Mike Gundy Thrives In Close Games, Has One Loss In Last Three Years

As the clock unwound in Manhattan and the reality that Oklahoma State’s Big 12 title dreams were in fact still alive, a pleased Mike Gundy spoke to reporters.

“These games are nerve-wracking for all of us,” Gundy told Go Pokes. “Really for me, I enjoy watching it and seeing them rally. When we talk about no fear, no fatigue, no frustration in our program, they never showed any frustration, they just kept playing.

“Obviously, fatigue wasn’t an issue because they played better in the fourth quarter then they did in the third. So, their attitude, their body language, the character of who they are, the substance of this team, I can’t say anything but A-plus.”

I love that. OSU really does have a knack for winning tight games in the Gundy era. A stunning Mike Gundy stat emerged in the Manhattan aftermath. In his last 11 games decided by fewer than 10 points, Gundy and Co. are 10-1. The only loss? CMU************************

Let’s take a look at all 11 games.

at Kansas (2014) — 27-20

And we’re off to a roaring start.

at OU (2014) — 38-35

This is the crown jewel of this list.

Washington (2015) — 30-22

Another gem that looks better with age especially with the way UDub is playing this season.

at Texas (2015) — 30-27

This was one of the more hideous good wins of the Gundy era.

Kansas State (2015) — 36-34

I would imagine KSU is on this list for a lot of teams.

at West Virginia (2015) 33-26

One of the sneaky great wins of the Gundy era.

at Iowa State (2015) — 35-31

This, too, probably should have been a loss. It is probably not good that you have two Iowa State games on here in which OSU failed to cover the spread.

Central Micigan (2016) — 30-27

The only loss!

Pittsburgh (2016) — 45-38

OSU was a narrow favorite here and with the way Penn State (which Pitt beat) is playing the second half of the year, this win keeps getting more impressive.

Iowa State (2016) — 38-31

It’s sort of embarrassing that this game is on the list, but then again Iowa State might be the best 1-8 team of all time.

at Kansas State (2016) — 43-37

Saturday’s game. OSU could have (and probably should have) lost. But it didn’t, and the dream of a Big 12 crown was prolonged a week deeper into November.

There are a couple of ways to look at this list. The first is that OSU “just wins, baby.” The other is “why are you having super close games against Kansas and Iowa State?” Gundy insists there is parity in the Big 12 which I can get on board with, but nobody thinks Kansas and ISU are good enough to hang with these OSU teams.

The flip side of that is that when OSU loses, it gets houuuuuused. Look at the end of last year. Ten straight wins before getting beat by a combined 73 points by Baylor, OU and Ole Miss. It’s different if you’re winning all your games (including the sub-10-point ones).

But OSU has also won a ton of games under Gundy — even those we don’t think should be as close as they have been. In the last three years it is 18-1 as the favored team in Vegas. Eighteen and one! Only Clemson has a better record (min. 10 games).

So yes it has a penchant for winning tight games, but it takes care of business as the favorite. Even if it’s not in the manner in which we would prefer.

“No one starts yelling, no one loses composure,” James Washington told the Tulsa World. “I feel like I actually calm down when things like that happen.”

I’m glad somebody is.