Cowboy Football Report, Aug. 2

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team completed its first practice of the fall on Tuesday in preparation for the upcoming 2016 season. Wearing helmets and shorts, the team completed a two-hour session at the Sherman E. Smith Training Center during a sunny morning in Stillwater. After practice, coach Mike Gundy and selected Cowboy football players met with media to talk about the day. Some of their comments:

Head Coach Mike Gundy

Opening statement:
"We had a good day. It was good to get back out with the team. We had a really good offseason. The coaches said we had great leadership in the offseason with the veteran players, and I think that carried over into today. In just watching from a distance, it looks like we're a week or so ahead of where we've been the last two or three years in preseason camp, which is a credit to the players. They've reported with a good attitude, so it's a fun time of the year for all of us, and especially for me to be able to watch our players, see them in practice and continue to see them get better. I thought that Mason (Rudolph) had a good day, and I thought that (Barry J. Sanders) looked good when he was in there. … I thought (Jordan) Sterns and (Ashton) Lampkin moved around well. Some of the new guys, I thought Tralund Webber moved out there pretty well and (Keondre) Wudtee threw the ball well. There will be a number of young guys pop up over the next couple of weeks. The third week in August, we'll start to make some decisions on incoming players and whether we're going to play them as a freshman or redshirt them. Overall, we had a really good day."

On the importance of solidifying the backup quarterback position:
"We have about a week to come up with a plan for who we're going to give the quality reps to. The good thing in our system, as you guys know, they get a lot of work in the first 45 minutes. The experience they can gain in that team period is important, and we'll have to make a decision on that within a week, just from the standpoint of only getting so many quality reps a day. If one of those guys has to play, we want to have a plan for them so we can function and execute as an offense."

On his expectations for Barry J. Sanders:
"I'm not sure what our expectations are. I hope that he will fall into a guy that can contribute 10 to 12 touches a game, whether that's a run or a catch. We know that he's matured and is a college graduate. He seems to be durable and have some elusiveness. His attitude is tremendous. We just need to see how it goes. He's going to get quality work over the next two weeks, so we'll see how it develops."

On the receiving corps compensating for the loss of Marcell Ateman:
"You always hate to see a player get injured, but fortunately, he was at a position where we do have some quality depth. Hopefully, he'll be back sooner than later, but with that kind of foot injury only time will tell. In football, unfortunately, guys get injured. Like always, around here we rally around the next guy in and we expect them to perform at a very high level."

On the development of several players' bodies over the offseason:
"Victor (Salako), Mike Wilson, (Brad) Lundblade, and Vincent Taylor all look really good. Even (Ashton Lampkin) … really looks good. We have a lot of confidence in Coach (Rob) Glass. In my opinion, he's the best in the country, and that's why those guys look the way they do every day."

On how he's seen Jeff Carr and Chris Carson develop after one year with the program:
"Both developed physically. They're mature. I watched both Carr and Chris today, and one of the examples that I gave earlier with the team looking more mature is they know what direction to go now. They're not learning and feeling their way through. That's such a big difference from being a first-year player."

Running Back Chris Carson

On how he feels about the running back group coming into camp:
"We just got to get better every day. We have to get back down to the basics. Footwork, different schemes, everything with the offensive line, we just went down to the basics and start over and make things simple."

On how much having Barry Sanders Jr. here pushes him and Jeff Carr:
"I mean, it really is just whatever helps the team. With him coming in, it's just going to make everybody else better. The offensive line will be a lot better, the run game as a unit will be a lot better. Of course it's going to make me work harder, it's going to make Rennie work harder, everybody else in the running backs work harder. With him coming in, that's a great addition for us as a team because I feel like we are just one step away from that Big 12 (championship)."

On how his first season progressed:
"It was definitely a big shock coming from a junior college to a D1 (college) so it definitely was a big jump for me. As a team we did good. Our offensive line and our running backs, we all could have gotten a little better, but as a team we did pretty good. I just feel like this spring and summer we have improved the offensive line and running game a lot. As a unit we are going to be a lot better."

Wide Receiver James Washington

On what's next for him in terms of improvement;
"Become more of a vocal leader to everyone on the team. Not just offensive or receivers, but get better with the entire team. I feel like if I helped them get better, I help myself get better. So that's my goal."

On if it is difficult to be vocal for him:
"My first year I didn't talk much. But as the years went by, I noticed that somebody needs to step up and say something. I've tried to become more of a vocal leader to the team, along with other guys. Jordan Sterns, Chad Whitener and them. We all just became better with team chemistry over the break and I think we will be pretty good."

On what he would grade practice as today:
"I would grade it pretty good. Just coming out there with all the guys with smiles on their faces and eager to get back out there. It's almost like Christmas. When you got guys like that that are eager to get back out there, sky is the limit."

On who is going to step up at wide receiver:
"I would say just Dillon Stoner. He has put in countless time in the spring and summer. When he was here, every time we ran with Coach Glass, he ran his heart out. I think it will pay off. Him and all the younger guys put in a bunch of time and effort in it."

Quarterback Mason Rudolph

On how day one went:
"It was good. Good day, glad to be back out there moving around. Seems like it has been a long offseason as always. An experienced group of guys who kind of know what's going on, bunch of veterans out there having fun and picking up where we left off in the spring."

On how it is to have that leadership out there this season:
"It's important. It's something that we have had for a while now this past offseason. There's a lot of experience out there, a lot of guys who are comfortable with where they are at but they are not being complacent. They are still working, still trying to improve themselves. It's fun to be around. It's good."

