Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Gundy, Cowboys Preview Matchup With Central Michigan
September 05, 2016 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the Cowboy football team met with media Monday at Boone Pickens Stadium to preview OSU's week two matchup against Central Michigan. Some of their comments:
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"The postgame on Southeastern Louisiana was kind of what we thought. Guys that we thought played well made some plays. We were really excited about how many players we were able to get into the game. We finished up with that last night, and now we're moving forward to the next game. This will be a good test for us in a lot of ways. I've always been a big fan of the quarterback (Cooper Rush). He's a potential NFL player. They've got eight returning starters on defense. They have some guys back in the running game. We're going to continue to push forward. We need some quality work. We've got some areas that we certainly need to improve in. I feel like we're making some strides in important areas of our team, but we still need to practice. I'm looking forward to a good week getting ready for Central Michigan."
On Central Michigan's offense:
"They had some games last year where they were really, really good. As the season went on, I think they had some games where they thought they should have played a little better at times. When you have a quarterback of that caliber, you certainly have the opportunity to score some points."
On linebacker Josh Mabin's decision to step away from football for health reasons:
"Anytime a player can't continue something that they love to do and play this game, then it's hard. If it were my son in that situation, I wouldn't want him to play either. He's an intelligent young man. He's going to get an education. He'll go out into the world and be successful. At some point, it's not the risk. In his case, two years ago it wasn't that way. It evolved over a period of about 18 months, but at least we were able to identify the problem before something else could have happened."
On the value of Cowboy backs in the passing game:
"We have a lot of different ways to involve those guys. Dropback passing is a big part of our offense. Once we got to a point right around the end of the first quarter, our game plan changed somewhat based on where we were at. We had to run our offense, but there wasn't any need to throw the ball and stop the clock. We had other guys in and ran some base plays. There were times we threw the ball based on the defense they were going against that play. There just wasn't a lot of interest in trying to stop the clock by throwing the ball and making the game longer than it had to be."
On Devante Averette and Ramon Richards' fumble recovery touchdown:
"It was like Brodrick (Brown)'s play here against OU, but this was different because he stripped the ball, then picked it up, then tossed it back. I'm not sure if he knew who he was throwing it to, but it sure looked good. He should say he knew Ramon was behind him. It's like a fish story, right? It was a really good play. He's very athletic. It was a picture perfect strip. We showed our team last night. … It was a very good play."
On Mason Rudolph's scramble and pass for a touchdown to Jhajuan Seales:
"(Rudolph) is lean. You can tell he's probably lost about 10 or 12 pounds. It must be all that time he spends at the lake, I guess. He's lost some weight, he's moving around better, which not only will be important for us, but for his career and beyond this level. … I think he's in a much more agile position now with his body than he was the last couple of years."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On things to work on before the next game:
"We've got a lot to work on with the basic fundamentals of the game. We're not even close to where we need to be, and our guys know that. They look forward to the chance to get better this week and work on the basic fundamentals we've talked about with just our individual drill work. We play with great effort. We play with great energy and with great intensity. We made a lot of plays. Other than one snap, we secured the football very well, so we're happy with that. There's a lot of good to take away. We just need to get back to our basics and really work on our fundamentals and take a really good, positive approach going into our individual drills. Going into our team settings, we need to represent those fundamentals, get good at our basics and let that become muscle memory."
On how Mason Rudolph played against Southeastern Louisiana:
"I thought Mason played with a lot of intensity and a lot of focus. There were a couple of errors, but for the most part Mason came through for us. He secured the football. Obviously we have to work on the quarterback-center exchange. That was a big mishap, but Mason took care of the ball and made really good decisions. There were a couple of times he has to make better decisions, so it's a work in progress, but he did a fine job. He really did some good things extending plays, making plays on his feet and avoiding the rush. Obviously all of the work he's done during the offseason paid off because he was able to be more mobile than we've ever seen, so hats off to him."
What impressed him about Barry J. Sanders:
"I haven't had a chance to watch too many punt returns, so I was tickled pink when that play came about. He's just a very consistent player and a very smart player. He's obviously ready for game time. He's got that experience, so those attributes are really fortunate for us to have from him. He's a big part of us and a great addition to our football program."
