OSU’s Gundy Can See Similarities in OU and WVU
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STILLWATER, Okla.-When it comes to the top two teams in the Big 12 - No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 9 WVU - there isn't a lot of difference.
At least not to Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.
"They (West Virginia) are very similar to the team we just played," Gundy said during Monday's Big 12 Teleconference. "They are fantastic on offense, and they have an experienced quarterback that has made a lot of plays.
"Their offensive line is good, and their wide receivers make play after play after play. They have an attacking defense that can run and get to the ball very fast. They are very similar to what we saw this week against Oklahoma."
The same Sooners that had to survive a two-point, go-ahead, extra point attempt in order to come away with a 48-47 victory and remain in a tie with the Mountaineers for the top spot in the 10-team conference.
"When we play smart football, minimize penalties and not make dumb mistakes, we have a chance to be a pretty good football team," Gundy said. "I wish we would have kicked the ball better on special teams (against OU), but I thought the guys played about as good as we could expect. I thought the coaches had a good game plan and we executed it."
Something the Cowboys have done on a consistent basis during OSU's three-game winning streak against West Virginia.
Not even four turnovers could slow Gundy's team down a year ago in Morgantown as the OSU defense forced five turnovers - four on Will Grier interceptions - on the way to a 50-39 victory at Milan Puskar Stadium.
"I'm pretty familiar with West Virginia and their approach," Gundy said. "Defensively, they're a good team. A few schools have scored some points on them, some teams, but it's been from big plays.
"It hasn't been from consistent drives, so we'll have our hands full with these guys. We'll need a great week of work. Just the same old 'Coaches Talk'."
Consistency was what the Pokes hung their hats on last year, utilizing long, time-consuming, drives to keep WVU's Grier and Company on the sideline. OSU finished the game with a 14-minute edge in time of possession.
And, WVU won't be the only team on the field with a quarterback capable of putting an offense on his back and leading it to victory. OSU's Taylor Cornelius has been throwing the ball all around the place this fall, completing 60.6 percent of his passes (215-of-355) for 3,123 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Then, there is Justice Hill, who rushed for 86 yards and two scores on 12 carries in the Pokes win in Morgantown. The junior needs 70 yards to crack the 1,000-yard rushing plateau as he enters the Cowboys' Senior Day with 930 yards and nine scores on 158 carries.
But, if that is not enough, then there is Chuba Hubbard, who has 419 yards and five TDs on 67 carries, and a name familiar with Mountaineer fans - J.D. King, who pounded the Mountaineer's defense for 142 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries of the pigskin.
"It's the same every week," Gundy replied when asked what his message will be for his team this week. "I wish I could tell you guys that it mattered. I could go back to the story about James Franklin. These guys are in different worlds nowadays, so you tell them the truth.
"After the Baylor game, I told them that we were undisciplined and had more stupid penalties than I've had probably in my career and didn't have a chance to win. Then after Saturday I told them the same thing, I told you guys while I was down there. As a coach, we can't ask them to do anything else than what they did. These guys have practiced well all year. They were enthusiastic and had good effort last night. When I watch things, as long as I see that I'm in a good place because I know that we're getting everything out of them that we ask."