Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes- OSU vs. Texas
October 21, 2017 | Cowboy Football
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"Defense won the game, offense couldn't move the ball, made too many mistakes on special teams. I had my speech ready whether we won or lost. You guys watched the same game. Texas is good on defense. They dropped eight and played coverage. We didn't run the ball very well. We made too many mistakes trying to block people. We went down a lineman, put another
guy in and didn't play very well. Then we couldn't convert short yardage, couldn't kick field goals, weren't very good at kickoff, and their punter is — did he win the Ray Guy Award last year? Yeah, he should have won it. He changed the field on us. I don't know what the
yardage is, I just know that every time we got a little bit of field position, he changed the field. When they punted and didn't have it, he downed it inside the 10. He was fantastic for them. So, essentially for us, a game filled with mistakes, other than on defense. I told the team in there it was the best defensive play that I've seen in a long time. I can't remember very many years back now, but I'm going to say long as I've been a head coach, on the road, I've never seen a defense play like that, and in dealing with all the adversity. We just kept putting them back on the play, they made a play, put them back on the field, put them back on the field, put them back on the field, over and over and over and over, they just kept making plays. Had every reason in the world to say, 'Okay, they score one more touchdown and we lose the game,' and then my press conference is the exact same. I knew when Ramon went up, and I saw his hands, I knew that he would make the catch because he's a former quarterback, and it was kind of a soft pass, and I knew right then, and I was trying to figure out why that happened."
On whether he expected Texas to be that extreme with their deep coverage:
"We had concerns about trying to handle their front group running the football. They have smart coaches, they know we're down a couple linemen, and it creates a little bit of an issue. I would like to come in here and say no and say that they surprised us, but, no, we had an idea that they would do that, because it's part of their base coverage."
On what he had hoped to do against the Texas defense:
"Well, you know, in the first quarter it was a completely different concept, and then they went to the other scheme, and when we weren't running the ball as effective, if you're them, why not? Why change? You come in at halftime, change it, draw up, get some
answers, do this, do that. We still weren't playing well enough. Then we did play well, made a play, hit a couple passes, do what we do, and then we can't get a yard. We're in two fourth downs, one fourth and that much (indicating), and one fourth and about that much (indicating), and everybody is screaming at the TV back home, why is Coach Gundy not going for it? Well, because we got a couple of linemen down, we hadn't been able to get a yard anyway why would we be able to get a yard if they know it's fourth and 1? As much as I would like to have gone for it, I just didn't feel good about it. I even debated going for it in the end, in the overtime. That's a long way to go when you're limited with what you're doing running the ball right now, in my opinion. So that's why we did what we did."
On whether he was thinking it might not be Oklahoma State's day:
"There was a little bit of that. Some of what we did was self-inflicted. Some of what we did wasn't. Like our — you know, missed short field goals are self-inflicted. The kickoff, not getting to — kick the ball in on the 12 yard line in the middle of the field twice, with the return team like they have, that's friendly fire. McCleskey's drop. He is going to walk in the end zone. Self-inflicted. I couldn't see the throw to Ateman, y'all could. He dropped it I think, right? He makes that catch all the time. Self-inflicted. So some of it. Some of it's them. They got good players. But I can't give enough credit to our defense. I don't mind saying it, it's the best effort I've seen or I can remember in a long, long time. On his options after he realized the running game wasn't working: The offensive guys know that I like them, but we stunk in the adjustments we made in the throwing game, period. We've got to be better than that. We didn't panic, we were fine, we were drawing stuff up, and we were talking. There were holes in that defense, okay? It's two robber, three down, two four I's, nose guard, essentially one backer, two alley players, and a robber guy back there about 8 yards. You see in high school football all the time. There's holes in it. We just didn't get to it. We had a few issues with new guys, some things we could and couldn't do, so I'm not saying that wasn't a factor, but I thought our adjustments, they were not good."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On what was going through his mind when Texas was dropping players back to stop the passing attack:
"We were just trying to find ways to run the football. That was going through our head pretty much the whole game. It took us out of, obviously, our tempo. You've just got to get specific with your run calls. But when they're playing that double cloud with the guy in the middle, you've just got to find ways to run the football."
On why the offensive package was limited:
"I think it's a combination of things. It's a three-down front, basically, so with a lunar run package you don't have a lot of bells and whistles, you want your guys to be good at a few things. We pride ourselves on that, and so it gives our guys a chance up front to be very good at their techniques. That's the reasoning behind that. So when you face a different tweak within a defense, you've got to be able to adjust, and sometimes those schemes that you practiced all week, if they're not working, you've got to be able to call on something else. And that's something we've got to do a better job of. That's something that we can control, and that's something I've got to do a better job of."
