Mike Gundy responds to frustrated Oklahoma State fans amid struggles

After starting his season with a 3-0 record, Oklahoma State lost three games in a row. After the team's 38:14 loss to West Virginia on Saturday, head coach of the Cowboys Mike Gundy addressed Oklahoma State fans who have expressed frustration with the team's recent performances.

“My job is to pay attention to the game and not the crowd.” Gundy said. “My job is not to talk to the fans. My job is to coach the team. That's my job. Anyone who pays and comes to a game has the right to show whatever action they are comfortable with. I have no problem with that.”

The Oklahoma State faithful have a lot to be excited about. In the stunning loss to the Mountaineers, Oklahoma State totaled just 227 yards of offense while WVU had 558 yards.

When Oklahoma State's offense managed to put together a successful drive, it rarely found the end zone. The Cowboys had two turnovers in the loss, while West Virginia had no turnovers.

Oklahoma State fans were particularly frustrated with the team's underutilization of the running back Ollie Gordon IIwho was the winner of the 2023 Doak Walker Award – an award given annually to the best running back in the country.

In five games this season, Gordon has only managed 384 rushing yards and four touchdowns. For reference, Gordon finished the 2023 season with 1,732 yards and 21 scores in the ground game.

It was a surprising turn of events for the Cowboys, who entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Big 12. Now Mike Gundy is simply looking for a way to keep his team focused on improvement.

“It's really my job to keep them motivated, but these are grown men. You have to motivate yourself. That must be important to them,” Gundy said. “They will come back and train really well, but that is my responsibility.

“But I also think there are things we've taught them since they walked in this door from day one that will help them stay motivated, but those are things I'm looking for in the next five or six days and that I will really keep an eye on.”

Oklahoma State will enjoy a bye this week before facing them BYU on October 18 at 10:15 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.