Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Baylor
November 17, 2014 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the football team visited with the media Monday in Boone Pickens Stadium to preview the Cowboys' matchup with Baylor. Their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"We're getting back to work. It's kind of the same routine as every other week. Looking back at the last game, things turned out a lot like we thought. We had a difficult time up front with handling our guys on offense. Defensively, they really rocked us a little better that what he had wanted. For that reason, it makes it difficult to function very well, but we had a good practice last night. The guys' spirits are good, and they're ready for another very good football team. Baylor is just as explosive as they ever have been. Obviously, the quarterback is playing well, their receivers are fast and the running back gets downhill. Their defense is more active, in my opinion, than what they have been. Some of the guys that were playing for them last year have matured, and they're playing very well. We certainly have our hands full, but we're looking forward to another week of practice and continued development before heading down there to play the game."
On if the team is improving:
"Well, we really are improving, we're just playing better teams as we've gone on. Texas has two guys inside on their defense who, in my opinion, are going to be potential NFL players. They're really good, so it makes it difficult when they can throw you around. It's really hard to call plays and come up with schemes when you're struggling inside, and that's really the truth of what happened."
On how he plans to attack Baylor's defense:
"Keep doing what we're doing. We expect to get better and improve. The team we played last week is pretty good on defense. They're better than the team we played the week before on defense, so when you play teams that are better, it's hard to have a lot of success, especially when you're struggling in certain areas. Baylor's defense is pretty good, too. They move around pretty well. I just watched the Oklahoma tape, who, in some people's opinion, has a pretty good offense, and I wasn't real encouraged when I watched that tape. I have to get some other ones, but I would say that Baylor's defense is pretty good."
On slowing the Baylor offense:
"I don't know that you can really pin point any of those guys when you talk about what's on the perimeter. In that situation, which is very similar to what we've had here at times before, they have a scheme ready for seeing how you line up. I'm not in their coaching office, obviously, but when I watch them, you can come up on them and try to stop them in the flats, but then they'll throw it over your head. If you stay off of them, they'll throw it in the flat. If you throw too many people back in coverage, they'll try to run the ball on you. It's not really any different than what we did when we had [Justin] Blackmon, [Joseph] Randle, Kendall [Hunter] and [Brandon] Weeden. It's all kind of the same concept."
On keeping the team motivated despite being heavy underdogs:
"One, you tell them the truth, which we do every week. Two, they're expected to prepare. They signed up for this. Each week, no matter the outcome, they're expected to prepare for the game plan and practice hard. That's all we ask of them. The guys who are young and underdeveloped at this time are improving, but they're not to the point of how it's been here over the last five or six years."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On Baylor's offense:
"I probably said this last year, but I'm very impressed with their run game. Here I am again saying the same thing because you don't see that. You don't see the 10-yard runs and the 15-yard runs over and over again because they have so many highlights. In the 15 or 20 seconds that you're going to commit to them on a news show, it's going to be the big chunk plays. You can't show the 15 or 20 explosive plays that we see that are 10-yard runs. That's where they decimate you too. If you play aggressive, you're going you give up some big plays, but you'll stop something."
On Baylor running back Shock Linwood:
"He has a combination of speed, power and vision. I think people don't give enough credit when they're evaluating a running back. The great ones have tremendous vision. They can jump cut and see something in a fraction of a second that most of us couldn't. They know where that crease is going to happen, and I think that he's got that."
If the players' hearts are broken after four-straight losses:
"If their hearts weren't broken, it would be an issue. They're hurting, but the resolve is still there. They're disappointed in some performances and disappointed in some technique issues. We can be a lot better than what we are. They want to get it right. They don't want to let each other down."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On if he expects better execution on offense this week:
"Well, I don't have a crystal ball. I'd like to think we're going to improve. We're going to work very hard on improving. We're working on the plan right now. Monday is a big prep day for us, and we're trying to get the plan installed. It will be a long day, but we'll pound through it and be ready to install our base concept for tomorrow."