On the running back depth chart:
"Well I think Coach Arroyo deserves a lot of credit for what he does in that room. It's not easy sharing all that playing time, and those guys all want to be the guy, so for them to have the attitudes that they have, and unselfishness, I think you have to give Coach Arroyo a lot of credit for his leadership and management of that room. Being able to roll guys in, understanding the game plan, and being able to place guys in certain formations, plays and schemes the way we do. He's done a great job with that. The players need a lot of credit for their work ethic and their intensity. They all ran very hard. They ran tough with the ball and secured the ball. So time is going to tell. We'll see at practice and take it one day at a time. Surely we'd like have a couple of guys emerge, but this is a good problem to have."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On what challenges the defense faces from Central Michigan:
"Just right of the back, personnel-wise, the quarterback is very well-respected. We saw Cooper Rush last year and he's steady. He's a senior now. He's put up a lot of yardage. He's savvy to get free on rush and he's got a great touch. He can throw the deep-out cuts. Basically, besides the tight end, they've got the whole wide-fence back, and they pretty much move the ball on everybody they play."
On learning things from game film:
"Yeah, it's good to analyze it. There's an old adage that things are never as good as they seem and they're never as bad as they seem, so between some missed tackles we had in the open field, some bad reads and some guys relaxing a couple of times, it was very close to getting those guys to realize how close we are to being very average, or how close we are to having a good defense. That's left to be determined by next week's performance."
On Joe Bob Clements coaching the defensive line on the field:
"He handles to rotation of the defensive line, and most D-line coaches are like that. It's such a big in-and-out deal with him trying to keep those guys fresh, so that's the big reason that whenever there's an issue with a run that hit or broke on us, we try to get it corrected on the front-end first, so most D-line coaches are on the field."
On if it is more important for the secondary or the defensive line to make plays against Central Michigan:
"Both. It all ties in together. They've got a nice run attack, have some athletic linemen they can pull, and can create some issues with their gap schemes. Secondary off play action pass, keep an eye disciplined, experienced receivers. The ball will be in the air before they make a play sometimes, and it's just them doing it together a thousand times, so it's a very potent offensive. It's the leading offense in the MAC."
Defensive Lineman Vili Leveni
On his feelings heading into the first game last week:
"When my name got called to go back out there and the feeling of everyone around and the fans – seeing orange – it was a special thing."
On getting coaching for playing outside and inside:
"I'm just with the coaching and everything. They have just prepared me well to be ready for both the inside and outside. All thanks to the coaches and staff to help me get ready for that."
On playing on the outside of the defensive line:
"Yeah, I mean, it is kind of a different game. You know inside, getting double-teamed on pretty much every play and outside is more one-on-one. For me it's fun to be out and do both. I played both in high school, so it's not really that much of a transition for me to go back out there."
On pass rushing:
"We just have to be disciplined in our pass rush lanes. We can't just rush all non-rushing stuff. We have to kind of be mindful of where we're going and stuff like that. So, we're more disciplined, but at the same time we have to attack. You can't just lay back and let them do whatever."
On the discipline it takes to perform at a high level:
"We watched a lot of film from last year, and the film from this past week. We just have to be disciplined in our pass rush, and at the same time, take from what we did last week and be more aggressive. It's not a team we can sleep on, and we aren't going to take them lightly. We need to get prepared this week."
On the defensive line:
"So, for us on the defensive line, we don't want to put all that pressure on our DBs to passively sit back there and cover for more time than we need to."
Safety Tre Flowers
On watching tape of Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush:
"He made a lot of great throws against us (last year), right on the money. I'm going to watch that one and this last one. I haven't got to watch it yet. … My thoughts were high of him, of course he was starting at a D1 school. When he made those throws on me – on anybody – he's a good dude. He's great."
On having a variety of teams on the schedule:
"I don't think anyone was surprised that they are on our schedule. Southeastern has some athletes, but I know we have to prepare for the best and go out there and work hard."
Running Back Jeff Carr
On playing with so many capable running backs:
"I went in when I got my number called, and I tried to make some plays. … I have high expectations for myself, but if it's not my time, it's not my time. I'm going to wait until I get my number called and make the best of it. … I just want to go out and get after it. Go out there and make plays. … It's hard because we are all good. You have to split it up and make the best of it."
On if the offensive line has gotten better:
"I didn't even think it was that bad last year. They always open up holes, and you just have to get through them."
On capitalizing on turnovers:
"It's easier that way. When you get some turnovers and they give you a couple scores."
