Oklahoma State Football

Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman is 24 years old and entering his seventh—yes, seventh—college season in 2024.

So on Monday, he poked fun of his seemingly everlasting eligibility:

So how did Bowman get to year No. 7?

He used a medical redshirt while at Texas Tech in 2019 and a regular redshirt in 2021 after transferring to Michigan.

The COVID-19 pandemic also afforded college athletes affected an additional year of eligibility, and when added to his four regular seasons of eligibility, you get to a whopping seven years and three different programs for Bowman.

After the 2022 season, Bowman transferred to Oklahoma State and served as the team's starter, throwing for 3,460 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The old man on campus will be hoping for an even better season in 2023 after leading the Cowboys to the Big 12 Championship Game a season ago.

Four people have been charged in connection to a dead longhorn being left on the front lawn of an Oklahoma State University fraternity house last month, according to Addison Kliewer of KOCO News 5.

Three 19-year-olds, Luke Ackerley, Andrew King and Brody Shelby, and 20-year-old Bennet Fady have been charged with unlawful disposal of a carcass—a criminal misdemeanor—for their involvement in the incident.

On Dec. 1 ahead of the Big 12 Championship game between Oklahoma State and the Texas Longhorns, the Stillwater Police Department responded to a call about a dead longhorn on the front lawn of the FarmHouse Fraternity.

Video of the incident obtained by police showed a pickup truck with a trailer carrying the longhorn pull up to the fraternity in the early morning hours on Dec. 1, according to court documents.

Three men wearing hoods exited the vehicle, got the longhorn off the trailer and placed it on the fraternity's front lawn while the other remained in the driver's seat.

The longhorn, which had a large cut in the abdomen, had been branded with the words "F--k FH," according to Colleen Wilson of Fox 25. A necropsy report determined the longhorn had died of a disease and that the four men had not killed it to place it on the fraternity's lawn.

Members of the FarmHouse Fraternity said they believed the longhorn was left by members of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity amid a prank war between the two, according to court documents.

Police then executed a search warrant of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, and the four men were arrested before being released on their own recognizance.

All four men have pleaded not guilty.

Oklahoma State quarterback Gunnar Gundy is transferring to Ohio University, per Action Network's Brett McMurphy.

Gundy, the son of Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, spent three seasons with the Cowboys, though was never the starter. He saw limited action this season, recording 21 completions for 202 passing yards and a touchdown. He also recorded a rushing touchdown in the TaxAct Texas Bowl against Texas A&M.

In 2022, he appeared in four games and recorded 19 completions for 247 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.

Gundy joins an Ohio team that is coming off a successful 10-3 season with a win over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

Gundy joined Oklahoma State in 2021 after coming out of high school as an unranked recruit, playing high school football in Stillwater near Oklahoma State's campus. While he was never given the nod as the Cowboys' starter, he showed flashes of potential in his limited snaps.

Now, he'll look to earn a starting job outside of the Power 5 ranks with Ohio.

Oklahoma State had a successful season, finishing 9-3 before taking on Texas in the Big 12 Championship. The Cowboys couldn't get it done against the Longhorns, but they handled business against Texas A&M in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, picking up their second season with 10 or more wins in the past three years.

The Cowboys have a familiar face returning at quarterback in Alan Bowman, who was granted a waiver for a seventh season of eligibility. This season, Bowman threw for 3,460 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

While Mike Gundy's son won't be on the roster next season, he's looking to find more success in his 20th year with the Cowboys.

Officials from the Stillwater Police Department in Oklahoma announced Friday that a longhorn cow was found dead in the front lawn of a fraternity house near Oklahoma State University, according to ESPN.

Police were first notified of the incident at 6:30 a.m. when they received a call regarding the dead animal that was laid out in front of Farmhouse fraternity. The longhorn was found with an expletive carved into its side and its stomach was cut open, according to Kennedy Thomason of The O'Colly, Oklahoma State's student newspaper.

The crime comes just one day ahead of Saturday's Big 12 championship game between Texas—whose mascot is a longhorn—and Oklahoma State.

