The Top 10 Games of the Mike Gundy Era of Oklahoma State Football

The greatest era Oklahoma State football has ever seen came to an end this week.

After winning 170 games across 21 seasons, Mike Gundy was let go as the Cowboys’ football coach on Tuesday. It’s an odd time for the OSU fanbase, as there is an entire generation that doesn’t know OSU football outside of Gundy.

There were some rough moments at the end, but let’s look back at the good. Here are the top 10 games of the Gundy era.

10. Georgia 2009

This was one of the first big moments that proved Gundy’s Cowboys weren’t some flash in the pan.

OSU opened the 2009 season with a 24-10 win against the Bulldogs. The Cowboys ran for 172 yards on Georgia that day with the tandem of Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston combining for 130 yards on the ground.

But the real issue the Georgia defense had was Dez Bryant. Bryant needed only three catches that day to outscore the Bulldogs, as he turned those catches into 77 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns would grace the cover of Sports Illustrated — another example of how these were no longer your grandfather’s OSU Cowboys.

9. Texas 2018

OSU finished the 2018 season at 7-6, meaning this year wasn’t one of the highest of highs in the Gundy era, but this game marked another example of Gundy’s ability to do more with less.

From 1946 to 2009, OSU was 1-17 against Texas, but from that point on, Gundy went 9-5 against the resource-heavy ‘Horns. The Cowboys won this one 38-35.

This game had so many moments, none more memorable than Gundy and Tom Herman both essentially walking to midfield during the game with Herman losing his mind and pointing across the way.

As OSU was kneeling out the clock, UT defensive lineman Breckyn Hager aggressively went at OSU receiver Tyron Johnson. Johnson escorted Hager to the ground and some pushing and shoving started. Gundy left the sideline trying to disperse a potential fight while Herman ran out upset at … something. Gundy raised both hands to the neon black sky as he walked back to the OSU sideline. Boone Pickens Stadium was a madhouse.

Another core memory moment from this game was Tylan Wallace outjumping a Texas corner for a ball before sliding by another and in to the end zone. Wallace killed Texas. He had 10 catches for 222 yards and two scores.

8. Baylor 2013

ESPN’s College GameDay made the voyage to Stillwater for this November matchup between No. 3 Baylor and No. 11 Oklahoma State.

The result on the field — not even close. The Cowboys handed the Bears their first loss of the season with a 49-17 beatdown.

I’m not sure why, but the most memorable thing to me about this game was Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty tripping in what looked to be an easy stroll into the end zone.

Clint Chelf diced up the Baylor defense, throwing for 370 yards and three touchdowns on just 25 attempts — that’s 14.8 yards an attempt. Chelf also had a 48-yard reception from Josh Stewart. Charlie Moore also got in on the passing action with a 22-yard completion.

It was a big day for Tracy Moore, who caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The OSU D allowed 359 yards of offense to the Bears but gave up just 17 points because the Pokes forced four fumbles and recovered three. One of those recoveries went 78 yards back the other way when Tyler Patmon scored in the fourth quarter to give OSU a 42-10 lead.

7. Bedlam 2023

You could cut the tension with a knife on Nov. 4, 2023 in Boone Pickens Stadium, as neither Oklahoma State nor Oklahoma wanted to leave the Bedlam rivalry with an L.

The Cowboys sent the Sooners packing to the SEC, winning 27-24.

It was a relatively tight game throughout with not a ton of massive plays that the Bedlam rivalry had grown used to over the years. But the Cowboys kept chipping away. Despite going into the fourth quarter down 21-17, the Pokes just found a way to finish with more points than OU.

It wasn’t the most efficient game of Ollie Gordon’s Doak Walker-winning season (which shows just how elite that season was), but his 33 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns were enough to get the job done.

Alan Bowman threw for 334 yards while OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for 344. It was perhaps the game of Rashod Owens’ career, as the Cowboy receiver caught 10 balls for 136 yards. Brennan Presley added eight catches for another 97 yards.

Xavier Benson should get a shoutout for his defensive performance, as he had three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

It was massive because it was a ranked matchup for two teams in search of a Big 12 title. It was an even more massive game considering it was Bedlam. And it was an made all the more massive by the fact that it was the last Bedlam on the schedule. And Mike Gundy won it.

6. Bedlam 2011

Gundy was 0-6 in Bedlam games entering 2011, but this group of Cowboys left no doubt as to which of the state’s schools were better on this day that ended with the Cowboys hoisting the Big 12 trophy.

It was a boatrace from start to finish. The Cowboys clobbered the Sooners 44-10. OSU scored the game’s first 24 points.

The Cowboys won going away without Brandon Weeden even needing to throw a touchdown. The Cowboys went for 278 on the ground with Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith each finishing with more than 100 yards and two touchdowns.

The OSU defense ate Landry Jones alive. OU lost three fumbles and Jones threw two interceptions. Richetti Jones scored on a five-yard fumble return. Jamie Blatnick nearly did the same, but his 59-yard return was ruled just short of the end zone.

It was a euphoric beat down.

5. Bedlam 2014

Not more needs to be said other than “There goes the Cheetah.”