On what his options were once Texas limited the deep ball and the running game:
"Again, it still is rough on a quick game, because they're still dropping eight and rolling up their corners. And so it's basically, you've got to find ways to run the football. So we started spreading them out a little more and had some success there with trying to space the field a little better."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On what Texas did to challenge the offense:
"They play a lot of cover two. Taking away the deep ball and a lot of our bread and butter stuff. It just called for running the ball effectively. We kind of struggled at times. We had our right guard go down briefly. We didn't finish drives. Just got down on the score a few times. The missed field goal. It should've been six obviously. In the first half we just have to get touchdowns when you get down there. There were obviously fewer times we were in the score zone, in the read zone. They played a lot of cover two and tried to take away the deep, deep stuff."
On how proud he is of his defense:
"They did a heck of a job. I don't think I could've been happier with the end result play that happened. The lone guy two-feet down and in bounds. It was awesome. That is one of those games that you are going to look back at and say, 'Hey, hats off to the defense they played an unbelievable game.' There are always those games where your offense carries you, and we are kind of known for that on the offense. But hats off to the defense. They did a heck of a job today and made plays and unbelievable stops."
On pulling through to win as a team:
"It was a good test. Obviously we want to play better on offense. Don't put our guys in that situation. Looking back it will be a good test and a good turning point for us getting our defense that much more confidence."
On playing a game like this, which Oklahoma State isn't used to:
"They did a great job of dropping underneath and dropping eight on many occasions. They forced us to check the ball down, which we did. Justice (Hill) caught the ball really good in the backfield. We ran the ball great off and on, and then just getting some stalled drives there. Obviously we aren't used to scoring that few points. We did have the one turnover in the score; we did have a couple drops here or there that could've been touchdowns. But hey, that stuff happens and we are going to watch the film and get back to what we do and score a lot of points."
Running Back Justice Hill
On trying to establish a run game against Texas:
"They're a good defense. Sometimes they're going to win and sometimes we're going to win. We've just got to go out there and go harder."
On what he saw during the last play:
"The ball seemed like it was in the air for ten seconds. When (Ramon Richards) caught it I knew that was the game and we ran out there and had fun."
On the frustration level with the run game:
"They're a good defense though. They have really good players. You just take what they give you. I didn't break too many long runs and they had good schemes."
Safety Ramon Richards
On how special it was to play in Austin:
"It felt good. I had a lot of family down here. It's only a 45-minute drive from home. I have a lot of family and friends, so it was great to come down here and play in front of everyone."
On his reaction to the way Texas plays:
"Coach (Glenn) Spencer does a great job of preparing us for games like this. He gives us some great keys to lock in so we're not guessing. It's fast and physical."
On the feeling of winning the game on an interception:
"Oh it feels great. I didn't even know it was the end of the game when I caught the pick. I still thought the offense had to go to the other end zone. Then I saw everyone rush the field. I have to give it to our fans. We have some great fans from Oklahoma State, so I
appreciate them."
On the Oklahoma State team culture:
"We stress that we don't show frustration. We don't show fatigue. If we drop a pass or miss a field goal, we don't show
frustration or fatigue in the fourth quarter. We also never show fear."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On beating Texas at home for the fifth straight time in Austin:
"I mean, it's good because Texas is one of those big prestige schools. This a school that when you come here, the environment is crazy, so just coming over here and winning that many games is a big accomplishment.
On the team not wanting Mike Gundy to dance:
"I mean honestly, I didn't even know they didn't want him to. If it was up to me, I'd be there dancing with him. But I guess our guys are mature enough to go about a win and take the opportunity and learn from it and just move on to the next game."
Offensive Tackle Zach Crabtree
On staying relaxed during the game:
"I don't know how mentally exhausting it is. Maybe when you're younger it is. The big thing is just staying patient. Just can't hit the panic button, you can't freak out. As a younger guy, you know, you get frustrated. As an older guy, you just learn and relax. You keep on pounding. You can only control one play at a time."
On Texas having the best defense they have faced this year:
"Absolutely, hats off to those guys. They play hard. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, and that's what it was."
On his view of the final play of the game:
"I actually said a prayer before that 15-yard penalty. I was staying back behind the players just hoping that something happens and then I saw the ball going forward, and then it was."
