Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon will play in his team’s season opener at home vs. South Dakota St. on Aug. 31, according to Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy.
“He’s gonna play,” Gundy said Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas. “I’m gonna do what we think is best for Oklahoma State Football, and I think it’s best for Ollie [Gordon] to play. If there’s any punishment, it’s make him carry the ball 50 times in the first game.”
Gordon earned first-team All-American honors last year after leading the nation in rushing yards (1,732). He was second in rushing touchdowns (21) and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Gordon also had 39 receptions for 330 yards and one TD.
However, the Big 12’s 2023 Offensive Player of the Year was arrested on suspicion of DUI 10 days ago. Nevertheless, Gundy allowed Gordon to attend the event in Sin City.
“Your punishment is going to be facing the facts,” Gundy said he told Gordon. “That’s why we brought him here today.”
Gordon was pulled over for swerving into the other lane and driving 82 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. The officer detected a smell of alcohol and found open bottles of both vodka and tequila that were half empty.
Gordon declined to take a sobriety test, but his blood alcohol level registered 0.11 and 0.10 percent at the Cleveland County Jail. The legal blood alcohol limited is 0.08% in Oklahoma.
Gordon was arrested for DUI, transport of an open container and failure to maintain single lane traffic and speeding.
“I said, ‘You’re not going into hiding. You’re going to face the music, you’re going to have to stand up and talk to people and answer questions. And, hopefully, more than football, you can learn from the situation you’ve been in,'” Gundy said. “Because if not, then we have a real issue.”
Gordon finished seventh in the Heisman race and won the Doak Walker Award in 2023. The Cowboys, who finished 10-4 straight up and 8-6 against the spread last year, return 10 starters on offense and nine on defense.
Phil Steele’s National Unit Rankings have Oklahoma St.’s offensive line ranked fourth. The Cowboys have 250/1 odds to win the College Football Playoff at FanDuel. They’re +850 to win the Big 12 Championship Game, the third-shortest odds behind Utah (+310) and Kansas St. (+380).
FanDuel has Gordon listed with 75/1 odds to win the Heisman. Those are the second-shortest odds on the board for a non-quarterback, as Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter has 65/1 odds. The book currently has Georgia QB Carson Beck and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel as the +750 co-favorites.
Gundy’s team has a season win total of 8.5 (‘under’ -150, ‘over’ +122) at FanDuel.