So, Bedlam was brutal.
But before I get into that let me say how proud I am of the Cowboys this year. Going 10-2 was an achievement, as it could’ve very easily been 8-4 or even worse. They fought hard in every game and played with a toughness I’ve never seen from an OSU team. This may have very well been Mike Gundy’s best year coaching so far.
Now, about Saturday night….
When did you know it was over? For me, it was when I realized that Rudolph was a no go and that the Cowboys would have to roll with Walsh all night. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some J.W. Walsh. He has heart, he’s a competitor, he’s a leader, and he absolutely loves Oklahoma State.
He may literally bleed orange.
But, with this version of the Cowboy offense against that Sooner team he had no chance. What the Pokes needed was a healthy Rudolph in the pocket slinging the ball all over the field against what can be a suspect OU secondary. They needed those bombs to Washington to hit him in stride instead of becoming jump balls. They needed lasers to Glidden over the middle to soften up the linebackers. They needed seven yard precision out routes to make up for the lack of a running game.
Ugh, that running game!
How on earth is OSU still that bad at run blocking this late in the season? One would think that the line would be improved, at least slightly by now. You’d think that even by accident they’d have learned how to at least get in front of somebody. I actually think the running backs are decent. When Chris Carson has had room this year he looked good. The number one priority of Gundy in the offseason needs to be, no it HAS TO BE, fixing the offensive line.
Of course the defense didn’t help out much either. Mayfield, Perine, and Mixon are good. When you don’t tackle, they are great. For a defense that played amazing at times this year they really let me down the last two games. OU, and Baylor before them, didn’t so much as out coach or out scheme the Cowboys offensively as they did just go right through them. Those two games may have been the worst tackling I’ve seen from an OSU team ever. Maybe the depth on that side of the ball wasn’t what we thought it was, or maybe the offense’s inability to stay on the field in those two games just wore them out, but they were out of place often and the longer the games went on the worse it got.
The bottom line is that OU was just a better team. If Rudolph is healthy does OSU win? Probably not. Although, it would’ve been closer and I’d have given the Cowboys a punchers chance. The Sooners are almost certainly in the College Football Playoff, and they look the part of a contender, so good luck to them.
OSU overachieved all season and should be proud of themselves. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year they won double digit games, spent some time in the top 10, and played on the last Saturday of the year with a chance to win a conference title. There’s nothing for them to hang their heads about. They are pretty set for next year with 18 of 22 starters returning, and if they can get even an average run game going they’ll have the ability to hang with anyone they play. It’s time to lick the Bedlam wounds and then move on, get healthy, and go win a bowl game!
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