Just when you think Mike Gundy and this Oklahoma State football team can't possibly get any more head scratching, it suddenly looks like a Head & Shoulders commercial.
Saturday night after his Cowboys lost another game and mathematically eliminated themselves from bowl eligibility for the first time in nearly two decades, Gundy was asked right out of the gate about the bowl streak and what it had meant to the program.
"I'd just rather talk football only," he replied. "Nothing outside of football."
Um, pretty sure bowl games are, you know, football, but even if what Gundy really meant was that he just wanted to talk about the game, that doesn't make any sense either.
Did he really want to talk about the 38-13 loss to TCU, a game in which his team was outplayed and outcoached? A game in which his defense gave up touchdowns on five consecutive possessions and didn't force a punt until deep into the fourth quarter? A game in which his offense showed signs of life and ingenuity in the second half that made you wonder where any of it had been during a first half that was abysmal?
The Cowboys' house is on fire, but Gundy wants to discuss the fixtures.
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An elementary-school head-lice outbreak is minor compared to the head scratching going on here.
Listen, I understand that there's nothing Gundy or any Cowboy can say that can fix this season. No words are going to help the defensive backfield cover better or the passing game move effectively.
But right now, Gundy is hemorrhaging support among fans, the people whose dollars largely fund the program. Yes, what he said earlier this week about critical fans not being able to pay their bills didn't help -- asked about the fallout from that after Saturday's game, too, Gundy offered another, "I've got to talk about football only" -- but it's more than that.
There's no acknowledgement that this isn't acceptable.
It isn't up to OSU's standards.
Now, Gundy has been largely responsible for establishing those standards. Having a winning record for 18 consecutive years? Going to a bowl each of those years?
None of that was happening before Gundy.
He gets credit for all of it, as well he should. He has reaped many benefits from the success he's created, too, including earning the highest salary among Big 12 football coaches and having funding for the program that has never been higher.
Of course, it would be great if the results always matched, but that doesn't always happen.
Losing is one thing.
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Right now, the Cowboys aren't all that competitive, and that's the unacceptable part.
So, if Gundy wants to talk only about football, we can do that. But the talk isn't going to be all that great because right now he doesn't have coaching or game planning or play calling that's good enough, he doesn't have blocking or tackling that's good enough, and he doesn't have motivation or preparation that's good enough.
When he was asked about the bowl streak, Gundy could've spent two or three minutes reminiscing about all the bowls over the past 18 years. He could've talked about all the great players and all the fantastic teams. He could've told a few stories and shared a couple of memories.
When he was asked about the fallout from his comments earlier in the week, he could've apologized for what he said and talked about how consistent and passionate OSU fans have been.
He could've even admitted that this season hasn't been up to the program's standards. It isn't what he wanted. It isn't what anyone who loves OSU wanted.
One of Gundy's superpowers is that he is a Cowboy. To OSU fans, he is one of them. Right now, most of them are hurting and want to see things get better, and they want to know he is hurting and wants to see things get better, too.
Instead, they're left scratching their heads, wondering if he even realizes the house is engulfed.
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Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.