Going for two: Oklahoma State back in the rankings
For the first time in his four seasons, coach Mike Gundy has his Oklahoma State team in the national rankings, and he said it’s not by accident.
“Oklahoma State has won in the past,” Gundy said. “We won a lot of games in the 1980s. But I’m not sure we had a total commitment like we do now. There’s a strong commitment from top to bottom.”
The buying in comes from many sources. Oilman T. Boone Pickens, the program’s biggest booster, has donated heavily to a facilities overhaul that will be completed next year.
In nine months, the football program will move into what Gundy calls “the best facilities in America.”
Fans have responded by snapping up a school-record 40,000 season tickets, and a record crowd of more than 52,000 watched the Cowboys pound Troy last weekend.
The Cowboys, ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll, have one of the nation’s top offenses, led by quarterback Zac Robinson, wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter.
Robinson ranks fifth nationally in passing efficiency. Bryant ranks third in the Big 12 in receiving yards per game, and Hunter leads the conference in rushing at 154 yards.
The group is putting up numbers mindful of the 1980s triumvirate of running back Barry Sanders, wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes and Gundy, the quarterback.
Oklahoma State has won seven games and a bowl game in each of the last two seasons. Gundy said the team is ready for the next level.
“We’ve had a plan in place for several years, and we’ve got a ways to go,” Gundy said. “We’re taking steps each day, each year in accomplishing our goal.”
Two story lines•Colorado has lost two starting linemen to injuries in the last two weeks, and that comes at a lousy time. Saturday’s opponent, Texas, is tied for the national lead in sacks with four per game.
•A Gundy-coached Oklahoma State team has not defeated Texas A&M, and its heart was ripped out with one-point losses in the last two meetings. The Cowboys are three-touchdown favorites to not let that happen Saturday.
Two questions•You hear plenty about red-zone offense. Who has the best red-zone defense?
Kansas. The Jayhawks have allowed only four scores (two touchdowns) in the opponents’ eight trips to the 20.
•Do conference games mean more to Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman?
No. “I hope we play hard every time,” he said. “There are 12 opportunities, and every one demands that we play as hard as we can. To say play elevates for some games, I have a hard time with that.”
Two quotes•“Honestly, our challenge is with ourselves.”
| Baylor coach Art Briles on the biggest test facing the Bears against Oklahoma. He did allow that the Sooners were without a weakness.
•“Polls are unimportant until mid-October, until you get into the meat of your schedule.”
| Texas coach Mack Brown
