A Cowboy connection involved in season opener with UT-Martin

Finally, a chance for a reset.

Mike Gundy’s 21st OSU team begins a potential bounce-back season against a Tennessee-Martin team coming off an FCS playoff appearance in 2024.

“I’m ready to play right now,” said head coach Mike Gundy at his news conference last Thursday. “There’s never enough practices for a coach, for me anyway.”

The Skyhawks and the Cowboys actually resemble each other to a point, and it’s not just with the number of new faces on their respective rosters. Jason Simpson, the head coach at Tennessee-Martin, is entering his 20th season, and by the way, Simpson’s son was just named the starting quarterback at Alabama.

“They’re going to be well-coached,” Gundy said. “And they’re going to play good football. They have a coach that’s been there a long, long time. You don’t stay in places as long as he has without knowing what you’re doing and being successful.”

And there’s one family connection. OSU running back Sesi Vailahi’s cousin, Siona, plays the same position for the Skyhawks.

“We’d be calling each other, and he’d be asking like, yeah, we’ve just seen your film, and everybody’s talking about you. We just try to not let it get in our heads and keep it as a game. At the end of the day, he’ll always be my brother,” said Vailahi. 

A win, not just for Vailahi bragging rights, but also for some momentum heading to Oregon next week, is a must.