Gordon Wins Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Again, Benson Wins Defensive Player of the Week

STILLWATER — Ollie Gordon became the second player in Big 12 history to win the league’s offensive player of the week for a fourth straight week.

Oklahoma State’s star tailback picked up the honor, again, on Monday, and OSU linebacker Xavier Benson won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Starting with Gordon, he was actually the Co-Offensive Player of the Week this particular week, sharing the honor with UCF running back RJ Harvey. Gordon’s 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Sooners weren’t as gaudy as the numbers he has posted the past few weeks, but they were still the most yards OU has allowed a single rusher all season.

It was impressive in that it was a different type of performance from Gordon. In previous weeks, the highlights came of Gordon bursting through a hole and outrunning people. His Bedlam yards were tough. He had to grind to get them.

“When you play Oklahoma [the yards are] tougher because they’re fast,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said Monday. “When he breaks through, they start showing up really quick. That’s why yards against them — since I started playing against them in 1986 — it’s always been an issue because of their overall team speed. They show up quick, so you don’t just break through and just take off and nobody else shows up.

“Against, maybe, the majority of other teams across the country maybe the 140 or 138 he had would be 188 based on them not getting to him as fast. But Oklahoma has, and can, and probably always will run really well on defense.”

Gordon will have a chance to make it five straight as he and the Cowboys head down to Orlando for a game against Harvey and the Knights.

Speaking of gutsy performances, that’s what Benson provided for the Pokes on Saturday. He finished with seven tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry.

“He’s reckless with his body,” Gundy said. “The thing I’ve mentioned to you guys, if you want to play well at this level, you have to have an ability to play reckless with your body. If you get hurt, you get hurt. That’s what he’s doing. Watching him play on video, he’s running, he’s slamming himself into linemen and giving his body up. So, he’s playing well.

“He’s really evolved in his mental preparation and how he handles game situations, in my opinion. That’s where he’s made his biggest strides over the last 12 months.”

These honors become the sixth and seventh Big 12 honors the Pokes have picked up this season, with all of them coming in the past five weeks.

Big 12 Weekly Honors (Nov. 6)

Offense: RJ Harvey, UCF, RB, Sr., and Ollie Gordon II, OSU, RB, So.
Defense: Xavier Benson, OSU, LB, Sr.
Newcomer: Adonai Mitchell, UT, WR, Jr.
Special Teams: Bert Auburn, UT, K, Jr.