Cowboys a contender for 2020 Big 12 title
When the new year arrived, Chuba Hubbard seemed likely gone, Tylan Wallace possibly gone and Kasey Dunn absolutely gone from Oklahoma State.
But all are returning, which makes OSU college football's biggest January winner, this side of Louisiana State. And Mike Gundy knows it.
The coach who often is realist — much to the chagrin of his fan base — admits that 2020 shapes up as a potentially special season for the Cowboys.
OSU kept Hubbard, its AllAmerican tailback; Wallace, its All-American receiver; and Dunn, its associate head coach who over 10 years has solidified his status as one of the primary heartbeats of the program. Dunn was headed to Nevada-Las Vegas, while Hubbard and Wallace are NFL draft prospects, and these days, it's a shock when a guy stays in school.
Instead, all three are back. Dunn as offensive coordinator to replace the departed Sean Gleeson. Wallace, who is recovering from major knee surgery that made him decide another year in Stillwater would help his draft stock. And Hubbard, a walking billboard for OSU football, who is trying to upgrade his draft status to become the first Cowboy tailback drafted in the first round since Barry Sanders in 1989 or second round since Tatum Bell in 2004.
It all puts OSU back in a spot to which it had grown accustomed: Big 12 championship contender.
“What we've done, we've solidified and we've qualified,” Gundy told The Oklahoman. “We've got a spot in the Kentucky Derby. We're in Gate No. 4. We've got a lot of training in order to do it. We're going to be in the race. Now we've got
to take care of our business over the next nine months, and that's really what it's about.”
OSU returns 10 starters on a defense that by season's end might have been the Big 12's secondbest, behind only Baylor. The Cowboys have a veteran offensive line, a returning quarterback in Spencer Sanders and now two home-run hitters in Hubbard and Wallace. That's a recipe that could at least get OSU to Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game.
“Some years you can't be in the race, lot of things can hurt you,” Gundy said. “But we've got a spot. Now we've got a chance, to put the work in.”
The Cowboys spent much of the decade as
Big 12 contenders.
2010: Tied with OU and Texas A&M atop the South Division and missed the Big 12 title game via a tiebreaker;
2011: Won the
Big 12 title;
2013: Lost the Big 12 title when the seasonfinale Bedlam went the Sooners' way in the final seconds;
2015: Lost a Bedlam finale with the title on the line;
2016: Lost a Bedlam finale with the title on the line.
But for three straight seasons, OSU has fallen short of that status, going 6-3, 3-6, 5-4 in conference play.
In 2020, the Cowboys figure to return to contention. Making Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game would be a good step. Winning in Arlington would be an ever better step.
“I'm really excited,”
Gundy said. “We made strides on defense. I like how Jim (Knowles) has conformed his style to this conference. We played good, we tackled good, we minimized big plays.
“We know a lot more about Spencer than we did last year. Some of the transfers that we have coming in, that can help us immediately, is encouraging.”
And now, homerun hitters Hubbard and Wallace are back. The Cowboys have the horses. Now it's time to win the derby.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-7608080 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 FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel.