Gundy focused on improving run game against No. 22 Texas

Oct. 19—Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy took a page out of the late Eddie Sutton's book during his weekly Monday availability prior to a matchup with No. 22 Texas on Saturday afternoon at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Gundy was asked about the way the Cowboys' offensive line has produced this year — or, in some instances, hasn't. He made sure to note that the Pokes are now without Josh Sills, who graduated this past spring after two years in the program, and who is now on the Philadelphia Eagles' active roster.

Then he elected to circle back around to a few moments prior to that one, when he was caught up in a back-and-forth about his running backs. And he made sure to mention that OSU's starter, junior Dominic Richardson, is doing most everything he's been asked to do so far this year.

"It's the old Eddie Sutton deal," Gundy said. "I want to go to the Kentucky Derby, I want a full-blood thoroughbred. I'm not really in it for a mule."

So those are the guys Gundy has gotten. He knows he has a thoroughbred in Richardson, and he's expecting that to eventually come of redshirt freshman Jaden Nixon and true freshman Ollie Gordon.

But the Cowboys' rushing attack hasn't necessarily been effective enough for his liking thus far.

Gundy has placed an emphasis on OSU's need to rush the ball throughout the past few weeks while it's shown to be, at times, the offense's Achilles' heel. The Cowboys' ability to run the ball against TCU, or lack thereof, led to the Horned Frogs handing them their first loss of the season in Week 7.

The No. 11 Pokes (5-1, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) scored points on four of their first five drives against TCU, finding the end zone three times while averaging 5.46 yards per carry for 71 yards on 13 attempts. Their rushing attack was anemic on the 10 drives the rest of regulation, though, averaging 2.95 yards a carry for 68 yards on 23 attempts.

"Most of what we have to get accomplished on offense is rushing the ball effectively enough to balance who we are," Gundy said. "If we can rush the ball a little bit better, and if we can balance up and avoid being one-dimensional, it makes us a better team."

Gundy said he doesn't think there's some drastic change that he and his staff has to make leading up to their latest meeting with the Longhorns (5-2, 3-1 Big 12. He doesn't believe that trying to "trick" an opponent.

The Cowboys can't change their offensive identity in the middle of the season, Gundy said, noting that their best chance at success is to get better at what they've been trying to do. and that's been evident to Cowboy back Braden Cassity during the early goings of practice this week.

"I've seen it progress a lot," Cassity said of OSU's run game. "I think this might be one of the best Tuesday practices we've had. ... There wasn't really many hiccups today, which is awesome for a Tuesday."

While Richardson is Gundy's thoroughbred, he knows he's going to have to lean on Nixon, Gordon and Jackson sooner than later.

This fall serves as Richardson's first season as OSU's premier running back, and that comes with a lot more carries than what he grew accustomed to with the Cowboys in 2020 and 2021. He carried the ball 79 times last season and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. His legs were fresh nearly every time he touched the ball, though.

Richardson is still gashing defenses as the rushing attack's focal point, but he's doing it with a dip in numbers compared to a year ago. He's down from last season's mark through six games, averaging 4.0 yards per carry on 108 attempts.

"There's a physicality to this game that is different with (Richardson) than (Nixon). Period," Gundy said. "Those are violent hits those guys take. ... If you just keep running 'em, they're gonna get knocked out.

"We're going to have to share some of the load, because he's getting a lot of hits and taking a lot of blows. So, we'll eventually have to do that."

He's planning on working in Nixon and Gordon as the season progressed, which has been evidenced by both making appearances during the Cowboys' loss to TCU. At this point, he said, it comes down to maturity. And Richardson, of course, is more experienced than the others.

Regardless of who's lined up in the backfield, Gundy knows the Cowboys will have to run the ball well if they want to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since the end of 2019.

A win would keep OSU afloat in the race to the Big 12 title game on Dec. 3. A second loss in as many weeks would make the journey that much tougher. So, is the latest matchup between the Cowboys and Longhorns an impromptu elimination game of sorts?

"Could be," Gundy said. "They all could be from here on out."

Follow News Press sports reporter Jon Walker on Twitter @ByJonWalker for updates on Oklahoma State athletics.