Why Mike Gundy Almost Went for it on Fourth Down at Iowa State

The Oklahoma State-Iowa State almost didn’t come down to an interception on Saturday. No, Mike Gundy almost tried to end it before that and not even give the Cyclones the ball back.

On third and 8 with just over three minutes left, Mason Rudolph dumped a ball to J.D. King who raced for the first down line. He was close but clearly short. However, he was definitely not as short as the spot he got. Watch where he lands, and then watch where the referee puts his foot.

He lands on the almost-42, and the ref marks it at the 41. Not even close!

Gundy had questions.

“I was going to challenge, but my buddy over there on the sideline (the referee), I said, ‘Why did you spot the ball back there, the ball was way up here.’ He said, ‘Well that’s what I saw.’ I said, ‘OK, what do we do about challenging it?’ He said, ‘They’ve been looking at it for three minutes coach, you’re wasting your time.’ I said, ‘OK, sounds good.’ That was a little shocking to me … Two yards was a little too much.”

It wasn’t quite two yards, but it was pretty far. The refs ended up looking at it anyway … and decided nothing? Here’s the before-the-review spot as well as the after-the-review spot.

Before

After

Ball doesn’t move.

Still, Gundy considered rolling because OSU was up 7, and a first down there would have more or less ended the game because Iowa State couldn’t stop the clock.

“That was about as close as I could have ever gotten to going for it on 4th and 2, but we got a terrible spot,” said Gundy. “I wanted them to move the ball because we felt like it was 6-8 inches. We were debating on going for it. We’re still ahead by 7 so you win it or you tie it. I was going to go for it, roll with it.”

I actually think I would have been OK with this. Except you know if they didn’t get it that Iowa State would have scored and gone for two. Zero doubt about that. But they would have gotten it. Probably. I think.