Oklahoma State football: Mike Gundy still swinging
Mike Gundy came late to the campaigning party. His declaration before Bedlam that Alabama deserved to be No. 2 in the rankings showed that Gundy hadn’t learn to play the game demanded of coaches vying for a spot in the Big Bowl. But since the final gun of Bedlam, Gundy has been promoting his Cowboys and popping those who prevented OSU from playing LSU.
Gundy did it again this week. Concerning Alabama’s 21-0 victory over LSU in New Orleans, Gundy said he has no idea what would have happened in an OSU-LSU game, but “if we’d have played, we’d have thrown it 60 times. I don’t know what kind of game it would have been, but it would have been fun to watch.”
LSU had just five first downs and 92 total yards against Alabama. LSU coach Les Miles had a close-to-the-vest gameplan and stuck with it. LSU threw just 17 passes the entire game.
Alabama gave up just 1,449 yards in 13 games. Only two teams threw for more than 150 yards — Arkansas 209, Florida 207. The Crimson Tide rarely was tested in the air.
Penn State threw 39 passes in a 27-10 loss, but the Nittany Lions completed just 12. That’s not a sophisticated passing game. Auburn completed just 11 of 20 passes in a 42-14 home loss to Bama. Florida completed 14 of 23 passes in a 38-10 home loss to Bama. Tennessee completed nine of 18 passes in a 37-6 loss at Alabama. And on and on it goes.
Arkansas was more like OSU. The Razorbacks completed 24 of 40 passes against Bama. Alabama won that game 38-14 in Tuscaloosa. But OSU was better than Arkansas and wouldn’t have been playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Outside of the Razorbacks, Alabama wasn’t tested in the air. And it’s the same with LSU.
I’m not saying OSU would have beaten Alabama or LSU. I think the Tide or the Tigers probably wins that game. What I’m saying, and what Gundy is saying, is that Alabama never was put outside its comfort zone. At least LSU was, with non-conference games against Oregon and West Virginia, neither in Baton Rouge.
The SEC argument that OSU never saw a defense like Alabama’s or LSU’s is true. But the counter argument is true too, that Alabama never saw an offense like OSU’s.
That’s all Gundy is saying. The national championship game ended up a regional championship. We didn’t get the matchup that would have answered some questions. Instead, those questions remain.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
Gundy is right, it would have been fun to watch. A great offense against a great defense would have been entertaining. Maybe next year that will happen.
Michael. Bama did not win its division or conference and did not deserve to play in the BS game. Bama is not deserving of anything this year.
How can you be the best team in the country when you didn’t even win your division in your conference much less the conference. Osu didn’t get a second chance at Iowa State so why does Alabama get a second chance at LSU. They each won a game so the team that gets the second chance and wins the last game is national champs. It is like pre season polls. The big boys get unearned credit for automatically being the best. Name recognition means more because many voters in the polls are not really watching the games.
I’ll be shocked if you see another all SEC championship game again. The public voted with their remotes controls. The rating were not too hot for that game, and the game lived up to the low expections of all but the SEC fans.
He can keep swinging until his arms fall off and you can write about it until you retire, but it is not going to change anything. Alabama deserved to be there and proved they were the best team in the country.