Gundy supports Glenn Spencer’s defense
Mike Gundy walked into the Boone Pickens Stadium press box on Monday morning last week and recapped Bedlam. The Cowboys had just allowed 62 points and 785 total yards.
And Gundy defended his defense.
“We’re gunslingers,” Gundy said. “We’re not scared. We’re going to throw it deep. We’re going to play fast. And slowly but surely we’re building a defense that can play with our team. And it’s going to get better and better and better. We’re not going to change who we are.”
And then five days later, on a cold field in Ames, Iowa, the Cowboys gave up 42 points and 30 first downs. At least this time, OSU won, beating Iowa State 49-42.
Baker Mayfield is capable of embarrassing many a defense. But Zeb Noland, a third-team Iowa State quarterback who threw for 263 yards on 17-of-28 passing in 2- ½ quarters?
It’s all enough to make OSU fans mad — mad as in angry, mad as in cuckoo — and now here comes Kansas State to town, with perhaps another third-team quarterback in Skylar Thompson and a mastermind in Bill Snyder who for three decades has been taking advantage of vulnerable defenses.
OSU has had historically-proficient offenses these three years with
quarterback Mason Rudolph. But have the Cowboys wasted those golden times with defenses that leak like a 30-year-old roof?
Gundy says no. But the last two weeks, OSU’s defense has trotted onto the field 28 times and given up 14 touchdowns and two field goals.
Welcome to defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer’s world. The previous two weeks, against Texas and West Virginia, the Cowboy defense stole the show. Totally shut down the Longhorns, to 10 points total. Held down the Mountaineers, who midway through the fourth quarter had one offensive touchdown in an OSU blowout. The last two weeks, scorched Earth.
Spencer said Gundy doesn’t pat him much on the back after Texas/ West Virginia performances and doesn’t ream him out after OU/Iowa State performances.
“He really doesn’t talk like that to me,” Spencer said. “He knows I’m demanding of excellence. He knows I’m mad. He knows I’m upset. He knows we’re working our tails off to get these kids
“He really doesn’t talk like that to me. He knows I’m demanding of excellence. He knows I’m mad. He knows I’m upset. He knows we’re working our tails off to get these kids to play better and give them a better plan. He knows how much it matters to me.”
OSU defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, on coaching with Mike Gundy
to play better and give them a better plan. He knows how much it matters to me.”
I know this will be hard for OSU fans to believe, but the Cowboy defense actually ranks in the upper half of the Big 12 in the most important statistical category: scoring efficiency. How often does OSU get off the field without allowing a touchdown or field goal?
The Cowboys are fifth in the conference, a little behind Kansas State, a little ahead of West Virginia. TCU, Texas and Iowa State stand above the rest of the Big 12. OSU’s defensive efficiency is .649 — about two thirds of the time, the Cowboys stop the opponent. That’s not great but not bad. The Cowboys were fourth last season in the conference, at .670. And that’s usually more than
enough when you share a locker room with James Washington, Marcell Ateman and Justice Hill. Hence OSU’s 8-2 record and 94 (and counting) wins the last 10 years.
But then you watch Iowa State, seventh in the Big 12 in offensive efficiency, move up and down the field, and you think the Cowboys could take an even bigger step with just a little better defense.
Gundy knows how the fans feel. “You go through a stretch where you look like it’s the Steel Curtain, then you give up 700 yards and you think, who is this team?” Gundy said. “But we’ll improve and do better, and I think our defense is pretty sound.”
Sounds like those wanting Spencer’s removal will have to be patient. The gunslingers are committed to this style of play and occasionally putting their defense at risk and sticking with the defense even when it’s torched by a quarterback somewhat south of Baker Mayfield.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok. com/berrytramel.