Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Texas Tech
October 28, 2013 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 28, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the team visited with the media on Monday in Boone Pickens Stadium. Their comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement
“We are obviously pleased with our win last Saturday. Post-game comments were accurate, we played better up front and we were able to run the ball effectively. The defense was very optimistic with turnovers and our kicking game for the most part was good. We still have a lot of work ahead of us in PAT and field goals. Overall, it was a good win for us and we got everybody back and practiced last night. We have a day off and we will be back at it Tuesday. We are looking forward to going out to Lubbock and playing a good football team. They're obviously ranked high and had a lot of success so it will be a challenge for our team. We need to practice well and take care of the football so we can find a way to make some plays on offense and hopefully win the turnover game.”
On the defense facing a skilled passing team
“I hope our defense will continue to play well. I think it's evident that this is the best offensive football team that we have played up to this point. They have had a considerable amount of success moving the football and scoring points. It will be a good challenge for our players. There's no question about that.”
On who played well individually at Iowa State
“Shaun Lewis played well and obviously Desmond (Roland) played really well. Up front we were good, and then, defensively, Tyler Johnson was able to put some pressure on the quarterback. I thought Justin Gilbert was sound in coverage and Tyler Patmon continues to make some plays for us.”
On Desmond Roland's progression
“He's worked hard and he got more carries. The majority of it falls on our offensive line and their ability to block so that the running backs don't have to make a cut in the backfield. This was the first game that we were able to play that we had the same starting five, for the most part, as the game before. There was some consistency in practice over a two-week period. I would like to think that has an effect and hopefully they will continue to improve as we move forward.”
On passing the ball
“We need to throw the football better, period. If you look at the opponent we're playing this week, they're scoring and they've been effective in throwing the football. There's three phases in a game. We all know that. At some point, you have to match them where their strength is. They have certainly had the ability to score points, but, defensively, they have been effective also. We need to become a better passing team to give ourselves a better chance to win this weekend.”
On Kliff Kingsbury
“He's done very well this year as a first-year head coach. His team has played well, in my opinion. They play with energy. I haven't studied the other side of the ball like I have the defense, and they're sound in my opinion. He's young and has a lot of enthusiasm. I'm sure he has love for his university so it seems to be a great hire by Tech. I know the little bit I've been able to watch them on television; it looks like he is enjoying being a head coach. Obviously, that's the most important part of what we do, in my opinion.”
On playing in Lubbock
“They have a great environment there. I certainly would prefer to play in the day just so you don't have to sit around and wait all day. It's the hand we've been dealt and our guys will adjust. We will travel later on Friday, which we traditionally do.”
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On Desmond Roland's performance at Iowa State
"He gave us toughness running the football. He secured the ball very well, he was able to make some people miss and he did a great job in blitz pickup. He did everything well, not just carrying the football. He brought the total package."
On if Saturday's performance was the best the offensive line has looked this season
"I think so. They took care of business. They got great movement up front and they worked well together. They communicated really well and handled all the movements up front. They were effective at the point of attack, which was good to see."
On the challenges Texas Tech's defense presents
"They're athletic. They're physical and they're big. They have good corners. They have some experience on defense, and they run very well to the football. They're aggressive and they move a bunch. They're trying to cause disruption like any good defense does."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the defense's overall performance
"They played well. There were a lot of good things and a lot of firsts that happened. We scored twice on defense. To score once on defense is awesome, but to score twice is unusual. I'm not sure I've ever been involved in a game where our defense scored twice. We had 12 possessions of three-and-out or less, and I'm not sure I've been a part of a performance like that either. There were three drives where we had some assignment miscues defending the option, and we had to adjust at halftime. Overall, it was good."
On what Texas Tech's offense brings to the table
"Obviously, they have great skill players and a quarterback who can get the ball to them quickly. It's the quarterback's accuracy, more than anything. That can be scary. When that and the timing are there, it's hard to stop. As always, we have to take away the run game. They run the ball as well as any Tech team I've seen. They have the ability to be balanced if you allow it. Also, as always, we're going to have to tackle in space."
On the boost a defensive touchdown can bring to the team
"It's huge. If the defense is scoring, there's a good chance you're winning the game. Defensive guys love it, because scoring is their No. 1 goal. Also, you go right back out on the field. I think the offense rallies around that, too. We put points on the board, and then go back out there, giving them more time to rest and get their game plan together."
Running Backs Coach Jemal Singleton
On running back Desmond Roland's performance at Iowa State
"I was a little surprised, not so much with how he ran or how physically he played; but if you asked me if he was going to run 200 yards, I don't think I would have taken that bet. He did some great things. He did some things that, seeing his body of work this year, he showed some glimpses of doing. He did it for a lot of plays and a lot of carries, and he was just as strong in the fourth as he was in the first."
On playing well despite having never before gotten the bulk of the carries
"I wasn't surprised by that at all. With his lung capacity, he can keep going at that top speed the whole time. That's one of the things that was confirmed. He had been doing it in practice and now he can do it in the game as well."
Wide Receiver Charlie Moore
On Iowa State
“I'm proud of our offensive line and Desmond Roland for putting up some huge numbers. We got a win and put 58 points on the board, and I'm happy about it. We still have some things to work on and a lot of things to put together from the game, and we're going to put it together this week.”
