Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Meet With Media On Open Week
October 12, 2016 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the Cowboy football team met with media Wednesday at Boone Pickens Stadium to discuss OSU's open week. Some of their comments:
Mike Gundy
On how the first half of the season has affected the team mentally:
"There's been 10 weeks - all of August, all of September and then half of October. Then this season with the Central Michigan situation, playing well enough to win at Baylor outside of about five plays, obviously Pitt, then a big win against Texas because it's big for them when they beat Texas because so many of them are from Texas. Then coming back from as far as we did last week. Tt's just a lot of wear and tear mentally. [The open week] came at a good time for us. If you build it for success it would be after week four, but it is what it is. It's OK. I'm glad we've gotten to this point to where our players should be pretty healthy next week for practice."
On his feelings about the team:
"I'm comfortable with where we are. We've played pretty well at times and if we didn't we were able to identify why we played well and find a solution. If there's a solution to the issues we have in every phase of the game, then I'm OK with that because we can coach and teach it, and the players are committing themselves to getting better. I'm not very relaxed when I don't have an answer for what would be football that's not quite up to par. We've got young men who are committed and we've been able to identify our problems at times and we have answers for it. That's coaching, and I enjoy that part of the game."
On how the open week impacts recruiting for coaches:
"They're all out. They'll take off tonight and work Thursday, Friday, some of them Saturday depending on who they're seeing and where they're at."
On Michael Wilson's versatility:
"We have Jesse Williams who can play also, but Mike gives us a little more strength in there. Earlier in the year we talked about having six linemen we could put in there, so fortunately we were able to slot him in."
On the proposed new rule changes by the NCAA:
"I would agree with that because it's a non-factor. What they've done is minimize the total number of days, which is good for the assistant coaches so they can have some time with their families. It's never been an issue here because we work around family time. With the early signing period - in my opinion - anybody at our level who doesn't agree with that, I'd like to have debate with them about why they didn't. It does two things: Financially, it helps all schools involved, so it's going to save money. For some of the bigger schools it might not matter, but for the other ones, they need an opportunity to save money. Secondly, it won't eliminate, but I think it will greatly reduce cheating. There won't be as many games played in January. Ninety percent or so of the young men that are going to sign in February, would have already signed in December. I threw that number out there, and I'm just guessing based on our history at Oklahoma State and how many players we had committed in December - it's 80-90 percent of your class. So, if it saves money for the athletic departments and it greatly reduces cheating, I can't imagine why that wouldn't be better for college football."
On the effectiveness of satellite camps:
"I would say that 95 percent of the players that we've signed over the last eight years, we've seen in either a satellite camp or the same camp that was on our campus."
On Marcell Ateman:
"He's doing good. He's running. He was running today. He's in a week-to-week mode. They're going to start doing change of direction stuff next week, and from then we're going to see where he's at."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the open weekend:
"We are going to hit the road in the morning. We will be in the DWF area and then to Georgia. Getting by and letting our commits know we are around and scouting out some younger kids, too."
On ranking the defense through mid-season:
"It's just game by game. Every game, I pick out some things we have done well and some things we have done poor. Obviously, the things we have done poor have produced big gains and points. It is a game by game deal. I think if we get some of those things corrected, we have a big ceiling that we are not close to reaching yet."
On if the fourth quarter of the Iowa State game was the ceiling:
"We have had some good quarters this year. Not just that one. We have yet to put together a whole game, which is what we need to do. To answer the bell, we had to do some things to win that game. We had to produce, we had to get the ball back. That was a lot of possessions for us – 17 possessions. So they answered the bell a lot of those possessions, in a critical time."
On how the team's health is:
"I think good. I don't see any reason why when we come back Sunday night everyone doesn't have a big pep in their step and be hungry to be ready to go. It has been a physical season. Lot of guys playing with things nobody knows about. So that will be nice to get those guys cleaned up. So I think that will be good, and to get a jump on Kansas mentally. Look at some things they have been doing successfully."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On what Zac Robinson has taught Mason:
"He's taught me a lot. He was on leave for a while, and he spent a couple of years with the Patriots, Bengals and various other teams, but he has a lot of knowledge. He's worked with a guy out in Orange County who trains a lot of the pro guys. He just has a lot of knowledge, and he's someone I can just conveniently go down and see during the summer and the off-season and hear a different voice as far as mechanics or foot work and just zero in outside of the whole concepts, schemes and coverage type of talk."
