With 10-Win Season Still Possible, Gundy Says Cowboys Will ‘Keep Rolling’

There’s a lot to digest after the Cowboys’ 62-52 Bedlam loss. There are the records set on both sides in yards, yards allowed, combined points, etc. There are the two or three plays that could have gone differently and influenced the outcome — that Rudolph end zone INT and overthrown pass on fourth down immediately come to mind.

There’s this. Mike Gundy has an OU problem — whether psychological or fated — and the chances of righting it during his career are slimming which each year that passes. Those prospects aren’t improved by the giant question mark that will reside behind center starting next spring.

And while the first thought for a lot of us after a gut-wrenching Bedlam loss is to pack it in — I’m not used to them coming this early! — Mike Gundy’s team has plenty left to play for, and no time to waste hanging its head.

“I told the guys that no matter what happens in a game, college football is all about getting over what just happened and moving to the next one,” Gundy said. “As much as games like this hurt, they hurt because you put yourself into a position where games matter.

“I had suggested for them to get their food, be with their family, go back to wherever they live, then come back tomorrow ready to work. Win or lose, that’s what we have to do and keep rolling.”

The Cowboys still have a chance to finish with double-digit wins for the sixth time in eight years. Before Gundy took over, the Cowboys had reached 10 wins in just 1984, 1987 and 1988.

And Oklahoma State is still technically alive in the Big 12 title race, though it no longer controls its own destiny. In order to guarantee a berth in the conference title game, the Cowboys have to win the next three games — at Iowa State and then home games against Kansas State and Kansas. Lose any of those three and Oklahoma State is eliminated from the Big 12 title hunt barring complete and total chaos.

The two teams ahead of the Cowboys handed them their two losses on the year. So if the Cowboys win out, one of those teams needs to lose two of its next three for the Cowboys to leap frog them.

To make things easier for your rooting interest — and if you are not set on a particular Big 12 title game foe — we can wait for the outcome of this weekend’s tilt between TCU and Oklahoma in Norman to pick our horse. Whoever loses needs to lose one of the next two to fall behind OSU for third in the Big 12.

If TCU wins, Oklahoma would have to still lose either at Kansas or at home against West Virginia for a 7-2 Oklahoma State to top it. If Oklahoma beats TCU, OSU needs the Horned Frogs need to lose at Texas Tech or at home against Baylor to slide ahead of Gary Patterson’s bunch.

Iowa State, fresh off of a loss at West Virginia, still technically controls its own destiny with two conference losses, holding the tie-breaker over both TCU and Oklahoma. But that’s a non-factor for OSU since the Cowboys head to Ames this Saturday and a loss would, again, all but eliminate Gundy’s team.

So it’s not an ideal situation to be in but this is where Oklahoma State finds itself all the same. All the Cowboys can do is win and worry about the chips when they fall. A 10-win season is still controllable, and how they rebound from a gut-wrenching loss to a rival is controllable.

“I think leadership is going to be huge this week,” said senior center Brad Lundblade. “It takes more leadership after you lose than it does after you win, honestly.

“We have great leadership and all different types of leaders in all of the different positions groups, so I have no doubt that we’ll be ready to go next week.”

You can scoff at the Cowboy culture all you like but so far it’s given OSU fans a lot to be proud of and a lot to root for.