Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Hold Final Practice Before Spring Game
April 12, 2017 | Cowboy Football
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STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team held its 14th practice of the spring Wednesday at the Sherman E. Smith Training Center, marking its final practice before Saturday's Spring Game. Coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the Cowboy football team met with media just before practice began. Their comments:
Mike Gundy
On if there is a timetable for naming a backup quarterback:
"We've cut Mason (Rudolph)'s reps back considerably and added more to (Keondre) Wudtee's. We have a good idea of what we have with Taylor (Cornelius). We're thrilled that he's here. Wudtee hasn't had as much work, so we've given more to Wudtee and Kolar. The issue we have is total number of reps two weeks out from our first game, because from that point you're more in just a training session. Maybe the next question would be if anybody has emerged as the No. 2 guy. Not right now. We don't feel like we can make that (decision). I was hoping by the end of spring ball we could, but we feel like they're doing really well. They bring a little something different to the table and we aren't ready to do that. We certainly have to do that halfway through fall camp because there just aren't enough reps to go around."
On if he's gained more confidence in the defense this spring:
"I like the speed we have on defense. We had that a few years ago and it provided us with a lot of turnovers. I think we can play that role. We're young at the corner position. Ramon (Richards) was an experienced player that we moved to safety because we think it adds a lot to our defense, but we need young corners to play better than they would traditionally play in order for us to have the type of year we hope to have."
On what he'll be watching for from the offense during the Spring Game:
"Really on both sides, we've limited our game plan because when you split teams up, you're going to be fairly youthful on both teams. We want a good team game, so we're going to be vanilla on defense and offense. That way we don't have as many guys out there thinking as playing. What I had shared with them was that we want them to be able to play hard and have fun, we want to give the fans a good show. Last year, we were at 90 plays. I don't know that we have the man power this year, since we have a few guys sitting out, to get that many, but I would certainly like to have 70 plays for the fans. That way they can get a feel for some of the new guys we have. Rudolph will only go a couple of series and we'll get a couple of other quarterbacks in there, and the same at other positions. In all three phases, we want it to be a clean game where the fans can see some of the newer players and get excited about the upcoming season."
On what he's been most impressed by from Mason Rudolph this spring:
"He has continued to get a little more mobile every year. He's lean. He was thin last year for what he had been in his career and he looks even better now. He has a better grasp at what we do. A couple of times this year, it would get him in a jam because he tried to do too much. Overall, just his grasp of our offense continues to get better each year."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the youth at the cornerback spot:
"We're just trying to analyze them as a whole. A couple of them will have a good day, and then a bad day. They're showing some sparks and then they will give up some things. It's been an up-and-down spring for some of those guys. They're a lot better now than they were when we started all of this. It helps to be able to go up against our group of wide receivers every day. It makes us all better."
On what he has seen in Mason Rudolph this spring:
"He thinks he's a big tough guy. He dropped his weight and he's moving better now, so he'll pull the ball down and lower his head on guys. I've got to tell him to go easy sometimes. He's really had an evolution in his confidence and his leadership. There's not much that we can give him as a defense that he hasn't seen. He knows where to go with the ball, so we just try to stay a step ahead of him and try to show him some things that he hasn't seen before. He's gotten really good at being able to figure things out after the snap, as opposed to pre-snap. That's scary. When you get a quarterback that can see things after the snap, you can't disguise after the snap and that makes him pretty effective."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On what he has seen from the quarterbacks this spring:
"Mason (Rudolph) has been really consistent. He's done a really good job at leading and helping the other guys develop. He has led several meetings and I've tried to let him help teach the offense to the younger guys in the system. Very consistent in securing the ball. At times when things have broken down, he's made some plays with his legs, which is good to see. With the younger guys it's an ongoing battle right now and there's a lot of competitiveness. It's fun to see those guys compete, but there's a lot of learning to be had and there's been improvement. When you're in the spring, you're given pretty much every concept that we have, but when you get into game week, we start to draw it back a little bit. In the spring though, you try to throw a lot at them to see what they can absorb and see where their boundary is at. We found out a lot about them and now it's time to reign that in and kind of adjust our teaching to what we've learned about each individual quarterback."
