Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Central Michigan
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Central Michigan
August 27, 2015 | Cowboy Football
PHOTO GALLERY
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the football team visited with the media Thursday in Boone Pickens Stadium to preview the Cowboys' season opener at Central Michigan. Their comments:
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Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"We're back at it. We're excited to finally be in what can be considered 'game week' now that we're only six days away. Practice has been really good. The coaches and players are ready to play a game. We'll need three or four days to turn it up before we take off and start to get ready. We're just excited about moving forward. I know you guys are. Everybody is anticipating college football. We're looking forward to it. We're in a really good situation right now. We've got Kevin Peterson back out there. Saturday is a day off, so on Sunday, he should be back out there at practice. He's doing very well. Brandon Sheperd had a dislocated finger, and he should be back up and running on Sunday or Monday. From an injury standpoint, we're in good shape. It's just a matter of working through this and getting ready to go play in a game."
On Central Michigan:
"It's a long way up there. They've got a new coach. Their returning quarterback is a good player. The defensive line has some experience, but there's some inexperience in the secondary. Like us, they've got relatively new running backs. Returners are the same. There's a lot of uncertainty, especially with us not having much tape. We've also changed staffs like they have. We feel like we need to be further along and better on what we do on offense, defense and special teams than they are at what they do. We don't really know enough to know what their game plan or what their schemes will be in the first game. I would guess their offense will look the same, especially with the quarterback having success. Defensively, I think there will be some similarities to what we would see during the year. Special teams-wise, we know what they did last year, obviously. They've got a coach on their staff from Buffalo, so you can tie Buffalo into that. Their head coach was a special teams guy in the NFL, so there's a lot of uncertainty there. We have to kind of prepare for a broad spectrum, and then move forward from that point."
On if this season's defense could potentially be the best during his reign as head coach:
"I think 'potentially' is a good word. I like where we're at. I said that at the end of spring ball, in preseason and up through the last four weeks of practice, give or take a few days. We have some depth, and we have some experience. I think we run pretty well, and we'll know a lot more in six weeks. If they continue to work at it and we stay healthy, it could be a good unit."
On his confidence level with the team's questionable spots:
"I think defensive tackle is the first spot. We've got two guys playing there that really haven't played at this level, for the most part. They've had a good preseason camp. One thing we all know about preseason camp is they're working hard, they're absorbing information and displaying a good attitude, but we don't have a clue about what's going to happen in the games. I feel better about that position after watching it during the preseason, but there's a lot of uncertainty there. In the offensive line, especially in the latter part of the season, you can really struggle. There's a little more maturity there. There are some new faces, too, so I feel better about that position. We're not where we were in the years when we were winning 11 or 12 games. We had second and third-year veterans playing here then. They're coming along, though. We'll know a lot more six weeks from now. If we have guys that get banged up a little bit and have to put another guy in there, we'll see how they react. I feel good about our football team. It's just a wait-and-see game at this point."
On the development with the team's running backs:
"I've talked about [Jeff[ Carr before. Up to this point, he has done very well. What he'll do once we get started, I don't know yet. [Jalen] McCleskey, Carr, [Kenneth] Edison-McGruder and Darrion Daniels are the four freshmen who I had mentioned we thought could play in the first game. I still think that'll happen. [Chris] Carson has done very well for us, but there's no telling what he's going to do. He has made Rennie [Childs] better. We talked about that. Rennie doesn't have as many reps, and he's a better player when he's fresh. Jeff Carr has made plays in practice that make us think that he could be productive in a game at this level. To what point, I'm not sure, but I feel better about our running backs now than I did at this time last year. I know what I had with Desmond [Roland]. He was reliable, steady and he wasn't going to run away from anybody. It's difficult to average 4.5 yards per carry if you don't have a back that can run away from somebody. It's too hard to block everybody all the time. Those guys on the other side of the ball, in most cases, are more athletic than your offensive linemen. They're going to win their share. Less than 50 percent of the plays are blocked correctly, so somebody has to make up for that. That's the running back. With Chris, a fresh or more mature Rennie, Carr and Raymond [Taylor], I'm hoping that we're going to get some of those breakaway plays that will make us a better running team than we were at this time last year."
