Bill Haisten: As OSU is a 10-point underdog, Mike Gundy’s logo gets a real test at BYU

STILLWATER There was an infamous Monday here on Dec.

1, 2014.

In advance of a Bedlam challenge at OU, that Oklahoma State football team had a five-game losing streak.

This is taken from my coverage of Mike Gundys news conference that occurred five days before Bedlam 2014: From the moment he walked into the room, the OSU coach seemed as though he wanted to be anywhere else.

On a couple of occasions, he appeared to be texting as he stood at the lectern.

If there were a device that could measure stress, Gundy would have buried the needle.

Ive covered more than 220 Gundy news conferences.

There were times when he wasnt very excited to be there, and there was one time during the 2007 Im a man! Im 40! news conference when he overheated.

Monday was different.

Ive never seen him like he was on Monday.

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It was the start of a special period for OSU.

Starting with Bedlam 2014, Cowboy teams won 35 times in 44 games.

Before Mondays Gundy presser, I kinda expected his mood to be somewhat comparable to his mood of Dec.

1, 2014.

Nope.

His 20th Cowboy team has myriad issues and an 0-3 record in Big 12 play, but Gundy wasnt the least bit sour during a half-hour Zoom meeting with media members.

There wasnt the usual in-person Q&A because, it was explained, Gundy while doing home chores had been head-butted by an unruly cow and wasnt feeling 100%.

In a Big 12 clash scheduled for 9:15 p.m.

Oklahoma time on Friday in Provo, Utah, the tied-for-last-place and unranked Cowboys are matched with the tied-for-first-place, unbeaten and 13th-ranked BYU Cougars.

Gundy was non-committal on the subject of his quarterbacks and whether Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel or even Zane Flores might get the start at BYU and would not discuss the status of injured Cowboys, but the coach actually seemed encouraged by what he saw on the practice field last week.

At 3-3 overall, the Cowboys havent played since a 38-14 home loss to West Virginia on Oct.

5.

Gundy was asked whether last weeks emphasis was on his teams emotional and physical recovery, or on attempting to fix some of the more pressing Cowboy issues like run blocking and run defense.

Physical recovery was part of it, Gundy replied.

There really wasnt anything emotionally.

The teams practice habits, attentiveness, enthusiasm and energy have been excellent.

You could have watched us practice last Tuesday and Wednesday, and you would have thought we hadnt lost a game this year.

We did cut back (on physicality) to try to give them a break, because weve been at it since Aug.

1.

But we got 212 good practices in, and I felt good about it.

Obviously, weve got to crank it up today and tomorrow because (of Thursday travel to Utah).

The news conference ended with a question about the temperament of OSUs players, and whether Gundy saw signs that they were sincerely disappointed or angered by having played so poorly in the league losses to Utah, Kansas State and West Virginia.

I pay a lot of attention to it, Gundy replied.

I think thats a big part of my job and the role that I play.

If we dont play as well as we want to, then I want guys to feel that.

I want to see them have some sort of dejection for that.

And then I want them to recover quickly because weve got to go back to work reprogram and get ready for the next game.

Try to (avoid) a hangover for the next one.

It hurts them emotionally when they dont win, which is what you want, Gundy added.

I see guys (who) are eager to improve and get better for the next game on Friday night.

Even if motivated at a maximum level, it feels as though this 10-point-underdog Oklahoma State squad just doesnt block or tackle well enough to score a road conquest of the exceptionally solid BYU Cougars.

This wont be a major factor, but its interesting: After the Cowboys played in 100-degree heat against Utah and 93-degree discomfort against West Virginia, the temperature for the OSU-BYU opening kickoff is expected to be about 40 degrees.

Everyone remembers Gundys proclamation after the Fiesta Bowl comeback win over Notre Dame: Weve got a logo, too.

If a logo could be defined as the combination of a programs culture and the collective investment of the players, then the Oklahoma State logo gets a real test on Friday.

For the OSU fans who are looking for something on which hope can be attached, there is Gundys history in match-ups like this one.

In 2016-23, OSU prevailed in 11 of 14 games in which an unranked Cowboy team was matched with a Top 25 opponent.

Beginning with a memorable 2019 win at Iowa State and continuing through the 2023 Bedlam classic, OSU in those match-ups has five consecutive victories..

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