Mike Gundy Addresses Hubbard's Heisman Campaign
STILLWATER -- As the 2018 season wound down and Chuba Hubbard had to replace an injured Justice Hill, everyone got to see just how fast and talented Hubbard really was.
We had all heard about it from practice reports and coaches and players answering question, but no one really knew for sure.
In those four games he played in at the end of the year, he rushed for 425 yards and five touchdowns, with 104 yards and three touchdowns against Oklahoma.
Despite the great performance at the end of the year, I don't think anyone could've predicted just how good Chuba was going to be.
Oklahoma State sent out an article on Thursday that's chocked full of interesting stats and tidbits about Hubbard's season. Stats and tidbits that are, quite frankly, a little difficult to believe in this day of air raid offenses.
Through nine games , Hubbard leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,604 yards, rushing yards per game with 178.2, and he's second in the country in rushing touchdowns with 18. His 1,604 is also already more than the nine-game totals of three of the last four running backs that have won the Heisman Trophy.
'With four game remaining on the schedule, Hubbard is on pace to finish with 2,317 rushing yards, which would rank fifth in FBS history and set a Big 12 record.'
"The good thing is that I don't have to make a case for him," said head coach Mike Gundy. "He's done enough for himself and he's done it over and over and over. I've had several people ask me that question. I'm sure we'll have a game, and we have three left, I don't know when (the Heisman vote and ceremony) is. We have three games left and the percentage is there that somebody might be able to slow him down some and hold him to an amount that is not desirable. What he's done to this point and the good Lord willing and he stays healthy and keeps going then he is going to have some good numbers."
There's no doubt that Hubbard's made a case for himself, but it certainly hasn't been against a bunch of teams that can't stop the run. In fact, many people believe Hubbard's Heisman moment came last week against TCU.
Hubbard finished the game with 223 yards and two touchdowns against the Horned Frogs, a defense that entered the game allowing only 103.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked No. 15 in the FBS. The numbers made Hubbard the first player ever to rush for more than 200 yards against a Gary Patterson coached defense.
"[Hubbard's] been impressive against good teams," said coach Gundy. "The last game, for those of you that have been around and know, he played a good defense that can run really fast and he was very, very productive. I think he's laid the ground work himself, and as Mr. Pickens used to say, 'You don't want to look in the bag yet and see what's in there,' so I don't want to do that, but I don't think we have to do much promoting him at all. I think the country's pretty aware of how impressive he his and what kind of year he's had."
There's no doubt that Hubbard has earned the right to be in New York come Dec. 14, a ceremony that's being televised on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT. Will he though? It's certainly going to be interesting to watch as the final three games for the Pokes unfold.
