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Unlikely Hero Leads OSU to First Victory September 9, 2001 by Justin Waganer
The Oklahoma State 2001 Media Guide states that Robbie Gillem enjoys fishing, golfing, and snow skiing, though you won't hear his glory stories of a 10-pound bass or a hole-in-one as much as the one he will relive from Saturday night. Gillem fell on a fumble in the end zone against Louisiana Tech in Stillwater to secure a 30-23 victory, the first of the Les Miles era. The fourth-quarter grab was one that Gillem calls lucky.
"How lucky was I? I was going to my assigned person. I glanced and realized he had bobbled the snap. I tried to shift because I knew he was not going to get it off. I saw the ball kicked up and another guy tried to knock it out of the end zone and it bounced sideways. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. How lucky was I. The play is towards the top of my list of biggest plays," Gillem said after the win.
The right place at the right time is somewhere the Cowboys haven't been in years, but this win may have finally turned that tide. This was a win that the Cowboys needed as much as a blowout, one that provided adversity, but the Pokes found a way to win and that's how you learn to win.
Oklahoma State improved to 66-28-5 in home openers and looked to run away with this one when they went up 14-0 with nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. Then, Pogi had problems with the ball and things got interesting. Louisiana Tech came up with 13 points in the second quarter and after O-State's two field goals it was 20-13 at the half.
Les Miles put it to words, "Anytime that you play a game, and you jump out 14-0, your designs are to score 21 then 28. You think, 'This is going to be a great day.' The reality is that their defense and special teams pressed the ball, and it came loose." And with it looking to be the Bulldogs day, the ball took another bounce in the fourth quarter. "When that ball came loose and was rolling around in the end zone, it seemed like a great opportunity to be offensive. When we jumped on it, we scored some points, and it made us all happy. "
Happy to record a victory for the first time since Baylor arrived and was promptly routed 50-22 on November 18 last season. Happy to pull victory from the jaws of defeat, instead of defeat from the jaws of victory, which had become the norm in Stillwater the past few seasons.
Tatum Bell said, "It felt real good. I thought we played as a team throughout the whole game." Yes, a good team effort, but Bell's 109 yard effort on 20 carries with a touchdown wasn't too shabby itself. "I was not even noticing what I was doing. They said I went over the century mark on the Jumbotron, but I do not worry about that while I am playing. I read that stuff in the newspaper afterwards."
Oklahoma State players might be interested in reading this in the papers afterwards, here's Louisiana Tech running back John Simon's assessment of the game. "They definitely weren't better than us. They did have some better match ups in certain areas, but they couldn't guard us in man-to-man, and we allowed them to do that in certain situations."
Head Coach Jack Bicknell disagreed. "I thought they were a very good football team. I think they have a real good quarterback (Aso Pogi). He is a kid that is a good athlete and makes plays. They have an excellent running back (Tatum Bell). That kid was extremely quick. They looked real big up front. I was hoping they were not quite that good, but when I got here and saw the athletes they had I said this is a good football team. I think they are very good and will have a good year."
A good year, something that Cowboy fans, players, coaches, and alumni have been waiting for and may be in store for. With Northern Arizona dropping by to pick up a check next week the Pokes will improve to 2-1 and travel to College Station, a game that all-of-the-sudden looks winnable. With Missouri and Baylor, Oklahoma State has two more victories, while Iowa State in Ames and Texas Tech and Colorado at home are toss-ups.
No, Louisiana Tech is not a powerhouse, but a win is a win. Robbie Gillem's memory will have them as a National Title contender when he tells this story to his grandkids, unless the golf game improves.
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