Gunnar Gundy fulfills his Oklahoma State football dream with first TD pass against UAPB

STILLWATER — Seated in the team room, deep in the west end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday night, Oklahoma State receiver Cale Cabbiness offered an honest analysis of his teammate and friend, Gunnar Gundy.

The backup quarterback for the eighth-ranked Cowboys, Gundy threw a pair of touchdown passes in the 63-7 plowing of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but Cabbiness’ dissection went much deeper.

“He’s a good roommate. You know, he could clean up a little bit more,” Cabbiness said with a wry smile and a sideways glance.

Upon hearing the comments, Gundy fired back.

“Cale’s a clean-freak, so messy to Cale — that’s kinda pushing it,” he said.

Of course, by the time the two got home on Saturday night, it’s likely any discussion about dirty dishes was miles from either’s mind after a memorable night in a sold-out Boone Pickens Stadium.

Oklahoma State football report card: Cowboys ace final test before Big 12 play

The lives of Cabbiness and Gundy are already uniquely intertwined, but now will be forever linked in the official records of Cowboy football.

Cabbiness’ first college touchdown reception, courtesy of a Gundy pass.

“We’ve always talked about possibly getting some playing time together and throwing a touchdown, having that little connection,” Gundy said. “Him scoring off of it was really special for both of us, I think.”

Despite the fact that Gundy grew up in Stillwater and Cabbiness in Norman, they landed on the same T-ball team at age 5. They walked on at OSU a few months apart, because Gundy sat out the 2020 season and enrolled in January of 2021.

Now roommates with another Cowboy receiver, John Paul Richardson, their connection has only grown.

“Gunnar played great,” Cabbiness said. “That’s a throw we always do, and it worked out perfectly. We were talking about it a couple days before, like, man, this could be the day.”

For Gundy, Saturday night was his third game as a Cowboy, but his first chance to finally throw a pass. His two previous appearances — late in blowouts of TCU last year and Central Michigan earlier this month — were run-only situations.

And his first few snaps on Saturday were run plays as well.

Oklahoma State football: Braydon Johnson hits 1,000-yard mark & more key stats vs. UAPB

“I was ready to throw a pass,” Gundy said with a laugh. “Just taking that first snap is the most nervous part, but that first pass wasn’t too bad, because I had done it so many times in practice.

“You just have to realize a game is the same thing as practice, it’s just now, everyone’s watching you.”

That’s no lie. All eyes were on Gundy when he tossed his first pass to running back Ollie Gordon. And when he threw his first career touchdown to Talyn Shettron. And when he hit Cabbiness for their score in the third quarter.

The son of head coach Mike Gundy, Gunnar has grown up a part of Cowboy football. Gunnar was born in the fall of 2001, the same season Mike had returned to his alma mater as offensive coordinator under Les Miles.

Mike is in his 18th season as the head coach now, and Gunnar has always been a staple at the facility.

“I nicknamed him — for me, personally, because no one else calls him this — ‘Stun Gun,’” said offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn, who is in his 12th season with the Cowboys. “I saw him tonight and said, ‘Hey, Stun Gun, great job.’ He just started laughing.

“I saw the kid grow up. It’s exciting to see him come around and make the plays at this level.”

Gundy was 12-of-20 for 128 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 42 yards, playing more than half of the game.

Most of OSU’s starters — including quarterback Spencer Sanders — were out of the game early in the second quarter, leaving backups like Gundy the chance to experience a college football atmosphere like never before.

More:Oklahoma State's Hall of Honor for Andrea Riley, AD Franch chance to 'inspire and impact people'

Sanders completed 13 of 16 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, exiting the game just 42 seconds into the second quarter after OSU had taken a 35-0 lead.

But before he handed the keys to Gundy, Sanders had some advice.

“He said just calm down and breathe,” Gundy recalled. “He’s been extremely on my side and supportive of me, and I give a lot of thanks to him for that, because he’s helped me along. I wanna be where he’s at one day, and he’s really taken me under his wing, so I appreciate him for that.”

Father and son shared a couple of simple fist-bumps to celebrate the touchdown passes.

“He played well,” Mike said of Gunnar. “Gunnar stays away from me, because he doesn’t want people to see him around me. I have to go run him down to tell him, ‘good job,’ because he doesn’t wanna be around me for that reason.

“I just let him be who he’s gonna be.”

A day might come when Gunnar has to be Mike’s starting quarterback, playing in crucial situations, catching all the praise and heat that comes with the job.

But for now, Gunnar is a redshirt freshman, still grooming himself for that day. And he’s enjoying the moments that come, like his first touchdown passes.

“I’ve been here for a long time, watched a lot of Cowboy football games,” Gunnar said. “I always imagined myself doing that for a long time. For it to actually happen was surreal for me, and I’ll cherish that for a long time.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football: Gunnar Gundy will 'cherish' first TD passes