Opening statement:
"Defense won the game, offense couldn't move the ball, made too many mistakes on special teams. I had my speech ready whether we won or lost. You guys watched the same game. Texas is good on defense. They dropped eight and played coverage. We didn't run the ball very well. We made too many mistakes trying to block people. We went down a lineman, put another
guy in and didn't play very well. Then we couldn't convert short yardage, couldn't kick field goals, weren't very good at kickoff, and their punter is — did he win the Ray Guy Award last year? Yeah, he should have won it. He changed the field on us. I don't know what the
yardage is, I just know that every time we got a little bit of field position, he changed the field. When they punted and didn't have it, he downed it inside the 10. He was fantastic for them. So, essentially for us, a game filled with mistakes, other than on defense. I told the team in there it was the best defensive play that I've seen in a long time. I can't remember very many years back now, but I'm going to say long as I've been a head coach, on the road, I've never seen a defense play like that, and in dealing with all the adversity. We just kept putting them back on the play, they made a play, put them back on the field, put them back on the field, put them back on the field, over and over and over and over, they just kept making plays. Had every reason in the world to say, 'Okay, they score one more touchdown and we lose the game,' and then my press conference is the exact same. I knew when Ramon went up, and I saw his hands, I knew that he would make the catch because he's a former quarterback, and it was kind of a soft pass, and I knew right then, and I was trying to figure out why that happened."
On whether he expected Texas to be that extreme with their deep coverage:
"We had concerns about trying to handle their front group running the football. They have smart coaches, they know we're down a couple linemen, and it creates a little bit of an issue. I would like to come in here and say no and say that they surprised us, but, no, we had an idea that they would do that, because it's part of their base coverage."
On what he had hoped to do against the Texas defense:
"Well, you know, in the first quarter it was a completely different concept, and then they went to the other scheme, and when we weren't running the ball as effective, if you're them, why not? Why change? You come in at halftime, change it, draw up, get some
answers, do this, do that. We still weren't playing well enough. Then we did play well, made a play, hit a couple passes, do what we do, and then we can't get a yard. We're in two fourth downs, one fourth and that much (indicating), and one fourth and about that much (indicating), and everybody is screaming at the TV back home, why is Coach Gundy not going for it? Well, because we got a couple of linemen down, we hadn't been able to get a yard anyway why would we be able to get a yard if they know it's fourth and 1? As much as I would like to have gone for it, I just didn't feel good about it. I even debated going for it in the end, in the overtime. That's a long way to go when you're limited with what you're doing running the ball right now, in my opinion. So that's why we did what we did."
On whether he was thinking it might not be Oklahoma State's day:
"There was a little bit of that. Some of what we did was self-inflicted. Some of what we did wasn't. Like our — you know, missed short field goals are self-inflicted. The kickoff, not getting to — kick the ball in on the 12 yard line in the middle of the field twice, with the return team like they have, that's friendly fire. McCleskey's drop. He is going to walk in the end zone. Self-inflicted. I couldn't see the throw to Ateman, y'all could. He dropped it I think, right? He makes that catch all the time. Self-inflicted. So some of it. Some of it's them. They got good players. But I can't give enough credit to our defense. I don't mind saying it, it's the best effort I've seen or I can remember in a long, long time. On his options after he realized the running game wasn't working: The offensive guys know that I like them, but we stunk in the adjustments we made in the throwing game, period. We've got to be better than that. We didn't panic, we were fine, we were drawing stuff up, and we were talking. There were holes in that defense, okay? It's two robber, three down, two four I's, nose guard, essentially one backer, two alley players, and a robber guy back there about 8 yards. You see in high school football all the time. There's holes in it. We just didn't get to it. We had a few issues with new guys, some things we could and couldn't do, so I'm not saying that wasn't a factor, but I thought our adjustments, they were not good."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On what was going through his mind when Texas was dropping players back to stop the passing attack:
"We were just trying to find ways to run the football. That was going through our head pretty much the whole game. It took us out of, obviously, our tempo. You've just got to get specific with your run calls. But when they're playing that double cloud with the guy in the middle, you've just got to find ways to run the football."
On why the offensive package was limited:
"I think it's a combination of things. It's a three-down front, basically, so with a lunar run package you don't have a lot of bells and whistles, you want your guys to be good at a few things. We pride ourselves on that, and so it gives our guys a chance up front to be very good at their techniques. That's the reasoning behind that. So when you face a different tweak within a defense, you've got to be able to adjust, and sometimes those schemes that you practiced all week, if they're not working, you've got to be able to call on something else. And that's something we've got to do a better job of. That's something that we can control, and that's something I've got to do a better job of."
