Oklahoma State University Athletics
Coaches and Players Talk to Media
October 30, 2006 | Cowboy Football
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the offensive performance
“Since we had a good game last week, I do not have to sit up here and elaborate a lot. Bobby Reid handled their defense very well. Dantrell Savage ran well. (Keith) Toston did a nice job. Michael Hamilton performed well with what we asked him to do. The stats may not show that but he had a big impact on the game with some of the things he did in protection. The offensive line played good but not great.”
On his thoughts about the defensive's performance
“Defensively, we have to give a lot of credit to our defensive staff. The adjustments they made at half time were some of the best I have seen in coaching. We slowed them down and gave our offense a chance to get on track.”
On his team's attitude
“This team is close and they continue to care for one another. We have good senior leadership. I was happy for the football team because they were able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We continued to work hard and it paid off.”
On Texas
“We are playing a very good football team this week. Obviously, Texas does not need any introduction. Physically, they are as talented as any team in the country. Our players are excited about playing them. We are excited to be on TV again. It is an opportunity to play the national champions from a year ago, what else can you ask for? Our coaches are working hard putting game plans together on both sides of the ball. We are very aware of all the statistics on Texas, offensively and defensively. We understand what we have in store for us. We are very excited about playing one of the best teams in college football.”
On leading Texas at the half three straight years
“I talked about it this morning with the staff. Obviously, I would like to be in that position again. I think what we will do is just not go in at half time. I think we will just stay out. If you go to some high school games, they do not go in the lockeroom at half time, they just go in the endzone. If we have the luxury of being up 28 points or however much we have been up, we are just going to stay on the field and talk about things.”
Is Bobby Reid the Big 12's best quarterback?
“I have not seen everybody so it is hard for me to say who is the best. I know that I do not want to trade him for anybody else in the league. I am proud of who he is and what he stands for. He has gotten better each week and I think he has a bright future.”
Junior Defensive End Nathan Peterson
On the 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown
“I have seen the highlight a few times because my brother sent it to me on my cell phone. I hardly even remember it because I was so excited. The play still flashes, but it was definitely a lot of fun.”
On what the victory over Nebraska does for Oklahoma State entering the game against Texas
“The win was huge in a lot of ways. It showed that our team is capable of finishing a game. Nebraska was the most sound team we have faced up to this point and they showed that they can play with anybody as well. Beating Nebraska shows we can play with any team in the conference and we are capable of doing great things as long as our whole team is clicking together offensively, defensively and on special teams. If we play together, we feel we can play with anybody.”
On what it would be like to beat Texas
“It should be an incredible feeling. I think it could help out in every aspect. It would be great publicity for Oklahoma State University, the program, recruiting and it would help us jump up into the rankings and become bowl eligible. It wouldn't just make us bowl eligible it would help us get to a better bowl. Overall, the best part of possibly beating Texas would be gaining more confidence. When we are out on the field, we know we can play with anybody. As long as we are playing our best game, we are very comfortable.”
On being named Big 12's Defensive Player of the Week
“It is an honor to be named the conference's defensive player of the week. I have never been named anything like this before. It is especially an honor because the Big 12 is such a great conference. I am excited about it.”
Redshirt Freshman Andre Sexton
On having half time leads against Texas the past couple of seasons
“It goes back to the past couple of weeks when we were preaching on how to finish a game. Our main modo last week was to finish. During the game against Nebraska, we kept reminding ourselves that we needed to finish. It is going to be more important against Texas because we had them beat in the first half the past couple of years. We know that you can't just beat a team in the first half, you have to continue to beat them the whole game and finish strong during the fourth quarter. That is what we hope to accomplish this week.”
On being from Texas
“It is big for me to go home and play Texas because I was a big Texas fan at first. Getting to play in Austin is going to be a loud and a hostile environment. It is going to be big game because you are playing against the defending national champions. They have a lot of athletes, but so do we. We are just going to go out there and try to show everyone how good we really are.”
Senior Offensive Guard Kurt Seifried
On Texas
“I think it is going to be a big challenge. Obviously, they are one of the top five or so teams in the nation. They have a great defensive line. Anytime you play a team like this it is going to be a big challenge for our offensive line. We are looking forward to it.”
On the progression of the offensive line
“We have definitely come a long ways. Things were uncertain after the first couple of games. Now (Russell) Okung has stepped in and he has come a long ways since he first got here. We also switched Corey (Hilliard) over. I think that has been a big piece of the puzzle for us. We have a lot of balance on the line. We can run right or left. It has worked out for us.”
