How Oklahoma State Can Benefit From Bye Week Before BYU Game
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are in an odd spot. For a program built on consistency, they have been uncharacteristic this season. Mike Gundy entered his 20th season as the head coach with the potential to make the Big 12 title game and potentially the 12-team College Football Playoffs.
Instead, the Cowboys are 3-3 and the idea of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2005. The product of football in Stillwater has been poor as they're on a three-game losing streak. The offense is putrid, the defense can't get stops and the team, overall, has simply been bad.
Oklahoma State would've liked to avoid the three-game losing streak, but the bye week couldn't come at a better time. There's a very real chance the Cowboys fall to 3-4 on the season as their next contest comes against the BYU Cougars.
There's plenty that needs to be cleaned up if they want a chance to win the game. For a team last season that played through its skill positions, the Cowboys have struggled mightily in the trenches and the wide receivers haven't been able to use speed to create advantages.
Tackling hasn't been sharp, either. Forget schemes, but if they can't consistently make tackles or push people around in the trenches, nothing will get done on the other side of the ball.
Then there's the scheme. Playing to the personnel is crucial. If the receivers aren't creating space, maybe it's time to try new routes and concepts to simplify the game for them and seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman.
Ollie Gordon can't get blocks up front to get him out in space, either. The veteran offensive line should be able to do so, as they did in the 2023 season.
The coaching staff is stuck with this roster for the next six-plus games, so they've got to adapt and find ways to win with a squad that won ten games in 2023.
The bye week will be an aggressive one, and it should be physical. The team needs the week to truly set the tone. If the team fails to make a bowl game, it'll be time for the program to make serious evaluations from top to bottom.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022