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Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On Central Michigan and the first game of the season:
"Just question marks, because you never know until you kick it off. All you've done is practice against yourself. And (Central Michigan) having a new coach, we really just can't go 100 percent off film from what you've seen last year. So that's the biggest question. We're always uneasy about the first game. On our side of the ball you could get any formation, you could get anything. They haven't shown what their favorites are. It's nerve-racking."
On the defensive depth:
"Only 11 of them can be on the field at one time. If we have a situation where we have to rely on depth more than the standard rotation, you're more concerned with it. But right now you're worried about those 11 on the field. There are a couple of spots now where if you get an ankle tweak, or a shoulder banged up, maybe there are a lot of positions where there's a huge drop off like there was in the past."
On the excitement of getting to play someone else next week:
"Everyone in the nation is that way. The last week of practice is just pulling teeth sometimes. That's when you have to rely on some seniors and guys that have been around. There will be a lot of emotions, but usually that goes away after the first series. All that pre-game hype, it's expected. That's why it's such a great game, right?"
On Central Michigan's talent:
"They're never out of a ballgame, at least they've shown that in the past. So they're used to coming back and used to not getting down when things go bad. They've moved the ball against a lot of good defenses this past year, and a lot of those kids are back."
On the defense's performance last season:
"In the early games I thought we played outstanding defense, but that doesn't show up. People don't talk about it, but those early wins I thought we were playing exceptionally well and answered the bell a lot. And then playing later on in the season, we weren't effective as far as winning games. We have to do what it takes to win the game, whether it's blocking a late-second pass to win 48 to 47 or have to win one 14 to 10."
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Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On Central Michigan and its new coach:
"Well the best part of having a game plan, or the best thing you can do in a game plan is allow yourself some flexibility and be ready for anything that might occur, so we have a plan ready to go for every scenario. There's only so many different looks that are out there. At the same time, (Glenn) Spencer does a great job giving us multiple fronts and multiple looks in camp so we feel through camp our preparation has really been thorough for whatever they throw at us."
On how he has changed the offense to better fit Mason Rudolph:
"Not a whole bunch. Traditionally it's been a vertical passing game around here so the offense has really fit him very well. Obviously there are differences between when J.W. (Walsh) is in the game when he was the starting quarterback and when Mason is the quarterback. Obviously I'm not going to run any zone-reads or quarterback runs with him, but as far as the vertical passing game, the play-action pass and the running game, it's very much suited for him and it really hasn't changed too much."
On the general message for the quarterbacks during fall camp:
"Win games, man. Secure the ball, always. We have to respect the football. We have to make good decisions, sometimes the play of the day is the throw away. People don't realize it and see that but sometimes when it's covered or a receiver runs the wrong route or there's a protection breakdown or it's just not there, instead of forcing it and throwing the ball away, that might be the play of the game. So making sure all the quarterbacks understand it's one play at a time. We don't have to win the game on every single play. We have to take care of the football, make quick decisions and go through our progressions. That's basically the name of the game."
On Chris Carson:
"Well he's done a great job. I think Chris has tremendous vision. He's a strong back, very dependable. So far in camp he's done a great job securing the football. He's good on his blocking assignments. He's been coached real well by (Marcus) Arroyo. He's very assignment sound. He's able to set up his blockers well. He's a very patient runner at times, but he also knows when to step on the gas. He has a nice change of pace and has been very consistent."
On James Washington:
"He's made a name for himself. He had a big year and we expect big things from him. He's a great young man, has tremendous talent and is just going to continue to get better with time. There's still room to improve. None of our guys have quote, unquote 'arrived.' We all feel that there's a lot of work to do and there's always room for improvement."
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Linebacker Ryan Simmons
On his eagerness to start the season:
"I'm ready. I'm tired of practicing. I'm just ready to get out there with my brothers and start my very last season. It's a great time for us and I'm just glad to have the opportunity to play one more season."
On opening up on the road:
"I don't think it matters. You've just got to execute regardless. It really doesn't matter to us. We're going to go out there and do our best and do our job and hopefully come out with a win."
On the senior leadership:
"It doesn't matter if it's OU or if it's Texas or a Division I-AA team, we still have to execute. We have to play hard, execute and know what we're supposed to do."
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Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On his excitement for this year's team:
"There are a lot of good guys. Guys who can come in and contribute early. We've got guys who are senior leaders, so it's going to be really exciting."
