Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview West Virginia
September 23, 2013 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 23, 2013
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement
“Well, our guys had a few days off, and we had a good practice last night. We gave them the day off today. We are going to have a normal week of practice this week before we head out to West Virginia on Friday morning. It's good to have everyone back and safe this week, and we're looking forward to a good week of practice.”
On West Virginia's struggles thus far
“I think Dana will be fine. I don't really pay much attention to what's going on outside of our program, but I believe it's a learning process that all head coaches go through.”
On playing half way around the country for a conference game
“I think most people in this region will have a hard time with it, but I believe this is the future of football.”
On Jeremy Smith
“Jeremy has played well for us so far and has been a good leader. As we progress through the season, he will have to carry the load for us more often.”
On preparing for a road game
“I don't know if it's really any different. Unfortunately, this will be our sixth out of our last seven games that will be outside of Boone Pickens (Stadium). I would hope that has helped us some, if there is anything to gain from that. I think discipline and structure are important in playing on the road. Fortunately, we have had enough good players to weather the storm. Another key is to jump out quick and silence the crowd.”
On red zone efficiency
“I think that our ability to run the football with the quarterback has helped those statistics. We have a wealth of knowledge on both sides of the ball. We're going to learn a lot more about ourselves in these next few weeks of conference play.”
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the bye week
“It was good. We had some physical practices last week, and got a jump on West Virginia. Fundamentally, we had a good week. That's the time when you're able to work on some fundamental things like shedding blocks and tackling. Schematically, we were able to work on some things we want to do against West Virginia. It was a productive week.”
On West Virginia's offense
“Everybody sees the obvious, which is they've struggled in a couple games. But, if you watch the Maryland game, you'll see West Virginia went up and down the field on them, but they had six turnovers. It was just one of those days where it wasn't working out. They have weapons. Their quarterback can throw the ball. Smith and Sims are two great running backs, and Coach Holgorsen does a great job of spreading the field. It will be a test for us to defend all of it. They'll be back in front of their home crowd, ready to play. It will be a challenge for us.”
On coaching against Dana Holgorsen
“Knowing him, I'm sure he would say the same thing if you asked him, but it all comes down to execution. They're going to have some new wrinkles for us, but it still comes down to blocking, tackling and catching the ball. For us, it comes down to seeing routes, pattern reading, hitting our gaps and being fundamentally sound. Against anybody, one mistake can lead to a big play. It will be on the line for us every play. He has a great mind, and if we take something away, he will try to find another way to attack us. It's fun. I have a lot of respect for him and what they do offensively.”
On naming a defensive MVP at this point in the season
“We've had a lot of guys stand out. These two next to me, Caleb Lavey and Daytawion Lowe, are champions in my notebook and the heartbeat of what we're doing. We have some others, too. I don't want to single out anyone, because it's a collective effort. Sometimes people don't see what causes a great defensive play. [Daytawion] Lowe could force a run inside and [Caleb] Lavey makes the tackle. Without the original play, the tackle may not happen, and vice versa. It's all about next week. What they've done to this point doesn't matter. I say that to them every day. They probably think I'm too negative, but hopefully it will pay off at the end of the season.
On having success on the road in conference play over the past few years
“Without analyzing it too much, I think we do a great job of being consistent and not wavering. We do a good job of staying on a steady course, regardless of what is happening. Our guys know what to expect every week. When we go on the road, the guys know the routine. They know when we're going to watch film and study. We treat it like a business trip. With that being said, we've been successful on the road because our players have played well. It all comes down to whether they execute when the lights come on. More than anything, we've had good players.”
Linebacker Caleb Lavey
On the progress of the defense
“It's a different defense, but we haven't proven anything yet. We've only had three games. We just need to continue to be humble because that's the only way we can improve is to not get cocky and stay levelheaded.”
On which game he has been most pleased with the defense
“On the games that we didn't give up many points was, obviously, good on the defense's part. It's just a game-by-game thing. The defense changes, and the offense changes. There's really nothing you can stick to, but as long as we can continue to keep points off the board, we should be pretty happy.”
On the program's success on the road
“Like Coach Spencer said, it's routine. It makes it a lot easier with everyone knowing what's going on and just having that routine to fall back on. Also, a lot of the leadership, the defensive guys and the offensive guys, know how to conduct themselves on the road. It's easy to tell people what to do, but it's another thing to lead by example. A lot of the guys do make it a lot easier for the rest of the guys to follow in suit.”
On how they will prepare in practice
“It's always good for both sides of the ball, because it's not just a scout team. You have good competition, and we're going against a lot of the offensive plays that Dana [Holgorsen] still uses. It's good competition. It's a good pace, and it's a lot faster than what we're used to. Having that in the offense that we are playing against gives us a good opportunity to practice as well as compete.”
Safety Daytawion Lowe
On the defense's improvement this year
“I think for the most part, I feel like as a unit we're just closer, but I don't feel like we've proven anything yet. We're just now getting into conference play, so there's still a lot of football to be played, and we've got a lot of work to do.”
On how he spent his bye week
“I didn't get away from football. I went to the Carl Albert game. I was just able to chill and watch football, so there wasn't any pressure about getting yelled at the next day.”
