By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer

STILLWATER, Okla.(AP) -- In retrospect, Mike Gundy thinks he might
have gone another way when it came time for his alma mater to
hire a head coach back in 2005.

Gundy, who had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator for four
seasons, was promoted the same day Les Miles was named the new
coach at LSU in January 2005. Harry Birdwell, the school's
athletic director at the time, said he had known Miles was
leaving for about a week before the move was announced, allowing
him the chance to assess candidates.

He chose Gundy.

"I'm not so sure five years ago I would have hired me now,
looking back," Gundy said Monday. "Boy, you sure learn a lot in
a lot of areas, and there's a lot more to learn. But patience is
one of the most important things and being resilient is another
area."

Gundy is 34-25 in his fifth season as head coach and has the
Cowboys (7-2, 4-1 Big 12) ranked No. 17 heading into Saturday
night's game against Texas Tech (6-3, 3-2). He's the first coach
to guide OSU to four straight seasons with at least seven wins.

From where he is now, he has a new perspective on his rocky
start - which included a 4-7 season in 2005 - and can question
Birdwell's thought process in hiring him then as a 37-year-old
with no experience as a head coach. Gundy had pursued the job
four years earlier and ended up being hired as Miles' offensive
coordinator.

"Just look back at all the mistakes that you can make as a head
coach, and you think I don't know why," Gundy said. "When I was
doing it - I think that we all probably are more critical of
ourselves than other people - I just made a lot of mistakes, and
I don't know that I would have hired me back then."

Gundy said he embarked on the job with an "I'm going to do it my
way" attitude and dismissed the advice of former coaches and
administrators.

"And then you realize that most of those people who had been in
that situation do have a clue what's going on," Gundy said.

Gundy said he's never had a team that's had to adapt to as many
curve balls as Oklahoma State has endured this season.
All-America receiver Dez Bryant has missed all Big 12 play and
been ruled ineligible for the rest of the season by the NCAA.
Several key players, including tailback Kendall Hunter and
linebacker Orie Lemon, have missed extended time with injuries.
And just before the season, starting tight end Jamal Mosley left
the team amid a police investigation that has not yielded
charges.

Through it all, the Cowboys have the second-best record in the
Big 12.

"The most difficult thing for me to handle is a situation with
an Orie Lemon or a Kye Staley, these injuries to these guys that
are good guys that work hard. And then you have to approach the
team and reinforce that everything's OK," Gundy said. "It's hard
because it's hard on me."

Gundy signed a seven-year contract extension earlier this year
that would keep him at Oklahoma State through 2015. He said
maturity has made him a better coach but he still hedged when
asked if he'd hire himself now, choosing instead to say, "I
don't have to make that decision."

Gundy might never have made it this far if not for the turn of
events surrounding Texas Tech's last visit to Stillwater two
years ago.

Coming off a humbling loss at Troy, Gundy stood by his decision
to replace starting quarterback Bobby Reid with Zac Robinson and
the Cowboys won a 49-45 thriller against the Red Raiders.

"To come back and win that way - and that was Zac playing then
and kind of taking over and kind of establishing himself - that
was a good win for us, no question," Gundy said. "At that time,
that kind of instilled confidence in our team. We were able to
kind of take off from there."

Gundy said that win, along with a couple breakthroughs on the
road, have allowed Oklahoma State's program to reach the point
where it is now a regular in the Top 25.

"I think that the important aspect of Oklahoma State football is
the continuity we have from top to bottom, and the coaches are
in place and the system, and I think that's making more of a
difference than anything," Gundy said. "It's so difficult to
have success when you don't have a structured plan and a base
foundation in place to move forward. It's just really
difficult."