Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Meet The Media
September 05, 2011 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 5, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and selected players and coaches met with members of the media at Boone Pickens Stadium Monday to preview this Thursday's game against Arizona. The highlights:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement
"Glad to get the first win behind us. Our postgame media conference was pretty accurate in that we performed well on defense, ran to the ball and made tackles. Offensively, our key players made enough plays. Our special teams were good once we corrected a couple of coverage issues. Quinn kicked the ball well and it was a good win for us. You never really know what to expect in the first game. We had a pretty good idea of what we should accomplish. The short week makes things happen a lot faster for us. We went out and practiced longer last night than we're accustomed to. We'll have full practice tonight and be very light tomorrow. We'll have to play well. This is a good football team we're playing with experience at the key positions. Defensively they're very similar to what we've seen and we're used to them from preparing for the bowl. We're healthy as a football team. We're in good shape now. We just need to go out and have a good week of practice and get these guys ready to play hard on Thursday night."
On Arizona QB Nick Foles:
"He's played in a lot of games, so anytime you compete against a quarterback who's got a number of games experienced, you're always concerned about that. He throws the ball well. He's been accurate and throws a deep ball well."
On Arizona:
"Offensively, there's not a lot of difference there. I see them as going back to what they originally started with. It looked like they went through a little bit of a transition in the last couple of years and I think they've gone back to what that original plan was. Other than that, it's very similar."
On OSU's passing game:
"Our style of play from a run/pass standpoint is based on how the defense approaches us. We're not a heavy tight end winged set. If they really wanted to they could force us into a lot of passes and run based on what they give us. It's hard to predict how many pass attempts or run attempts we'll get going into the game. We were fortunate that we were able to throw it around and make some plays. We've got a number of guys that can go get the ball. One of the discussions I had with the team was we are very fortunate now that we have a number of guys that didn't really show up in statistics that are really good football players and that have had good camp. Because of that, we should be able to throw the ball around pretty well. Tracy Moore had a big game and I don't know that everyone would have predicted that. He practiced well in August. Isaiah practiced well. Hubert had his best camp ever. We just have to continue to put the right plan together, play fast and spread it around."
On the short week:
"With our group, we really just want to get them focused on a simple game plan. We want them to play hard. I would say that most coaches on a quick turnaround worry about the fatigue of their players and whether they are going to play with a lot of energy. I would hope that our preseason plan would allow us to do that. I hope the maturity of our team will come forth and we'll be to play a great game on Thursday night."
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken
On rushing the ball 40+ times against Louisiana:
"In short yardage, we tried to run it. We had more short yardage and goal line than I would have expected in a game, so that probably led to that many rushing plays. If you don't have that much goal line and short yardage, you're probably not going to have that many rushing attempts. I think if you took the formations by runs and by field position, we probably ran it more because of how many times we had those situations come up. In a normal game, do I think we're going to have that many short yardage, goal line situations? No, I don't think so. I think whenever you can be balanced and you can run the ball effectively, it helps your play action, and that was evident. I think half of our explosive plays came on play action pass. With that being said, that's part of being able to run the ball, get the defenders to move up and throw it over their head."
On how encouraging it is that the offense had 61 points and 666 yards of offense and there is still room for improvement:
"I've never seen a perfect game by a player or coach, so there's always room for improvement. I guess it feels good, but the stats didn't really matter. The mistakes that we made, in terms of turning the ball over, are not good. One was something Brandon Weeden did, one was a mistake on our part. The bottom line is, our guys played hard, they played with toughness, they played with great effort, they played with discipline, they finished and they didn't make any excuses. That's really our goal. those five things, and if they do that, we'll be fine. We'll take care of all the big things; we've got good players. We just have to take care of those little things."
Defensive Coordinator Bill Young
On if playing Arizona to end last season helps in preparation during the short week:
"We practiced for them some during two-a-days anticipating this game and knowing it was going to be a short week, and also their offense is very, very similar to our offense. There's a few plays that they run that we don't, but that helps prepare us. You have to think that they're in the same situation: they played Saturday also."
On Devin Hedgepeth:
"He's an unbelievably intelligent guy - he's an engineering major - and he doesn't make any mental errors. He's a heck of an athlete and he's got a great attitude. He's the whole package."
On what the defense needs to improve after watching the Louisiana game:
"There's a whole lot of things we need to improve on. Obviously, we're not a finished product. Our kids flew around. The big thing we saw as coaches is we need to create more turnovers. We had some opportunities, but we dropped some balls. We had a fumble or two that we didn't get and we have to come up with those balls because it changes the game."
Safety Daytawion Lowe
On preparing for a different style of quarterback this week:
"It's just football. You've got to be ready for everything"
On being tested by a prolific passing offense like Arizona's:
"Yes it's a great test and great opportunity for us to show just how good we really are in the back end."