On the team camaraderie:
"Everyone gets along. We are always joking around and having fun. We are like brothers, but everyone is a competitor too."
Cornerback Ramon Richards
On Central Michigan's offense a year ago:
"All those guys were big dudes. They weren't the fastest, but they were really physical. Their linemen were huge. Their receivers were physical. Their quarterback was big, physical and had a strong arm. They were a really good offense."
On studying the Central Michigan quarterback:
"I've looked at him a little bit but not too much because we were focusing on Southeastern Louisiana. I've taken a look at him though. He makes some great plays."
On how playing him a year ago has helped preparation:
"Honestly, I don't even think about last year. I looked at the guys they had returning, but like I said, I don't think about last year too much."
On how confident he is in Darius Curry getting significant playing time:
"I've actually been confident in Curry for the longest time. My perspective is different than others, but I'm confident in Curry. We have great communication on the field. He trusts that when we get a nickel that high that I'll have them over the top. I trust that he can do his job. I'm confident with any of our corners going into the game honestly."
On how communication is compared to last year and how is it different from going from nickel to outside:
"It's actually hard. Going to nickel is completely different. At corner you have the sideline's help, but at nickel there is a lot of field to cover. A lot of us have played that position in practice though, so you can put any of us at that position really and we'll execute."
Linebacker Jordan Burton
On preparation for Central Michigan:
"We'll probably have to keep our eyes more so on the quarterback. He's got really good receivers, and they rotate running-backs just like we do. We'll have to do a lot but not too much. We'll try and keep it simple so everyone understands what their tasks are. I mean, it'll be a challenge."
On playing a different style of offense:
"It kind of plays into our hand. It's kind of what we do. We play against the spread all the time. We're probably more so looking forward to playing this team than we were Southeastern. We just try to improve every week."
On facing Cooper Rush:
"It's always a challenge preparing for an NFL ready quarterback, but we'll just have to do what we have to do. I trust Coach Spencer's game plan. I feel like if we just execute what he says then we should be OK."
On how important the defensive line putting pressure on the quarterback is:
"I always feel pressure against any quarterback is always good. We have the linemen to do it like Vincent Taylor, Mote Maile and Eric Davis. Those guys will get after it. I trust the line to do what they need to do to give everyone else an opportunity to make plays."
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"The postgame on Southeastern Louisiana was kind of what we thought. Guys that we thought played well made some plays. We were really excited about how many players we were able to get into the game. We finished up with that last night, and now we're moving forward to the next game. This will be a good test for us in a lot of ways. I've always been a big fan of the quarterback (Cooper Rush). He's a potential NFL player. They've got eight returning starters on defense. They have some guys back in the running game. We're going to continue to push forward. We need some quality work. We've got some areas that we certainly need to improve in. I feel like we're making some strides in important areas of our team, but we still need to practice. I'm looking forward to a good week getting ready for Central Michigan."
On Central Michigan's offense:
"They had some games last year where they were really, really good. As the season went on, I think they had some games where they thought they should have played a little better at times. When you have a quarterback of that caliber, you certainly have the opportunity to score some points."
On linebacker Josh Mabin's decision to step away from football for health reasons:
"Anytime a player can't continue something that they love to do and play this game, then it's hard. If it were my son in that situation, I wouldn't want him to play either. He's an intelligent young man. He's going to get an education. He'll go out into the world and be successful. At some point, it's not the risk. In his case, two years ago it wasn't that way. It evolved over a period of about 18 months, but at least we were able to identify the problem before something else could have happened."
On the value of Cowboy backs in the passing game:
"We have a lot of different ways to involve those guys. Dropback passing is a big part of our offense. Once we got to a point right around the end of the first quarter, our game plan changed somewhat based on where we were at. We had to run our offense, but there wasn't any need to throw the ball and stop the clock. We had other guys in and ran some base plays. There were times we threw the ball based on the defense they were going against that play. There just wasn't a lot of interest in trying to stop the clock by throwing the ball and making the game longer than it had to be."
On Devante Averette and Ramon Richards' fumble recovery touchdown:
"It was like Brodrick (Brown)'s play here against OU, but this was different because he stripped the ball, then picked it up, then tossed it back. I'm not sure if he knew who he was throwing it to, but it sure looked good. He should say he knew Ramon was behind him. It's like a fish story, right? It was a really good play. He's very athletic. It was a picture perfect strip. We showed our team last night. … It was a very good play."
