Gordon Again Wins Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, as National Award Talks Start to Bubble

STILLWATER — Ollie Gordon woke up Sunday morning as the national leader in rushing yards, yards per carry (among players with at least 100 carries), rushing yards per game — and did so after averaging six carries a game in OSU’s first three.

So, it should come as no surprise that Gordon also picked up a third straight Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honor after running for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Cincinnati, a team that hadn’t allowed a single player to run for more than 75 yards in a game before Gordon.

Gordon is up to 1,087 rushing yards this season after his fifth straight 100-yard performance. Since 2010, only Gordon and Chuba Hubbard have had five straight games of at least 100 rushing yards in an OSU uniform.

But it gets even crazier.

Gordon and Boston College’s Andre Williams are the only players in the past 20 seasons with 250 scrimmage yards in three straight games. Those games against Kansas, West Virginia and Cincinnati are three of the top five yards from scrimmage games this year.

It’s getting to the point where the only OSU running back he can be compared to is Barry Sanders.

Gordon and Sanders are the only Cowboys to ever rush for at least 250 yards in consecutive weeks. Gordon’s 553 rushing yards the past two weeks is the most for any Cowboy in a two-week span since Sanders combined for 625 against Iowa State and Texas Tech back in Sanders’ 1988 season.

“It’s great to be talked about with greats like Barry Sanders,” Gordon said Saturday. “I mean, he won a Heisman Trophy and is one of the best to ever do it. It’s a special feeling, but I couldn’t do any of it without the guys in front of me. They’re the ones who deserve all the praise.”

The award buzz for Gordon is palpable. A few weeks ago everyone was talking about him having a shot at the Doak Walker — given to college football’s best running back. Now Gordon’s name is starting to get mentioned with the Heisman Trophy.

A running back hasn’t taken home the Heisman since Derrick Henry won it in 2015. Before that, you have to go back to Mark Ingram in 2009.

But it has gotten to the point where media were asking Sanders-related questions to Mike Gundy at his Monday media luncheon. Sanders is OSU’s only Heisman Trophy winner to this point, doing so in 1988.

A full page in OSU’s game notes for Bedlam is dedicated to marketing Gordon for various awards. An ESPN reporter was at OSU’s win against Cincinnati to see Gordon for himself. Word is starting to get out.

Gordon is the back-to-back Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week. It’s hard to imagine anyone usurping him this week (that honor will be bestowed Tuesday). Gordon’s 271 yards against the Bearcats was the highest rushing total of the week and was 66 yards more than the next highest Power Five rusher (Minnesota’s Jordan Nubin).

Should Gordon win the yearly Doak Walker Award, he would be the first Cowboy to ever do so. It started being awarded in 1990 — after Sanders’ college career.

Gundy has talked multiple times of late of the importance of Gordon staying hungry and humble. But Gundy on Monday said he isn’t going to hold Gordon back from being marketed in these award races.

“Whatever Ollie wants to do, Ollie can do,” Gundy said. “I don’t try to shelter or protect them. It’s a waste of time. I think it’s more important that he learns to manage this moreso than us trying to shelter him.

“So, I’m sure [OSU football SID] Sean (McGuire) and them have been communicating with him and [senior associate AD] Kevin (Klintworth) and all the things and whatever plans they might have for something to give information and give him the opportunity to essentially respond and market himself for what he wants to do. We don’t hold him back in that area. I think it’s just better to educate him and let him more forward.”