Judge Smails
12/1/2009, 01:48 AM
http://www.ocolly.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-gundy-1.946506
The good, the bad and the Gundy
By Ryan Stewart
Sports Editor
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Share this article Published: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Updated: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Cowboys coach Mike Gundy is 0-5 against OU as OSU’s coach.
On Saturday, Cowboy players, coaches and fans left Norman with far more questions than answers.
Was Zac Robinson healthy enough to play?
Did Mike Gundy have five plays written down on a napkin that he didn’t waiver from all game?
What did the Cowboys do with those extra two days of preparation after a Thursday night victory against Colorado?
How did that Sooner defense lose five games?
Although all of those are legitimate questions, most went unanswered in the postgame press conference following the Cowboy’s 27-0 loss at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
I would very much like to know the answers but I left Norman with one pressing query, one that is seemingly unanswerable but I would imagine is also on the minds of Cowboy fans across the land: What has happened to Mike Gundy?
What happened to the wiry quarterback that jawed back and forth with Sooner great Brian Bosworth in the ‘80s?
What happened to the offensive coordinator that masterfully engineered drives consisting of deep passes and trick plays that helped build a 35-6 lead against OU in 2002 en route to a second consecutive Bedlam victory?
What happened to the coach that fearlessly defended quarterback Bobby Reid in his infamous postgame tirade?
The only possible answer I can find — Oklahoma happened.
Gundy has been a part of several coaching staffs that have beaten the Sooners, but when he has been directly responsible, whether lining up under center or donning the head coaching mantle, the results have been far less impressive. Gundy is now 0-9 against Oklahoma in those capacities.
“I’m disappointed in our gameplan on offense, I’m disappointed with the way we played,” Gundy said.
That’s a pretty substantial understatement considering the Cowboys tallied just four yards of total offense in the second half and zero first downs.
Looking back on the shutout loss, OSU’s first since a 34-0 loss to Colorado on Oct. 1, 2005, there are a plethora of options to choose from when detailing the Cowboys’ demise.
I will focus on two things, actually two plays.
The Cowboys were twice faced with fourth-and-one, both were situations where the Cowboy offense had stayed on the field against Georgia, Texas, Texas Tech and Colorado. Situations where the Cowboy coaches showed no fear, situations where they showed confidence in their offense and showed the will to do whatever was necessary to win, and situations where the Cowboys were not playing Oklahoma.
On Saturday, the Cowboys punted on both occasions.
Gundy’s explanation felt like a punt, as well.
“They had 11 games on tape and there wasn’t a whole lot of tricks left and that’s the downfall of playing late in the season like this,” Gundy said.
That’s not an explanation as I understand the definition. That’s a cop out.
“Don’t want to take away from what the team has accomplished this year,” Gundy said. “We started this on Aug. 5, we asked these guys to play a long football season and to play at a high level and compete each week.”
The team has accomplished a lot this year. Three straight road victories, a landmark season opening triumph against Georgia, a hard-fought win against Texas Tech and a gutsy comeback with third-string quarterback Brandon Weeden against CU.
Those were games when OSU took chances and fought tooth-and-nail to earn a victory. But against the Sooners, it appeared that the coaching staff had a different goal. The goal wasn’t to win, it was to not lose. The coaches didn’t take chances, they didn’t run trick plays, they didn’t go for fourth-and-short.
That lack of confidence does take away from what the team has accomplished.
Gunter Brewer did not shy away from explaining who was at fault.
“It wasn’t one person or another, people took turns screwing up,” Brewer said.
“Mostly, it was the coaches.”
With OSU’s BCS bowl dreams shattered, the Cowboys appear to be on a collision course for the Cotton Bowl in “Jerry World” against the last coach that had what it took to beat the Sooners — Les Miles and the LSU Tigers
The good, the bad and the Gundy
By Ryan Stewart
Sports Editor
Print this article
Share this article Published: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Updated: Sunday, November 29, 2009
Cowboys coach Mike Gundy is 0-5 against OU as OSU’s coach.
On Saturday, Cowboy players, coaches and fans left Norman with far more questions than answers.
Was Zac Robinson healthy enough to play?
Did Mike Gundy have five plays written down on a napkin that he didn’t waiver from all game?
What did the Cowboys do with those extra two days of preparation after a Thursday night victory against Colorado?
How did that Sooner defense lose five games?
Although all of those are legitimate questions, most went unanswered in the postgame press conference following the Cowboy’s 27-0 loss at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
I would very much like to know the answers but I left Norman with one pressing query, one that is seemingly unanswerable but I would imagine is also on the minds of Cowboy fans across the land: What has happened to Mike Gundy?
What happened to the wiry quarterback that jawed back and forth with Sooner great Brian Bosworth in the ‘80s?
What happened to the offensive coordinator that masterfully engineered drives consisting of deep passes and trick plays that helped build a 35-6 lead against OU in 2002 en route to a second consecutive Bedlam victory?
What happened to the coach that fearlessly defended quarterback Bobby Reid in his infamous postgame tirade?
The only possible answer I can find — Oklahoma happened.
Gundy has been a part of several coaching staffs that have beaten the Sooners, but when he has been directly responsible, whether lining up under center or donning the head coaching mantle, the results have been far less impressive. Gundy is now 0-9 against Oklahoma in those capacities.
“I’m disappointed in our gameplan on offense, I’m disappointed with the way we played,” Gundy said.
That’s a pretty substantial understatement considering the Cowboys tallied just four yards of total offense in the second half and zero first downs.
Looking back on the shutout loss, OSU’s first since a 34-0 loss to Colorado on Oct. 1, 2005, there are a plethora of options to choose from when detailing the Cowboys’ demise.
I will focus on two things, actually two plays.
The Cowboys were twice faced with fourth-and-one, both were situations where the Cowboy offense had stayed on the field against Georgia, Texas, Texas Tech and Colorado. Situations where the Cowboy coaches showed no fear, situations where they showed confidence in their offense and showed the will to do whatever was necessary to win, and situations where the Cowboys were not playing Oklahoma.
On Saturday, the Cowboys punted on both occasions.
Gundy’s explanation felt like a punt, as well.
“They had 11 games on tape and there wasn’t a whole lot of tricks left and that’s the downfall of playing late in the season like this,” Gundy said.
That’s not an explanation as I understand the definition. That’s a cop out.
“Don’t want to take away from what the team has accomplished this year,” Gundy said. “We started this on Aug. 5, we asked these guys to play a long football season and to play at a high level and compete each week.”
The team has accomplished a lot this year. Three straight road victories, a landmark season opening triumph against Georgia, a hard-fought win against Texas Tech and a gutsy comeback with third-string quarterback Brandon Weeden against CU.
Those were games when OSU took chances and fought tooth-and-nail to earn a victory. But against the Sooners, it appeared that the coaching staff had a different goal. The goal wasn’t to win, it was to not lose. The coaches didn’t take chances, they didn’t run trick plays, they didn’t go for fourth-and-short.
That lack of confidence does take away from what the team has accomplished.
Gunter Brewer did not shy away from explaining who was at fault.
“It wasn’t one person or another, people took turns screwing up,” Brewer said.
“Mostly, it was the coaches.”
With OSU’s BCS bowl dreams shattered, the Cowboys appear to be on a collision course for the Cotton Bowl in “Jerry World” against the last coach that had what it took to beat the Sooners — Les Miles and the LSU Tigers