Oklahoma State 2023 Position Group Recap: Ollie Gordon II Takes Over at Running Back

While it did not look like it early on, running back was Oklahoma State’s most reliable position.

Frankly, that was due to exactly one running back who took over in the Cowboys’ first Big 12 game. Ollie Gordon II got the bulk of the carries after his 70-yard run made his impact undeniable.

Overall recap: The best in the country does better than… not the best

Gordon’s reign as the clear No. 1 guy in the backfield began at Iowa State, but before that, OSU’s running back battle was the same as the quarterback battle. Alongside Gordon, Elijah Collins and Jaden Nixon were the three running backs used in the nonconference slate.

Through three games, the three had similar stats, with Collins leading the three in rush attempts at 25, followed by Gordon’s 19 and Nixon’s 18. But since conference play began, Nixon has only 32 carries and Collins finished with only five more.

Gordon had more than those two had for the rest of the season in just two conference games, both 100+ yard outings.

Ollie Gordon: A++

Is it a bit dramatic to say Gordon saved OSU’s season? Yes, but maybe not.

The Doak Walker Award winner went for 1,732 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in the 2023 season. Gordon also finished seventh in Heisman voting, thanks to the tear he went on in the middle of the season.

Although the Cowboys lost their conference opener to Iowa State, that started a six-game streak where Gordon went for at least 100 yards rushing. His outing a week later against Kansas State started a five-game winning streak. But it was his next three games that defined his season.

In OSU’s upset victory over Kansas, Gordon went for 168 yards rushing and 116 yards receiving. That game started some buzz around Gordon, and his outing at West Virginia solidified his standing.

Against WVU, Gordon ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns, including 149 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the win. On homecoming against Cincinnati a week later, he went for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

To cap off OSU’s five-game winning streak, he went for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

In the Cowboys’ final regular season game, he sealed the Doak Walker Award with a five-touchdown outing against BYU. With three touchdowns in the final minute of the fourth quarter and beyond, Gordon led them to a double-overtime victory to earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship.

Gordon will head into the 2024 season as the unquestioned first option, and with the returning offensive line, it could be a special year for him and anyone else who gets to carry the football for OSU.