Gundy’s Bedlam Stance Hides Truth

Mike Gundy talked Bedlam this week. The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year candidate along with Oklahoma rival Lincoln Riley prepares for Saturday night and another try at OU.

Close your ears, Cowboys fans, you won’t like what he said.

“You know we prepare the same for Oklahoma as we do for any other team,” Gundy said. “Try to get prepared and go out and play the best we can.”

And hey, to be honest, it’s OK that he says that, even if he doesn’t mean it. It’s the message he has to convey to his players if he’s going to tell them every week is important. And it is.

But surely you know that deep down, Gundy values this game just the same as you do. He burns for it. If Gundy is anything, he’s a competitor.

As a high school senior, when his Midwest City Bombers needed a drive to win a state championship, Gundy delivered with a 71-yard march to the decisive score in a 40-36 conquest. Before that drive, he paced the sideline, channeling his hero, repeating, “Dan Marino. Dan Marino…”

At OSU, where Gundy set Big 12 passing records during a successful career, he went after Brian Bosworth as a freshman appearing in his first Bedlam game. It was a mismatch, not that Gundy cared.

As Les Miles’ offensive coordinator in 2002, Gundy sprinted past me on his way to the locker room after OSU’s 38-28 Bedlam win, screaming, “I had eight more calls that would have been touchdowns, but Les wouldn’t let me call them!”

The score is misleading, as the Cowboys won easy that afternoon, leading 35-6 at one point. Gundy wanted to pile on, but that wasn’t Miles’ way.

So there’s a glimpse into Gundy the competitor.

His players have seen it, too. When asked what they thought their coach was like as a player, they had him pegged.

“I think he was a gamer,” former quarterback Mason Rudolph said. “I think he was a baller.”

Indeed he was.

And still is.

Yeah, he won’t build up Bedlam with a lot of talk. And he sometimes takes the conservative approach to game-planning the Sooners, seemingly hoping to keep it close before seizing victory in the end. And yeah, the Cowboys should be better than 2-13 during his tenure, although some missed opportunities weren’t his fault.

But Gundy burns to win Bedlam.

Burns hot and burns deep.

You may not hear it, but know it’s there, simmering until Saturday.