AT&T Stadium against defending national champion and Heisman Trophy quarterback Florida State and Jameis Winston. If not for a missed block late on a potential game winning drive Oklahoma State would have upset the No. 1-ranked Seminoles. The block was missed and quarterback J.W. Walsh was slobber knocked and flipped in the air and fumbled. FSU recovered and won 37-31.

Walsh would be injured in the home opener against Missouri State and Daxx Garman took over at quarterback as the Cowboys reeled off home wins over Missouri State (40-23), UTSA (43-13), Texas Tech (45-35), and Iowa State (37-20). The wheels started to shake at Kansas with a 27-20 win over a bad Jayhawks team. 

Oklahoma State was 5-1 with a series of games coming against ranked opponents. In Fort Worth, TCU hammered the Pokes 42-9, back in Stillwater No. 22 West Virginia and Dana Holgerson won 34-10, back on the road No. 9 Kansas State beat OSU 48-14, and at home an unranked Texas team knocked Garman out of the game with a concussion and won 28-7. There were seven sacks in the game by the Longhorns. 

The record was now 5-5 heading to play No. 7 Baylor. In the rain, Mike Gundy played his third quarterback taking the red-shirt off of Mason Rudolph. Oklahoma State lost 49-28, but the Cowboys were competitive and they not only found their future quarterback, but they found a prolific passing connection with Rudolph to James Washington.

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Rudolph grew into a very successful Oklahoma State quarterback.

Rudolph completed 13-of-25 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns for the best debut for a Cowboy signal caller in school history. With Baylor holding all the momentum late in the first half, Rudolph calmly engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive that spanned 4:17 and was capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to David Glidden with one second remaining in the half to keep the Cowboys in it. Baylor re-secured momentum early in the fourth quarter before Rudolph struck again with a 68-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman James Washington. Rudolph then marched the Cowboys 70 yards in five plays to set up another touchdown on the next drive to further threaten the heavily-favored Bears before BU went on to seal its win. On his 13 completions, Rudolph passed for more yards (281) than Baylor's Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Petty did on 18 completions (262).

Washington enjoyed the most productive day for an Oklahoma State freshman receiver since Dez Bryant when he made four catches for 114 yards and a touchdown against a Baylor defense that entered the game ranked 14th nationally in total defense. Highlighted by a 68-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter, Washington's 114 receiving yards were the third-most ever for an OSU freshman, trailing only Bryant's 155 yards vs. Kansas and 117 yards vs. Indiana in 2007. Washington joined Bryant, Marcellus Rivers and Hart Lee Dykes as the only freshmen in OSU history to post a 100-yard receiving day.

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Maealiuaki Smith is now the backup to Alan Bowman.

For now, the Cowboys in 2024 have played two quarterbacks. Alan Bowman started the season but Garret Rangel came in twice in games where the coaching staff felt a change was needed and then Rangel started last Friday at BYU and was playing well before his collarbone injury. Bowman was again the quarterback and got the Cowboys to the win. With Rangel out, freshman Maealiuaki Smith is now the backup.

Here’s how the 2014 season, both the Cowboys and the opponents, compared to the numbers for Oklahoma State and opponents thru the seven games this season so far. There are some similarities. The offensive numbers (averages) are close with the 2014 team a slightly better running team and this one, slightly better passing. Defensively, it is slightly closer except the rush defense is really poor this season. 

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Mason Rudolph and Mike Yurcich celebrate the Bedlam win.

The ending has yet to be written on this season. Right now, a bowl game looks slim with the Cowboys needing to win three of the final five games. In 2014 the feeling was the same as a Bedlam win over No. 20 OU on the road was needed. Thanks to Bob Stoops’ choice to punt it again and Tyreek Hill’s ability to return punts combined with a big overtime effort on both sides of the ball the 2014 Cowboys went to Arizona and thumped Washington 30-22 in the Cactus Bowl. Any similar outcome would be welcomed, but there is plenty of work to do.