On whether he enjoys bye weeks
“I always want to play, when it comes down to it, but it's beneficial because you get extra work in and you get guys healthy. It's well needed.”
On his preparation for West Virginia's offense
“They're really running the same thing, the same scheme, just a different quarterback. Both of them can throw the ball. I mean, he can get it to his targets. Really, I just focus on being where I'm supposed to be so I can make the play.”
On how they will prepare in practice
“It's really a game tempo that lets us see how the ball's going to come out, how fast it's going to be, how they're going to run their routes, with more crisp routes from our starting wide receivers. It's a big event that should get you ready for the game.”
Running back Jeremy Smith
On playing former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen
"Coach Holgorsen is a pretty good coach. West Virginia is a good team. Their defense is really nice. This isn't really about them. I say that all the time. This is about us and the way we prepare. We just need to go out there and take care of business."
On his ability to excel in short yardage and goal line situations
"I can't do it without the offensive line, J.W. (Walsh), and really, the coaches that call the plays. My job is just to go out there and perform to the best of my ability. I can't do that without those guys. Whenever I get in the end zone, all the credit goes to them."
On playing as the Big 12 conference favorites
"You hear it all the time, but if we don't execute or do all of the little things right, all of the talk doesn't really matter. We pretty much just have to go out there and do what we know how to do. We take it one game at a time and one play at a time, and if something bad happens, we just have to throw it away and move on."
On what he expects traveling to Morgantown for the first time
"I keep hearing a lot of crazy stories about the fans and stuff. I'm ready to go down there and see if everything is true...I've heard they're pretty loud and that they try to get in your head, but we're not going to let that happen."
On what quarterback J.W. Walsh is like off the field
"He's pretty goofy. He's a great guy. You can tell he likes football a lot because he stays up all night playing it. That's probably why he's so good at it. He's a great competitor on and off the field. I'm happy that I get to spend this time with him."
On if he feels like this is the start of the season with Big 12 play beginning
"Actually, the start of the season was when we played Mississippi State. Again, we've got to take it a game at a time. Even though this is Big 12 play, we've still got to do the little things right. West Virginia is a pretty good team, but we need to take care of business."
Quarterback J.W. Walsh
On the offense's efficiency in the red zone this year
"With the depth that we have at every position, we're going to make plays. It makes it easy on us as long as we can get the ball into the right people's hands. That's what we've been able to do so far, so we hope to continue with that."
On whether he believes the offense is characterized by efficiency or explosive plays
"I think it's a little bit of both. We've been 15 for 15 in the red zone, so that's pretty efficient. At the same time though, we've had a lot of explosive plays that have ignited the offense. There are those times when the offense has sputtered and hasn't been able to roll, so that's when our explosive plays really work for us. Overall, I'd say it's a little bit of both. It's a blessing to be able to say that."
On how he spent his off weekend
"I definitely watched a lot of college football. We don't have very many chances on Saturdays to watch all the games on TV, so I definitely took advantage of that. I watched the West Virginia game, but mostly just to enjoy it and not have to break down film and analyze everything. It was nice being able to relax and enjoy it."
On if he believes the team's first trip to Morgantown will affect the offense's tempo
"I don't think so. Every time we have traveled this year, we have handled it the right way. We've traveled well and handled it like it's a business trip. With the leadership we have on this team, we will continue to handle traveling with success."
On the impression that Dana Holgorsen left on the program
"Basically, the offense that he brought here. All he's got left now is the offense that we run, but even then, we've tweaked it a bunch and added our own nuances over the years."
On if the team has established a strong chemistry this year
"That's very accurate. Everyone is so comfortable with each other, and we have definitely meshed together. In the locker room, everyone is so goofy with each other, and it's hard not to be. When you want to go out there and have success with these guys, you treat it like a business. At the same time though, you have to have fun. We don't really hang out with anybody else other than the guys on the team."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On comparing the passion for football in Oklahoma to other places he has been
“I think football is king in both places where I grew up--Ohio, and this region as well. From a recruiting standpoint, I think it is significantly different in this region. The facilities and spring ball the high schools do here are probably the biggest differences.”
On if recruits in this part of the country enter college with a better understanding of football
“I think that is true. I think the coaching in this region is spectacular, so players are being coached up really well. When you add those factors up, it might possibly make for a little greater learning curve for the players who come from this area.”
On how Jeremy Smith has performed to this point
“Jeremy has been very consistent, and he works hard. He is great on the practice field, which correlates to production on Saturdays. He works hard all through the week. He's a great leader, he holds onto the ball really well and understands pass protection. He is a complete back."
On red zone efficiency
“Having a good kicking game is important in the red zone. Obviously, taking care of the football is important as well. You want to strive for balance. When you can pass and run the ball equally well, you give yourself the best chance. The defense can't lean in one direction or the other in that scenario. Balance, kicking game and ball security are the keys in the red zone to me.”
On being able to take care of the football
“You kind of feel like you're in the dugout in the eighth inning, and you don't want to talk about the no-hitter. It's good. We have to keep it up and continue to work at it. It really comes from our head coach down. It's something he has preached since I interviewed here all the way to this morning, talking about ball security. Our assistant coaches do a great job facilitating ball security drills that make it habit and muscle memory for our guys on Saturdays. Our players do a great job understanding those fundamentals and working hard at them.”
