Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Cowboys Preview Oklahoma Game
October 31, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coordinators and selected players met with media after practice Tuesday inside the Sherman E. Smith Training Center to preview this weekend's matchup against Oklahoma. Some of their comments:
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On OU's defense:
"They're a very talented bunch, and they play hard. They understand their schemes. They're sophisticated. They mix it up pretty good. They have a good assortment of blitzes. They understand how to pick you off and attack your protections. They're coached very well, and they play hard."
On if they'll have the opportunity to throw the ball more:
"I'm not so sure. I think being balanced and making sure that we have a balanced attack is the way to go, but we have to play to our strengths. We throw it well, but we've got to be able to run the football at the same time. I'm not going to sit here and give away our game plan, but obviously we know who our best players are and we're going to try to take advantage of matchups when we can. At the same time, if they're playing off like a lot of people have we've got to be able to run the football. It's no secret to anybody what we have to do and how we have to attack any defense, not just this week, but in general. With how the season has progressed you just have to take what the defense gives you, and that hasn't changed."
On the running game:
"We understand there's room to improve. We have improved, and we need to continue to improve. By no stretch of the imagination do we think that we've arrived, and regardless of that being the pass game or the run game, we need to be effective in all phases."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On preparing for OU:
"They have some of the best players in the nation, so it gets their attention pretty quick. It's a different challenge and different matchups every week. They have a talented offensive line that can embarrass you. A quarterback that'll embarrass you, and they want to. They want to embarrass us. I'm not so sure some of our guys know that right now. Hopefully some older guys in the locker room can get their attention. They're well-coached and have excellent players."
On Baker Mayfield:
"He'll make you miss. He's a tremendous ball player. He's hard to tackle, can throw on the run, makes great reads, he's tough, doesn't back down from a challenge. If you're down the street in the park picking sides on Saturday, he's your first pick. You know what he can do. You know what he's capable of first-hand. He makes you look silly. You have a lot of respect for a guy like that."
On the defense's mindset:
"On Friday nights we kind of sit down and we have a pow-wow. Last week we talked a lot about turnovers. I got them to tell me how to get them. I wanted them to talk to me. Us coaches, we talk too much. We assume they think like we think, and they don't. It was interesting. They were saying the right things and went out and had a good day."
Center Brad Lundblade
On knowing OSU hasn't played its best game:
"I would agree with that. I think you look at the last couple of weeks and there's still so many things we can get better at. We've turned the ball over the last couple of weeks and just made a lot of mistakes we can clean up. I think you're exactly right when you say we haven't played our best football yet, and I think we know that. We're just working to continue to improve and get better each week."
On how defenses play OSU:
"Coach Gundy always says we have to take what the defense gives us. It's pretty much their decision what they're going to do. So if they want to drop eight and rush three then we've got to run the ball and give Mason plenty of time whenever we do throw. If they decide to pack the box, then obviously we'll throw it. That's kind of what we've seen the last couple of weeks. Teams have challenged us to run the ball, and I feel like we did a good job at West Virginia."
On Johnny Wilson:
"Johnny has done a really good job. It's hard, you know he started at guard and whenever I went down had to slide to center, and now he's back at guard. It just shows great versatility, and he's got a nasty mindset and plays really hard. It's fun. I'm excited to be back out there with him. I'm really proud of the way he has handled switching back and forth because that's really not an easy thing to do."
On finding continuity:
"It has been tough. We've had so many injuries this year. It's been one guy goes out, then he gets back ... a few weeks later I went out. I came back. So we've just been kind of moving around all year, and it's hard but I feel like we've done a pretty good job of fighting through that. That's just football. Injuries happen and guys go down. You just have to continue to have young guys step up and fill those roles when guys go down."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On staying calm in a high energy environment:
"Just play the game you have been playing your whole life. It's the same game, just older guys out there but you just fly around and make plays with your team."
On Bedlam his freshman year:
"Probably not half as good on my responsibilities. I was just running around trying to get to the ball. Coach Spencer was upset with me, but of course I was just a young freshman."
On Bedlam this year compared to his freshman year:
"I am 100 percent better. I am a lot smarter on my reads and my responsibilities. I am a guy that is going to get the ball this year."
On playing against Baker Mayfield:
"He's a good player. He is a competitor. We are going to do everything we can to shut him down early in the game and get him out of his element."
Safety Tre Flowers
On seeing growth with younger defensive players:
"They did great. A.J. (Green) caught two picks this weekend and I always talk to them about it and you can tell that they are becoming better players."
On his thoughts about Baker Mayfield and the way he plays:
"I embrace it. It's not every year that you get to go against someone that great. I played him my senior year of high school so it is going to be six years in a row I am playing against him. I am just ready for it. He is a great player."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On the team:
"Guys have rallied together all year, played well on defense, creating turnovers like I wouldn't have thought to start the year. Just playing with a lot of confidence."
On Bedlam:
"It's a rivalry game. The fans talk and think about it all year and we do too, so we are excited about it and get another crack at it. It'll be fun."
On the game:
"Excited to get back home and play in front of our crowd and our fans and it'll be exciting."
Running Back Justice Hill
On the West Virginia game:
"Got to be able to provide where you can. I came in in the third quarter, fourth quarter and we needed a little spark and plays to be made so I went in there and made plays."
On his view of Bedlam after growing up in Oklahoma:
"It's always been a game I wanted to play in since I was a little kid. Always look forward to playing in the Bedlam game."