On Gundy saying the team is a week ahead of schedule:
"Yeah, he has a lot more faith in us. He has cut down some of these practices. I think the veteran guys know that the mental reps are just as important as being out there and doing it physically. Like you said, we are already excited. Getting to get out there today was fun."

On how much putting in extra work has helped:
"It's something that gets you in your routine. It's something we have done for as long as I've been here. Just trying to get your guys on the same page and work on a few routes and master those. When everything gets going full speed you kind of pull from that stuff. It just elevates that level of chemistry with the receivers."

On what he saw from Sanders:
"He did well. He is excited and he's learning. He is soaking up all the information he can. Coach Arroyo has done a great job with him and bringing him along. All of our running backs are doing a great job from Chris, Jeff Carr, Rennie Childs and the two freshmen. It's a good group of guys and they are all feeding off each other."

Wide Receiver Jhajuan Seales

On being a physical player:
"That's something Coach Dunn has been teaching. Run after the catch and just don't get tackled after you catch the ball is something that he's been putting in our ears."

On the receiving corps as a whole:
"We all have different personalities and different styles of play, so we've been bonding and getting close together to see what we can do to help each other and get better."

On the first day of practice:
"We've been conditioning with Coach Glass so much that it's kind of nice to get out there, run around and catch some balls instead of conditioning all of the time. We've come together as a team and we can't wait to go out there and do some great things as a team."

Running Back Jeff Carr

On bulking up this offseason:
"I just had to eat more. They told me to eat whatever I want to, but you don't want to eat bad foods. I came to them just to ask a couple of questions on how to gain weight and they told me what to do to let it happen naturally. I came in at 167 and I'm 180 now."

On playing as a true freshman last season:
"They just tried to get the ball in my hands and let me do what I do, but I really don't have much to say. I feel a lot more comfortable this year. The most important thing has been getting used to the game speed and that's when you're able to make plays."

On how the weight gain will help his game:
"You just feel like you can play with the big boys. When you're 170 and out on the field, you don't feel too good. But now, in the passing game, I feel like I can pick up a block and get the tough yards when I need to."

Defensive End Jordan Brailford

On what he has seen from the defense so far this year:
"It's really hard to tell without pads, but we have a lot more leadership and we'll really be able to tell when we put on the pads."

On the first day of practice:
"It was good for day one. There was a lot of teaching going on because we have a lot of new people this year that transferred or are freshman coming in, but the leadership was good."

On becoming one of the team's leaders through experience:
"I think the more you're in this program and the more you start to make plays, the more you're expected to lead because people will listen to you and you know what you're talking about. Coming in as a freshman, I had to ask a lot of questions and looking back, being in the position I'm in now, I never thought it would be like this, but I think I can build into this role that I'm in now."

Wide Receiver Chris Lacy

On his summer:
"We got a lot of work in and I went on a cruise at the beginning of the summer with my family. We went to Key West and the Bahamas, it was a lot of fun."

On his expectations for the season:
"I just plan to keep working and doing whatever it takes to help my team be successful. They'll need me to make some big plays, so I'll just keep on working and do that."

On Marcell Ateman:
"At first I didn't really think about that. We're really close and it kind of hurt me to see him get hurt. It was bad timing, it's his senior year, but me and Jhajuan are put in a position where we have to step up and do the best for the team."

Cornerback Ashton Lampkin

On recovering from surgery:
"It's something I'd been through before with my right ankle, so I was already mentally prepared for it. I stayed focused, did what I could do and controlled what I could control. I can't control injuries, no one can. All you can do is watch film, do what you can do and get bigger. I've gotten way bigger over the summer."

On the cornerback depth:
"We're 10 corners deep this year, and all those guys are hungry. They all want to play, even the freshmen who just got in. They want to play as bad as I want to. We're really deep right now and guys are out there competing."

Quarterback John Kolar

On his emphasis during the summer:
"My emphasis was just getting better in every aspect of the game. I wanted to get stronger, faster, bigger and also getting a head start on the mental part of the game."

On his spring:
"I thought overall all the quarterbacks had a good spring, we actually had a pretty good spring as a team. Personally, I just was focused on getting better every single day to help the team."

On redshirting:
"It's a difficult transition, but almost every freshman goes through it, so it's just kind of a part of the process of college football. I learned a lot from Mason, just from his leadership; how he studies the film, and how to be a leader."

Punter Zach Sinor

On the brotherhood of kickers in college football:
"All of us will hangout during pregame and we'll talk and get to know each other. Sometimes we'll get each other's numbers or follow up with one another on Twitter. Right now we've got a big group text. It's the Oklahoma punter, me, Baylor, Toledo and all across the U.S. of all the punters and kickers that we keep in touch with."

On the first day of practice:
"It's a lot of fun. I've been waiting for this day since the day we got done with spring practice, and it's just a good time to be back out here with your boys."

On what he's looking forward to this season:
"Obviously we want to make a bowl and then hopefully have a double-digit win season, but me personally, I just want to do better than I did last year and maybe get a 42- or 43-yard average (on punts)."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Marcell Ateman

Jordan Brailford

Jeff Carr

Chris Carson

Rennie Childs

John Kolar

Chris Lacy

Ashton Lampkin

Mason Rudolph

Barry J. Sanders

Jhajuan Seales

Zach Sinor

Jordan Sterns

Dillon Stoner

Vincent Taylor

James Washington

Tralund Webber

Chad Whitener

Related Videos