STILLWATER — Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II had a chance to be on the opposite sideline of Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game.

In burnt orange. Not bright orange.

Two years ago, Texas attempted to enter the picture in the 11th hour for Gordon on signing day as he prepared to sign with the Cowboys.

“Like 12 hours before signing day,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “As soon as somebody else told them no.”

A swing and a miss by the Longhorns. What they missed there is OSU’s gain.

Gordon is the darling running back across the country entering Saturday’s title game against those Longhorns.

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He’s the nation’s leading rusher. The favorite to win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. And he’s still on the fringe of Heisman Trophy contention.

And he’s getting a chance to return to his own backyard at AT&T Stadium, just a short drive from his hometown Fort Worth.

“Just looking forward to us coming out on top,” Gordon said after last Saturday’s 40-34 double-overtime win over BYU. “We take this week to get better, fix some things we had to fix this game. 

“Like I said, if we stick together, honestly, I don’t know who’s going punch to punch with us.”

Things could have been massively different had Gordon chosen to flip his commitment to Texas.

Gundy said that’s common for recruiting nowadays. And he doesn’t give a last-second pitch for a simple reason.

“They’re going to pick the phone up and call and offer him,” Gundy said about recruiting in general. “If he’s going to go to Texas, he’s going to go to Texas.

“There’s nothing I can do. I’m not going to get on the phone and talk him out of it. If he’s going to go, he’s going to go for the most part. Is it a little uncomfortable? Sure, it is.”

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But without a pitch, Gordon picked the Cowboys. He’s become a star with 1,580 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns and the catalyst for a remarkable turnaround by OSU this season.

Should he be invited to New York next month for the Heisman Trophy ceremony as a finalist?

“What he’s done this year, his numbers in the last nine games and his yards per carry and his touchdowns have been through the roof,” Gundy said.

But Gundy isn’t getting his hopes up for Gordon.

“One thing that’s an issue is in my personal opinion a running back’s chances of winning that award now and moving on are almost obsolete,” Gundy said. “It used to be that way but now it’s a quarterback-dominated award. Right or wrong, I’m just telling you that’s my opinion.”

Here are more takeaways from Gundy’s weekly news conference:

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This is not SEC vs. Big 12

Gundy isn’t buying into the matchup against the Longhorns as the Big 12 against the SEC, where the Longhorns are headed alongside OU after this season.

“The people that matter the most are the players that we recruit and they recruit, and I don’t think they care,” Gundy said. “I think they go to schools for whatever reason. The SEC vs. the Big 12 or Big Ten or Pac-12, I just don’t think they care. I don’t think it’s a factor.”

But this is a chance for the Cowboys to elevate their profile even more.

After all, they are in their second Big 12 title game in three seasons. Nobody else can make that claim.

“I think it’s good for the well-being of the program,” Gundy said.

Gundy said it might not help much in recruiting for this class. But marketing-wise, it could make a difference.

“I’m going to guess there’s a marketing value financially that we’re going to gain as a university through making the championship game,” he said.

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Mike Gundy sees growth in Quinn Ewers

A year ago, OSU picked off Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers three different times in a 41-34 victory in Boone Pickens Stadium.

The Cowboys batted down two passes at the line. They registered 13 quarterback hurries, putting even more pressure on Ewers.

But he’s a different quarterback now. Ewers has thrown for more than 2,700 yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games. He’s only thrown five interceptions.

“He’s playing better with reps,” Gundy said. “He’s like most guys you watch as they progress in this conference.”

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How do Cowboys handle Texas’ DTs?

The Longhorns feature the Big 12’s best run defense. Big defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat are huge factors.

Murphy is 6-foot-1 and 308 pounds. And he’s considered the little guy of the duo.

Sweat is 6-4 and 362 pounds.

“Texas has always had that,” Gundy said. “We’ve played them for years. They’ve got ends that are 30 pounds heavier than most people’s ends and they’ve got inside guys that are 20 pounds heavier than most people’s inside guys.”

Gundy was asked how to block the duo.

“We can double them some,” Gundy said. “You let the widest guy go and double team (the other) and let that guy try to run and make a tackle. And we can do what we’ve done the last 15 years, which is block them.

“You gotta block a three-technique, not necessarily a three-technique that has that uniform on. Go block them.”

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Quotable

Gundy’s furry friends were again in attendance, with dogs Gunger and Kenzie spending the news conference in the hallway outside the press box.

During an answer, they got into a scuffle and Gundy delivered a fun one-liner.

“That must be (Texas coach Steve) Sarkisian around here,” Gundy joked.

Jacob Unruh covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.