'Back to the basics': OSU defense rediscovers aggressive style in second-half Fiesta Bowl rally
Scott WrightOklahoman
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez pointed in his team’s direction, handed the football to the official and trotted off the field.
A rather mild celebration for one of the biggest plays in the biggest game of Rodriguez’s five-year Cowboy career.
The All-American linebacker intercepted Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan with 6:35 left in the Fiesta Bowl, ending one of Notre Dame’s final chances to retake the lead — a lead that had ballooned to 21 points in the first half, but disappeared behind an OSU onslaught of fast-paced offense and fierce defense.
The ninth-ranked Cowboys pulled off the biggest rally in school history for a 37-35 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday before a crowd of 49,550 fans at State Farm Stadium, completing the program’s second 12-win season ever.
But great comebacks only happen in dire circumstances, and the Cowboys put themselves in a Grand Canyon-sized hole on Saturday.
The OSU defense hadn’t allowed more than three touchdowns to any opposing offense all season, but it gave up four to Notre Dame in the first half alone.
The Cowboys fell behind 28-7 with 1:16 left in the half, but scored quickly to get within 14 points at the break.
Then the defense settled in. Playing without defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who left to take the same job at Ohio State last month, the Cowboys were using a committee approach to the defensive coordinator role, with defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements, cornerbacks coach Tim Duffie and safeties coach Dan Hammerschmidt all contributing.
“We went through some growing pains in the first quarter-and-a-half defensively, trying to get things adjusted and communication,” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said. “I was a little concerned about that. It showed its ugly head a little bit, then we settled down, made good halftime adjustments, obviously played very well.
“We struggled in the first quarter, to be honest with you, more than I thought we would’ve. We just had some — it wasn’t communication. I just didn’t think we were on track.”
Notre Dame struggled to run the ball early, but found success with Coan in the passing game.
In the first half, Coan was 24-of-33 passing for 342 yards and four touchdowns. For the game, Coan finished 38-of-68 passing for 509 yards, though he added only one more touchdown in the second half — that coming in the final minutes with the Cowboys leading by nine.
Notre Dame was held scoreless on seven consecutive possessions in the second half until the last-minute touchdown.
The Cowboys were playing softer coverage in the first half, but as part of the halftime adjustments, they got back to the more aggressive style they’ve lived by this season.
“They kinda let the D-line go, and gave us a little more freedom to rush the quarterback,” defensive end Brock Martin said.
In the secondary, they mixed zone and man-to-man coverages with the cornerbacks up tighter than they had been in the first half.
“They came in at half and made an emphasis to just be more aggressive in our coverages,” senior safety Kolby Harvell-Peel said. “It was just getting back to the basics.”
Rodriguez finished with 11 tackles and the interception, and linebacker Devin Harper had 10 stops, each playing in their final game as Cowboys. Martin had two sacks, and Harvell-Peel forced a fumble when he ripped the ball out of a running back’s hands then recovered it.
Rodriguez was named the game’s defensive MVP, while OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders — who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns, plus rushed for 125 yards — was the offensive MVP.
From Gundy’s perspective, the defense “went back to what we’re good at,” he said. “We weren’t able to get many sacks or put a lot of pressure on him, because of their length. So we had to find other ways to play good defense, and they did a good job of mixing up some of those calls in the second half.”
And the halftime adjustments came with a challenge as well.
“We challenged the team at halftime, anybody that didn’t want to come back out and fight, play by play, needed to stay in the locker room,” Gundy said. “They came out and they fought, competed. I couldn’t be any more proud of ‘em.”
