'It’s a mindset': How Nick Martin, Cameron Epps helped save Oklahoma State football season

STILLWATER — After he arrived at Oklahoma State last offseason, but before his wife and two young boys had made the move, first-year Cowboy defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo would often spend his free time in the video room at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Occasionally, Nick Martin would join his coach for a film session. Then Martin started showing up more frequently. Until eventually, it became a regularly scheduled event for both.

It’s hard to deny the value of all that extra video study, in one-on-one sessions with his defensive coordinator after Friday night.

Martin had a career-high 17 tackles and a crucial fourth-quarter interception as Oklahoma State upset reigning Big 12 champion Kansas State 29-21 on Friday night at BPS.

After two losses in which the Cowboys had been gashed for crippling big plays, they cut those down significantly. Missed tackles were kept to a minimum, and third- and fourth-down stops were frequent.

“We really played solid on defense,” coach Mike Gundy said. “We didn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

More: Oklahoma State football report card: Give Mike Gundy, Cowboys credit for schooling K-State

At the heart of it all was Martin, the 6-foot, 215-pound middle linebacker from Texarkana, Texas.

“I don’t think I ever had 17 tackles, not even in high school,” Martin said when told of his tackle total. “Pee-wee maybe. I don’t remember much of the pee-wee days.”

But Martin vividly remembers the investment Nardo showed in him over the winter, spring and summer to build up the young linebacker who had never started a game before this season.

“I’m really just thankful for Coach,” Martin said. “He gives us his all. He treats us like family.

“We put in those long hours breaking down football and understanding the game better and forming a connection and all that type of stuff. I’m so thankful for him for what he’s done for us as a program and what he’s done for me as a person.”

Martin made plays from sideline to sideline all night. The 17 tackles were the most by an OSU player since Jordan Sterns in 2016.

Then Martin stepped in front of a Will Howard throw with the Wildcats driving with less than four minutes remaining in a one-possession game.

In his time at OSU, Martin first came to be known for what Gundy describes as old-school toughness. Over time, Martin’s leadership began to stand out, too.

And now, his performance on the field is rising.

More: Alex Hale ties an Oklahoma State football record & more key stats from win vs Kansas State

“I’m just proud of him and proud of the work he’s put in to allow himself to get to that point,” Nardo said. “I’m proud of the dedication. You don’t get that good or do that well and not put in all the work he’s done in the spring and the summer and up to this point.”

Rebounding from disheartening back-to-back losses, the Cowboys got a total team effort.

Quarterback Alan Bowman was 19-of-35 for 235 yards. Running back Ollie Gordon matched a career high with 136 yards on the ground. And placekicker Alex Hale tied a school record with five made field goals.

But the biggest boost came from a defense that erased some of its biggest issues from September.

As good as Martin was, it wasn’t a one-man show. Trey Rucker had 11 tackles and Kendal Daniels had eight.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Epps, who was shaky in his first career start at Iowa State two weeks ago, had five tackles and the first two interceptions of his career, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

“That was my first pick-six ever,” Epps said with a humble smile. “That play right there really felt unreal. I couldn’t believe he threw it, honestly.”

Like Martin, Epps’ success is attributed to his extra effort. He appeared in four games as a backup cornerback and special teams helper last year, but moved to safety in the spring, where he found himself backing up starter Lyrik Rawls.

More: Mussatto: Oklahoma State football's quarterback rotation is over. Alan Bowman is the guy.

But Rawls was lost to injury, landing Epps in the starting lineup, where his cornerback skills came into play on Friday.

“You gotta be really patient, because it’s a lot of space at safety when you’re guarding receivers,” he said. “It’s really just having that technique and patience carrying over from cornerback.”

With his big body at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Epps seems ideally designed for his new role.

“The player in that position is ideally one of our best, if not our best cover guy,” Nardo said. “So when we met (Epps) in spring, we thought he fit the mold. We moved him about halfway through spring and just kept working, because it’s not an easy position to learn, and he’s done really well.”

Nardo’s calm demeanor has helped him through the defense’s recent difficulties, because he hasn’t let the situation overwhelm him. He took that same approach into Friday night, which many outsiders would’ve suggested was a must-win situation for the Cowboys.

“You don’t put anything more on one game or another,” he said. “When you start thinking this game is more important, you start putting more pressure on yourself, you start putting yourself in a situation where you act out of character.

“It’s a mindset. It’s physicality. It’s our kids wanting to get better, wanting to do the right things. It’s been what we’ve done. We’ve practiced hard. But we kept telling them it’s gonna pay off, and tonight, it did.”

OSU vs. Kansas

KICKOFF: TBD Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater

More: What Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy had to say after win vs. Kansas State

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football defense shines with Nick Martin, Cameron Epps