On watching Jalen McCleskey develop:
"It's been great. I think he's still got a ways to go, physically, but that's the way he plays. He's a fast guy and will run right by you. He's a good dude though. He's really humble and quiet, quick to listen and slow to speak. He's just very good at absorbing information."
Wide Receiver Jalen McCleskey
On David Glidden coaching:
"I think he'll be a great coach. When I got up here freshman year, he and Austin Hays really taught me a lot that I would need to know, and without them I wouldn't be as far as I am now. He was able to see where the holes in the defense are. As an inside receiver, you might have a route on, but you might not always run that route the same way - the defense might change. Just seeing him on film and in practice, he really helped me see where the holes would be."
On how the open week helps the team:
"I think it helps a lot. Everybody might be beat up and in a normal game week you might not have that much time to recover because you want to get out at practice and learn everything you need to learn. The bye week gives you a chance to, maybe if you're kind of beat up, not push as hard in certain areas. We had some light practices this week to start looking at Kansas on film and get a few workouts in."
Offensive Lineman Zachary Crabtree
On Gundy giving them some time off:
"Gundy gives us great opportunities. He's given us some time off, so it's really what you make of what he's giving you. Take advantage of the time is what he keeps on telling us, and to take advantage of the opportunity. So he's given us some time off, and it's really big if you truly take advantage of it."
On if this has been a mentally draining season for Zach:
"Yeah, but my redshirt freshman year was pretty draining when we played Florida State that year, and then we had our five-game slide and didn't really get a win there, so that was rough. I don't know which one was worse, but it's definitely been mentally draining going week-to-week. We've been in some dog fights, and when you get into dog fights like that, you have to embrace it and have fun with it, but it can definitely wear on you a little bit."
On if he's seen guys more rejuvenated this week for the rest of the season:
"Absolutely. Weather like (overcast and chilly) helps a little bit too. It gives us a little more juice and a little more energy. It's definitely nice to have that time."
Offensive Lineman Michael Wilson
On his respect for Brad Lundblade increasing:
"It has. Especially when you have a nose shade or a guy right on you, it's one of those things. I couldn't handle it. It was hard for me. It's one of those things I need to practice on."
On how hard is it to switch back from guard to center:
"It's difficult. But like I said earlier, while we are in meetings and stuff, I go down the line and what would I do in these situations. What would I do in this position? So it is difficult, but I've been preparing for it just in case something happened, I would be ready. It wasn't a huge transition for me. I've already played guard. It wasn't really an issue."
On if it is disappointing not starting his senior year:
"I kind of took the time to reflect on what I could do better and how I could get better from here and what steps I could take to get back on the field. I figured out what it was. I needed to work on my footwork, my hand placement, my pad level and I just worked on that every single day so I could get a chance. And the chance that I got, I feel I did fairly well with it."
Safety Jordan Sterns
On the physical and mental toll of the season:
"The break is already good. Get to go home, see family. Get the guys who are hurt a little bit to get healed up. And just to refocus as far as mentally. My focus from when we started this thing has fell off. It gives me a chance to go back and get that intense focus we had."
On if it is one of the most emotionally draining seasons he has had here:
"That's a great point. I wouldn't say it's emotional, the up and down season we have had. Last year was emotional and draining as well. The 17-0 game against Iowa State and all those games we were losing and we had to come back from. We kind of get used to that. I think it just happens sometimes. You get in that physical grind and practice every day and such a grind on your body and your mind, it's hard to stay focused that long. That's why bye weeks are important and a critical part of the process and just using that time to get back to whether you want to get your body a little bit bigger and stronger. It is a big time to get your mind right."
On taking the time to focus on themselves instead of opponents:
"That is one of the biggest things. Seeing the stuff on film that you could have done better in certain games. And just realize that all of this stuff is a process. You do all that work and all that training for that grind. Getting back to the stuff I was saying and staying focused."
