Several Oklahoma State Cowboys scored some honors this week. See the press releases below!
Ollie Gordon II Named Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week, as well as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week, for his historic performance in OSU’s 39-32 win over No. 23 Kansas Saturday afternoon.
The news comes just a day after he was honored as a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
Gordon turned in a career-best game with 168 rushing yards and a touchdown on 29 carries (5.8 yards per carry) while adding 116 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches.
To put those numbers into perspective, no other FBS player in the past seven seasons has reached Gordon’s rushing and receiving totals in the same game, and only five total FBS players have done it since 2000: Gordon vs. Kansas in 2023; MTSU’s Richie James vs. FAU in 2016; WVU’s Steve Slaton vs. Pittsburgh in 2006; Utah State’s Emmett White vs. NMSU in 2000; and Minnesota’s Tellis Redmon vs. Illinois in 2000.
Gordon is now the only player in the FBS this season and the first OSU player since 1989 (Gerald Hudson vs. Kansas) to record more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in a single game. He also became the first Cowboy running back with 100 yards receiving in a game since 1992 (Rafael Denson vs. Missouri).
His 282 all-purpose yards were the most by a Cowboy since All-American Chuba Hubbard posted 303 against Kansas State in 2019, and his offensive yardage accounted for 51.3% of the Cowboys’ offensive production in the game.
He exploded out of the gate against the Jayhawks, surpassing 100 yards from scrimmage with eight and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, Gordon hauled in a career-long 50-yard catch to mark OSU’s longest game-opening play since Jaylen Warren’s 52-yard catch against Kansas State on Sept. 25, 2021.
The Doak Walker Award has been awarded to the nation’s top running back since 1990, and since 2022, the award has recognized a national running back of the week. A select 20-person committee from the award’s full voting body of media and past winners chooses the weekly recipient.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity. In addition, the nominee must meet be born in Texas, have graduated from a Texas high school or play at a Texas-based college.
Gordon and the Cowboys return to action Saturday, playing West Virginia on the road at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Alex Hale a Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week” for Second Straight Week
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State kicker Alex Hale was named a Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week” for a second straight week Tuesday for his performance in OSU’s 39-32 win over No. 23 Kansas Saturday afternoon.
The honor is given for the top three kicker performances in the FBS each week.
Hale, a senior from Point Frederick, New South Wales, Australia, nailed four field goals in the win, including two in the fourth quarter with a long of 42 yards that put the Cowboys up seven points with less than a minute remaining in the game.
The performance came just a week after tying the program record with five makes against Kansas State, and he is now the first kicker in program history to make nine fields in a two-game stretch, beating out the eight makes set by Tanner Brown in 2022, Quinn Sharp in 2012 and Larry Roach in 1982.
Now leading the nation in made field goals per game, Hale is 15-18 on the year and making a strong early case for the 2023 Lou Groza Award.
Brennan Presley Named to Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley was one of three FBS players named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll this week after his performance in OSU’s 39-32 win over No. 23 Kansas Saturday afternoon.
He was joined by Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Utah’s Sione Vaki this week as players honored by the award given annually to the nation’s most versatile player.
Excelling on offense and special teams Saturday, Presley touched the ball four different ways and scored twice, including the winning touchdown, in the Cowboys’ come-from-behind win.
He had eight catches for 79 yards and a score and ran six yards for the winning score with 2:33 left in the game. He accounted for six first downs receiving, returned a kickoff 22 yards and fair caught a punt near midfield that led to an OSU scoring drive.
The Louisville Sports Commission launched the Paul Hornung Award in 2010 to promote outstanding performances by versatile college football players who often go unnoticed. Each week during the regular season, a panel of college football experts selects players for the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll based on performance.
Presley and the Cowboys return to action Saturday, playing West Virginia on the road at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.