Why Gavin Freeman embodies Oklahoma State football’s continued fight amid lost season
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STILLWATER — Every time he sees receiver Gavin Freeman walk off the practice field covered in grass stains, Oklahoma State interim football coach Doug Meacham is reminded of the passion that still lives in the vast majority of his players.
And Freeman is one of the key symbols.
“He embodies what our fanbase looks to have on their ball team,” Meacham said Monday at his weekly news conference. “And probably the most productive one we have at this point.”
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Freeman has 395 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 41 catches, leading the Cowboys in all three categories. And he has another 53 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
But more than his production, it’s his willingness to never let up, even in a season that hit rock bottom weeks ago.
The Cowboys continue with a road trip to face Central Florida at 3 p.m. Saturday in Orlando, and it’ll be perhaps their best chance at a Big 12 win this season.
For a team that hasn’t won a game since August, it’s guys like Freeman — and the Cowboys have several — that bring meaning to a late November game.
“If you have a bunch of guys that don’t have that type of character, you may have 60 guys on this team right now,” Meacham said. “I think a lot of people give us credit as coaches — and trust me, we’ll take some of it — but at the same time, if we didn’t recruit the type of guys that we have, if we didn’t dive deep into what kind of person they are, we’d probably be down to about 50 guys right now.
“It means a lot to coach guys that it means something to.”
Meacham recalls last trip to UCF
Oklahoma State fans don’t need to be reminded of the rain-soaked beatdown they suffered the last time the Cowboys played at the Acrisure Bounce House.
But for Meacham, it’s been 12 years since he ventured to Orlando for a game — though it didn’t go any better for him and his team that time.
As the offensive coordinator at Houston in 2013, the Cougars suffered a 19-14 loss in which they were in the red zone at the end of the game.
“They beat us on the last play of the game,” he said. “We hit a receiver in the hands in the end zone from the 10 and he dropped it and we lost.
“I was shocked at how it was packed. I know they got a good fanbase. I know they’ll be excited. They have a pretty good tailgate, too. It’ll be a good environment.”
Kickoff time announced for season finale
Oklahoma State will conclude its season with an 11 a.m. kickoff from Boone Pickens Stadium.
The Cowboys will host Iowa State in the final game of the regular season on Nov. 29. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OSU at UCF
KICKOFF: 3 p.m. Saturday at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida (ESPN+)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Gavin Freeman embodies Oklahoma State football’s continued fight
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