Cowboy Football Report, Aug. 11

STILLWATER – Dressed in full pads, the Oklahoma State football team continued its preseason camp Thursday morning at the Sherman E. Smith Training Center. After practice, head coach Mike Gundy, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer shared their thoughts on the session and the progression of the team throughout fall camp:

Head Coach Mike Gundy

Opening statement:
"Really good practice today. I liked that the humidity and temperature was up. It allowed us to work out for three hours, and it really opened the guys up. Very competitive. The offense made some plays, the defense made some plays, so we're pushing forward. I like where our team is at right now. At the end of the week, by Sunday, we'll make decisions on which freshmen we think will play in the first game, and then obviously the others will be in some sort of a redshirt mode unless there's a guy that's right there on the bubble.

"We're going as planned. The quarterback (Mason Rudolph) continues to play well. By Monday we'll establish a backup quarterback. Taylor (Cornelius) us doing really good right now. (John) Kolar is making some plays, but we'll have to get that position solidified by Monday. (Dillon) Stoner continues to get quality reps. We're anticipating him playing as a freshman.

"I like where we're at. I like the depth at our defensive tackle that everybody has talked about for the last couple of weeks. I like our coaches. The team chemistry seems to be developing, which seems so important to a quality season. We're just going to push forward and put some quality work in. We'll give them Monday off when they start school."

On the health status of the team as a whole:
"We're in good shape. We've had a couple of guys get what I would call minor injuries, but overall our soft tissue injuries have been very good up to this point."

On how the receiving corps is adjusting with Marcell Ateman's injury:
"(Chris) Lacy has picked up a lot of those reps with the addition of (Dillon) Stoner. He's gotten a lot of those reps."

On if the team is where he wants them to be:
"I think so. You know a lot more after the third or fourth game, but we're getting quality work in practice. Our players are understanding the thud concept, so we can practice at a live tempo and we're staying off the ground fairly well. We'll find out here in a month."

On if he expects wide receiver Dillon Stoner to see action on special teams:
"He certainly should be a good special teams player during his career. We certainly shouldn't load special teams on him now while we're trying to prepare him to play as a freshman. We're not sure at this point."

On if the three years Taylor Cornelius has spent with the program is an advantage for him in the backup QB battle:
"Anytime you have experience being with a program…the quarterbacks really change each semester. He's the leading candidate now based on his experience and the improvement he's made over the last couple of seasons."

On the improvement of the offensive line:
"I think they've improved a little. We still have a long way to go. We're working to get a group of five on the one's and two's. I think we'll get eight linemen in a game. I think we have enough guys that are battling for a position that we can definitely rotate some guys in during the game."

Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich

On Mason Rudolph's improvement:
"I think it is just an increase of overall fundamentals. The mental side of it, the physical side of it, he's done a nice job of getting work done from film study to just fundamental work, individual instruction, understanding schemes, understanding defenses, just the whole picture. I don't think he's been focused on this or that, he's done a nice job of improving himself overall."

On having an experienced quarterback in Mason Rudolph:
"It's good to have a quarterback as talented as Mason, and anytime you have a good quarterback - I hate using the word comfort because if you feel comfortable, you better look out cause you're going to get beat - but I think as an offense, I think, with Rudolph, they're a lot more confident with having him at the helm. There's a lot of belief in him, players have a trust factor and they're a tight bunch.

On quarterback Taylor Cornelius:
"I had very high expectations for him. I told him that when we were recruiting him. He threw for a billion yards in high school and he's a great kid. He's got a great family, a lot of support back home and he's the type of kid who likes to compete and loves the game. I need to see him improve though. He knows there's room to improve and things he can get better at, but he's a guy who's really willing to work at those things and take ownership of them."

Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer

On Jordan Sterns becoming a leader of the defense:
"He's earned that because of how he's worked and how he's dedicated himself to his craft. Everybody on the team respects that."

On the cornerback depth:
"I don't think there is great depth right now. Ashton is still out of full competition, when he comes back we'll be better, but right now we've got Ramon Richards who is experienced and Darius Curry who has a little experience. We find out in this league you can't have enough corners, but we don't have enough right now that we feel consistently happy with. We're trying to decide on a couple of young kids to see if they're ready or not and that's a day-to-day evaluation. We have to get Ashton healthy, and we're pleased with Lenzy Pipkins, our transfer. Ramon has to keep playing disciplined ball and he's so much better than he was, but those are just a handful of guys. We have to have a couple of those young guys prove they can help us win."

On the other defensive leaders:
"Tre Flowers has the same experience that Jordan has, but he's quieter and he's earned the respect of a lot of guys on the team. Chad Whitener, everybody knows his attitude, and how he's always willing to help other people, wanting to ask questions and perfect his craft. Everybody respects that and they'll follow him, which is good, so those guys have been really strong for us."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Marcell Ateman

Taylor Cornelius

Darius Curry

Tre Flowers

Lenzy Pipkins

Ramon Richards

Mason Rudolph

Jordan Sterns

Dillon Stoner

Chad Whitener

Related Videos