Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Armed with a QB, Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State rejuvenated

For a few weeks last season season, Mike Gundy didn’t look like he was having much fun.

The tension spilled over with the media, culminating in the final regular-season press conference when the Oklahoma State coach declined comment on virtually every question; at one point in the middle of it, he picked up his phone and answered a text message. After mega-booster Boone Pickens gave Gundy a backhanded vote of confidence, rumors began to surface Gundy and Oklahoma State might part ways after the season, despite the success Gundy had brought the Cowboys over the previous nine seasons. Even the Oklahoma State student newspaper concluded Gundy should be gone.

Instead, it's those days that are gone. And armed with a potential rising star at quarterback and a host of other key starters, Gundy seems rejuvenated about his standing in Stillwater.

“We’re climbing back to where we were when we lost all those guys a couple of years ago,” Gundy reportedly told a small group of beat reporters following the TicketCity Cactus Bowl.

The impetus of Gundy’s perceived rejuvenation coincided with Oklahoma State’s stunning, come-from-behind win at Oklahoma -- Gundy’s first Bedlam road victory as a player or coach.

The Sooners led by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But behind promising true freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State rallied to topple Oklahoma in overtime.

After the game, Gundy got back to having fun, unleashing his patented locker room dance for the players.

Gundy would later call the Oklahoma victory the biggest of his tenure in Stillwater. It not only made the Cowboys bowl eligible, it seemingly changed the mood and perhaps the 2015 trajectory of the program.

Leading up to the TicketCity Cactus Bowl, Gundy shelved the cold demeanor that had defined him for much of the 2014 season. He publicly expressed a desire to patch things up with Pickens. He even took a selfie with the Oklahoma State media.

Then, his team went out and played with the same looseness in the bowl game, handling Washington 30-22 in an inspiring performance that included Gundy putting 300-pound defensive tackle James Castleman at fullback for a touchdown run and a 48-yard reception.

Fresh off their phenomenal finish to last season, the Cowboys now have high hopes they can get back in 2015 to making noise in the Big 12 championship chase.

“We’ve got 21 guys that we played that are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen,” Gundy said. “Those guys are better, but they’re still not where we were because they don’t have that kind of experience. They will toward the middle part of next year.”

The biggest key for the Cowboys, though, will be the continued development of Rudolph, who shined after having his redshirt pulled for Oklahoma State’s final three games.

“When Mason came in -- and timing is important in everything we do -- he just kind of provided a lift,” Gundy said.

“He has some grit and toughness. How much? I don’t know because he has only played three games. I’m going to find out. I’m going to find out about his leadership skills. Is he going to bust his [tail] in the offseason? Is he going to step up? Is he going to have that same demeanor? Is he going to spend all his time in the [meeting room] by himself, like Peyton Manning does? We’re going to find out.”

The Cowboys, however, should be better on the offensive line, a unit that struggled most of last season but came together in front of Rudolph at the end.

Despite facing a talented Washington front seven, Oklahoma State controlled the line of scrimmage in the bowl game. With four starters back and plenty of transfer help on the way, offensive line figures to be a strength again for the Cowboys next season.

"We played with a senior, two sophomores and two freshmen, so I was surprised that they performed as well as they did,” Gundy said. “You’re playing on the road at Norman, and then you’re playing against a Washington team that had three All-Americans on defense. I think we had only one procedure penalty.”

Rudolph will also have his entire receiving corps back, including starters Brandon Sheperd, David Glidden and James Washington, who also had a banner true freshman season.

Defensively, Oklahoma State returns seven starters, including defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, linebacker Seth Jacobs and safety Jordan Sterns, who all broke out as sophomores.

Still, challenging in the Big 12 won’t be easy. TCU and Baylor are loaded again and will likely open in the top five of the preseason polls. Oklahoma and Texas are banking on having better seasons, too.

But Gundy is back to being his old self again.

Which is exciting news for the Cowboys in 2015.

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