Ollie Gordon's Path to Unanimous All-American And The Doak Walker Award
Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon has had one of the more impressive seasons in program history.
The sophomore is No. 1 in the country in rushing yards this season, including No. 2 in rushing yards per game.
Gordon's season has led to awards and honors, and the path to that status has been full of adversity and excitement.
The Slow Start
OSU's start to the season wasn't exactly what fans had hoped for, especially Gordon.
The Cowboys started the season 2-1, but the 33-7 loss to South Alabama was the vocal point of that start to the season.
Gordon was a part of a running back rotation in those three games, but he still couldn't get anything going.
Gordon collected only 109 yards and two touchdowns in those three games, including only 12 yards and zero touchdowns in the loss to South Alabama.
After that game, Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy said they were going to switch up the way they were going to run the offense, and Gordon put on a show for the rest of the season.
The Month of October
OSU went on a five-game winning streak during the season, with four of those wins coming in the month of October.
Everything was working for OSU at the time, especially Gordon.
During October, Gordon had four straight games with over 100 rushing yards, including two games with over 250 rushing yards.
The sophomore's best performance in the month came against West Virginia. Gordon had 282 rushing yards and four touchdowns, helping OSU escape Morgantown with a 48-34 victory.
Gordon's play in October was the bright spot that OSU needed, and it set up the Cowboys in prime position against Oklahoma.
Bedlam
The final installment of Bedlam for the foreseeable future turned out to be one for the ages.
Oklahoma State took down the Sooners 27-24, and Gordon was the star of the show. He secured 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns, giving the Cowboys the last laugh in Bedlam.
The sophomore's play against Oklahoma showed the whole country just how special he was, and it led to some honors and awards.
Honors and Awards
Gordon's first honor came from the conference, for he was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Then, the All-American honors poured in. Gordon collected All-American status from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press, the Sporting News and the American Football Coaches Association, along with several others.
Those five honors made him a unanimous All-American this season, the first Cowboy to do that since Chuba Hubbard.
Gordon's highest honor this season came on Dec. 8, when he was named the winner of the Doak Walker Award, making him the first Cowboy to do that in program history.
Gordon's season has been one for the record books, and he will always be remembered for what he did during the 2023 season.
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Nick is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University, where he also minors Sports Managment. He has covered OSU softball for 107.7 The Franchise and also covers Oklahoma high school football for Enid News & Eagle.