This goes way beyond the typical rivalry behavior, and officials say that the guilty party could be charged with animal cruelty, which is a a felony.

"It's a very cruel crime to be committed, especially right before the Big 12 Championship," officer TJ Low told Cheyenne Derksen and Jana Hayes of The Oklahoman. "Nothing is worth doing that kind of crap."

Oklahoma State condemned the actions in a statement, saying that it "is appalled at the disturbing display of animal cruelty ... at an off-campus location near a fraternity house." The university also said Stillwater police and OSU's office of student support and conduct are both in the middle of their own investigations and that "appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation."

As for the Farmhouse fraternity—which was ironically founded by agriculture students in 1905—a representative told Thomason that it was leaving the investigation and all the information pertaining to it up to the police.

As someone that's been associated with the Oklahoma State football program for nearly 40 years, Mike Gundy is better qualified than most to understand how momentous Saturday's victory was.

In what was the final Bedlam rivalry game between OSU and No. 10 Oklahoma, Gundy's squad came away with a 27-24 win at Boone Pickens Stadium in front of a raucous home crowd.

And while, the rivals from Norman may have dominated the majority of the rivalry, Gundy knows how significant it is that the unranked Cowboys were the ones to get the last laugh.

"It's a big deal. I mean, this is the last Bedlam," Gundy said via ESPN's Dave Wilson. "All the Oklahoma State people have put up with a lot of crap for 100 years. They've had their butt kicked a bunch. Now they're going to walk around and say we won the last game."

Saturday was the 33rd time that Gundy participated in an iteration of the rivalry, having done so as a player, assistant coach and as the top man. Unfortunately, it may be his last one as Oklahoma is priming for a move to the SEC next season along with Texas as part of a conference realignment.

And given their respective conference schedules moving forward, Gundy doesn't think it'd be wise for the two teams to keep it going for the time being.

Oklahoma has completely dominated the rivalry, winning 91 games to just 20 for the Cowboys. But the latter may have earned themselves eternal bragging rights should the game never be played again.

"I did tell the team ... that the one thing they should remember, these are special moments," Gundy said. "The one thing that they can take with them for the rest of their life is the thrill that they gave the fans. There's been a lot of years and a lot of history and a lot of tradition with Bedlam, and our crowd is more engaged with our team than any of the years I've been here. So what they did is they gave them a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Thinking of where Oklahoma State was just a few weeks ago, losing back-to-back games against South Alabama and Iowa State, respectively, it has undergone a complete turnaround.

The Cowboys have now won five consecutive games and have their signature win of the year against their biggest rival.

Oklahoma defensive lineman Trace Ford, who transferred last offseason after four seasons with Oklahoma State, was not impressed by Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy saying he had "not paid attention" to Ford's game tape ahead of Saturday's rivalry showdown.

"He is really smart with the media. He knows exactly what to say," Ford said Thursday on Oklahoma City's WWLS radio, per ESPN's Dave Wilson. "He's a little celebrity when it comes to that stuff. He loves being petty, and I can't wait to play him. I can't wait to see his face. If he hasn't seen me on film yet, I hope he does this weekend."

The same radio station asked Gundy about Ford on Monday, per Wilson.

"I've watched a lot of tape and honestly have not paid not paid attention or noticed," Gundy answered. "I look at concepts, schemes, numbers. ... What to attack, what I want to stay away from, things like that more so necessarily than who it would be, so I don't really notice things like that."

Ford will face his former coach on Saturday when No. 10 Oklahoma plays at Oklahoma State. He has 10 tackles, including 2.0 for loss, and one defensive interception through eight games this season.

Ford has so far this season had better injury luck than his last two campaigns with the Cowboys. He suffered two ACL tears, one in each knee, in the span of less than a year, cutting his 2020 season short and entirely ending his 2021 campaign. He returned in 2022 only to suffer a fractured kneecap with four games left in the season.