On Mason Rudolph's scramble and pass for a touchdown to Jhajuan Seales:
"(Rudolph) is lean. You can tell he's probably lost about 10 or 12 pounds. It must be all that time he spends at the lake, I guess. He's lost some weight, he's moving around better, which not only will be important for us, but for his career and beyond this level. … I think he's in a much more agile position now with his body than he was the last couple of years."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On things to work on before the next game:
"We've got a lot to work on with the basic fundamentals of the game. We're not even close to where we need to be, and our guys know that. They look forward to the chance to get better this week and work on the basic fundamentals we've talked about with just our individual drill work. We play with great effort. We play with great energy and with great intensity. We made a lot of plays. Other than one snap, we secured the football very well, so we're happy with that. There's a lot of good to take away. We just need to get back to our basics and really work on our fundamentals and take a really good, positive approach going into our individual drills. Going into our team settings, we need to represent those fundamentals, get good at our basics and let that become muscle memory."
On how Mason Rudolph played against Southeastern Louisiana:
"I thought Mason played with a lot of intensity and a lot of focus. There were a couple of errors, but for the most part Mason came through for us. He secured the football. Obviously we have to work on the quarterback-center exchange. That was a big mishap, but Mason took care of the ball and made really good decisions. There were a couple of times he has to make better decisions, so it's a work in progress, but he did a fine job. He really did some good things extending plays, making plays on his feet and avoiding the rush. Obviously all of the work he's done during the offseason paid off because he was able to be more mobile than we've ever seen, so hats off to him."
What impressed him about Barry J. Sanders:
"I haven't had a chance to watch too many punt returns, so I was tickled pink when that play came about. He's just a very consistent player and a very smart player. He's obviously ready for game time. He's got that experience, so those attributes are really fortunate for us to have from him. He's a big part of us and a great addition to our football program."
On the running back depth chart:
"Well I think Coach Arroyo deserves a lot of credit for what he does in that room. It's not easy sharing all that playing time, and those guys all want to be the guy, so for them to have the attitudes that they have, and unselfishness, I think you have to give Coach Arroyo a lot of credit for his leadership and management of that room. Being able to roll guys in, understanding the game plan, and being able to place guys in certain formations, plays and schemes the way we do. He's done a great job with that. The players need a lot of credit for their work ethic and their intensity. They all ran very hard. They ran tough with the ball and secured the ball. So time is going to tell. We'll see at practice and take it one day at a time. Surely we'd like have a couple of guys emerge, but this is a good problem to have."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On what challenges the defense faces from Central Michigan:
"Just right of the back, personnel-wise, the quarterback is very well-respected. We saw Cooper Rush last year and he's steady. He's a senior now. He's put up a lot of yardage. He's savvy to get free on rush and he's got a great touch. He can throw the deep-out cuts. Basically, besides the tight end, they've got the whole wide-fence back, and they pretty much move the ball on everybody they play."
On learning things from game film:
"Yeah, it's good to analyze it. There's an old adage that things are never as good as they seem and they're never as bad as they seem, so between some missed tackles we had in the open field, some bad reads and some guys relaxing a couple of times, it was very close to getting those guys to realize how close we are to being very average, or how close we are to having a good defense. That's left to be determined by next week's performance."
On Joe Bob Clements coaching the defensive line on the field:
"He handles to rotation of the defensive line, and most D-line coaches are like that. It's such a big in-and-out deal with him trying to keep those guys fresh, so that's the big reason that whenever there's an issue with a run that hit or broke on us, we try to get it corrected on the front-end first, so most D-line coaches are on the field."
On if it is more important for the secondary or the defensive line to make plays against Central Michigan:
"Both. It all ties in together. They've got a nice run attack, have some athletic linemen they can pull, and can create some issues with their gap schemes. Secondary off play action pass, keep an eye disciplined, experienced receivers. The ball will be in the air before they make a play sometimes, and it's just them doing it together a thousand times, so it's a very potent offensive. It's the leading offense in the MAC."
Defensive Lineman Vili Leveni
On his feelings heading into the first game last week:
"When my name got called to go back out there and the feeling of everyone around and the fans – seeing orange – it was a special thing."
On getting coaching for playing outside and inside:
"I'm just with the coaching and everything. They have just prepared me well to be ready for both the inside and outside. All thanks to the coaches and staff to help me get ready for that."
