SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Mike Gundy's recollections of the only pre-Alamo Bowl encounter between Ohio State and Oklahoma State practically leave him breathless.

Again.

"I remember we ran a nake bootleg pass," said Gundy, the Cowboys' quarterback in that 37-13 drubbing by the Buckeyes in the 1989 season opener. "They covered us downfield and I ended up running 26 yards. It was the longest run of my career. It took three plays to recover from that."

Gundy will complete his fourth year as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater when the Cowboys and Buckeyes match 7-4 records Wednesday night in the Alamodome.

Overall, Ohio State is 26-3-1 against Big 12 opposition, with most of that damage inflicted against Missouri. The Buckeyes are 10-1-1 against the Tigers.

"My mother was a Michigan (grad), so I was very aware of Ohio State and was looking forward to playing against them in the Horseshoe," Gundy said. "That year, (Ohio State defensive end) Alonzo Spellman was a true freshmjan, but he didn't look like a freshman that day against us."

The offense Gundy now presides over bears little resemblance to the one he operated as the school's all-time leading passer.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Donovan Woods averages only 14 passes per game, but has scored 10 rushing touchdowns to complement junior tailback Vernand Morency in OSU's high-powered ground attack.

Morency is averaging 25 carries and ranks eighth in the country in rushing with 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Part of that run-first, run-second philosophy is by design. But Gundy and Ohio-bred head coach Les Miles also felt the need to scale things back on offense this season after the departure of a third-year starting quarterback as well as the leading rusher and receiver.

"When you think of Oklahoma State, the first you think of is 10 (defenders) in the box, because you've got to be ready to stop the run," Ohio State cornerback Dustin Fox said. "It's fun. We've played a lot of spread teams since I've been here, so it will be good to play more of a run-oriented offense."

Of course, that all but sabotages Fox's chances of matching his brother's performance in the 1999 Alamo Bowl. Derek Fox intercepted two passes, returning the first 34 yards for the game's initial score as Penn State blanked Texas A&M 24-0.

"I'm going to have to hope for some third-and-longs so they have to pass the ball a little bit," Fox said.

Woods passed for over 200 yards three times this season, but all were in losing efforts to No. 23 Texas A&M, No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas. The Cowboys blew a 35-7 lead in falling to the Longhorns 56-35.

Nothing, not even three losses in its final four games, will discourage Oklahoma State from running right at the Buckeyes.

After ranking among the nation's elite rushing defenses the last two years, Ohio State stumbled to fifth in the Big Ten this season, yielding an average of 129 yards. Ironically, an "average" performance would probably help the Buckeyes' cause against an opponent that seven times has topped 200 yards on the ground, including 426 in a season-opening win over UCLA.

"It's a pride thing with the offensive line," third-team All-America guard Sam Mayes said. "The coaches expect us to run the ball and be very efficient at doing it. We go full-speed, even in practice."

Like Gundy, Mayes has his own memories of Ohio State and the 'Shoe. The 6-3, 330-pound senior is an Austintown Fitch product and the only Ohioan on the Cowboys' roster.

"My dad took me to a few games and I got to meet Orlando Pace and Eddie George," Mayes said, "so I know what Ohio State football is all about. It's exciting for me to play my last game against a prestigious team and a worthy opponent."

Originally published Wednesday, December 29, 2004