Mike Gundy
On how the first half of the season has affected the team mentally:
"There's been 10 weeks - all of August, all of September and then half of October. Then this season with the Central Michigan situation, playing well enough to win at Baylor outside of about five plays, obviously Pitt, then a big win against Texas because it's big for them when they beat Texas because so many of them are from Texas. Then coming back from as far as we did last week. Tt's just a lot of wear and tear mentally. [The open week] came at a good time for us. If you build it for success it would be after week four, but it is what it is. It's OK. I'm glad we've gotten to this point to where our players should be pretty healthy next week for practice."
On his feelings about the team:
"I'm comfortable with where we are. We've played pretty well at times and if we didn't we were able to identify why we played well and find a solution. If there's a solution to the issues we have in every phase of the game, then I'm OK with that because we can coach and teach it, and the players are committing themselves to getting better. I'm not very relaxed when I don't have an answer for what would be football that's not quite up to par. We've got young men who are committed and we've been able to identify our problems at times and we have answers for it. That's coaching, and I enjoy that part of the game."
On how the open week impacts recruiting for coaches:
"They're all out. They'll take off tonight and work Thursday, Friday, some of them Saturday depending on who they're seeing and where they're at."
On Michael Wilson's versatility:
"We have Jesse Williams who can play also, but Mike gives us a little more strength in there. Earlier in the year we talked about having six linemen we could put in there, so fortunately we were able to slot him in."
On the proposed new rule changes by the NCAA:
"I would agree with that because it's a non-factor. What they've done is minimize the total number of days, which is good for the assistant coaches so they can have some time with their families. It's never been an issue here because we work around family time. With the early signing period - in my opinion - anybody at our level who doesn't agree with that, I'd like to have debate with them about why they didn't. It does two things: Financially, it helps all schools involved, so it's going to save money. For some of the bigger schools it might not matter, but for the other ones, they need an opportunity to save money. Secondly, it won't eliminate, but I think it will greatly reduce cheating. There won't be as many games played in January. Ninety percent or so of the young men that are going to sign in February, would have already signed in December. I threw that number out there, and I'm just guessing based on our history at Oklahoma State and how many players we had committed in December - it's 80-90 percent of your class. So, if it saves money for the athletic departments and it greatly reduces cheating, I can't imagine why that wouldn't be better for college football."
On the effectiveness of satellite camps:
"I would say that 95 percent of the players that we've signed over the last eight years, we've seen in either a satellite camp or the same camp that was on our campus."
On Marcell Ateman:
"He's doing good. He's running. He was running today. He's in a week-to-week mode. They're going to start doing change of direction stuff next week, and from then we're going to see where he's at."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the open weekend:
"We are going to hit the road in the morning. We will be in the DWF area and then to Georgia. Getting by and letting our commits know we are around and scouting out some younger kids, too."
On ranking the defense through mid-season:
"It's just game by game. Every game, I pick out some things we have done well and some things we have done poor. Obviously, the things we have done poor have produced big gains and points. It is a game by game deal. I think if we get some of those things corrected, we have a big ceiling that we are not close to reaching yet."
On if the fourth quarter of the Iowa State game was the ceiling:
"We have had some good quarters this year. Not just that one. We have yet to put together a whole game, which is what we need to do. To answer the bell, we had to do some things to win that game. We had to produce, we had to get the ball back. That was a lot of possessions for us – 17 possessions. So they answered the bell a lot of those possessions, in a critical time."
On how the team's health is:
"I think good. I don't see any reason why when we come back Sunday night everyone doesn't have a big pep in their step and be hungry to be ready to go. It has been a physical season. Lot of guys playing with things nobody knows about. So that will be nice to get those guys cleaned up. So I think that will be good, and to get a jump on Kansas mentally. Look at some things they have been doing successfully."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On what Zac Robinson has taught Mason:
"He's taught me a lot. He was on leave for a while, and he spent a couple of years with the Patriots, Bengals and various other teams, but he has a lot of knowledge. He's worked with a guy out in Orange County who trains a lot of the pro guys. He just has a lot of knowledge, and he's someone I can just conveniently go down and see during the summer and the off-season and hear a different voice as far as mechanics or foot work and just zero in outside of the whole concepts, schemes and coverage type of talk."
