Behind Enemy Lines: What Mike Gundy Had to Say About Baylor
After crashing Texas Tech’s homecoming last week, Baylor will be looking to avoid having their own crashed by Oklahoma State this Saturday. The Pokes have been one of the biggest disappointments in the Big 12 this season and currently find themselves winless in conference play and at the bottom of the standings.
Oklahoma State has been riddled by injuries and poor quarterback play, which ironically tied together for them last week in Provo against BYU. With Garret Rangel (RSo.) getting the nod at QB1 over Alan Bowman (7Sr.), the Pokes’ offense looked functional until Rangel suffered a season-ending broken collarbone that will require surgery.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his program, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy remains proud of his team's competitive nature heading into Waco.
"If you'd have been at our practices the last two weeks, you would've thought we were 6-0. My job is to evaluate the coaches, the players and myself after every game,” he said. “Our guys played a good football game. We had a good plan; the coaches did a good job in this game. Losing is not something we want, but my job is to evaluate the situation every week. From that standpoint, they were good."
Baylor’s defense stepped up and did not let Texas Tech running back Tajh Brooks (Sr.) beat them last week, and they will have a similar task this week with Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon (Jr.).
Gordon has been a shell of himself in 2024, with just 491 yards and six touchdowns on 117 carries but he still has the potential to be a game-changer if he can stay on the field consistently.
"He's been great; we started out the year with really, really heavy boxes, which were difficult for him to run at times,” Gundy said. “In the last four games, he's run really hard. There's been times that there's not much there, and he's just blowing through there. He's jumping over people. I thought his effort the other day on fourth down was excellent. He's been really good, and his attitude has been good."
Baylor’s offense completely exploded against Texas Tech last week, with the rushing attack helping open the passing game up for quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), and the Bears will be hoping to carry that same momentum into Saturday. Gundy knows that his team will have to keep Baylor at bay on the ground if his team wants to come away with a win in Waco.
"We know they are going to want to pass the ball, but upfront, for us, regardless of if they like to run or pass, we always take pride in stopping the run,” he said. “That will be one thing we continue to focus on."
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire was nervous about Baylor finally putting together a complete game last week, which ultimately came true against his Red Raiders. Gundy is of a similar mindset when evaluating Baylor and knows that his team will have their hands full against the Bears despite their current record.
"They're playing good; Baylor's a team that lost several games, but they had a chance to win,” Gundy said. They got down a bunch to BYU and battled back. They certainly could have beat Colorado. They got behind by 17 against Utah and battled back. I don't even know how many games they've won. I haven't paid attention, but they could've won three more based on what I've seen. The quarterback is playing better now, and they're actually playing together.“
Baylor (3-4, 1-3) has won six of the past ten meetings against Oklahoma State (3-4, 0-4), and the Pokes have defeated Baylor just twice in Waco over the past 14 seasons. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.