On what his options were once Texas limited the deep ball and the running game:
"Again, it still is rough on a quick game, because they're still dropping eight and rolling up their corners. And so it's basically, you've got to find ways to run the football. So we started spreading them out a little more and had some success there with trying to space the field a little better."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On what Texas did to challenge the offense:
"They play a lot of cover two. Taking away the deep ball and a lot of our bread and butter stuff. It just called for running the ball effectively. We kind of struggled at times. We had our right guard go down briefly. We didn't finish drives. Just got down on the score a few times. The missed field goal. It should've been six obviously. In the first half we just have to get touchdowns when you get down there. There were obviously fewer times we were in the score zone, in the read zone. They played a lot of cover two and tried to take away the deep, deep stuff."
On how proud he is of his defense:
"They did a heck of a job. I don't think I could've been happier with the end result play that happened. The lone guy two-feet down and in bounds. It was awesome. That is one of those games that you are going to look back at and say, 'Hey, hats off to the defense they played an unbelievable game.' There are always those games where your offense carries you, and we are kind of known for that on the offense. But hats off to the defense. They did a heck of a job today and made plays and unbelievable stops."
On pulling through to win as a team:
"It was a good test. Obviously we want to play better on offense. Don't put our guys in that situation. Looking back it will be a good test and a good turning point for us getting our defense that much more confidence."
On playing a game like this, which Oklahoma State isn't used to:
"They did a great job of dropping underneath and dropping eight on many occasions. They forced us to check the ball down, which we did. Justice (Hill) caught the ball really good in the backfield. We ran the ball great off and on, and then just getting some stalled drives there. Obviously we aren't used to scoring that few points. We did have the one turnover in the score; we did have a couple drops here or there that could've been touchdowns. But hey, that stuff happens and we are going to watch the film and get back to what we do and score a lot of points."
Running Back Justice Hill
On trying to establish a run game against Texas:
"They're a good defense. Sometimes they're going to win and sometimes we're going to win. We've just got to go out there and go harder."
On what he saw during the last play:
"The ball seemed like it was in the air for ten seconds. When (Ramon Richards) caught it I knew that was the game and we ran out there and had fun."
On the frustration level with the run game:
"They're a good defense though. They have really good players. You just take what they give you. I didn't break too many long runs and they had good schemes."
Safety Ramon Richards
On how special it was to play in Austin:
"It felt good. I had a lot of family down here. It's only a 45-minute drive from home. I have a lot of family and friends, so it was great to come down here and play in front of everyone."
On his reaction to the way Texas plays:
"Coach (Glenn) Spencer does a great job of preparing us for games like this. He gives us some great keys to lock in so we're not guessing. It's fast and physical."
On the feeling of winning the game on an interception:
"Oh it feels great. I didn't even know it was the end of the game when I caught the pick. I still thought the offense had to go to the other end zone. Then I saw everyone rush the field. I have to give it to our fans. We have some great fans from Oklahoma State, so I
appreciate them."
On the Oklahoma State team culture:
"We stress that we don't show frustration. We don't show fatigue. If we drop a pass or miss a field goal, we don't show
frustration or fatigue in the fourth quarter. We also never show fear."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On beating Texas at home for the fifth straight time in Austin:
"I mean, it's good because Texas is one of those big prestige schools. This a school that when you come here, the environment is crazy, so just coming over here and winning that many games is a big accomplishment.
On the team not wanting Mike Gundy to dance:
"I mean honestly, I didn't even know they didn't want him to. If it was up to me, I'd be there dancing with him. But I guess our guys are mature enough to go about a win and take the opportunity and learn from it and just move on to the next game."
Offensive Tackle Zach Crabtree
On staying relaxed during the game:
"I don't know how mentally exhausting it is. Maybe when you're younger it is. The big thing is just staying patient. Just can't hit the panic button, you can't freak out. As a younger guy, you know, you get frustrated. As an older guy, you just learn and relax. You keep on pounding. You can only control one play at a time."
On Texas having the best defense they have faced this year:
"Absolutely, hats off to those guys. They play hard. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, and that's what it was."
On his view of the final play of the game:
"I actually said a prayer before that 15-yard penalty. I was staying back behind the players just hoping that something happens and then I saw the ball going forward, and then it was."
Players Mentioned
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