On watching Jalen McCleskey develop:
"It's been great. I think he's still got a ways to go, physically, but that's the way he plays. He's a fast guy and will run right by you. He's a good dude though. He's really humble and quiet, quick to listen and slow to speak. He's just very good at absorbing information."
Wide Receiver Jalen McCleskey
On David Glidden coaching:
"I think he'll be a great coach. When I got up here freshman year, he and Austin Hays really taught me a lot that I would need to know, and without them I wouldn't be as far as I am now. He was able to see where the holes in the defense are. As an inside receiver, you might have a route on, but you might not always run that route the same way - the defense might change. Just seeing him on film and in practice, he really helped me see where the holes would be."
On how the open week helps the team:
"I think it helps a lot. Everybody might be beat up and in a normal game week you might not have that much time to recover because you want to get out at practice and learn everything you need to learn. The bye week gives you a chance to, maybe if you're kind of beat up, not push as hard in certain areas. We had some light practices this week to start looking at Kansas on film and get a few workouts in."
Offensive Lineman Zachary Crabtree
On Gundy giving them some time off:
"Gundy gives us great opportunities. He's given us some time off, so it's really what you make of what he's giving you. Take advantage of the time is what he keeps on telling us, and to take advantage of the opportunity. So he's given us some time off, and it's really big if you truly take advantage of it."
On if this has been a mentally draining season for Zach:
"Yeah, but my redshirt freshman year was pretty draining when we played Florida State that year, and then we had our five-game slide and didn't really get a win there, so that was rough. I don't know which one was worse, but it's definitely been mentally draining going week-to-week. We've been in some dog fights, and when you get into dog fights like that, you have to embrace it and have fun with it, but it can definitely wear on you a little bit."
On if he's seen guys more rejuvenated this week for the rest of the season:
"Absolutely. Weather like (overcast and chilly) helps a little bit too. It gives us a little more juice and a little more energy. It's definitely nice to have that time."
Offensive Lineman Michael Wilson
On his respect for Brad Lundblade increasing:
"It has. Especially when you have a nose shade or a guy right on you, it's one of those things. I couldn't handle it. It was hard for me. It's one of those things I need to practice on."
On how hard is it to switch back from guard to center:
"It's difficult. But like I said earlier, while we are in meetings and stuff, I go down the line and what would I do in these situations. What would I do in this position? So it is difficult, but I've been preparing for it just in case something happened, I would be ready. It wasn't a huge transition for me. I've already played guard. It wasn't really an issue."
On if it is disappointing not starting his senior year:
"I kind of took the time to reflect on what I could do better and how I could get better from here and what steps I could take to get back on the field. I figured out what it was. I needed to work on my footwork, my hand placement, my pad level and I just worked on that every single day so I could get a chance. And the chance that I got, I feel I did fairly well with it."
Safety Jordan Sterns
On the physical and mental toll of the season:
"The break is already good. Get to go home, see family. Get the guys who are hurt a little bit to get healed up. And just to refocus as far as mentally. My focus from when we started this thing has fell off. It gives me a chance to go back and get that intense focus we had."
On if it is one of the most emotionally draining seasons he has had here:
"That's a great point. I wouldn't say it's emotional, the up and down season we have had. Last year was emotional and draining as well. The 17-0 game against Iowa State and all those games we were losing and we had to come back from. We kind of get used to that. I think it just happens sometimes. You get in that physical grind and practice every day and such a grind on your body and your mind, it's hard to stay focused that long. That's why bye weeks are important and a critical part of the process and just using that time to get back to whether you want to get your body a little bit bigger and stronger. It is a big time to get your mind right."
On taking the time to focus on themselves instead of opponents:
"That is one of the biggest things. Seeing the stuff on film that you could have done better in certain games. And just realize that all of this stuff is a process. You do all that work and all that training for that grind. Getting back to the stuff I was saying and staying focused."
Players Mentioned
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