Hi there. I just wanted to come on here and congratulate U fans on a good game, and bc I'm always morbidly curious about the other side. I hope none of this comes off the wrong way.
It was a good game, obv could have been better if D'Eriq and Tylan had played full games. It sounds like Gundy got spooked by D'Eriq's injury and we all just hope it isn't an ACL. I think the next man up on each team played lights out and really neutralized the impact of stars sitting on the bench. It felt like we scored whenever we aired it out and fell flat whenever we tried to force the run. After trying to force the run 60% of snaps this season, successfully executing our old air raid offense surprised everyone. It shouldn't be surprising that we're still built like an air raid team even though Big 12 defenses have evolved to stop the air raid, thus the effective game plan for the bowl game.
I'm not sure what's going on with your QB room but I thought N'Kosi played with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. I honestly think he was more effective than D'Eriq but there's no telling what would have happened in a full game. You have to find a way to get someone like that more involved.
8-3 is generally a decent record despite the higher expectations for both schools (remember COVID deprived us of easy pre-conf wins). For us, this was a down year from the 10-win standard of Gundy's first 10 years. For you all, I know it's simultaneously insulting (compared to the old days) but also significant progress. You've got to recognize progress like that. I know this may feel like a bad loss for anyone who's unfamiliar with the Big 12 - but don't beat yourself up. We're actually (statistically) the second best program in our conference (thru the 2010s), Gundy is now 10-5 in bowl games, and the Big 12 has gradually evolved from an offensive league to a defensive league. OSU actually fields the best third down defense in FBS. If you wanna watch the best offenses and worst defenses, try the SEC nowadays. It's funny how these things evolve over time as programs adopt new philosophies and defenses respond to what offenses do.
Lastly, careful with the negativity. I see a lot of that on here and it reminds me of our mid-season stretch where we got upset twice (which I think was caused by our negativity), didn't even show up for Bedlam, and everyone wanted Gundy fired. Our fans were about as demoralized as ever by another OU loss in a year that we were supposed to be the better team. Players do hear this fan talk, and we had a star TE transfer during the stretch of negativity. It was honestly a very difficult, disappointing year for OSU. Firing Gundy would have been a mistake though, just as firing Diaz would be for you all. Never underestimate a good cultural fit and a good program CEO. Diaz seems like a classy guy who can gradually rebuild the U into a consistent winner, if you have the patience to stick with him.
* But maybe get rid of ceremonial figureheads on the payroll. Just my advice, from someone who wants this win to look better over time.
