Coming off a bye week following a 69-3 drubbing at the hands of Oregon, Oklahoma State and coach Mike Gundy had to make a statement.
With Tulsa holding the ball and a 19-12 lead with under four minutes left in the game, the Oklahoma State crowd in Boone Pickens Stadium made its feelings about Gundy — the most decorated coach in the Cowboys’ history — known. ‘Fire Gundy’ chants rained down on the field, and were picked up on the ESPN broadcast, continuing chants that were kicking up sporadically throughout the game.
Gundy, a Midwest City, Oklahoma, native who has prowled the Cowboys’ sidelines since 2005, has reshaped a program that was listless before his arrival. He is 12-6 in bowl games since replacing Les Miles, who absconded for LSU after four years in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State went 3-9 last season, putting fire under his seat heading into the year. After an uninspiring 27-7 win over UT Martin to start the year, Dan Lanning’s Ducks completely dismantled Oklahoma State after some verbal sparring with Gundy during the week. On Sept. 19, Tulsa beat Oklahoma State on the road for the first time since 1951.
Teams have been quick to action with coaches so far this season, with UCLA firing DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech parting ways with Brent Pry. While neither coach had the legacy at their respective schools Gundy has at Oklahoma State, the writing could well be on the wall in the ‘what have you done for me lately?’ college football culture. Just ask the fans who were chanting.