Wide Receiver James Washington
On Bedlam being played earlier in the year:
"Guys will be fresher. It will be the same. Rivalry game's still going to be a rivalry. It's going to take all of us to come out and win."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On OU's defense:
"They're a very talented bunch, and they play hard. They understand their schemes. They're sophisticated. They mix it up pretty good. They have a good assortment of blitzes. They understand how to pick you off and attack your protections. They're coached very well, and they play hard."
On if they'll have the opportunity to throw the ball more:
"I'm not so sure. I think being balanced and making sure that we have a balanced attack is the way to go, but we have to play to our strengths. We throw it well, but we've got to be able to run the football at the same time. I'm not going to sit here and give away our game plan, but obviously we know who our best players are and we're going to try to take advantage of matchups when we can. At the same time, if they're playing off like a lot of people have we've got to be able to run the football. It's no secret to anybody what we have to do and how we have to attack any defense, not just this week, but in general. With how the season has progressed you just have to take what the defense gives you, and that hasn't changed."
On the running game:
"We understand there's room to improve. We have improved, and we need to continue to improve. By no stretch of the imagination do we think that we've arrived, and regardless of that being the pass game or the run game, we need to be effective in all phases."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On preparing for OU:
"They have some of the best players in the nation, so it gets their attention pretty quick. It's a different challenge and different matchups every week. They have a talented offensive line that can embarrass you. A quarterback that'll embarrass you, and they want to. They want to embarrass us. I'm not so sure some of our guys know that right now. Hopefully some older guys in the locker room can get their attention. They're well-coached and have excellent players."
On Baker Mayfield:
"He'll make you miss. He's a tremendous ball player. He's hard to tackle, can throw on the run, makes great reads, he's tough, doesn't back down from a challenge. If you're down the street in the park picking sides on Saturday, he's your first pick. You know what he can do. You know what he's capable of first-hand. He makes you look silly. You have a lot of respect for a guy like that."
On the defense's mindset:
"On Friday nights we kind of sit down and we have a pow-wow. Last week we talked a lot about turnovers. I got them to tell me how to get them. I wanted them to talk to me. Us coaches, we talk too much. We assume they think like we think, and they don't. It was interesting. They were saying the right things and went out and had a good day."
Center Brad Lundblade
On knowing OSU hasn't played its best game:
"I would agree with that. I think you look at the last couple of weeks and there's still so many things we can get better at. We've turned the ball over the last couple of weeks and just made a lot of mistakes we can clean up. I think you're exactly right when you say we haven't played our best football yet, and I think we know that. We're just working to continue to improve and get better each week."
On how defenses play OSU:
"Coach Gundy always says we have to take what the defense gives us. It's pretty much their decision what they're going to do. So if they want to drop eight and rush three then we've got to run the ball and give Mason plenty of time whenever we do throw. If they decide to pack the box, then obviously we'll throw it. That's kind of what we've seen the last couple of weeks. Teams have challenged us to run the ball, and I feel like we did a good job at West Virginia."
On Johnny Wilson:
"Johnny has done a really good job. It's hard, you know he started at guard and whenever I went down had to slide to center, and now he's back at guard. It just shows great versatility, and he's got a nasty mindset and plays really hard. It's fun. I'm excited to be back out there with him. I'm really proud of the way he has handled switching back and forth because that's really not an easy thing to do."
On finding continuity:
"It has been tough. We've had so many injuries this year. It's been one guy goes out, then he gets back ... a few weeks later I went out. I came back. So we've just been kind of moving around all year, and it's hard but I feel like we've done a pretty good job of fighting through that. That's just football. Injuries happen and guys go down. You just have to continue to have young guys step up and fill those roles when guys go down."
Linebacker Justin Phillips
On staying calm in a high energy environment:
"Just play the game you have been playing your whole life. It's the same game, just older guys out there but you just fly around and make plays with your team."
On Bedlam his freshman year:
"Probably not half as good on my responsibilities. I was just running around trying to get to the ball. Coach Spencer was upset with me, but of course I was just a young freshman."
On Bedlam this year compared to his freshman year:
"I am 100 percent better. I am a lot smarter on my reads and my responsibilities. I am a guy that is going to get the ball this year."
On playing against Baker Mayfield:
"He's a good player. He is a competitor. We are going to do everything we can to shut him down early in the game and get him out of his element."
Safety Tre Flowers
On seeing growth with younger defensive players:
"They did great. A.J. (Green) caught two picks this weekend and I always talk to them about it and you can tell that they are becoming better players."
On his thoughts about Baker Mayfield and the way he plays:
"I embrace it. It's not every year that you get to go against someone that great. I played him my senior year of high school so it is going to be six years in a row I am playing against him. I am just ready for it. He is a great player."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On the team:
"Guys have rallied together all year, played well on defense, creating turnovers like I wouldn't have thought to start the year. Just playing with a lot of confidence."
On Bedlam:
"It's a rivalry game. The fans talk and think about it all year and we do too, so we are excited about it and get another crack at it. It'll be fun."
On the game:
"Excited to get back home and play in front of our crowd and our fans and it'll be exciting."
Running Back Justice Hill
On the West Virginia game:
"Got to be able to provide where you can. I came in in the third quarter, fourth quarter and we needed a little spark and plays to be made so I went in there and made plays."
On his view of Bedlam after growing up in Oklahoma:
"It's always been a game I wanted to play in since I was a little kid. Always look forward to playing in the Bedlam game."
Wide Receiver James Washington
On Bedlam being played earlier in the year:
"Guys will be fresher. It will be the same. Rivalry game's still going to be a rivalry. It's going to take all of us to come out and win."
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