After three severe knee injuries, it was unclear if Ford would be able to return to the dominance he displayed for the Cowboys in 2019 and 2020 when he racked up 51 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 23 games across two seasons.

Through eight games, the Sooners seem pleased with his comeback. Ford was named one of the team's Week 10 captains for the upcoming Bedlam Series showdown.

This weekend will present a challenge for Ford and the Oklahoma defense even outside of the rivalry.

Oklahoma State's offense is coming off three of its best rushing games of the season after clearing 200 yards on the ground in wins against Kansas and West Virginia and reaching 300 rushing yards for the first time this season in last Saturday's loss to Cincinnati.

Disrupting the defensive scheme that has allowed Ford's old teammate Ollie Gordon to lead all college running backs with 1,087 rushing yards will present a challenge for the defensive lineman.

If he succeeds, Ford's wish of Gundy watching his film is likely to come true.

Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker was arrested on suspicion of driving impaired, per Marcus Trevino of the Stillwater News Press.

Trevino cited a Stillwater police report, which said Rucker failed a field sobriety test and was not willing to breathe into a portable test unless he spoke to his lawyer. As a result, he was arrested and taken to Stillwater City Jail.

A police officer on the scene said he noticed the smell of an alcoholic beverage.

"His eyes were glassy, and his speech was low and slow," the officer wrote in the report. "He said he was fine. He said he was on his way home from watching film at the OSU Cowboys Stadium. ... He seemed to have no comprehension of what had happened the past several minutes."

Rucker responded to a tweet about the arrest and said, "Stop posting lies. Do your homework."

This is not the first time Rucker has been arrested.

According to Trevino, he was also arrested in June 2021 and pleaded guilty to assaulting an officer, driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license and resisting an officer.

He received deferred sentences.

Trevino noted a second DUI in the state of Oklahoma can include penalties of 1-5 years in jail, a $2,500 fine and a six-month license suspension.

Rucker was a member of the 2019 recruiting class and started his collegiate career at Wake Forest. He transferred to Oklahoma State ahead of the 2021 campaign.

He appeared in just one game during the 2022 season for the Cowboys but has played in all four games this year.

It's not Oklahoma State's fault that the Bedlam football rivalry with Oklahoma is ending after the 2023 season, at least in the eyes of Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy.

Gundy discussed the move away from the rivalry with the Sooners heading to the SEC with Brett McMurphy of Action Network:

"When Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12, they chose to end Bedlam. It's a one-sided deal. People were trying to decide what happened and what needs to happen to make it go on. They kept pushing Oklahoma State into it. We didn't have jack to do with that. They left the conference, Bedlam goes with it. The SEC eventually will go to a nine-game schedule, I'm sure Oklahoma has a Power 5 team they're playing every year. We would have a difficult time matching up with them in nonconference. We're scheduled out through '37. We're not responsible to change what we do because they left the conference. It's real simple. They chose to get into the SEC. That's the choice they made."

A similar situation happened in the Big 12 when Texas A&M moved to the SEC.

That temporarily ended the Aggies' rivalry games with Texas since they were no longer in the same conference, although the series will renew in the near future with the Longhorns set to join the SEC along with Oklahoma.

Gundy and the Cowboys may be feeling left behind, but a pause in the rivalry with the Sooners probably isn't the worst thing for their football program.

After all, Oklahoma is a dominant 82-20-7 in the series dating back to 1914. It seemed like things might have been shifting when Oklahoma State won back-to-back matchups in 2001 and 2002, but the Sooners have won 17 of the last 20 since that blip.

The game is typically defined by offensive fireworks, but last year's matchup was a low-scoring affair that Oklahoma won 28-13.

There may be some frustration from Cowboys fans and players about the end of the rivalry—along with some finger pointing from their head coach—but the team should have a better opportunity to accumulate more wins and compete for better bowl games in the new-look Big 12.

While Cincinnati, UCF, BYU and Houston are solid incoming programs, they don't have the history and tradition of Texas and Oklahoma.

And they don't have the track record of dominance against Oklahoma State that the Sooners do, both throughout history and in the past 20 years.