How good can this OSU defense be?
STILL WATER—If you or someone you know plays defense for Oklahoma State, stop reading now.
The OSU defense is really good.
But that' s the last thing coach Mike Gundy wants them to know.
Gundy wants his defenders believing they CAN BE good.
But he doesn't want t hem thinking they ARE good.
The difference is slight but vital.
“I f our defense will s t ay humble and keep practicing good — they're really practicing good,” Gundy said. “I'm trying to get them to ignore t he outside sources t ell i ng them how good they are.
“They're gaining some confidence. Every day they get a
little more confident.”
The next test for the OSU defense comes Saturday when the No. 6 Cowboys host Texas at 3 p.m. at Boone Pick ens Stadium.
And Texas coach Tom Herman is well aware of how good the Cowboy defense is.
“They're really, really stressing offenses,” Herman said. “They've got great players. I think their scheme is very complex.
“They're No. 1 in the country in third-down defense, they're top 20 in pass defense, top 20 in total defense and top 10 or 12 in scoring defense. They're as good as it gets in our league.”
OSU passed its first real test against a good offense last week, holding an Iowa State squad that was averaging 35 points per game against Big 12 opponents to just 21.
The Cyclones were 3-of-13 on third down against OSU, which has been about par for the course by this defense.
Opponents have converted just 19.3 percent of third-down tries against OSU this season, best in the country among teams that have played more than one game.
“We want to get the ball back into the hands of our offense,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “We have a powerful offense. The guys have really bought into our goals on third and fourth down. They take a lot of pride in it and it wins games… stealing possessions, that's everything in the Big 12.”
Upon hearing Iowa State's third-down conversion rate after Saturday's game, safety Tre Sterling illustrated the humility Gundy spoke of.
“Three of 13? That's three too many,” Sterling said. “There's still places to get better. Never get complacent, never be satisfied.”
If it maintains that mindset and keeps progressing, this defense could be the best Gundy has ever had.
They're allowing 12.8 points per game, but again, the Cowboys have only just now entered the toughest stretch of their schedule.
That's why maintaining that balance point between confidence and overconfidence is so important right now. If it swings too far toward overconfidence, the goals of the entire season can be derailed with one subpar showing.
“We need to just keep our head in the same place it's been all year,” said junior safety Kolby Harvell-Peel, who had a key interception against Iowa State.
“Not letting the outside noise dictate how we feel about our defense, and instead, knowing that with the pieces we got and all the starters that are back and the camaraderie this group has, we have to understand that we've got something special inside.
“Regardless of what's being said outside the locker room, we have to know who we really are.”