Cowboys Try to Rebound After Upset

Originally Published: Sep 14, 2009 5:37 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – After a stunning loss, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are answering questions on both sides of the ball and have a lot to work on before they host Rice on Saturday.

The Cowboys gave up 512 yards on defense. Offensively, they only converted two of their four chances in the red-zone. As a team, OSUhad nine penalties that cost them 81 yards.

“We made more mistakes than they did, and it put us in a tough situation,” said OSU head coach Mike Gundy. “If you’re a lot better than the other team athletically, you can turn the ball over a number of times and still win. It doesn’t happen a lot in college football now with some of the parity out there.”

The Cowboys didn’t make the plays when they needed to against Houston. After a big win against Georgia, many said this could be a letdown game for OSU; and some believed they didn’t have the intensity they needed to win.

“They came to play and we have to give them their props,” said senior safety Lucien Antoine “We should have played harder than them, but they played harder than us.”

This week, the Cowboys host the Rice Owls, another explosive offense. If OSU wants to rebound, it’s the simple things that they have to correct.

“Doing the simple things right, every little thing counts,” said sophomore safety Johnny Thomas. “Wrapping up when making a tackle and playing full speed every play.”

But just like not dwelling too long on the win a week ago was the issue for Cowboys, the coaching staff knows that if they want to rebound, the players cannot, and will not, let the loss carry over against Rice.

“Last night, I get a call and my 4-year-old is in the emergency room. He’s cut his foot open and he’s getting stitches. He’s walking around today, he’s 4 years old, and he doesn’t know the difference. I think our guys are the same way,” said Gundy. “I think the kids are resilient. I think they overcome things.”