Oklahoma State HC 'Not Concerned' About Running Game
Oklahoma State has had issues finding its rushing success from last season, but Mike Gundy isn’t worried about his team.
On Saturday, OSU beat Tulsa 45-10 in its nonconference finale and dominated with its air attack. However, star running back Ollie Gordon has not had the production he was expected to have throughout the first three matchups, running for only 41 yards on 17 carries.
In Monday’s press conference, Gundy talked about how teams have focused on stopping Gordon and holding the run game to minimal production.
“I’m not concerned about the running game,” Gundy said. “We ran the ball well Saturday when we had a equal number or half-man disadvantage. We didn’t run the ball well when they had one or two people extra there.”
While Gordon has not been able to produce at the level he did last season, he has still been integral to OSU’s success. With so many defenders focused on stopping the run, the Cowboys’ Doak Walker winner has become a perfect decoy to kickstart the passing game.
Alan Bowman threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns against Tulsa despite resting in the fourth quarter. Getting that level of production will not happen every week, but Gordon’s skillset and willingness to do whatever it takes to win has allowed Bowman to become his best version.
“I think you always have to keep them in the loop about what’s going on,” Gundy said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that human nature is for Ollie or any other player or any other human to think that they’re doing good and having success, particularly when people build you up to be something. I could show you five or six plays real quick where we had really successful plays because Ollie went this way, and eight guys chased him that way.”
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IVAN WHITE
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.