Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Louisiana Game
August 25, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Aug. 25, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla.- Reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year Mike Gundy and selected members of the Oklahoma State football team visited with members of the media Thursday in Boone Pickens Stadium to preview next Saturday's season-opener against Louisiana. The highlights:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"We're very excited to be back at it. We still need another four or five days of practice. Our players have had a good preseason camp and we've stayed healthy. I think we've gotten good results. As school starts, they go through a process of adjustment. We'll go back out there today. It's hot, which is good because it'll give us a chance to get adjusted to the heat. All the name guys who have been talked about for the last nine months or so are all doing very well. I'm pleased with the leadership I'm getting from Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Levy Adcock. Also from Grant Garner, Brodrick Brown, Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin and Quinn Sharp. The key guys who need to be leaders for us have done a good job. We expect to play six to eight freshmen. Although I'm not sure right now exactly how many will end up out there. But for the most part we have a number of guys in this class who can compete so we'll have an opportunity to put them on the field and I'm looking forward to the first game."
On WR Hubert Anyiam coming back from injury:
"Hubert has had the best preseason camp since he's been here. I'm somewhat hesitant to talk about a player that's competed so well over the last three weeks until he gets out and performs in games. He's convinced me that he's ready to go. His foot feels good. He's made catches in camp. He hasn't missed anything. I expect him to really play well this year. He has matured a lot, not just physically but mentally. He's really competed well and I'm proud of what he's accomplished."
On tight end/defensive end Wilson Youman:
"He's done very well. He started in the spring and we certainly need him on offense in certain situations. He has the ability to give us some pass rushing on third downs. He's another young man who has come a long way in the last 12-18 months. He's really grown up and understands the process of becoming a college football player. He's given us great effort and I expect him to make plays on both sides of the ball."
On roster depth:
"Each year I mention that we have youth but we're more athletic. I think we're deeper now than we ever have been. If you look at us offensively, everybody knows about the returning guys we have. We always try to find five offensive linemen with maybe one or two that can give us backup in case we needed it. I'm comfortable with eight or nine guys now. Defensively we have everybody in the secondary back plus young guys who will contribute at corner who don't have a lot of experience. They played enough snaps in key games last year to make us comfortable. The safeties are back and we have Daytawion Lowe coming back who had an injury last year. He's an experienced player. Both ends are back and Shaun Lewis. We're replacing the two inside guys and the two inside tackles. Chris Donaldson and Shane Jarka were really good for us the last few years. But Nigel Nicholas and Christian Littlehead and Anthony Rogers have to step up inside to where we can maintain defensively as the season goes on. I don't think there is any question we have more depth now than we have since I've been here."
On the Offensive Coordinator transition:
"We've had a smooth transition. When you have a quarterback who is as mature as Brandon is, he's willing to buy in, he's a good guy and he's easy to get along with, that helps that transition. Personalities are such a big part of what we do every day. Todd Monken came in and was willing to accept our offense. We changed terminology but we probably would have done that anyway. For the most part we'll be very similar to what we were last year. I would like to think we can improve in short yardage and goal line. I didn't think we were very good in those situations last year. I think the transition has gone very well. We've had two guys who have worked very hard at it, well more than two. But the two main guys, Todd and Brandon, have worked very hard.
Defensive Coordinator Bill Young
On not knowing what Louisiana's new coaching staff will do in the opener:
"That is a tough thing. We've gone back and looked at film of Northern Alabama and Mississippi State and Central Michigan. We're kind of covering the waterfront. Really you've got to scan them all because don't really know. You don't have a clue. You see what you read in the paper and that's about it.
"Obviously, it's just like going into a game blind. They know everything we're going to do and we don't know anything they're going to do so it's a little concerning."
On being a huge favorite and not overlooking Louisiana:
"We struggled early in the game last year, so we know we're in for a fight. You always want to look good and you want to play well."
On the defensive line now compared to a year ago:
"I think we're going to be a lot more sound than we were a year ago. I think our players, assignment-wise, know more about what they're doing. We have some young guys, but they were in the system and we feel good about them, particularly the first unit. The second unit, we're getting better every day."
On Louisiana quarterbacks Chris Masson and Blaine Gautier:
"(Gautier) is a really athletic running quarterback, (Masson) is more of a passer, so the good thing about it is we've prepared for everything and our offense is giving us a lot of stuff that they run so we should be prepared."
On Louisiana tight end Ladarius Green:
"No question he's a very athletic guy. He can be a blocker in the box or he can be a guy you can spread out and throw the ball to. He's got tremendous height and athleticism and he'll be a force."
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken
On preparing for the first game:
"The biggest thing is just making sure that the things that you want to accomplish and the things you want to make sure you're doing well, make sure that's done first. Then try to scheme your opponent. There are things you have to keep working on a daily basis to make sure you're good at what you're doing. Then go from there when you're scheming up an opponent."
On how much freedom Brandon Weeden has running the offense:
"He has lots of freedom. It's his second year in the system and we never want to put ourselves in a position to run a bad play. If there's something he sees or there's something in the weekly game plan that we like to give him the option of checking in and out of stuff. That's on him. He has a lot of freedom."
On how much input players have in the game plan:
"They have input in the game plan if they're willing to study and prepare for that. I always tell our players, our quarterbacks, that we love for them to have input and we love for them to be a part of our game plan with what they like and dislike. With that being said comes a responsibility to look ahead and study the opponent because if they're guessing, they're no different than my wife in the stands. She's guessing. So don't guess. If you want to put in the work, then you can have input, but don't just throw ideas out there just guessing."