On playing on the outside of the defensive line:
"Yeah, I mean, it is kind of a different game. You know inside, getting double-teamed on pretty much every play and outside is more one-on-one. For me it's fun to be out and do both. I played both in high school, so it's not really that much of a transition for me to go back out there."
On pass rushing:
"We just have to be disciplined in our pass rush lanes. We can't just rush all non-rushing stuff. We have to kind of be mindful of where we're going and stuff like that. So, we're more disciplined, but at the same time we have to attack. You can't just lay back and let them do whatever."
On the discipline it takes to perform at a high level:
"We watched a lot of film from last year, and the film from this past week. We just have to be disciplined in our pass rush, and at the same time, take from what we did last week and be more aggressive. It's not a team we can sleep on, and we aren't going to take them lightly. We need to get prepared this week."
On the defensive line:
"So, for us on the defensive line, we don't want to put all that pressure on our DBs to passively sit back there and cover for more time than we need to."
Safety Tre Flowers
On watching tape of Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush:
"He made a lot of great throws against us (last year), right on the money. I'm going to watch that one and this last one. I haven't got to watch it yet. … My thoughts were high of him, of course he was starting at a D1 school. When he made those throws on me – on anybody – he's a good dude. He's great."
On having a variety of teams on the schedule:
"I don't think anyone was surprised that they are on our schedule. Southeastern has some athletes, but I know we have to prepare for the best and go out there and work hard."
Running Back Jeff Carr
On playing with so many capable running backs:
"I went in when I got my number called, and I tried to make some plays. … I have high expectations for myself, but if it's not my time, it's not my time. I'm going to wait until I get my number called and make the best of it. … I just want to go out and get after it. Go out there and make plays. … It's hard because we are all good. You have to split it up and make the best of it."
On if the offensive line has gotten better:
"I didn't even think it was that bad last year. They always open up holes, and you just have to get through them."
On capitalizing on turnovers:
"It's easier that way. When you get some turnovers and they give you a couple scores."
On the team camaraderie:
"Everyone gets along. We are always joking around and having fun. We are like brothers, but everyone is a competitor too."
Cornerback Ramon Richards
On Central Michigan's offense a year ago:
"All those guys were big dudes. They weren't the fastest, but they were really physical. Their linemen were huge. Their receivers were physical. Their quarterback was big, physical and had a strong arm. They were a really good offense."
On studying the Central Michigan quarterback:
"I've looked at him a little bit but not too much because we were focusing on Southeastern Louisiana. I've taken a look at him though. He makes some great plays."
On how playing him a year ago has helped preparation:
"Honestly, I don't even think about last year. I looked at the guys they had returning, but like I said, I don't think about last year too much."
On how confident he is in Darius Curry getting significant playing time:
"I've actually been confident in Curry for the longest time. My perspective is different than others, but I'm confident in Curry. We have great communication on the field. He trusts that when we get a nickel that high that I'll have them over the top. I trust that he can do his job. I'm confident with any of our corners going into the game honestly."
On how communication is compared to last year and how is it different from going from nickel to outside:
"It's actually hard. Going to nickel is completely different. At corner you have the sideline's help, but at nickel there is a lot of field to cover. A lot of us have played that position in practice though, so you can put any of us at that position really and we'll execute."
Linebacker Jordan Burton
On preparation for Central Michigan:
"We'll probably have to keep our eyes more so on the quarterback. He's got really good receivers, and they rotate running-backs just like we do. We'll have to do a lot but not too much. We'll try and keep it simple so everyone understands what their tasks are. I mean, it'll be a challenge."
On playing a different style of offense:
"It kind of plays into our hand. It's kind of what we do. We play against the spread all the time. We're probably more so looking forward to playing this team than we were Southeastern. We just try to improve every week."
On facing Cooper Rush:
"It's always a challenge preparing for an NFL ready quarterback, but we'll just have to do what we have to do. I trust Coach Spencer's game plan. I feel like if we just execute what he says then we should be OK."
On how important the defensive line putting pressure on the quarterback is:
"I always feel pressure against any quarterback is always good. We have the linemen to do it like Vincent Taylor, Mote Maile and Eric Davis. Those guys will get after it. I trust the line to do what they need to do to give everyone else an opportunity to make plays."
Players Mentioned
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