It’s Been 15 Years Since Mike Gundy’s Epic Rant After a Texas Tech Game

I remember this rant like it was yesterday.

It was everywhere on SportsCenter back when everyone still watched it in 2007. What I had forgotten were the specifics of Oklahoma State University Head Coach Mike Gundy's rant that made it so spectacular in the first place.

Not the specifics of his rant; that's just him telling a reporter to pick on somebody his own size in a very Gundy-esque way. No, I'm talking about the context around the post-game press conference this took place in, and who Oklahoma State had just beaten to open conference play and move to 2-2.

First, re-watch Gundy's rant below because it's highly entertaining:

Side note: happy belated 55th birthday to Mike Gundy.

To reiterate, Gundy was this irate after a win. The other coach was also mad. Mad enough to fire his defensive coordinator after the Cowboys rushed for 336 yards and passed for another 200, out-dueling his offense to a stunning 49-45 finish.

The defensive coordinator who got fired? Lyle Setencich. That's right. Gundy's epic rant came after they beat Texas Tech in an absolute thriller in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

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Texas Tech was 3-0 and took a 35-28 lead into halftime against Gundy's 1-2 team. Graham Harrell would finish the game 46 for 67 for 646 yards and five touchdowns, but only led the Red Raiders to 10 second-half points. The Cowboys outpaced them with 21.

In the final five minutes of the game, Texas Tech took a 45-42 lead on the Cowboys and forced a punt on the next drive. Leach and Harrell couldn't run the clock and punted back after burning only 55 seconds on a 3-and-out.

Oklahoma State would counter with a one-play, 54-yard touchdown drive to take a 49-45 lead with 1:30 left on the clock -- an eternity for a Mike Leach offense. Harrell kicked it into gear. Harrell to Crabtree for 13-yards. Harrell back to Crabtree for another 42-yards. Incomplete to Amendola. Back to Crabtree for a short gain. Another incomplete.

The game comes down to a 4th and 8 on the Oklahoma State 15-yard line for all the marbles. Crabtree got wide open in the endzone...and dropped the game-winner that was a touch behind him.

Of course, Crabtree would go on to catch a lot more passes and win back-to-back Biletnikoff Awards, but it was a heartbreaker at the time. Texas Tech would finish 2007 with a 9-4 record after a bowl game victory over Virginia. Ruffin McNeill would finish the season as defensive coordinator and retain the role moving forward, replacing Setencich.

Oklahoma State went on to a 7-6 record, beating Indiana in a bowl game.