Quarterback Brandon Weeden
On seeing Arizona for the second time in three games:
"They've lost some guys and so have we but were familiar with their personnel and what they do and what they did against us, you can always flip the tape on and watch the game from last year and I've already done that. It seems like yesterday we played them, it's funny because it has been eight months but it's fresh. Like I said, it's completely different because we are a different team. We are missing Kendall Hunter and Dana Holgorsen left, but we know it's going to be a challenge especially since they're on the same boat we are because they only have five days to prepare."
On preparation during the short week:
"Basically you just bump everything forward, you don't get an off day. Sunday is really your Tuesday, so it's your heavy day and we practiced last night then today we will practice again. Then you have to cut back as the week goes on so your days are just a little mixed up. Wednesday is like Friday and we're going to do the same thing, you just won't know what day it is.
On areas he needs to improve:
"I watched the tape, it's never as bad as you think it is. I made some throws I was really excited about. Obviously the last decision was not smart and I knew that but the first interception was a freak play, Josh Cooper and I were just not on the same page. The second one, unfortunately we had mixed up the signals, ran the wrong route and Louisiana's guy ended up making a play. The third one was on me. Sometimes those things are going to happen and I have to eliminate my mistakes and take care of the football."
Running Back Joseph Randle
On preparation during the short week:
"It's just getting off the old game and getting to the new one and start preparing for the next game. You never want to take a win for granted, but you want to take the next step."
On if the Cowboys will attack Arizona the same way as they did in the 2010 Alamo Bowl:
"I'm not sure how different they are, I just remember we had a total team win the last time that we played them. We played a good game and that's why we won."
On playing Thursday night:
"We're excited. The crowd will be on and everybody will be watching. My family will be here, so it's always a good time to play in front of our home crowd."
Safety Markelle Martin
On how the front seven played against Louisiana
"We had a slow start, but once we got rolling they did a great job. They got some great pressure and made us defensive backs look good. I was proud of them."
On the defense's performance as a unit, and how they can build on that
"We talked before the game about laying a foundation, and we did that. Everybody came out fast and we started physical with minimal mistakes. We're proud of how we started, and we want to carry that momentum into week two."
On how preparation changes for a Thursday game
"Just the recovery time. As a player, we have to stress about getting to the film room and taking care of our bodies. It's a smaller amount of time, but there are things we have to do as players to be completely ready come game time."
Defensive Tackle Nigel Nicholas
On the defense's biggest focus for Thursday night
"We have to keep them contained and keep Juron Criner contained and keep Nick Foles off rhythm because if he sits back their all day, we have seen what he can do."
Linebacker Shaun Lewis
On the linebacker play against Louisiana
"I feel like the other linebackers did a good job of giving great effort to the ball and they played real fast and I like that."
On playing Thursday night
"I like game day any day. We played games in high school on Thursday so it's nothing new to me. The week is rushed so everything is moving faster, like today is a Wednesday practice for us."
On what he's seen from Arizona's offense on tape
"It's the same offense from last year, they move the ball the same, they pass the ball. Nick Foles is great and Keola Antolin is the same running back from last year. They're doing a lot of things that they did last year that we have already seen. Their offense is dynamic and resembles ours a slight bit."
Offensive Lineman Grant Garner
On conditioning for a high-speed, no-huddle offense
"It's tough to play that many snaps at the high tempo we run. It definitely puts a strain on your body. It works both ways, though. The opposing defense is just as tired, if not more, than us."
On blocking for Joseph Randle
"I love blocking for Joe because he encourages the linemen a lot, and he really appreciates the blocks that he gets. He can definitely be explosive when he runs."
On recovering a fumble downfield Saturday
"Coach Wickline always wants us to cover downfield after a pass. I know for recovering a fumble I get two stickers, so that's probably the most exciting part."
Receiver Isaiah Anderson
On scoring his first touchdown last week
"It was great. Clint Chelf and I were on the same page. He just laid it out into the corner of the end zone and I got it. I don't know if it will happen again Thursday, but I hope it does."
On the first national exposure this season coming Thursday
"It's great. Especially when last year we didn't really know what our expectations were or who was going to step up. Now we have continuity on this team, and we're prepared for it."
Kicker/Punter Quinn Sharp
On handling field goals, kickoffs, and punts
"You just have to be mentally aware at all times. You have to know where you are on the field. You never know when there will be a big play, or if the defense forces a turnover. I could be on the field for a PAT the next play, then the kickoff after that. Just being conscious of your surroundings."
On the difficulty of switching between field goals and punts
"It's a little difficult. I could be preparing for a punt, and then have to do a field goal or PAT on the next play. It's all about awareness and positioning myself on the sideline to be ready for just about anything."
On his role in the offense
"Sometimes the kicking phase can be overlooked, but over the past couple years I feel like people are starting to understand its importance. The last thing you want to do is miss a field goal, taking points off the board. Especially after the offense works so hard to get into position to score."
