Mike Gundy’s Job Security Faces Fierce Scrutiny as Oklahoma State Hits Rock Bottom in Embarrassing Loss

 

In College Football, we may have stumbled across a new version of Black Friday, and it has nothing to do with shopping. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy watched his favored team lose at home to Tulsa, 19-12. The embarrassing loss will have many yelling for him to be replaced.  

Yes, this does sound familiar. Just last Friday, UCLA lost to New Mexico in an equally embarrassing home loss. By the end of the weekend, UCLA DeShaun Foster did not have a job. 

Mike Gundy Let Team Had Worse Loss In Decades

The loss dropped Oklahoma State to 1-2 on the season and marked their first defeat to Tulsa since 1998, snapping a 10-game winning streak in the rivalry. For a program that once dominated the Big 12, this represents a new low point that has fans and administrators questioning everything about the direction of Cowboy football.

The most painful aspect of Friday’s defeat came at the hands of Dominic Richardson, the former Oklahoma State running back who transferred to Tulsa after last season. Richardson carved up his former teammates for 146 yards on 31 carries, including a crucial 39-yard burst in the fourth quarter that helped seal the victory.

Richardson’s performance was particularly stinging because he fumbled early in the second half, giving the Cowboys a prime opportunity to climb back into the game. But true to form this season, Oklahoma State couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, turning the ball over on downs at the Tulsa 5-yard line after Rodney Fields Jr. was stuffed on fourth-and-1.

The former Cowboy’s workmanlike performance epitomized everything Oklahoma State has struggled with – discipline, execution, and the ability to finish drives when they matter most.

Braylin Presley Delivers Dagger to Former Program

Former Oklahoma State receiver Braylin Presley, who transferred to Tulsa after the 2022 season, provided the emotional knockout punch with a 19-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. The younger brother of former Cowboy star Brennan Presley, Braylin finished his return to Stillwater with 66 total yards across three carries and two receptions.

Presley’s touchdown came courtesy of quarterback Baylor Hayes, who was pressed into service after starter Kirk Francis suffered a concussion. Hayes completed 23 of 36 passes for 219 yards and looked far more composed than his Oklahoma State counterparts throughout the evening.

The optics couldn’t have been worse for Gundy and his staff – watching former players thrive elsewhere while the current roster struggles to execute basic offensive concepts.

Fourth-Down Failures Define Cowboys’ Season

Oklahoma State’s inability to convert crucial fourth downs has become a troubling pattern, and Friday night provided the most glaring examples yet. The Cowboys went 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts, including two critical failures in Tulsa territory.

The most damaging came midway through the third quarter when, trailing 19-3, Oklahoma State elected to go for it on fourth-and-10 from the Tulsa 37-yard line. Flores had room to run but came up five yards short of the first down, squandering a promising drive and any realistic chance of a comeback.

These fourth-down failures have become symbolic of a program that seems to lack the killer instinct that once defined Oklahoma State football under Gundy’s leadership.

Top Statistical Performances Paint Grim Picture

Dominic Richardson’s Revenge Game: The former Cowboy running back’s 146 rushing yards on 31 carries represented the most dominant ground performance by a Tulsa player in Stillwater in decades. His 4.7 yards per carry average showed how thoroughly he understood Oklahoma State’s defensive tendencies.

Baylor Hayes Steps Up: Making his first start due to injury, the Tulsa quarterback completed 23 of 36 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown, managing the game expertly while avoiding the costly mistakes that have plagued Oklahoma State’s quarterbacks.

Zane Flores’ Mixed Results: The sophomore quarterback’s 25-of-40 passing performance for 214 yards showed improvement, but his inability to convert critical fourth-down opportunities and costly interception on the two-point try highlighted the decision-making issues that continue to hamper this offense.

Logan Ward’s Reliability: The Oklahoma State kicker connected on both of his field goal attempts, including a crucial 49-yarder in the fourth quarter that briefly gave Cowboys fans hope. Ward remains one of the few consistent performers for this struggling team.

Rodney Fields Jr.’s Versatility: The running back/receiver hybrid caught several passes and carried the ball effectively, but his fourth-down failure at the goal line epitomized the team’s inability to execute when the stakes are highest.

Mike Gundy’s Job Security Under Unprecedented Scrutiny

Twenty years into his tenure in Stillwater, Mike Gundy faces the most serious questions about his future as Oklahoma State’s head coach. The loss to Tulsa represents a new low for a program that has won just four games over its last 13 contests dating back to last season.

Gundy’s buyout situation complicates any potential move by athletic director Chad Weiberg, but the fan base’s patience appears to be evaporating rapidly. The boos that cascaded down from Boone Pickens Stadium as the team headed to the locker room at halftime Friday night represented a stunning turn for a coach who once enjoyed near-universal support.

The Cowboys’ inability to develop quarterbacks, establish any semblance of offensive identity, or show improvement from week to week has created a crisis of confidence that extends far beyond this single embarrassing defeat. With Big 12 play beginning next week against Baylor, Gundy faces a crucial stretch that could well determine his legacy in Stillwater.

For a program that once prided itself on consistency and competitiveness, Friday’s loss to Tulsa represents rock bottom – and raises serious questions about whether better days lie ahead under the current leadership structure.