Mike Gundy praises defense, reveals key to second half against Iowa State

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is pleased with the effort he saw from his defense in the first half against Iowa State. With the Cowboys leading the Cyclones 10-7 heading into the locker room, Gundy praised his defense in an on-field interview with ESPN.

“They’re doing a really good job,” he said. “Getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback. We missed a couple of tackles, but overall, we’re swarming and the defense played pretty good.”

OSU has already forced three turnovers from ISU, including a pair of interceptions from quarterback Hunter Dekkers. The Cowboys have also held the Cyclones to just 33 yards rushing on 15 carries.

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Offensively, Oklahoma State has played a bit better than Iowa State, but could still improve its performance heading into the second half. The Cowboys’ only touchdown came on an 83-yard connection between quarterback Gunnar Gundy and John Paul Richardson. Other than that, they had just 149 yards of offense.

Gunnar Gundy, the son of Mike Gundy who was starting in place of an injured Spencer Sanders, finished the first half 3-of-8 passing for 100 yards, a touchdowns and an interceptions. The Cowboys as a team had 49 yards rushing on 22 carries in the first half.

“We’ve actually rushed the ball decent at times,” Mike Gundy said. “We’ve got to do a better job protecting and just trying to stay in a balanced attack.”

The start is the first of Gunnar Gundy’s career after he walked on to the team in 2020. He also saw time against Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier this season, throwing for 128 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the blowout.

Mike Gundy will hope the Cowboys defense can continue their impressive play against Iowa State in the second half to hang on for the win.