Why Mike Gundy Is ‘Comfortable’ With Where OSU Is At

Mike Gundy spoke with the media for a few minutes on Wednesday, and he said something interesting about where OSU currently sits in the Big 12 (4-2 overall, 2-1 in the league). It was a grade of sorts, which we have been handing out this week on the blog. And it wasn’t a bad one.

“I’m comfortable with where we are,” said Gundy. “We’ve played pretty well at times and if we didn’t we were able to identify why we played well and find a solution. If there’s a solution to the issues we have in every phase of the game, then I’m OK with that because we can coach and teach it, and the players are committing themselves to getting better.

“I’m not very relaxed when I don’t have an answer for what would be football that’s not quite up to par. We’ve got young men who are committed and we’ve been able to identify our problems at times and we have answers for it. That’s coaching, and I enjoy that part of the game.”

Did you hear that? “If there’s a solution to the issues we have … then I’m OK with that because we can coach and teach it.” That’s pretty interesting. It’s true that OSU has “solved” its problems at running back, patched up the offensive line, improved the special teams and gotten within three plays of being 6-0.

“It’s just game by game,” added Glenn Spencer. “Every game, I pick out some things we have done well and some things we have done poor. Obviously, the things we have done poor have produced big gains and points. It is a game by game deal. I think if we get some of those things corrected, we have a big ceiling that we are not close to reaching yet.”

I’m not sure I totally buy what Gundy and Spencer are selling here. I would not be relaxed at all about the thought of Pat Mahomes, Kenny Trill and Baker Mayfield carving up what has been a below-average secondary thus far. Or the grind about to be undertaken by a defense that, beyond the front four, is a little thinner than I would like it to be.

I get what he’s saying, and I think angst over a 4-2 record is silly when OSU could very easily be 6-0. But then again, it could just as easily be 2-4 (gulp). OSU has lacked that dominant gene that great teams have since the 2011 season. Even in 2013 and 2015 when it won 10 games, it rarely threw down the gauntlet and said “we’re going to rock.” There are a handful of games (2015 TCU, 2013 Baylor), but that hasn’t happened as often as most of us would like.

Still, I trust what Gundy has done and is doing, and if he thinks they are able to fix their issues internally then I’m good with that. I just wish they would start doing it in the first half of games instead of waiting until the end of the third quarter.