Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Texas Tech Game
November 09, 2009 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 9, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and selected Cowboys met with members of the media at Boone Pickens Stadium Monday to recap OSU's 34-8 win at Iowa State last week and to preview this week's Big 12 South clash against Texas Tech in Stillwater. Some of the highlights:
Coach Mike Gundy
On Saturday's win at Iowa State
“It was a good performance for our football team on the road. We wanted to be able to stop the run obviously, and rush the ball. We had some guys step up and make some plays. Andrew Mitchell did a nice job of stepping in at tackle for us. The running backs were able to move the football. Zac was efficient in operating the offense. Defensively, we were really good at tackling in space and eliminating big plays.”
On preparing to play Texas Tech
“We'll get back to work today. We're looking forward to a good week of preparation. It will be a different challenge for us defensively, obviously, playing a team that likes to spread and throw the ball quite a bit.”
On Texas Tech's ability to run the ball
“Surprisingly, they can always run the ball. People kind of forget about them and their ability to run the football. They're still going to try to run the ball and it will be a good challenge for our defense. I know our staff is working hard and our players will look forward to a great week of practice.”
On Texas Tech's pass rush
“Offensively, we're facing a defense that has been tremendous in rushing the passer. They've got a number of sacks. They've got one guy that has got over 10 sacks and another guy that has 4 1/2 or five. They've got some other guys they roll in there that put a good amount of pressure on the quarterback up to this point in the season. We'll have to have a really good plan on offense.”
On preparing to face Texas Tech's passing attack
“They are considerably different offensively than Iowa State. They want to throw it around and spread you out and rush the football. Everybody in this part of the country is very aware and very familiar with their style of offense. It will be a different attack for our defense. We'll have to have good gap control and put pressure on the quarterback. We have to tackle well in space.”
On Texas Tech's tendency to be engaged in high-scoring games
“They're playing well on defense. I think that like some teams across the country, there are probably a couple of games that they feel like they should have played better in that area. I'm not going to speak for their staff or how they feel, but if you look at the majority of the season, they've been pretty good on defense because they've been able to get pressure on the quarterback. They may allude to wanting to be in a shootout, but I would think that on the other side of the ball, they would not want to be in that. I think they would want to be in a game where they are shutting people down. It's hard to say they just want to be in a shootout. I guess because of that style of play, people talk about that.”
On game-planning offensively to face Texas Tech
“We're going to run our offense. We're not going to change each week. If you watch us each week, we're going to run our plays and use the play pass and throw the ball down field and use the quarterback as a runner. We don't really change each week.”
On Zac Robinson's legacy
“I don't think there is any question, statically and with his durability, he will go down in a lot of people's minds as one of the best quarterbacks to play here and deservedly so. He's been very good for our program. He's been a good leader and he handles himself well off the field as well as he does on the field, which is very important for us. Everybody has to make their own opinion, but we're big Zac Robinson fans.”
On the differences between Texas Tech QBs Seth Doege and Steven Sheffield
“It's hard to say. They both fit their style of play. They throw it around and make plays. Obviously, without being in practice and seeing them every day it's hard for me to say. They've been effective with both of them.”
Offensive Coordinator Gunter Brewer
On if Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are in similar situations as programs
“Most definitely. You could say that the two on our side that have the storied past would be Oklahoma and Texas. Texas Tech and us are both trying to gain that respect and get in that upper echelon. Where you get to it is by winning and defeating those type people and putting yourself in eight- to 10-win seasons. Both programs have been able to do that here lately and go to bigger bowls and have an opportunity to compete for championships. Now it's just time for somebody to step up and knock the guy off the hill, as they say. Both programs are trying to get there and they're both recruiting the same type kid from same type areas so we're mixing it all in the same pot.”
On the Texas Tech game
“You've got to know that you need one more point than they do at the end of the game and you've got to do whatever it takes to get there. That may be more points than normal because of their propensity to put the ball in the end zone. We've had some great shootouts, but they've improved defensively and we've improved defensively. Both teams are a little different than they were in '05 and '06. They've still got the same scheme and we've still basically got the same scheme. Both of us have better players than when we first came into the league, so we're still looking for that marquee win over some of the national name-type programs to propel us to the top four or five programs in the nation. We'll find out this week which offense can do a little bit better job than the other one.”
On feeling pressure to keep the ball from Texas Tech's offense
“Everybody talks about that point. They're going to do what they do. Are you going to do anything different? What's different is we need to put the ball in the end zone. We've won the game in a shootout and if we have to win the game three to two that's fine too, it really doesn't matter. We've shown that Keith Toston and our running backs and offensive line can move the football on the ground and Zac's shown that any certain day he can put it in the air. Whatever it takes to win, that's what this team has been able to adapt to. They do like to throw it a lot more than we do and we are probably a little more balanced when it comes to running and passing than they are. Everybody will bring up the question. Yeah, if they don't have it they can't score, but if we don't score it doesn't do any good either.”
