Big 12 coach of the year: in support of Gundy's candidacy
Published: 10/26/2009 3:01 PM
Last Modified: 10/26/2009 3:01 PM
STILLWATER – I have been vocal and persistent about my disdain for Mike Gundy's counterproductive media policies, but I'll give the man some credit. If All-Big 12 ballots were due today, Gundy would get my vote as the conference coach of the year.
In the first season of his second tour of duty at Kansas State, Bill Snyder has coached the talent-starved Wildcats to records of 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Snyder will take this K-State team to a bowl, and on the basis of that, he should get coach-of-the-year consideration.
Texas' Mack Brown has done a typically masterful job of positioning the Longhorns for a run at the national title. If Bob Stoops can take Oklahoma to a finish of 9-3 or 8-4, in spite of an unimaginable blast of misfortune, he will have performed magic.
But no one has been a better coach than Mike Gundy.
Having battled through layers of turmoil, Oklahoma State is 6-1 overall, 3-0 in the Big 12. The Cowboys are 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the BCS standings. Entering Saturday's Boone Pickens Stadium showdown with Texas, OSU has a five-game win streak.
Gundy's offensive game-planning and play-calling have been outstanding. In four games with Dez Bryant on the sideline, the Cowboy passing game has actually gotten better. The knock on quarterback Zac Robinson was that he lacked accuracy, and now he leads the conference in passing efficiency.
It was Gundy who hired Bill Young as defensive coordinator, and so far it looks to have been among the best coordinator hires in college football.
As Kendall Hunter was injured and Bryant was suspended, you knew Gundy's guts were churning. But the coach has sustained an outward calm, and the Cowboys have continued to win.
On only three occasions has an Oklahoma State football coach been honored as the conference coach of the year. It happened in the Big Eight with Jimmy Johnson in 1979, and with Pat Jones in 1984 and 1992. If Gundy can beat Texas and squeeze a 10- or 11-win performance from a Cowboy team that hasn't had both Hunter and Bryant since Sept. 12, he should be the recipient of the Big 12 coach-of-the-year trophy.
-- Bill Haisten
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
