OSU’s O-Line Performance Gets Highest Coaching Grade in Gundy’s Tenure

STILLWATER — A lot has been said of the electrifying performances Spencer Sanders, Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace put up against Oregon State, but it all started up front.

At his media luncheon Monday, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said his offensive line’s performance in the 52-36 victory was received the highest grade of any since he had taken over. Sure, Oregon State’s defense wasn’t all that great, but for it to be the best graded game since Gundy took over in 2005 is a great feat no matter the opponent.

“It’s early in all phases,” Gundy said. “Everybody has to be careful about being on the Kool-Aid early, but it was the highest grade that we ever had as an offensive line group since I’ve been the head coach.”

The Cowboy line paved the way for its offense to score 52 points. The group allowed only one sack, and opened lanes for the Pokes to rush for 352 yards. And lanes is no understatement Gundy could’ve driven his tractor through this:

It was the unit’s first game under new offensive line coach Charlie Dickey, who as Kyle Boone noted in a sourced story located in our PFB+ forum Gundy has already bought all the way in on, but most of the players weren’t new.

The quartet of Marcus Keyes, Johnny Wilson, Teven Jenkins and Dylan Galloway have 80 total starts at OSU between them. Bryce Bray was the only newcomer to the group, but his 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame has fit in nicely at right guard.

Dickey’s entrance seems to have also factored into the O-line’s dominant play. Dickey coaches an older style of football with a base in physicality. His players bring up the word “nasty” quite a bit from describing it.

Dickey has helped the Cowboys get a little more old-school, a place Gundy said he wants to be.

“My early years here, once we got past the first year we kinda figured out what we were doing, in 06, 07, 08, 09, people didn’t really want to play us based on our physicality up front and our ability to hit you in the mouth and rush the football,” Gundy said. “We weren’t as, maybe, flamboyant as we were in the last six or eight years. But we, I guess maybe me more than anybody, wants to get back to that, the way that we built this program in the early days.”