On the plan for naming a backup quarterback:
"It's critical to get a backup named at the quarterback spot so that we can maximize the reps. When you have to share reps and you're unsure of who that backup is, you're not giving yourself a fair chance at getting that No. 2 guy prepared. The reps are limited as it is and to spread them between No. 2 and No. 3 is not in the best interest of getting quality play from that position. There's really no timetable for when that decision has to be made though, but we would like to do it sooner rather than later."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On connecting with Keondre Wudtee and Tyron Johnson:
"I'm always with Wudtee and he's a good dude. He's developed a lot this spring, and with him not coming in early last spring, this season was kind of his spring to get his feet wet. With Tyron, we kind of knew automatically that when he came in, he was going to be an immediate difference maker for us. He's a fun and energetic guy. He's just a playmaker."
On seeing the next generation of OSU quarterbacks develop:
"It's great. I try to have an impact in some way, whether it's just getting in the film room together - Jelani (Woods) and I were in the film room the other day just trying to get on the same page with a few things. It's progressing well and it's fun for me. I'll be able to come back here in a year or two and see some of the same guys having success as well. It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of athletic guys out there as well."
On what his mindset was like going into his first spring:
"It's a lot. It starts with workouts, running and lifts, but if you can get through that, it's an accomplishment in itself. Then you get into spring ball. For us, if you can absorb something every day - it's all about just going the extra mile and getting some extra work in. Jelani (Woods) has really taken the initiative with that, as well as Keondre (Wudtee). Those guys have gone the extra mile to really help all those extra things sink in mentally."
Safety Tre Flowers
On stepping into a leadership role this season:
"I just need to remind people to have fun. I need to make sure that they know that they're here for a reason and that they can just worry about going out there and having fun playing football."
On who influenced him as a leader:
"Looking back, Jordan Sterns of course. He's like my brother and we still talk today. Of course, I miss him, but I still ask him how he is able to reach so many people. People love to be around him and I want to be a leader like that."
On what he tells incoming teammates:
"I just try to remind him that our coaches brought them here for a reason. They didn't bring them here to be a guy that just sits on the bench, and so I just try to make sure that they know they are someone that can come in and have an impact on this program."
Linebacker Chad Whitener
On what he has seen from Calvin Bundage this spring:
"He's grown a lot. He's matured a lot and is playing very fast right now. Calvin is a guy that makes a lot of plays and he's been doing that this spring so far."
On Bundage's contributions to the defense:
"He just needs to keep on doing what he has been doing this spring. He's been communicating a lot better because he knows what's going on more. I want to see him continue to build on what he has been doing for our defense and then to continue to develop further."
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team held its 14th practice of the spring Wednesday at the Sherman E. Smith Training Center, marking its final practice before Saturday's Spring Game. Coach Mike Gundy and selected members of the Cowboy football team met with media just before practice began. Their comments:
Mike Gundy
On if there is a timetable for naming a backup quarterback:
"We've cut Mason (Rudolph)'s reps back considerably and added more to (Keondre) Wudtee's. We have a good idea of what we have with Taylor (Cornelius). We're thrilled that he's here. Wudtee hasn't had as much work, so we've given more to Wudtee and Kolar. The issue we have is total number of reps two weeks out from our first game, because from that point you're more in just a training session. Maybe the next question would be if anybody has emerged as the No. 2 guy. Not right now. We don't feel like we can make that (decision). I was hoping by the end of spring ball we could, but we feel like they're doing really well. They bring a little something different to the table and we aren't ready to do that. We certainly have to do that halfway through fall camp because there just aren't enough reps to go around."
On if he's gained more confidence in the defense this spring:
"I like the speed we have on defense. We had that a few years ago and it provided us with a lot of turnovers. I think we can play that role. We're young at the corner position. Ramon (Richards) was an experienced player that we moved to safety because we think it adds a lot to our defense, but we need young corners to play better than they would traditionally play in order for us to have the type of year we hope to have."
On what he'll be watching for from the offense during the Spring Game:
"Really on both sides, we've limited our game plan because when you split teams up, you're going to be fairly youthful on both teams. We want a good team game, so we're going to be vanilla on defense and offense. That way we don't have as many guys out there thinking as playing. What I had shared with them was that we want them to be able to play hard and have fun, we want to give the fans a good show. Last year, we were at 90 plays. I don't know that we have the man power this year, since we have a few guys sitting out, to get that many, but I would certainly like to have 70 plays for the fans. That way they can get a feel for some of the new guys we have. Rudolph will only go a couple of series and we'll get a couple of other quarterbacks in there, and the same at other positions. In all three phases, we want it to be a clean game where the fans can see some of the newer players and get excited about the upcoming season."
On what he's been most impressed by from Mason Rudolph this spring:
"He has continued to get a little more mobile every year. He's lean. He was thin last year for what he had been in his career and he looks even better now. He has a better grasp at what we do. A couple of times this year, it would get him in a jam because he tried to do too much. Overall, just his grasp of our offense continues to get better each year."
Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer
On the youth at the cornerback spot:
"We're just trying to analyze them as a whole. A couple of them will have a good day, and then a bad day. They're showing some sparks and then they will give up some things. It's been an up-and-down spring for some of those guys. They're a lot better now than they were when we started all of this. It helps to be able to go up against our group of wide receivers every day. It makes us all better."
On what he has seen in Mason Rudolph this spring:
"He thinks he's a big tough guy. He dropped his weight and he's moving better now, so he'll pull the ball down and lower his head on guys. I've got to tell him to go easy sometimes. He's really had an evolution in his confidence and his leadership. There's not much that we can give him as a defense that he hasn't seen. He knows where to go with the ball, so we just try to stay a step ahead of him and try to show him some things that he hasn't seen before. He's gotten really good at being able to figure things out after the snap, as opposed to pre-snap. That's scary. When you get a quarterback that can see things after the snap, you can't disguise after the snap and that makes him pretty effective."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On what he has seen from the quarterbacks this spring:
"Mason (Rudolph) has been really consistent. He's done a really good job at leading and helping the other guys develop. He has led several meetings and I've tried to let him help teach the offense to the younger guys in the system. Very consistent in securing the ball. At times when things have broken down, he's made some plays with his legs, which is good to see. With the younger guys it's an ongoing battle right now and there's a lot of competitiveness. It's fun to see those guys compete, but there's a lot of learning to be had and there's been improvement. When you're in the spring, you're given pretty much every concept that we have, but when you get into game week, we start to draw it back a little bit. In the spring though, you try to throw a lot at them to see what they can absorb and see where their boundary is at. We found out a lot about them and now it's time to reign that in and kind of adjust our teaching to what we've learned about each individual quarterback."
On the plan for naming a backup quarterback:
"It's critical to get a backup named at the quarterback spot so that we can maximize the reps. When you have to share reps and you're unsure of who that backup is, you're not giving yourself a fair chance at getting that No. 2 guy prepared. The reps are limited as it is and to spread them between No. 2 and No. 3 is not in the best interest of getting quality play from that position. There's really no timetable for when that decision has to be made though, but we would like to do it sooner rather than later."
Quarterback Mason Rudolph
On connecting with Keondre Wudtee and Tyron Johnson:
"I'm always with Wudtee and he's a good dude. He's developed a lot this spring, and with him not coming in early last spring, this season was kind of his spring to get his feet wet. With Tyron, we kind of knew automatically that when he came in, he was going to be an immediate difference maker for us. He's a fun and energetic guy. He's just a playmaker."
On seeing the next generation of OSU quarterbacks develop:
"It's great. I try to have an impact in some way, whether it's just getting in the film room together - Jelani (Woods) and I were in the film room the other day just trying to get on the same page with a few things. It's progressing well and it's fun for me. I'll be able to come back here in a year or two and see some of the same guys having success as well. It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of athletic guys out there as well."
On what his mindset was like going into his first spring:
"It's a lot. It starts with workouts, running and lifts, but if you can get through that, it's an accomplishment in itself. Then you get into spring ball. For us, if you can absorb something every day - it's all about just going the extra mile and getting some extra work in. Jelani (Woods) has really taken the initiative with that, as well as Keondre (Wudtee). Those guys have gone the extra mile to really help all those extra things sink in mentally."
Safety Tre Flowers
On stepping into a leadership role this season:
"I just need to remind people to have fun. I need to make sure that they know that they're here for a reason and that they can just worry about going out there and having fun playing football."
On who influenced him as a leader:
"Looking back, Jordan Sterns of course. He's like my brother and we still talk today. Of course, I miss him, but I still ask him how he is able to reach so many people. People love to be around him and I want to be a leader like that."
On what he tells incoming teammates:
"I just try to remind him that our coaches brought them here for a reason. They didn't bring them here to be a guy that just sits on the bench, and so I just try to make sure that they know they are someone that can come in and have an impact on this program."
Linebacker Chad Whitener
On what he has seen from Calvin Bundage this spring:
"He's grown a lot. He's matured a lot and is playing very fast right now. Calvin is a guy that makes a lot of plays and he's been doing that this spring so far."
On Bundage's contributions to the defense:
"He just needs to keep on doing what he has been doing this spring. He's been communicating a lot better because he knows what's going on more. I want to see him continue to build on what he has been doing for our defense and then to continue to develop further."
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