It’s Time For Oklahoma State to Consider More Than a QB Change
Times are bad in Stillwater. This season is almost reminiscent of the 2022 season for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
There was plenty of hype surrounding the football program, which was understood. Their 2023 season began shaky -- a 2-2 start -- though they capped off the season strong, making the Big 12 title game. They finished with a 10-4 record.
With Oklahoma and Texas leaving the conference, the Big 12 title was supposed to be the Cowboys' for the taking. Instead, the team is being booed regardless of the result of any snap. They just took a 38-14 loss to West Virginia, following a 42-20 loss to Kansas State, which followed a 22-19 loss to Utah.
Simply put, the Pokes aren't good. Superstar running back Ollie Gordon hasn't been able to get going. Quarterback Alan Bowman hasn't been connecting with his star receivers. The team is lackluster.
Last season, Oklahoma State proved to have talent. They returned those players, as mentioned, yet the product is terrible. Changes are needed to be made. That much is simple. A quarterback change will be made, but Gordon will still struggle to get out in space. The veteran offensive line should be able to block, but they've struggled.
After a decade and a half, it might be time for the program to move on from offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn. The same goes for defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo. Head coach Mike Gundy -- should he keep his job -- needs a clean house.
Blame can be distributed in plenty of directions, which is a problem. At the end of the day, if execution is an issue or miscommunication, the staff needs to be able to lead its players to fix those issues.
Even last season -- before the Cowboys discovered Gordon's greatness and rode that to a successful season -- the team was in the gutter. They were rotating three quarterbacks and had nothing.
It seems serious change should be on the horizon, and if it's not, it would be a failure on the athletic department's fault.
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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