On starting the season with a road game:
"We know a lot about Central Michigan. We've prepared well for them and have a good feeling about what they're doing."
On his feeling about not opening the season at home:
"I really could care less. I'm playing for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and it doesn't matter where it is, I'm just excited about it."
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Cornerback Kevin Peterson
On getting the younger players to contribute:
"It's crazy when people say that, because I feel like we're all younger guys. I just turned 21, so I feel like I'm young, but I'm one of the vets on defense. It's fun to see what guys incorporate what they learn on the field and in film to game day. Everybody is ready to compete, so it will be fun to see what they can do."
On competing for starting roles:
"Anytime we're in practice we all know we're going to be fighting for the same spot and only two guys will go out there, but two guys aren't going to play the whole game, so we'll all get out there."
On Mason Rudolph:
"He's really going into his fourth game starting, but you see him and you think he's started 15-16 games in a row, so he brings a lot of maturity to the table."
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Offensive Lineman Zachary Crabtree
On the offensive line:
"We're making great plays. All the way across the board, we're solid and we believe that we can be good. I think that's what's most important is that we believe in ourselves."
On starting the season away from Boone Pickens Stadium:
"We're playing football. Football is football. It doesn't matter if it's (at Central Michigan) or somewhere overseas, we'll be playing football. That's all it is."
On Mason Rudolph having not played a game in BPS:
"Mason is not worried about that. All of his collegiate games have been outside of Boone Pickens. With him as our quarterback and us being who we are, we're not worried about that. We'll be fine. We're going to go out and play football."
On getting to practice against OSU's defensive line:
"Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean are something special. We're special across the board on the d-line. Ogbah has everything, and it's good that we get to practice against those guys. They give us an upper hand on preparing. We're just focused on what we're doing right now as an offensive line and how we're going to work as a unit, rather than the other opponents."
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Defensive End Emmanuel Ogbah
On the defensive tackles:
"People like Vincent Taylor, Mote Maile and Eric Davis are stepping up. Vincent and Mote are going to be starters for us, I think. They are really stepping into their roles. I think they're ready and prepared to play."
On junior college players and transfers:
"I think the guys we have now are going to have an impact. Chris Carson should be starting for us and he's going to do big things for us. We have Jordan Burton, who can be an All-American. He's a great player and he has great speed. I think they will help us a lot. And Victor (Salako), too. He's done a lot. He's a big guy so I like going against him in practice. It gives me more experience and helps make me better every time I go against him."
On opening the season with an away game:
"It doesn't matter where we go. Wherever it is, we have to play hard and fight hard."
On Central Michigan:
"They're a 50-50 run-pass team. They pull their guard and tackle a lot. I feel like we have an advantage because we have speed, so we're going to run to the ball. That makes it less space that the offense has to make plays happen."
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Linebacker Devante Averette
One how it feels to come back after last year:
"I feel grateful and humbled that I got to this place. I came here for a job, to help Oklahoma State win a national championship. I saw when we played Florida State, what kind of team we could have when everyone is healthy and on the same page. I feel like we could make it all the way this year."
On if he feels like he has a chance to show his gratefulness:
"Yes. I've got to. I have to, especially coming back to my home crowd. It's like a homecoming-type of thing. I'm going to make it count."
On the last time he played in front of his family:
"It's been awhile. Probably high school was the last time."
On if he feels stronger than when he first got to OSU:
"Yes, the program really got me on the map. I couldn't squat like I wanted to last year, so this year I definitely blew it out of the roof. I feel good. I feel like me again, just stronger and faster. I'm quick on my feet, and while I was off of them I worked on the little things. My footwork, my hand placement, just a better overall football player."
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Center Brad Lundblade:
On how long the first unit on the line has practiced together:
"Pretty much all throughout fall camp, we've switched it up a few times to mix it up in case of injury. For the most part, we've been together the whole time."
On the line's struggles last year:
"As an offensive lineman, it's our job to protect the quarterback and open up lanes for the running backs. Anytime you watch film and see that you aren't doing your job, it's a bad feeling. We didn't do what we needed to do during those rough patches. This year I think we are looking a lot better. We have a good group of guys this year. It should be exciting."