On quarterback Daxx Garman's progression:
"I thought he really battled his butt of on Saturday. I think he played tough. For as much as he's been through, he's got a really great mindset right now and I'm proud of the way he's bearing through all of this. All of this adversity that he's facing is not easy, so he's doing a really good job of being true to himself and staying consistent from a mental standpoint. Going back to last Saturday, there would be a play here or a play there that we would like to take back from an execution standpoint, but he really played tough and that's all you can really ask."
On the importance of the offensive line:
"It all starts up front. The game has evolved, but if you look at the best offenses in the country, you'll see very good offensive lines. You'll also see very good quarterbacks. You have to play as a unit. It's not ever about one position, so you have to be well-rounded. Every position is intertwined with everything else. It's called 'team' for a reason. Everything is relative and everything plays on each other, as far as positions. That's the beauty of this game. It takes 11 guys to operate and function. To have success, you need 11 playing."
Tight End Blake Jarwin
On the task at hand:
“It's just staying motivated. We have to motivate ourselves. Our coaches are doing a great job and we have to continue with self-motivation. We need to get in the film room and be focused through practice and keep moving forward. We have to look to the opportunity that we get to battle with Baylor this weekend.”
On how to prepare for Baylor:
“We did a lot that was right, but we also did a lot of wrong things. We're going to get going and correct those wrong things. We're going to get better each day during practice. We'll get better at the things we did wrong and get better at the things we did right. I think that's what's going to help us.”
On his performance against Texas:
“I was just in the right spot at the right time. We have a lot of playmakers on the outside and in the backfield that leave some people like me open in times like that. I was just happy that I could bring in the ball and give us a little spark when we needed it.”
Defensive Tackle James Castleman
On bouncing back from the Texas loss:
“We have to make corrections from our last game against Texas, but we jump straight to Baylor. We're trying to get a good game plan for them.”
On what the defense struggled with against Texas:
“We had some poor tackling, especially at the beginning of the game. We realized that we were really close to being able to make some plays or being able to stop a play. We realized that it takes just that much to mess up and give them a big play.”
On finishing the season with two road games:
“The mindset is to try not to let the crowd get into it. Try not to let the fact that it's a road game get into your head. It's just another game. We have to go out there and defeat the crowd. If you beat the crowd, you might have a good chance of beating the team.”
Safety Larry Stephens
On sitting out the last few weeks due to injury:
"It was a little tough, I put my faith in my teammates. When somebody gets hurt, we already have somebody to step up and make the plays. Of course, I wanted to be out there, but at the same time I was happy to see my teammates play."
On helping teammates while injured:
"I just gave them advice on everything I see and help them play the best that they can. Giving them advice of what I see on the field, that's the way I could help."
On slowing down the Baylor offense:
"We've just got to play smart football, read your keys and if everybody does their job we will be safe. We play sound defense and we'll be safe and we will be able to stop them."
Linebacker Seth Jacobs
On the small crowd after halftime:
"When it comes up to it we have to play for one another, it doesn't matter who's in the crowd, we enjoy the support and we love our fans, but when it comes down to it the guys who are with us day in and day out, we fight for the guy next to us and that's what we are doing now and competing for."
On the ride of emotions the team has had throughout this season:
"We are definitely not happy with where we're at, but it's one of those things were we just got to go out and work hard each and every week. We can't feel sorry for ourselves or anything like that. We just got to go out and compete and get a win."
On the importance of making a bowl game:
"We need to go out each and every game trying to win the game. It's important for everyone to make a bowl game, not only the seniors, not only myself, not only the defense. Everybody who's part of this organization throughout the office and who works the field, it's important for us to make a bowl game, but we're trying to go out and win each game we go into. We haven't been as successful as we want too, but we go out each game planning to win."
Safety Jordan Sterns
On last year's game against Baylor:
"I just really remember the crowd and the atmosphere, playing hard and winning, beating the top six team and really upsetting them. I think they are going to be ready to play this next week."
On the confidence last year's game against Baylor gives the team this week:
"We always go into (games) with confidence and think we can win. We are going into their house. It's going to be crazy and they got that new stadium. We look forward to playing in that. I think we could go there with a lot of confidence and I think we could get the job done."
On the play of Bryce Petty:
"He's a great player overall. He's going to throw the ball and try and throw it deep, so we just got to be ready to challenge him every play."
