Was This The Best Rushing Performance of the Gundy Era?

How good was Oklahoma State on the ground against TCU on Saturday?

Well, it might have been the best.

For just the 16th time since 2005, the Pokes put up 300 or more yards on the ground in a single game. They also averaged a preposterous 7.4 yards per carry which is the best in a 300-yard game against any Power 5 team other than Baylor back in 2011 when they put up 12.1 (!!!) a carry.

Considering that 2011 Baylor defense gave up 5.4 yards per carry on the year and this year’s TCU team came in giving up just 3.4 on the ground, an argument could be made that this was the best rushing performance we have ever seen under Gundy.

Here are the other 15 performances.

“I told our boys, in the early 2000’s that how we used to win games,” head coach Mike Gundy said after the game. “That’s what we were known for. When we are not running the ball decent, it makes it harder for us.

“But we’ve come a long way, we’ve built systems that allowed us to take advantage of the players we have and we created running lanes. Our Cowboy backs are impressive, they cut people up and it makes it a lot easier to sleep knowing we can run the ball a little.”

TCU head coach Gary Patterson knows his defense got whipped. They have only given up 7+ yards per carry on one other occasion … to Hawaii in 2000.

“We knew they were going to run the stretch, and they ran the stretch,” said Patterson. “I think you’ve got to give Oklahoma State a lot of credit. They’re a 9-2 football team. We’re 5-5. It’s a lot more gut-wrenching to get a field goal blocked and get beat by two points than it is to get you’re butt kicked.”

Was it the best running performance for a Gundy team ever? I’m not sure about that, but it was definitely one of the most impressive. If you’d have told me at the beginning of the season that OSU would roll up 330+ on TCU in Week 12, I would have giggled. Instead, they made it look easy. And their reward is a white-hot OU team in Norman for all the marbles.