Unless Oklahoma State football wants one of the longest active bowl streaks to come to a screeching halt this year, something has to change immediately.
When it rains it pours for head coach Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State football. The 2018 campaign bares a striking resemblance to that of the 2014 season for the Cowboys in which then true freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph came in to save the year at the end. Former Oklahoma State football wide receiver/running back Tyreek Hill also played a pivotal part in scrapping something out of the 2014 campaign.
To blame every problem the Pokes have this year on senior starting quarterback Taylor Cornelius would just be flat out wrong. However, something needs to give for this traditionally explosive offense residing in Stillwater, OK, and Cornelius won’t provide that spark. Although, Gundy hasn’t even tried another signal caller under center in any significant situation this fall.
The strategy to hold on and redshirt the former Hawaii Rainbow Warriors grad transfer Dru Brown and true freshman Spencer Sanders might be what plays out for the Pokes for the rest of the season. Under the new NCAA redshirt rule, Oklahoma State could let both Brown and Sanders play in four games each without foregoing a year of eligibility.
Whatever this coaching staff has to do to shake things up on the offensive side of the ball would be a wise move with the No. 7 ranked Texas Longhorns coming to town out of the bye week on Oct. 27. Cornelius was only able to help the Oklahoma State offense post a measly 12 point effort against an incompetent defense for the Kansas State Wildcats last week.
Any number of problems can be pointed to as reasons why Oklahoma State looks to finish in the basement of the Big 12 standings this year after contending for the last three. The secondary, offensive line, and injuries along the front seven all hampered this team of late.
Three of the last four games featured losses to the Iowa State Cyclones, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Kansas State. Two of those three losses were utterly embarrassing, by a combined margin of 43 points at the hands of Texas Tech and Kansas State.
Yet, Gundy doesn’t seem to have any panic in his demeanor now, per reports. That demeanor is fine for this program as long as something changes on the field to spark some type of change in the win column. Oklahoma State gains absolutely nothing by giving up on this season.
Nothing will come easy to the Pokes the rest of the way since every game lines them up against a quality opponent. After taking on the Horns, Oklahoma State gets the Baylor Bears, Oklahoma Sooners, West Virginia Mountaineers, and TCU Horned Frogs. Any of those that Oklahoma State football wins is considered an upset by any standard at this point.
Junior running back Justice Hill and senior wide receiver Dillon Stoner deserve better send-offs than a four win campaign. The pure amount of issues Oklahoma State had so far is too much to find just one path of improvement for ultimate change. A spark has to be found somewhere, though.