Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Football Coaches Meet The Media
July 23, 2014 | Cowboy Football
July 23, 2014
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State hosted its annual media golf play day at Karsten Creek Golf Course Wednesday. Following the action, several members of the Cowboy football coaching staff visited with members of the media. Their comments:
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On how the experience of this year's defense stacks up with last year's
"Totally different. Everybody had concerns last year, right? Even I did. We all did. This year though, when you come back and lose all that experience, it's irreplaceable. You can't sugarcoat it, you can't replace it and you can't coach it. Nobody knew if we were going to be good or bad, but we knew we had a chance to be good because we had the experience. Most people are going to look at the preseason depth chart this year, count how many starters are coming back and base all of their bowl predictions on that. This year, we've got a lot of guys who played a lot of ball last year, but weren't considered as starters. That's an advantage of playing a lot of different guys throughout the season. It helps you out that following year when you lose a lot (of players). That being said, though, there are a lot of holes experience-wise that nobody is going to know much about until we line up on the field and know exactly what we're going to do on game day."
On James Castleman's role as a defensive leader
"He is a leader. A lot of that comes with earning it. You earn it in the locker room, and it's not something that's given. A coach can put you on the front of the depth chart, but those guys know who the leaders are. James has earned it. He has proven to be tough physically, and he knows how to practice. When he speaks, they listen. I'll lean on James a lot in camp when it gets tough out there and someone starts griping in the locker room. He's got to say, 'This is how we do things around here, and this is how we win, so get on board.' We want that coming from the players, not the coaches."
On Ryan Simmons and his leadership abilities
"Ryan has got that intangible quality about him. He had it in high school, too. Ryan Simmons isn't afraid to lose a friend in the locker room because he expects to play great defense. We had a few talks after the bowl game last year, and I had no doubt in my mind that he would be able to step up this year. He did in the offseason, and he did in the spring. He's done it the last couple of months out there on the field. It's the same deal. Ryan has played a lot, and he's got expectations of practicing at a high level. He has even ruffled some feathers, and I love that. We've got to have guys like that. Ryan has been a champion as far as that goes."
On the team's depth at the linebacker position
"There are things you can't control, but you can't worry about it. It's the truth. When we start up next Thursday, those guys that jog out there, get ready practice and do the drills right will be the guys that we're working with. Those guys will be the ones that we expect to do things right and make things happen."
On where he thinks the defense can thrive this season
"I want to be good everywhere, but if you had to single out the positives, there aren't many in my mind right now. We'll be feeling a little bit better by game week. We've got a number of guys who have played up front, though. We had a good rotation last year, and I think we've got at least six guys who have played a lot of ball. When camp starts, I'll flat out tell them that expectations are high and we need them to come through. They've got to play better than what they think they are, and they've got to be productive and sound. They've got to be leaders out there. Experience-wise, they are the strength of what we're doing."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On dealing with changes in personnel from last year
"You just kind of have to recycle a bit. We're not going to totally morph into a new offense, but you have to play to your personnel strengths. Time will tell on that, really. Whether it's through week one, week two, or whenever throughout camp, we'll see where our strengths are from a personnel standpoint. We'll evaluate those strengths and then gear our offense toward them. That's an important part of the process. We feel really good about our receiving corps, though. They're versatile, and we'll have lots of depth at the position."
On the offense's strengths going into the season
"We are lacking experience at some positions, but we also have a lot of guys who have been in the system for a longer time and know the system well. That's really important when it comes to becoming a smarter offense, being organized and communicating, which are all important parts of my process and my job description. Those are the controlling things that we work really hard on on a day-to-day basis. Our players really enjoy playing the game of football. They come to practice with excitement, a great effort level and with results."
On transitioning into his second year of leading the offense
"Every offense, from year to year, is going to be different depending on personnel. I think you get to know a little more about the players because you've known them for a longer time. You know more about the coaches that you work with because you're around them a little more. So, all those things factor into one more year of experience."
On how he has adapted to the FBS level
"Football is football. I think the Big 12 is unique because of all the spread offenses, and I think the defensive coordinators in the league are really well-versed and ahead of the curve. Most of the spread game throughout country, since it's everywhere now, is still the biggest difference."
On J.W. Walsh's leadership
"He's an extremely good leader. The best leader is a leader by example, and that's what he does. He works so hard and sets a great example with everything he does, so it's great to have him as one of the leaders of our team."