In the midst of probably the worst season of the Gundy era to that point, OSU turned its fortunes around back in 2014 in Norman. This win got the Cowboys into a bowl game. It was Mason Rudolph’s second career start, and this game felt like the jumping off point to the era of prosperity the Cowboys would see with Rudolph behind center.

OSU won 38-35 in overtime. The Cowboys got to overtime via a 92-yard punt return from Tyreek Hill. The return shouldn’t have happened. OSU was penalized for roughing the kicker after a Hill fair catch. Bob Stoops elected to punt again in hopes of pinning the Cowboys deeper — a decision that looks even worse in hindsight given Hill’s success in the NFL.

Brandon Sheperd was an unsung hero of the contest, as he caught seven passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

4. Missouri 2008

This was Oklahoma State’s coming out party to the main stream.

The Cowboys went a combined 18-19 through Gundy’s first three seasons, going 7-6 in 2006 and 2007. But it was evident early in 2008 season that the Cowboys had taken that next step forward, and that came to a head in Columbia.

OSU went to Mizzou at 5-0 while scoring 52.6 points a game. Missouri was also 5-0, and the Tigers hadn’t gone three-and-out all season.

No. 3 Mizzou went three-and-out on its second series. Gundy was drawing up plays on the sideline, and OSU battled to a 28-23 win.

The OSU defense forced Chase Daniel into three interceptions.

Dez Bryant had seven catches, but this was a rare game where he wasn’t the Cowboys’ receiver of the game. That honor has to go to Damian Davis, who had three catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

Kendall Hunter was probably the Pokes’ outright player of the game, as he had 154 yards and a 68-yard touchdown run.

OSU scored early in the second half to take a 14-10 lead. Mizzou answered later in the third quarter to take a 17-14 lead, but then Davis touchdowns late the in third quarter and midway through the fourth were enough to put the Pokes out of the Tigers’ reach.

3. Bedlam 2021

The second-to-last Bedlam in Stillwater was a euphoric day for the orange-clad faithful, as the Cowboys beat the Sooners 37-33 en route to a 12-2 finish (more on that soon).

This take my vote for Bedlam game of the Gundy era because of all of the moments.

Brennan Presley’s lightning strike kick return.

Spencer Sanders’ speed option touchdown when he looked more like Barry Sanders than a quarterback.

Special teams mishaps.

That moment on OU’s final drive where Caleb Williams scrambled for a 56-yard gain, giving Cowboy fans the feeling of, “So this is how our hearts are going to be ripped out.”

But then a freshman Collin Oliver army-crawled to Williams’ ankles for a fourth-down sack to ice it.

What a night.

Sanders had his mishaps, finishing with two picks, but he also essentially willed his team to victory by throwing for 214 yards and a touchdown and running for a team-high 93 yards and another score.

The Cowboy defense sacked Williams not once, not twice, but six (6!) times.

The prevailing thought going into that game was that Lincoln Riley was headed to LSU, but in reality he bolted for USC afterward, taking Williams with him. It was a grand OSU day on many levels.

2. Fiesta Bowl vs. Notre Dame

About a month after that Bedlam win, Gundy was on a stage with the Fiesta Bowl trophy saying “We got a logo, too,” after the Cowboys’ 37-35 win against Notre Dame.

Not only was it a Fiesta Bowl win, but it was a manner of which OSU pulled it off. The Cowboys found themselves down 28-7 late in the second quarter before rattling off 30 straight points to take a 37-28 lead. The Irish scored with about a minute left but were unable to fall on an onside kick.

This was probably Spencer Sanders’ magnum opus. He threw for 371 yards, four touchdowns and had no interceptions while running for another 125 yards.

Tay Martin deserves a lot of credit, as well, as he finished with 10 catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns. All of those touchdowns came after Notre Dame’s big lead.

A young Brennan Presley also had a big day, catching 10 balls for 137 yards.

The defense made some big plays late, as well. Kolby Harvell-Peel stripped a ball and got the recovery while Malcolm Rodriguez had a big interception.

1. Fiesta Bowl vs. Stanford

This win meant OSU was arguably the best team in the country for the 2011 season.

With the BCS deciding an SEC rematch of a game that finished 9-6 should be the national championship game, OSU met up with a Stanford squad that was littered with NFL talent, including soon-to-be No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, in the Fiesta Bowl.

It was a back-and-forth affair that ended in a 41-38 overtime win for the Pokes.

Stanford did a good job keeping Justin Blackmon contained early, but when he got rolling, there was no stopping him. He caught nine passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. His second touchdown came on a simple slant route. He dispatched the defender hanging on him while catching the ball before running away from the rest of the Stanford defense for a 67-yard TD.

Stanford gained a 14-0 lead early before OSU responded with two Blackmon touchdowns. Then the teams traded blows for the rest of the night as if this was a heavyweight prize fight.

Joseph Randle scored on a 4-yard run with 2:35 to play in regulation to tie the game at 38 and send it to overtime.

Stanford’s kicker missed a field-goal attempt at the end of regulation and in overtime.

Weeden hit Colton Chelf in OT on a play that was originally ruled a touchdown but upon further review, it was determined Chelf didn’t get in. Quinn Sharp ended it with a 22-yard field goal.

Honorable Mentions

vs. TCU — 2015
vs. West Virginia — 2018
vs. Kansas State — 2011
at Texas A&M — 2011