Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Football Practice Report - August 20
August 20, 2011 | Cowboy Football
OSU Scrimmage Photo GalleryAug. 20, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State football team held a 125-play scrimmage on the Boone Pickens Stadium turf Saturday. After the session, reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year Mike Gundy and others shared their thoughts:
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"The scrimmage started slow for our offense. Their tempo wasn't very good and our best players weren't in the right spots and making plays and our defense played well early. As the scrimmage went on, the offense started making a few plays. The same guys started showing up. I thought our running backs ran hard and took care of the football. Obviously, Weeden threw the ball well. The key receivers, once we got going, made some plays for us.
"I thought Clint Chelf played well. I thought he handled the second team offense well; some of those guys made some key catches. We continue to have guys that start to show up. I thought Ryan Simmons played well as a freshman. I thought Herschel Sims and Desmond Roland - freshmen running backs - both made some plays. Andrae May continues to make plays. I thought Nico Ornelas made a few plays on defense. Obviously, Markelle Martin showed up a few times.
"Overall, we got 125 plays in; it was good work. We were able to get the third team about 20-25 plays, which we wanted to let those guys get some experience. It was a good day for us. We started with the temperature on the turf at 103 degrees and we ended at about 114, which is kind of what we were looking for. So, it was good to get some work in and come back this afternoon and have meetings and watch tape."
On where the offense stands today as compared to a year ago:
"I think we're every bit as far along as we were at this time last year. Again, I think Brandon Weeden is a much more polished quarterback, as you would expect. He has 14 games experience, a lot of practice and he's put a lot of time and effort in it. It's the same things I talked about during camp, Justin Blackmon and Jeremy Smith and Levy Adcock and Grant Garner and those key players that lead the football team, they're practicing extremely hard. Because of that, they're pretty far along."
On Alex Elkins:
"We brought Alex in here to certainly play in the first game and eventually fight for a starting spot. He has a great demeanor and a great attitude. He and Justin Horton got into a little scuffle there, but they've been going at it for two weeks. I love the enthusiasm from both of them: obviously they have to understand that they can't throw punches in a game. Alex brings a lot to the table. Mentally, he's very tough and physical. You have to have guys on your football team that are willing to do that. I would guess as the season progresses, he will show up on tape a lot more."
Defensive Coordinator Bill Young
On if the defensive line will be able to generate a good pass rush:
"Our pass rush will be improved. Jamie Blatnick has a chance to be really good. Richetti Jones is the same way and now we add Wilson Youman into the mix. That's three ends we can roll in and stay fairly healthy."
On areas of concern:
"Our second defense has got to get better. We're going to face a lot of reps and a lot of heat, so we're going to have to roll players. We can't have a great big drop-off from the ones to the twos."
On the defense in general:
"All the returning starters are guys that we feel solid about. Nigel Nicholas is a guy that was a backup last year but really turned it on during the bowl practice. We think he's got a chance to be really special. We've got some newcomers that are still not quite sure of what they're doing and you can't play full speed if you're not sure about what you're supposed to do, so we've got a lot of work to do on them."
On the linebackers:
"Glenn Spencer has done a great job with those guys. We've had some miss practice with bumps and bruises, which doesn't help, but we're getting better and working hard. They have a great attitude."
On facing the high-speed Oklahoma State offense and if his defense has adjusted to its tempo:
"We have, but we struggled a little bit yesterday. The offense really up-tempoed us and we didn't adjust as well as we should have. We did a little better today and that's an area that's really going to make us better as a defense, so we need to work on it."
Receiver Justin Blackmon
On fall camp:
"Camp went well. We worked hard. Everyone knows what they're doing and we're ready to get out and play against some other opponents"
On Saturday's scrimmage:
"The offense started off slow, but the defense was real good. They were real physical, hitting and flying around. The offense eventually picked it up and overall, it went well for us as a team and we're getting better on both sides of the field."
On the chemistry of the OSU receivers and quarterbacks:
"The chemistry is good with all of the quarterbacks. We run a lot of routes with them and spend a lot of time with them and it's led to us getting a lot stronger. We are very confident in our quarterbacks."