Offensive Line Coach Bob Connelly
On his first impressions of Oklahoma State
"I absolutely love it. Coach Gundy is a class act. I absolutely love working for him. He's a great leader and family man. I have a great appreciation for the job that he's done since he's been here. Obviously the reputation speaks for itself. The success that they've had over the last six years is exceptional. Winning 10 games a year over the last five years is exceptional. When you're a game short of having 60 wins in a six-year period, that's very good. I'm very fortunate to be here. I like the staff that he has assembled. I think that he's put together a great group of men. I'm really excited to be here and I'm looking forward to being here a long time."
On his feelings on the offensive line unit
"We've had 15 practices to work and evaluate with them. Of those 15 practices, we've had two of our better or more experienced players in Devin Davis and Brandon Garrett not going through spring practice. I think we're going to be a work in progress. We have a lot of inexperienced guys. We were able to do a lot of things with them this spring. I've seen vast improvement from the time I've gotten here to now. They're working tirelessly day in and day out with Coach (Rob) Glass and the strength staff, which obviously is going to tie over into this fall."
On what he would like to accomplish in camp
"My goal for myself and our offensive line unit is to get a little better each and every day. I want them to come to our workout facility with a purpose, and that purpose is to get better. They need to have a focus on doing something in that area to improve on. If we get a little bit better daily, we'll get to where we need to be. We're a long ways from where we need to be today. There's a lot of room for improvement and growth. I think through experience and continuity, the cohesiveness is going to grow in time with going out and getting reps."
Defensive Line Coach Joe Bob Clements
On his feelings on the defensive line
"We're excited. We're returning a little bit of experience. There are a couple of guys going into their senior seasons that I'm expecting to have really good years for our defense. At this point last year, there were a lot of question marks at the defensive end position and a lot of those guys are returning. It goes from an inexperienced group to an experienced group. We did lose quite a few players that I've got to account for. I've got to spend this training camp and even into this season developing some solid depth across the front, and hopefully we can get that done."
On who he sees stepping up as a leader on the defensive line
"I would say first and foremost would be James Castleman. I've seen him show some leadership qualities during spring and summer. He can continue and enhance that going into this season."
On preparing for Florida State
"It's going to be a tremendous challenge. They didn't accidentally win the national championship. They had to beat a bunch of good teams and perform very well. It wasn't like they just handed Jameis (Winston) the Heisman Trophy. He had to do some exceptional things last year to put himself in that position. It's going to be a challenge. They're a very good team. I think this month of August is going to be very important. We've got to work hard and try to get a little bit better every day."
Cornerbacks Coach Van Malone
On his feelings on the cornerback group going into this season
"I've been talking to these guys throughout the summer about the challenge of replacing Justin Gilbert. When you think about it, you've got Kevin (Peterson), who has played quite a bit, and Ashton (Lampkin), who has played a little bit. When you talk about replacing Justin, you just don't. He was a first-round pick. That's a challenge, but we have guys that have Big 12 experience and we have guys that played in this league and started games. As a coach, I'm excited because of Kevin Peterson. You talk to high school coaches back when he played - he's a great kid. He works hard. He did that coming through the door, and as a junior he'll do the same thing. I'm excited for Ashton as well to get a chance to step out of the shadows of a Justin Gilbert."
On who he feels can step up and be a leader on defense
"They're young, but we have a lot of guys that we've been pushing. We've been pushing Kevin (Peterson). We've been pushing Ryan Simmons, Sam Wren and Jimmy Bean. We've been pushing these guys all along, but they're not seniors, so it's going to take two or three games for them to get to where they feel like, 'Daytawion Lowe is gone, so it's got to be me.' We have enough guys that have experience. I think within a couple of games, the leadership within those guys will take over."
Receivers Coach Kasey Dunn
On the youth of the receivers
"I think we're going to be good for several years to come. We don't lose anyone after this season. We don't have any senior scholarship players, just a couple of juniors. We'll have a chance, if we put something good on the table this fall, to be solid for a number of years."
On what the younger players learned from the older players last year
"They learned a lot. You always do. When I was playing, it was the same kind of thing. You learn so much from guys that are playing in front of you because you're always around them. You see the little things that they do and you try to incorporate it into your game. I'm sure our kids did the same thing last year. We had a great group of receivers last year, so I'm sure they put some stuff into their tool box."
