STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State fans remember the moment all too well.

Quinn Sharp's field goal attempt in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 18, 2011, sailed over the upright, prompting officials to rule the kick wide right. It was a call that ultimately knocked the Cowboys out of the national championship game by the slightest of margins.

Not since that 2011 season has Oklahoma State boasted a team with enough talent, depth and experience to make a run at the national championship.

Until maybe now.

The similarities between those 2011 Cowboys and this seemingly loaded Oklahoma State squad are striking.

Those Cowboys were coming off an impressive performance in the Alamo Bowl the season before.

Same with these Cowboys.

Those Cowboys boasted one of the nation’s elite quarterback-receiver duos, who bucked the NFL draft to come back for their final season.

Same with these Cowboys.

And those Cowboys got Oklahoma in Stillwater.

Same again.

Coaches usually shy away from equating their best team of the past to their current one. But this week, as Oklahoma State kicked off spring drills, coach Mike Gundy did not shy away from comparisons to his 2011 team.

Perhaps that's a sign of just how good he thinks these Cowboys can be.

“There are a lot of similarities,” Gundy said. “I hope it turns out that way.”

Those similarities begin at the top of the roster.

In 2011, Oklahoma State featured the most dominant offense in the country, led by Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden. Blackmon went on to capture the Biletnikoff Award for a second straight year as the nation’s most outstanding receiver. Weeden led all Power 5 quarterbacks with more than 4,700 passing yards.

This year, however, the Cowboys finally might have a passing tandem the equal of Weeden and Blackmon.

James Washington figures to be a preseason favorite in the Biletnikoff race after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Mason Rudolph will be entering his fourth season as a starter as one of only two returning Power 5 quarterbacks who threw for more than 4,000 yards last year.

“Blackmon, Washington is comparable to him,” Gundy said. “Brandon was 26, 27; he had that maturity. Mason brings a lot of what Brandon did — good demeanor, personality. Experienced, they get it; preparation, they study the game.”

Together, Rudolph and Washington propelled the Pokes to a 30-point rout of Pac-12 South Division champs Colorado in last season's Alamo Bowl, which was remarkably reminiscent of Weeden and Blackmon’s game in Oklahoma State’s 26-point victory over Arizona in the 2010 Alamo Bowl. That victory set the stage for the Cowboys’ championship campaign in 2011.

“I think there’s a lot of truth to some carryover,” Gundy said. “There are times a team finishes strong and starts the season well.”

Gundy said in 2011 it wasn't until his team began steamrolling the opposition early in conference play that he realized it was good enough to contend for the national championship.

“Once we got into the early part of October and we were playing conference games and we were blowing peoples’ doors off, I thought, 'Man, we are pretty good,'” Gundy said. “So then you get into cruise control; don’t mess it up. Don’t overcoach and let them play. But when you’re playing teams in the league that know you, and you’re winning by three and four touchdowns pretty handily, pretty easily, then I thought we were pretty good.”

Though Oklahoma State plays one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country, the Cowboys have a manageable first few Big 12 games to get on a similar roll, with TCU and Baylor traveling to Stillwater, sandwiched around a trip to Texas Tech.

Gundy admitted there could be growing pains at corner, where the Cowboys will be introducing a pair of new starters. Oklahoma State also has a big hole at left tackle, without an obvious answer on the roster at the moment.

But Gundy said that on top of having Rudolph and Washington offensively, this defense could actually be better than his 2011 group, which led the nation in forced turnovers, but finished just seventh in the league in yards allowed.

“The good news is, maybe better on defense than we were then,” Gundy said. “Those teams were good at forcing turnovers, which gave us more opportunities and allowed us to get in a track meet.

“But I just think we have more depth. We’ve got to hit on a couple corners. We’ve got to get a couple guys that we can trust and play. But we have more depth than we did then. There are a number of positions in our starting 22, or starting 28, where we’re really good. We’ve recruited longer. Our culture is in place.”

That culture will be tested when the Sooners come to town on Nov. 4.

In 2011 regular-season finale, Oklahoma State annihilated its Bedlam rival 44-10 to give the Pokes their first — and still only — Big 12 championship.

Since then the Sooners have dominated the series, clinching a pair of Big 12 championships in winner-take-all showdowns against the Pokes. Oklahoma also blocked Oklahoma State from capturing the 2013 conference title with a last-second upset of the Cowboys in Stillwater.

Then again, Oklahoma State hasn’t had a team quite like the 2011 one. Until, as even Gundy will suggest, maybe now.