Defensive Coordinator Bill Young
On if Oklahoma State's simplified defensive scheme will make for better matchups against Texas Tech
“We think it will. Obviously, the players are going to know what they're doing and that's 99 percent of it right there.”
On the defensive performance against Iowa State
“We were really excited about the way we played. We went in there with the idea to stop the run and we did a nice job against that. We had several players really have outstanding games, so we're excited about that and we've just got to build on that and go to the next one.”
On if the matchup against Texas Tech will be fun
“There's no question about it. We're playing one of the high-powered offenses in the country. It's a great challenge for our players and our coaches alike.”
On if the Oklahoma State players feel challenged to stop the pass after the Houston game
“I certainly hope they feel that way. We all feel that way. Our coaches and players, we all feel that way. We didn't play as well as we needed to against Houston and it's an opportunity to bounce back and show that we can do that and it's going to be a tremendous challenge for us because they are the ones that invented the offense that Houston ran.”
RB Keith Toston
On Oklahoma State's running backs
“We recruit great running backs every year. We still have a lot of guys that haven't been able to showcase their skills yet. We're just grinding as a running back group and trying to help this team.”
On Texas Tech
“They have an explosive offense. Anytime you go against Texas Tech that's going to be the first thing that clicks in your head is their offense. I've been hearing their defense has been doing pretty well this year as well. It's going to be another challenge for us here at home and we have to work hard this week and go out and try to get a victory.”
On if Oklahoma State wants revenge for last year's loss to Texas Tech
“I'm a quick forgetter so I try to block out anything that's going to cause me to go out there with a different mindset than the one I've had every game this year. I think we're just going to prepare for them as any other team we've played this year and try to forget that we lost to them last year.”
DE Jermiah Price
On the Oklahoma State defensive line pressuring quarterbacks
“The defense line, that's what we pride ourselves on is getting to the quarterback. We pride ourselves on that and that's what we're going to try to do. If we get that, great; if we don't, we get our hands up and keep them from getting the ball.”
On running the ball against Oklahoma State
“It's going to be pretty hard to run the ball on us. The coaches come up with great game plans and we seem to execute them pretty well, so I just hope the coaches continue to do well with the game plan and we do great executing.”
On the Iowa State defensive performance
“We take a lot of pride in it, but we can't continue to look at that because we've got to think about Texas Tech now and just continue to go forward.”
On Texas Tech's quarterback shuffle
“We don't worry about the name that's on the back of their jerseys. They have scholarships just like we have scholarships. We're just going to go out and play ball and have fun.”
OL Andrew Mitchell
On if he was comfortable starting at tackle against Iowa State
“I'd like to say I felt comfortable from the beginning, but I watched the replay of the game. You can kind of overdo some things at the beginning of the game, but as the game progressed I really felt extremely comfortable and it looked pretty good.”
On if Texas Tech is becoming a bigger rival because of the recent games
“I would think that people on the outside would think that by the type of game it usually turns out being. It's more of a shootout with two explosive offenses usually, but you never know what's going to happen on Saturday. You prepare to always be explosive on offense and you expect Tech to do the same, but our defense has been playing great. How the game turns out, we'll see, but we'll prepare to put up a lot of points and we'll expect our defense to play the way they've been playing.”
DE Ugo Chinasa
On Oklahoma State's improved tackling
“We focus on tackling and tackling well in every part of the season. We been focused on tackling in practice and we've gotten a lot better.”
On if he's looking forward to playing Texas Tech
“I'm from Texas so I like playing against every Texas team. It should be a good challenge. We'll try to get some sacks on the quarterback; get some pressure and help the DBs out. It's a good challenge for our defense. They've got a good scheme so we have to beat them with effort.”
WR Hubert Anyiam
On the running game and passing game working together
“When we have a running attack, especially someone like Keith Toston who puts up 200-something yards, it's just big for our play action game. A lot of receivers get open, slots get open. It's big for the passing game.”
On Kendall Hunter returning to the lineup
“Kendall's real big to this offense. He makes things easier on the perimeter, as well as with the linemen. He's obviously an explosive player. He led the Big 12 in rushing last year. Kendall Hunter is a key for our team. When he has the ball in his hands, we know he can score at any time so we just try to keep our blocks and block downfield and work harder than we're already working.”
S Markelle Martin
On the Texas Tech game
“It's going to be a great game. Both offenses are going to spread you out and throw the ball and make the defense make tackles in space. It's going to be a great game to watch and a defense is going to have to step up.”
On facing the best facing passing team in the conference a week after facing the best rushing team
“We feel and believe that we can do anything. We just have to go out and show the country that we're ready for that. This week is going to show that we can go out there and prepare and focus on the pass.”
On preparing for Texas Tech
“With Coach Young, he just goes in and he focuses on what he wants to get done that week and we try our best to go in and stop whatever it is. I feel like, whatever they ask of us, we go out and try to accomplish it.”
