Oklahoma State football just hit another low point, and patience around Stillwater is running thin. After a crushing loss to Tulsa, head coach Mike Gundy tried to sound optimistic, but fans aren’t buying it anymore. Oklahoma State writer Scott Wright spoke to Gundy in an interview.
When asked what this defeat says about the Cowboys’ program, Gundy leaned on the same message he’s been giving for years: trust the process.
“We’re trying to come around,” he said. “We’re not where we were two or three years ago. We’re building back. We’ve had some unfortunate incidents, but I have faith in them and the concepts.”
That’s not much comfort for Oklahoma State fans who just watched their team lose to an in-state rival they’ve historically dominated. This isn’t just about one bad game; it’s about the trajectory of the program under Gundy. The Cowboys haven’t looked like contenders in years, and instead of climbing back into Big 12 relevance, they’re sliding in the opposite direction.
The biggest issue? Offense. For a coach known for building high-powered scoring machines, Oklahoma State has turned stale. The quarterback situation has been shaky, the line play has been underwhelming, and explosive playmakers are few and far between. Combine that with sloppy execution and missed opportunities, and the Cowboys simply don’t look dangerous anymore.
Defensively, it’s not much better. OSU continues to struggle with consistency and can’t get enough stops when it matters most. Tulsa, a program that shouldn’t be able to go toe-to-toe with the Cowboys’ talent pool, was able to outlast them and expose every weakness. Losing 19-12 to Tulsa just isn't acceptable to OSU fans.
That’s why fans are losing faith in Gundy. He’s been in charge for nearly two decades, but the spark that once made him one of college football’s more respected coaches seems gone. Oklahoma State looks stuck in mediocrity, and there’s no clear plan for how things can improve.
After 19 seasons, loyalty only goes so far. The Cowboys faithful want results, not recycled press conference soundbites about “trusting the process.” Right now, that process isn’t working. And while Gundy insists he still has faith in his players and system, more and more people in Stillwater are questioning whether the program would be better off with someone else leading it.
If the losses keep piling up, the calls for change won’t just be louder; they’ll be impossible to ignore.
