Oklahoma

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy apologizes after saying 'most people are weak' when talking about fan criticism

Published

2 months ago

November 6, 2024

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy apologizes after saying 'most people are weak' when talking about fan criticism

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy posted an apology to social media late Tuesday night for comments he made during his Monday news conference about Oklahoma State fans who have been critical of the way the season has unfolded.

“I apologize to those who my comments during Monday’s media call offended,” the longtime Oklahoma State coach said. “My intent was not to offend any of our fans who have supported us and this program through the years.”

Oklahoma State is 3-6 and 0-6 in the Big 12 a season after making it to the Big 12 championship game. After starting the season with three straight non-conference wins, the Cowboys are in a tailspin. Four of the six losses have been by double digits.

The team’s performance amidst its losing streak was a prominent theme in Monday’s news conference. And after he was asked about fan criticism earlier in the availability, the topic came up again. Gundy said that “most people are weak” when things don’t go well and that those people then find someone to point the finger at.

He then went on from there.

“This place has had tremendous success for 18-and-a-half years, or 19, I can’t do the math real good,” Gundy said. “And so, unfortunately, in life, most people are weak and as soon as things start to not go as good as they thought, they fall apart and they panic. And then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it happening in everyday life. People do it all the time. That’s why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and b****ing about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way and make it better.

“And that’s what happens in college athletics, and as [a reporter who asked a question earlier in the news conference] said, she’s exactly right. It’s just on the bigger stage where people can voice their opinion. And in most cases, the people who are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job but they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then in the end when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”

The former Oklahoma State quarterback has been the Cowboys’ head coach since 2005 and the team’s 18-year bowl streak will be snapped if Oklahoma State doesn’t win each of its final three games of the season.

That looks like a very tough task. Oklahoma State plays at TCU on Saturday before games against Texas Tech and No. 20 Colorado to finish the season. If Oklahoma State loses at least one more game, it will be the first time the school hasn’t won at least seven games in a single season since the Cowboys went 4-7 in Gundy’s first season.

Two big reasons for the team’s struggles are the lack of a run game and a porous defense. Ollie Gordon was an All-American in 2023 with 1,732 yards and finished seventh in the Heisman voting. This season, he has 146 carries for 593 yards and the team is averaging just 3.7 yards a carry. The defense, meanwhile, is allowing 6.9 yards per play and the 31.2 points per game OSU is allowing ranks 109th out of 134 teams at the top level of college football.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma dealing with shortage of game wardens

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma dealing with shortage of game wardens

Okla. (KXII) – Midway through several big hunting seasons, Oklahoma is struggling with a shortage of game wardens.

Oklahoma Senator David Bullard (R-Durant) said that game wardens have an important job to do.

“Those game wardens are there to protect us and protect the wildlife that are on our property from being poached,” he said. “The number one deer stand in Oklahoma for a lot of years was the right or left seat of a pickup truck.”

While there’s still some of that going on, he said it’s not anywhere near how it used to be.

“That’s due in large part to the wildlife department doing their job, being out and about,” Bullard said.

Now, that security could be in jeopardy.

Oklahoma currently has 12 open positions for game wardens – the most vacancies in a long time.

“When that law enforcement presence is not there, people are going to take advantage of it,” he said.

Bullard said one of the reasons the state is having a hard time filling those positions is because they’re simply not paying enough.

“If you’re paying competitive wages, and we’re not right now in the wildlife department, then you’re going to have a hard time recruiting,” he said.

Part of the problem is that the wildlife department is funded solely through ticketing, licenses and fees.

“They haven’t had an increase in licensing or fees in 23 years,” Bullard said.

Bullard said the ship has sailed on any more fee increases for the time being, but they could revisit the compacts they have with local tribes.

“The tribe has been great partners with us, especially on licensing and fees,” he said. “Bring that back up to help – that would be enough money there to give a substantial raise to all of our wildlife agencies and and to our game wardens.”

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Oklahoma

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Published

14 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Navy won its rivalry game with Army West Point, but there’s one more game left on the schedule and one more shot at some history for the Midshipmen.

Navy is preparing to face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, their first appearance in a bowl game under second-year head coach Brian Newberry. Kickoff is set for noon eastern.

If the Midshipmen (9-3) are able to beat the Sooners (6-6), it would mark the sixth time in school history that they won at least 10 games in a season, joining the teams from 1905 (10-1-1), 2004 (10-2), 2009 (10-4), 2015 (11-2) and 2019 (11-2).

Navy needs to put its blowout win over Army out of its minds. The Sooners, while not the OU that most are used to, will still be a formidable opponent. But there will be change under center after the transfer of quarterback Jackson Arnold.

No such issues with Navy quarterback Blake Horvath, as he looks to cap off the season with an incredible performance in the postseason.

Here is a preview of the game.

Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

Time: noon, ET, Friday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (flagship), Navy Football Radio Network.

Coaches: Navy: Brian Newberry (14-10 at Navy, overall); Oklahoma: Brent Venables (22-16 at Oklahoma, overall).

Fun fact: Newberry played high school football at WestMoore High School in Oklahoma City, about an hour and a half away from Oklahoma’s campus in Norman.

All-Times Series: Navy leads series, 1-0.

Last meeting: Navy 10, Oklahoma 0 (1965 in Norman, Okla.).

Series notes: This is Navy’s first bowl game against OU, but not its first bowl game against an SEC school. The Midshipmen played Ole Miss in the 1955 Sugar Bowl. Navy has played Missouri and Texas, but neither was in the SEC at the time.

Last Week: Navy def. Army, 31-13 (Dec. 14); Oklahoma lost to LSU, 37-13 (Nov. 30).

About Navy: Navy’s win over Army allowed the Midshipmen to claim the Commander in Chief’s trophy and you can’t doubt the accomplishment. Navy won the two service academy games by a combined 45 points. That’s just domination.

Last week, Midshipmen defensive back Rayuan Lane III accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, just the fifth Navy player to accomplish that feat. He’ll play in this game and then take his shot at getting drafted into the NFL.

Along with chasing 10 wins, Horvath is chasing the single-season touchdown pass record at Navy. He’s tied it with 13, putting him in the company of Ricky Dobbs. He tossed two touchdowns against Army.

About Oklahoma: Even though OU only finished .500, this game marks a rare chance for Navy to measure itself against one of the game’s historic programs.

Oklahoma is the sixth-winningest program in FBS history with 950 wins and is playing in a bowl game for the 26th straight season, with a record of 31-25-1. OU’s 58 bowl appearances are the fourth-most in FBS.

The first year in the SEC was a gauntlet for the Sooners, who faced eight ranked opponents during the season. But, their win over No. 7 Alabama probably robbed the Crimson Tide of a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.

Next Up: The season concludes for both teams.

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Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: December 22

Published

22 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Join News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, News On 6 Sports Director John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland for this week’s edition of the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz.

Sunday, December 22nd 2024, 11:25 pm

By:

News On 6,

News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY –

This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland begin the show with their opening takes.

Toby’s Top 3

OU, OSU, TU Recap

Viewer Question

Thunder Update: Caruso 4-Year Contract Extension, No Christmas Game

OU, OSU, TU, ORU Basketball Recap

OSU Wrestling Beats Virginia Tech