UCF vs. Oklahoma State Football Preview with Casey Porter of OState Daily

UCF welcomes No. 15 Oklahoma State to the Bounce House this Saturday for the annual Space Game. The "Citronauts" will be wearing all blue in a game that will kick off at 3:30 p.m. EST with coverage on ESPN.

Gus Malzahn's team (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) is coming off their first conference victory at Cincinnati and another win would be a huge shot in the arm towards bowl eligibility. UCF must win two of their remaining three games to maintain their current bowl streak, which dates back to 2016.

For the Cowboys, 7-2 overall and tied for first with a 5-1 record in the Big 12, a victory puts them one step closer to a berth in the conference championship.

For our preview, we caught up with Casey Porter of OState Daily to learn more about Oklahoma State, a program that's seen a remarkable turnaround after beginning the season with a 2-2 record and stunning 33-7 home loss to South Alabama.

According to Porter, the turnaround began when OSU settled on a starting quarterback.

"The first three games they played three different guys, including Gunnar Gundy who is the son of head coach Mike Gundy, Garret Rangel who finished last season as the starter and then Alan Bowman. They would give each of the three guys a certain percentage of the game."

Bowman ultimately won the job. This is his third stop after prior stints at Texas Tech and Michigan. He actually played against OSU several years ago while with the Red Raiders.

"As a true freshman, Bowman threw for 360-something yards (against Oklahoma State)," Porter said. "Big-time arm, big-time decision maker. Super leader, very positive."

They also changed their blocking schemes during the bye week.

"OSU has been a zone-blocking team as long as Mike Gundy has been there," Porter said. "They transitioned in the off week to a gap scheme. It's made all the difference in the world. The offensive line coach, Charlie Dickey, came from Kansas State. He was the o-line coach for Bill Snyder. That's what they ran at K-State for all those years. It suits the offensive line coach and the linemen because it gives them better angles."

It's also been the key reason for why Ollie Gordon II has emerged as one of the nation's top running backs. The sophomore now leads the country with 1,224 rushing yards, most of which were accumulated in the last six games.

"A gap scheme gives Ollie Gordon two options, hit the hole or cut it back and he's been really great doing both and letting the blocks develop for him," Porter said.

Gordon recently rushed for 282 yards and 271 yards in back-to-back games against West Virginia and Cincinnati. Porter said OSU fans knew Gordon was a good player, but admits they are surprised at the huge numbers being posted.

"He went back-to-back weeks with over 250 yards," Porter said. "That's the first time an Oklahoma State running back has done that since Barry Sanders. When you're having that sort of production, that surprises everybody."

"Ollie Gordon has the total package. He has great vision. He's a wonderfully positive young man. I think one of the biggest reasons Oklahoma State has been able to turn this around is their best players are positive thinkers."

OSU landmark win came at home last weekend. They defeated bitter rival Oklahoma 27-24 in what will be the final Bedlam game, at least for now, with the Sooners headed to the SEC next season.

"It would take me about 24 hours to describe what it means for Oklahoma State fans to beat OU," Porter said.

Throughout its history, Bedlam has been mostly one sided. Porter talked about the heartbreaks along the way, many close calls and near misses. A big one came in 1988 when Mike Gundy was quarterback and a receiver dropped the go-ahead touchdown pass on the final play of the game.

OSU is widely regarded as having the best stadium atmosphere in the Big 12. That was even relayed to me by folks at Kansas State and Oklahoma during UCF's road trips this season. It'll be a few more years until UCF can experience it firsthand - their first game in Stillwater won't occur until the 2026 season.

"I have been to every venue in the original Big 12, including Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri, though haven't been to the new guys," Porter said. "It's the perfect size for what Oklahoma State needs. They didn't build it for 75,000 people. It's a little over 50,000 so it's always full. That makes for a great atmosphere. The sideline from the first row of the stands is like 15 feet. You catch a pass and you slam into the pads on the wall. The fans are literally right up on top of you."

As for the future Big 12 which will be a 16-team league next season, Porter has a very positive outlook.

"OU and Texas have held the Big 12 hostage for so many years," Porter said. "When they left, I'm sure they thought it would crumble. OU fans referred to it as a JV conference. I think it bothers OU fans that Oklahoma State, K-State, Tech, Baylor, all these schools, rebounded. We got four schools that brought us back to 12 and we got a great media contract. We moved on without OU and Texas. Now we're a stronger conference than what the PAC-12 was and we absorbed those schools.

"In my opinion, it's a perfect scenario for OSU because you get out from the shadow of OU. There's been so many occasions the Big 12 title ran through Bedlam and OU won it most of the time. OU has been a dark shadow for Oklahoma State. This Big 12 conference, no doubt about it, will be a power conference. It's not going away. It is going to have tremendous access to the playoff."

In reviewing the offense aside from Bowman and Gordon, Porter says OSU has a quality center in Joe Michalski. Rashod Owens had 10 catches and went into "beast mode" against OU. He's a hybrid type player with tight end size and receiver ability. Brennan Presley is the biggest playmaker at wide receiver.

OSU has a new defensive coordinator this season, Bryan Nardo, who came from Division II Gannon University. That wasn't an uncommon move for Gundy though as he has previously tapped the lower levels for coaches. One reason Gundy sought Nardo was his success in running a 3-3-5 scheme.

"It's been the hardest defense for Gundy to defeat," Porter said. "Iowa State ran it and they've always had some of the best defenses in the Big 12 with not necessarily the best players. He definitely wanted a 3-5-5 coach. He wanted a young, sharp guy that can solve problems.

"Nardo is a savant. I love this guy. I think his biggest problem is he's so smart and creative, kind of like a Lincoln Riley on the defensive side of the ball, is not putting too much in. He's done a masterful job of getting just enough scheme in so the guys can play fast, physical and tackle. They do give up some yards and points, but they've played some really good offenses."

Defensively, linebacker Xavier Benson is likely the top NFL prospect. Middle linebacker Nick Martin has been a "heat seeking missile" with a couple recent games in which he recorded 17 tackles.

Despite the record disparity and UCF's struggling run defense, Oklahoma State is just a 2.5-point favorite in this game. At least among the fans, Porter said OSU is not overlooking this one. Porter said they're well aware of UCF's offense, led by quarterback John Rhys Plumlee and running back RJ Harvey.

"Oklahoma State has to control the game offensively," Porter said. "Slow down the tempo, run the ball and win time of possession. OSU's best defense will be slowing the game to try and keep UCF's offense off the field while getting first downs and scoring. They need to get a lead. If UCF gets a two-score lead and OSU has to speed it up, it might be a bad day."

What will Mike Gundy's legacy be at Oklahoma State?

"It's always going to be Boone Pickens Stadium, but it's going to be at Mike Gundy Field," Porter said. "I don't think there's any doubt about that. Mike Gundy is unequivocally the best coach Oklahoma State has ever had. He's going to be the best Oklahoma State will have ever had. I can't see anybody ever surpassing him.

"When you go all the way back to his playing days which started in 1986. He's been at one school for almost 40 years. He is Oklahoma State. Period. End of discussion. That's why they gave him the rolling contract. I believe he is the highest-paid coach in the Big 12... He's worth every penny. He gets it. He gets how important that win was for Oklahoma State against OU. That makes it even cooler. You can't say enough about what Mike Gundy's legacy is going to be at Oklahoma State."

Check out Casey Porter and his work with OState Daily both on their site and YouTube Channel.