Mike Gundy's decision saved the Cowboys in the Fiesta Bowl

Punt. Punt the ball away. Three minutes, 20 seconds left in the Fiesta Bowl, the Cowboys down seven points to Stanford, fourth down, three yards to go, OSU's 40-yard line, and Gundy's lieutenants wanted him to play safe.

“Nope,” Gundy said.

“You crazy?” they asked.

Gundy can neither confirm nor deny the validity of that accusation. But here's what Gundy decided in the pivotal moment of the biggest stage Oklahoma State ever has found itself in.

If the game's on the line, Gundy wanted the ball in his quarterback's hand. Not Stanford's. Gundy wanted to rely on Brandon Weeden making a play, not on keeping Andrew Luck from doing the same.

The coach who has his Yankees job put all his faith in the rocket arm of a guy who has had a real Yankees job.

Gundy said go for it. So offensive coordinator Todd Monken called the play. If Stanford was in man-to-man coverage, throw a slant pattern to Justin Blackmon, maybe the most reliable play in college football these last two seasons.

You know the rest. Weeden rifled a pass to Blackmon, who caught it and dragged Stanford defenders for a 21-yard gain. Lots of drama remained before the Cowboys had a 41-38 overtime victory. But an incompletion there, or the wrong decision by the head coach, would have negated all the following intrigue.

That play saved the Cowboys.

“I'm not punting the ball to the No. 1 pick,” Gundy said of Luck. “Listen, I don't make a lot of calls. But I'm not punting it to him.”

Luck was sensational. He completed 27 of 31 passes for 347 yards. The last eight possessions of regulation, Stanford scored four touchdowns, kicked a field goal, missed a moderate-length field goal, punted once and fumbled once.

Gundy surveyed the game and decided to ask his best players to win it. Win it they did.