On Lubbock at night
“We've always played them in the daytime, but you watch games at night there and know how crazy it gets in Lubbock. There's a night and day difference, literally. I saw where Kingsbury tweeted yesterday to all the fans that costumes are encouraged and a 'Let's get weird' hashtag, so it's going to be a fun time in Lubbock and I'm excited.”
On being more efficient with the passing game
“It will come. We're not worried about it. We had a great game this week on the ground. We know that we can put up big numbers. We just have to keep practicing and preparing for it.”
On the running game
“You always want a good balance. When you can run the ball, it always opens holes in the defense to throw the ball. We're going to see what we can do with that and continue to run the ball. Like I said, it will help us in the throwing game.”
Running Back Desmond Roland
On the Iowa State game
“It was a great team win. We've been working really hard to improve. Our defense has been holding it down for us in the last few games, but we've been working hard as well and it showed on Saturday.”
On his performance at Iowa State
“I was just running behind my blockers. Our receivers were doing well blocking downfield, and like I said, our O-line was making great holes and they made it easy for me. I was just running.”
On the Offensive Line
“They make changes on the O-line every other day. This combination worked for the last game, so I guess we'll move forward with it for the next combination. If they continue to block like this, we might as well keep it the same.”
Defensive Tackle James Castleman
On Tyler Johnson's defensive touchdown against Iowa State
"Our first thought as a defense making a return is to be smart about it and make your blocks. We did a great job. Ashton Lampkin came from all the way across the field to block for Tyler and made two big blocks to actually help us get the touchdown. Lyndell (Johnson) was even on the tackle with Joe Mitchell that helped cause the fumble, and he ran all the way back down to help block as well. We got to see a highlight of it, and it looked about as slow on film as it did in person. I was really happy for him."
On returning to Lubbock after growing up in Amarillo
"For me, playing in Lubbock is going to be fun. I mean, my whole high school is at Tech. I've always enjoyed playing in Lubbock. Their crowd gets me hyped up because of all the trash talk here and there, so I'm really excited about it. I was fine with being the enemy going in there my freshman year, and I think I'll be fine going in there as the enemy again. I love this place. This is my family now, and I couldn't be happier."
On how he expects this week to play out before getting to Lubbock
"I'm sure there will be a lot of texts here and there talking about what everybody's doing, but I honestly try to not pay any attention to that. I just go out and practice like the coaches ask me to and play hard for my family and my teammates."
Offensive Lineman Parker Graham
On the atmosphere of playing in Lubbock
"It will definitely be an interesting atmosphere. Every time we've been to Lubbock, the fans have been crazy. They stay the whole game, and they're very passionate people. We're just planning on going down there and executing our game plan and continuing to get better on the offensive line to make holes for our running backs to get through."
On how the team can carry its ground game success into Lubbock
"Mainly by just watching film and seeing what we need to improve on. We still had some plays that we didn't do as well on as we wanted to, and there were still more holes for us to run through, but we didn't get on our blocks the whole way. For us, it's going to be about looking at the tape and getting better in practice."
On if he was surprised by Desmond Roland's performance
"Definitely not. Him, Jeremy (Smith) and Rennie (Childs) have all been running great since two-a-days. We knew what he could do. He just needed that platform to kind of help himself propel off of it, and he did that against Iowa State. It makes us feel great knowing that we have running backs of that caliber behind us. It feels really good hearing the crowd go crazy whenever you open a hole for any of them to run through."
Cornerback Justin Gilbert
On slowing down Texas Tech's offense
"We just have to go along with the game plan. We know coach is going to have a good game plan for us going into it. I know that as long as we execute those plays, we should do a pretty good job stopping the ball."
On how the defense can make the most impact against Texas Tech
"Not letting them get any momentum running or passing the ball; getting off the field; getting some three-and-outs early in the game to get our offense the ball."
On scoring on defense
"That's something that we really want to do every game. We want to force turnovers, and every time we get an interception we want to take it the distance to help our offense put points up on the board."
Safety Daytawion Lowe
On how the team pushes each other
"Well we're a real together group. That starts it off. We push each other to get better. I think this offseason was one of the best that I've had since I've been there. We challenged each other. That's where it starts at."
On if he has improved
"I feel like I have gotten better. I feel as if I've gotten better at being a leader and helping guys step into a role where guys feel comfortable with making plays."
Defensive End Tyler Johnson
On his fumble return for a touchdown against Iowa State
"I was just at the right place at the right time. Joe Mitchell got a nice little strip, and the ball came right at my feet, so I just picked it up, took off and ran."
On his preparation for this week's game against Texas Tech
"I've just seen them play on TV. Today is my film study. Today is when I go in and study Tech, see what they do, see their offense and try to get a feel for what we have to do. So far what I've seen on TV, they're a great team. We're a great team. They're doing good things. They've got the loss against OU, but I don't know if you paid attention to the game – it was a real good game. They did a lot of good things so we've definitely got to show up and play."
Linebacker Ryan Simmons
On the team's preparation for this week's game against Texas Tech
"We just want to prepare the way we need to, and take into account our coaches and our game plan. We have trust in our coaches, and we're just going to go out and practice hard for this game."
On what the team can improve on going into this weekend
"Everything. Tightening up everything. This is a Top 25 team so it's really exciting to be with this team. Texas Tech – they're good. They throw the ball around a lot, so we have to make sure we're good on our coverages and tight on our receivers and not give up too many big plays."
