Cunningham’s Five Takeaways from the 2017 Season

Tyron: MIA

You knew I was starting with Tyron Beckham-Rice, right? My thoughts on the mishandling of Tyron Johnson’s mercurial talents are well-documented. Despite all of the hype surrounding Tyron from fall camp, he was somehow more underutilized than Tyreek Hill (who’s since become one of the best players in the NFL).

Tyron caught 16 passes. 16. The entire season. Was Gundy not playing him to hurt his draft stock and keep him in Stillwater? Was he more of a problem child than the one-game suspension suggests? Zero clues.

Yes, I’m well aware Ateman and Washington were ahead of him on the depth chart. While that’s obviously understandable, you have to use all of your weapons. OSU kept THIS on the bench all year?!

Whatever the reason, OSU didn’t utilize one of its most explosive weapons and that is a shame.

#Fire Yurcich?

College football coaching is a results-based business. Win? Raise. Lose? Fired. Same goes for offensive coordinators. Scoring points? Raise. Punting? Fired. Which is what makes all of the #FireYurcich nonsense so hard to comprehend. By any statistical measure OSU had one of the best offenses in the country.:

Passing offense: 1st
Points per drive: 2nd
Offensive efficiency: 2nd
Yards per game: 2nd
1st downs: 3rd
Points per game: 3rd
Yards per play: 5th
Points per play: 5th

Should I keep going? Look, do I think Mike Yurcich is the best OC in the country? No, of course not. Do I think he runs on first down too much? Sure. Do I think he’s a good offensive coordinator? I do.

For more perspective, it’s important to remember what he inherited when he came to OSU: Zero talent at running back and an offensive line that couldn’t block a stiff breeze. Despite being completely one-dimensional from a talent standpoint, Mikey Y created a running game and lethal red zone offense out of thin air with the J.W. Walsh package. That’s coaching, folks.

Also, Yurcich has proven himself to be a good recruiter (Thanks for Mason, Gamecocks!). So I have come full-circle on Yurcich. Believe me, I did not have this opinion when he was running off-tackle in Morgantown back in 2013. If you look at him objectively, he’s grown into his role and I’m not sure why he’s still getting heat when the defense was shredded in the most important games of the season.

Gundy is Yurcich, Einhorn is Finkle

All of that being said, can the offense go into a Ted Cruz-ian shell? You better believe it. That’s what makes it so hard to separate who’s at fault between Mike & Mike when they literally quit running their offense. I tend to believe it is Gundy, who tipped his hand on this very subject this season with these two quotes:

On Les Miles overruling his play-calling: 

“I called all the plays but once we got on the 5-yard line, he’d get on the phones and say, ‘I’ve got it from here.”

I don’t think Gundy goes that far but I do think when you see OSU get conservative it’s the Mullet talking on the headset. The Pat Jones is strong in him. 

And then there’s this quote the Monday after Bedlam: “I shut up and stayed off the mic because [Yurcich] was rolling, and he was feeling it.”

You mean the first Bedlam in eons when the OSU offense played to win? This tells me when the OSU offense goes into a mysterious shell, that’s Gundy. For those keeping score:

• When OSU runs the ball 51 times against Texas – That’s Gundy.
• When OSU goes balls-to-the-wall in 2017 Bedlam – That’s Yurcich.
• 
When OSU doesn’t try score at the end of the half in 2016 Bedlam – That’s Gundy.
• 
The unforgettable Kitchen Sink 2013 Baylor game? – That’s Yurcich

I know that seems like Gundy gets all of the blame, which would be unfair. Yurcich isn’t faultless here. It’s just clear to me MY is an aggressive OC and the conservative shells more than likely trace back to Gundy. I don’t think it’s a coincidence Gundy hired a coach from Shippensburg, he was probably tired of Monken and Dana turning off their headsets.

Defense needs a reboot

Ok, enough about the offense. That’s not the problem in Stillwater. The defense needs a complete reboot. As in the computer screen is blue and it’s time to hit control+alt+delete. 

Gundy also said this after Bedlam:“Slowly but surely we’re building a defense that can play with our team. And it’s going to get better and better and better.”

We all know it’s not getting better. Despite an added emphasis in recruiting, the defense simply isn’t getting it done. These numbers are startling.

You know how offenses can steal other team’s plays or concepts after watching them on film? Why can’t OSU do the same with TCU’s defense? It’s not as if they recruit far superior players on that side of the ball. Gary Patterson is one of the game’s best defensive minds, but plucking someone from his tree or emulating what they do on defense is the way to go.

If they get rid of Spencer, promoting a coach from the current staff (like Joe Bob Clements who’s done a remarkable job with the defensive line) would be a mistake, in my opinion. Gundy needs to go outside of his coaching tree and revamp the entire defensive side of the ball. Much like he did with Dana Holgorsen, this time with the defense.

OSU was closer to 7-5 than 11-1

What I will remember most from this season (which Porter touched on well in his 5 takeaways) is the conservative nature from the entire program. Offense, defense, special teams, even uniform combinations. I leave you with one final Gundy quote:

“We’re gunslingers. We’re not scared. We’re going to throw it deep. We’re going to play fast.”

Really? Where was that in Austin? Where was that all season? It felt like OSU did play scared this season. Across the board. They hung on for dear life against inferior opponents – Beating Tech, Iowa State and Texas by a combined 17 points.

In addition, OSU never quite embraced what they are offensively – Leach-Era Texas Tech on steroids, a pass-first juggernaut that should run-up the score on everyone. Nor defensively – A culmination of recruiting emphasis with players who “look” capable of playing Big 12 title-caliber defense.

I hope Gundy maintains the Gunslinger mantra moving forward, but 2017 will be remembered for it being talk, not action.