Breaking Down Oklahoma State's Weeknight Games Under Mike Gundy
Oklahoma State is set to play on Friday night, and it is no stranger to weeknight affairs.
On Friday, OSU will kick off the second half of its season at BYU as it searches for its first Big 12 win. Under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys have plenty of experience playing on weeknights in the regular season and have had plenty of success.
In Gundy’s first 19 seasons, OSU played on a weeknight in 12, playing 15 such contests. In those games, OSU is 13-2 and undefeated at home. The 8-0 mark in Boone Pickens Stadium includes 2023’s Friday night matchup against Kansas State that sparked a five-game winning streak to turn the season around.
While the Cowboys have had incredible success on weeknight games under Gundy, one loss will always taint their record. The Cowboys have won eight straight weeknight games, and their most recent loss was arguably the most crushing loss in school history.
On Nov. 18, 2011, OSU played a Friday night game at Iowa State. Holding a 10-0 record with national title hopes, the Cowboys blew a 24-7 lead before falling to the Cyclones in double overtime 37-31. Easily the best team in OSU history, the 2011 squad still managed to dominate Bedlam, win the Big 12 and the Fiesta Bowl.
However, the sour taste from that game has still not dissipated in Stillwater. That night was also the most recent instance of OSU playing an away conference game on a weeknight and the only time under Gundy until Friday’s matchup at BYU.
OSU’s only other weeknight loss under Gundy came in 2007 in a Friday night loss at Troy early in the season. Despite historical success, OSU is likely to suffer its third weeknight loss on Friday when it faces No. 13 BYU, which will mark the team’s first weeknight matchup against a top 25 opponent under Gundy.
READ MORE: How to Watch Oklahoma State vs. BYU: Kickoff Time, Streaming and Odds
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.