On what the receivers need to learn between now and the season opener
"I think they understand the offense really well. We're not going to see busts on the field. I think it's just going to be that edge and learning to play right out of the gate, with Florida State being as talented as they are. They're a little more experienced than us, but it's going to be good for us because it is going to make us raise our bar. They come in with a few more plays under their belt than we do, and that's going to be the biggest thing. They need to transfer what they learned last year and transfer that into this game.
Safeties Coach Tim Duffie
On how he feels about the upcoming season
"I feel really good. I think we've got a lot of good talent coming back. Obviously a very youthful football team, but I like our kids' conditioning every day, their intensity and I think they'll be focusing on becoming better each and every game."
On how he feels his players will match up against Florida State's offense
"Well I think it'll obviously be a challenge anytime you're facing the Heisman Trophy winner coming off a national championship season, but it will be a great measure for us and our fans and our team. It definitely gave us a carrot to work toward. It's pushing us to be a good football team this season."
On specific improvements to make before the season opener
"Anytime you have a youthful football team, you're trying to get those guys to mature and understand what the seniors from last year have invested in this program to get where we were. It didn't just happen by chance. That's the main thing is getting kids to mature a lot faster than they want to."
On his goal for the new safeties
"Dependability. Like I said, being consistent. Obviously anytime you're young, you're going to have some bad things happen to you and so you want to see them respond to adverse situations. Obviously you can't give up on big plays at the back of the defense, so anytime we can minimize a big play, then it turns out to be huge."
Receivers Coach Jason Ray
On the physical talent making this a special group of receivers
"Athletically, they all have different talents, but from our outside guys to our inside guys we've recruited, I think it is based on what we do from a standpoint of our inside and outside. We've now combined those two groups, those two positions, and so each kid now has an understanding of what each one of them does and what each position is. So if we ever get in a bind, we are able to mix those guys up. Guys should be well-versed in the whole offense, whereas the year before I got here they were separated."
On the receivers working together
"It's good that we all meet together, but the talent in there is very hot. From an athletic standpoint, you mentioned guys being tall and ranging, but the strong point in our group is the fact that we're all young and those kids are hungry and they want to be good. They want to play at a high level and they came here to do that and to come to Oklahoma State. We have a lot of history at receiver, at that position and obviously the offense is a big-time selling point in recruiting as well. I think our group wants to be good and they want to go and make big plays and win a game on the line. They want to continue to make plays and be a staple in the offense."
On Tyreek Hill's ability to play running back and receiver
"When he was getting recruited and we'd go watch him, I got a chance to see him play twice and practice once and he did both. He did everything from wildcat to running back to receiver and he does have some good hands. Obviously you get better as you catch the ball more at practice and we catch a lot more balls at receiver than he would at running back, but he does possess some route running ability. He's athletic enough to where he can stick his foot in the ground, change direction and run the routes that we run."
Running Backs Coach Jemal Singleton
On how he feels about the upcoming season
"I'm excited. It's one of those things that every year is different. You've got different players, different schedules and those types of things. I'm really excited to see what a lot of these young men are going to do when we get kicked off."
On how he feels about Desmond Roland's leadership role and expectations
"He has already taken on a leadership role. I think that started last year and he kind of started when he got a chance to kind of be the guy and carry the load a little bit. He showed he was more than capable of doing that. He also showed off the field that he could do the things required of him and needed of him so that he could continue to be good, so I am looking for to seeing what he does his final year. This is it for him. This is his senior year. There is no tomorrow for him. He has to make sure that he's ready to go and I think he's capable of it."
On the excitement of Tyreek Hill
"I mean obviously there is a lot of excitement about Tyreek with his speed. He has a speed not many people get the chance to see so he can definitely run. We'll see what he does on Saturdays when it matters, but he's done a great job so far. He's had a great spring and a great indoor track season as well, so we're looking forward to see if we can utilize his tools effectively on Saturdays."
On playing against Florida State's defense
"Our job as an offense is to score points. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. We have to score more than the other team's offense scores and that's what it comes down to. So whatever we have to do as an offense, or against whoever we play on our schedule, that is what it has got to be. For us to go out and be effective running the football, throwing the football and doing all those things that we need to be able to put some points up. If we can win by scoring 14, great. If we've got to win by scoring 45, then that's what you've got to do as well. Like I said, we are excited and we get a great opponent to start the season off. There's no reason why we shouldn't be working our butt off to get ready for it."