On the Weeden to Blackmon combination:
"I think both of them are tremendous players. When you're around those kind of players - and we have a number of guys beyond those two - but they're going to make enough plays on a given day that you're going to say. `Wow that's big time. That's guys that can do it at every level.' That's fun to be around because there's not one thing you cannot do and they're eager to learn and get better. They work hard every day."
WR Justin Blackmon
On what he does to get better:
"I just go out there and try to be coachable, try to give 110 percent every practice."
On if it's been a long way from the Alamo Bowl until now:
"It has been a long way. We're just all ready to get out there on the field and I'm sure Louisiana-Lafayette is too. We're all just ready to get out there and compete."
On how excited he is to start the year:
"Very excited. We're just ready to get out there and go against someone other than our own team."
On his connection with Brandon Weeden:
"I feel like our connection is good. I feel like it can always get better and that's what we're trying to do. But I feel like it's at a good spot - which his connection with all the other receivers is at as well - so I feel like we're just overall starting to mesh real well."
On how his connection with Brandon Weeden could get better:
"There's a lot of things that could get better. We've thrown in some different routes and some different things like that, so we're just giving it some different tweaks and trying to see what works."
QB Brandon Weeden
On how running back Jeremy Smith helps the offense
"He is able to catch balls out of the backfield, and we're going to rely on that this year. He'll catch balls out of the backfield, we'll run him outside of the tackles and we'll do all kinds of things with him. Everyone gives him the persona of just running between the tackles, but he's pretty elusive."
On calling plays out on the field:
"Calling plays is hard. I tried to do it one time during the summer, and I had a hard time with it. Thinking and knowing different situations is pretty hard. Coach Monken gives me freedom and I feel like I can put us in position to move the football.
On preseason expectations:
"I think we're for real. We've had three straight good seasons. We continue to recruit better players and improve our facilities. Everything is on the up. Anytime you win 11 games, there's going to be that added pressure. As a player if you let that pressure weigh on you at all, there's a good chance you won't exceed those expectations."
RB Jeremy Smith
On the team's talent:
"This team is very talented. We come out every day and we work hard. We've still got to compete because that's the way the season's going to be. We're pretty much one of the top dogs now so people are going to be coming after us."
On the calmness the team feels entering the season:
"It's just because of the competitive level that we're at now. Being at that level kind of calms us down because some guys are already there. By the time we get to the game it's pretty easy."
On Brandon Weeden:
"He's a really good communicator. Every day he continues to get better at that. He's just a great leader. He continues to work hard and pushes the team to be the best they can be every single day. That's the best thing about him."
DE Jamie Blatnick
On the young defensive line:
"There are a lot of fresh guys who really want to prove themselves. At the same time, they really lack the experience. I have faith in all our young guys and I think they'll do great."
On his feelings entering the season:
"I'm ready to start playing. I'm tired of hitting each other and ready to start hitting somebody else. It's just one of those things where you're starting to get antsy. This week is the worst I think because camps over and school's started, but there's no game. I ready for next week to come around."
LB Caleb Lavey
On being a leader:
"Being the middle linebacker, as well as any spot on defense, you have to be a leader to your position group. Leadership is very important."
On how he is improving:
"I'm working on a lot of different things right now. I have to get faster. I have to become a more vocal leader, so right now I'm just working on improving everything."
On the young group of linebackers:
"One of the things I feel about this linebacker group - last year there was a big age difference with Orie Lemon and Justin Gent and Tolu Moala and Kenny Alexander and all them - with the linebacker group this year, I feel like we're a really close group. We're like a family. We're together every day and we hang together after. I love that about our linebacker group right now. We're young, but we're pushing each other and we're competing every day in practice. Coach Spencer's got us working hard."
S Johnny Thomas
On how the defense looks this year:
"I think we look as good as we have ever been. Coach Young has done a great job, improving our program year after year, and I think we're going to be even better this year."
On goals for the defense and the team in general:
"We definitely want to get to a BCS game, but actually our goal is to win the national championship."
On competition between the defensive backs:
"We push each other as a group. We came up with goals as safeties, and the cornerbacks came up with a list of their own. We made it a challenge to achieve every last goal."
On who carries the "Hit Stick" out of the tunnel:
"The decision is made based on who had the biggest hit in the previous week. It changes every week."
DE/TE Wilson Youman
On playing against Louisiana and being from that area:
"It feels great. There's no better way to start off the season than playing against the team from my hometown. Growing up, I never imagined I would be playing against them in college. It's like how everyone from Stillwater feels about OSU. That's how close I was to that."
On speaking with friends from the Louisiana team about the game:
"I'm pretty familiar with some of the guys over there, but I actually haven't talked to them much. You know, I guess to them when it's game time, it's game time. But, when I go home, we're all friends and we hang out."
CB Brodrick Brown
On the spectacular interception against Oklahoma a year ago:
"I saw the quarterback scrambling, and he had thrown a ball like that earlier in the game when I got my first pick, so I tried to get another one. When I was in the air I saw that I was going out of bounds, so I guess I had the presence of mind to throw it back in."
On whether he's attempted plays like that in practice:
"No I haven't, but I guess that would come from jumping on the trampoline, catching a football and throwing it back to the person who threw it to me. I never thought about doing it before, it just happened.
On goals for the defense as a unit:
"We want to force turnovers, and score on defense. Another is just to out-play our opponent's defense. We want to strive to out-play them and get our offense back on the field."
On facing Justin Blackmon in practice:
"I would say it's an honor, but it also helps me get better. I'm getting better going against him every day. It increases my confidence level because I know that if I can hold him, I can hold anyone."
