For Gundy's Cowboys It's Open Week Part Three as Bedlam Awaits
STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State was originally scheduled to have three bye weeks this season. That is they were scheduled to have three open weeks when the final COVID-19 adapted schedule came out after the Big 12 decided to play in August. The first bye was scrapped when Tulsa asked for a one-week postponement of the opening game. Then the second bye week became a double bye as Baylor had to postpone because of COVID-19 issues. Now head coach Mike Gundy and his staff started Tuesday to negotiate the final bye on the slate and the most important one as it proceeds the Bedlam game, which will have a major influence on who will be in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 19 to play in the Big 12 Championship Game.
"We do the same thing we’ve done when we have an open date," Gundy said of the bye. "We’re going to work during the week, and then we’re gonna let them have some time on the weekend. That’s what we’ve done around here for 15 years."
Yes, they have. Gundy is somewhat of a creature of habit. Even though the results have been mixed in games after bye weeks, he's a "play your dive and dive your plan" kind of guy. When Baylor put Oklahoma State in a double bye situation the Cowboys itinerary was the same for two weeks before jumping into the game week leading up to Iowa State.
It's interesting that in his two wins against Oklahoma that both came after a bye week. I remember the 2011 win the most. The Cowboys had lost their first game of the season and dropped from being ranked No. 2 in the country with a 37-31 loss at Iowa State. Iowa State had prepared for the powerful Cowboys with a bye week. They used it well and in the losing locker room at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Gundy challenged his team to do the same. They did, and hammered Oklahoma 44-10.
So, does that mean top secret work this week at the Sherman Smith Training Center, practices conducted at strange times, and doubling up on the practice time? No, none of the above. The Cowboys practiced close to two hours on Tuesday and quarterback Spencer Sanders looked much better than he did coming off the field in Manhattan, Kansas. The Cowboys quarterback looked refreshed and the other injured Cowboys are getting treatment and working toward Bedlam. As Gundy said on Monday in the Big 12 Teleconference, Wednesday will be the major practice day in the bye week.
“In open weeks we’ll get about half a day of practice on just fundamentals and basic football techniques," Gundy answered a question on the bye week of practice on the Big 12 Coaches Teleconference. "We’ll work a little bit on the upcoming opponent in the middle to later part of the week, and then we’ll get the young guys who haven’t gotten as many reps on game day, we’ll get them a lot of work so we can use it as a developmental week."
The Cowboys coach is a creature of habit and Tuesday will be a regular practice with an emphasis on fundamentals and technique. Wednesday will be the day of working on early material for the game plan against Oklahoma. Thursday will be a practice devoted to the younger players with the veterans getting as close to a day off as you can without a day off. Friday will have some early morning conditioning and then it's the rest of the weekend off until Sunday afternoon.
Yes, just as he did earlier this season Gundy will let the players go. He will encourage them to stay close to or in the bubble that OSU football has created and most of them will as they did earlier this season. These players have learned to sacrifice for the opportunity to play football. They've done a great job of it. Gundy just says he can't be a hypocrite to his players.
"At times I have to look at things (player's freedom on off weekends) I’m going to spend some time with my kids this weekend, so I don’t feel comfortable in telling our players they can’t do anything and they can't spend some time with their family," Gundy explained.
He also can't go see future Oklahoma State players play and neither can his coaches. Division I coaches, all sports, are banned from recruiting face-to-face off-campus. Division II and II coaches can, but Division I coaches can't go to high schools or high school games and they can't bring prospects on campus. This is in place through the end of 2020.
"It’s all football now," Gundy added on the recruiting. "The majority of it prior to us going out for warmups (on game days) had always been recruiting. It’s unusual since it’s the first time for me that it’s been that way in 31 years. It’s just all football now. No conversations on the field or in the facility before the game."
There will be no coaches out watching as the playoffs get started in Oklahoma in all classes this weekend. That is something that has changed with bye weeks as coaches would have headed out on the road on Thursday after practice.
