Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Meet With Media After Practice No. 4
August 02, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team wrapped up its fourth practice of fall camp Wednesday evening, practicing for approximately two hours in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts at the Sherman E. Smith Center.
After the workout on the field, Coach Gundy and selected Cowboy players met with media to discuss practice thus far. Some of their comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"It was quite a bit different with two padded practices for us. Obviously, it becomes like a full-speed practice for us so we get a lot better feel for the attitude and tempo of the team. I mentioned to the team at the end of practice that I love the competitive nature that we have. When you have as many mature players on the field as we do right now, you get a lot of that. It is really enjoyable because their attitudes are tremendous. Personnel wise, the guys that you would think would make plays are making plays. Mason (Rudolph) is making plays and Justice (Hill) is running well. I like the running backs behind Hill. That's a key spot for us this year. Ja'Ron Wilson is running well. (Jeff) Carr has made improvements in his strength and is making some plays. The two freshmen are out there running as well. They've got a long way to go, but they're both getting some quality work. On the other side of the ball, I like where our secondary is for the second day in pads. We're getting some good play out of Adrian (Baker) and Rodarius (Williams). A.J. (Green) is making some plays at corner. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but I'm very pleased with where we're at right now and tomorrow is their day off. That's a new rule that has kicked in this year with the NCAA. It's well-deserved for these guys and for us it's not much of a change. We had asked them to not come out here and to not do anything physical. We want them to take the day off so they can recover and we'll go back to work the next day."
On Sione Finefeuiaki and the Cowboy Back position:
"Well, the first day I think he went the wrong way about half of the time and today it was probably only about 20 percent of the time. He is 255 pounds though and he is a 400-pound bencher, and he does have some talent. His durability and his ability to absorb a lot of information and then perform in a fast-paced style of offense like we run will make all of the difference for him. Britton Abbott has also made some good plays out there. He's a mature guy and I like where he's at out there. Keenen Brown plays a different role and we have a couple of other guys working at that position, but we'd like to make some strides and know what we're going to do at that position within the next 10 days."
On the talent and depth of the wide receivers:
"We have a lot of guys that should give us the ability to play really fast. When you can play at the tempo that we want to, and then after a play those guys can run off the field and we can put three more out there is a great advantage. We would like to think that'll put stress on a defense, but we'll find out. I don't think it's outlandish to say that we're two-and-a-half deep with guys that we're comfortable putting out there in those positions."
On cornerback A.J. Green:
"I think he is physical and he's showing that he's competitive. He seems to be mature. He has athletic ability and he's one of the players that I've talked about in the summer. He's taller and longer than what we normally see from a guy at that position."
On Dillon Stoner:
"Dillon is a gym rat. He shows up and I think he's at least 15 pounds heavier than what he was last year, so he's obviously stronger. This time last year, he had some pain with his feet, and we've corrected those issues. You never hear him say a word. He makes catches and you can trust him. He can play on any special team, he can return punts and he can run down a tackle on punt coverage. He's a special player with a lot of ability."
Wide Receiver Marcell Ateman
On practice so far:
"It's been going great. It's only been a couple of days but practice has been going well. It's been a competitive practice so far."
On the receivers:
"We're going to be as good as we want to be. That's our preparation. We can't take anything lightly. We have to get better each and every day for Saturdays."
Cornerback Ramon Richards
On facing the top offense in the nation in practice:
"It's great for me. You got guys like Mason throwing the ball, then you got a guy like Justice Hill in the backfield. Reminds me to always keep your foot on the pedal."
On the first few days of practice:
"This offense is crazy. They're giving us a great look."
Running Back LD Brown
On fall camp:
"It's way better than last year. The progress I've made from one year to another and just adjusting to it."
On Justice Hill:
"You just trust the process. He had an outbreak year."
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius
On the competition:
"It's been great. You always want the competition to get better. I'm just trying to come out here every day, compete and get better."
On the receivers:
"You have all those veteran guys. We came in together. Chemistry develops and timing gets down. It's been fun so far."
After the workout on the field, Coach Gundy and selected Cowboy players met with media to discuss practice thus far. Some of their comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"It was quite a bit different with two padded practices for us. Obviously, it becomes like a full-speed practice for us so we get a lot better feel for the attitude and tempo of the team. I mentioned to the team at the end of practice that I love the competitive nature that we have. When you have as many mature players on the field as we do right now, you get a lot of that. It is really enjoyable because their attitudes are tremendous. Personnel wise, the guys that you would think would make plays are making plays. Mason (Rudolph) is making plays and Justice (Hill) is running well. I like the running backs behind Hill. That's a key spot for us this year. Ja'Ron Wilson is running well. (Jeff) Carr has made improvements in his strength and is making some plays. The two freshmen are out there running as well. They've got a long way to go, but they're both getting some quality work. On the other side of the ball, I like where our secondary is for the second day in pads. We're getting some good play out of Adrian (Baker) and Rodarius (Williams). A.J. (Green) is making some plays at corner. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but I'm very pleased with where we're at right now and tomorrow is their day off. That's a new rule that has kicked in this year with the NCAA. It's well-deserved for these guys and for us it's not much of a change. We had asked them to not come out here and to not do anything physical. We want them to take the day off so they can recover and we'll go back to work the next day."
On Sione Finefeuiaki and the Cowboy Back position:
"Well, the first day I think he went the wrong way about half of the time and today it was probably only about 20 percent of the time. He is 255 pounds though and he is a 400-pound bencher, and he does have some talent. His durability and his ability to absorb a lot of information and then perform in a fast-paced style of offense like we run will make all of the difference for him. Britton Abbott has also made some good plays out there. He's a mature guy and I like where he's at out there. Keenen Brown plays a different role and we have a couple of other guys working at that position, but we'd like to make some strides and know what we're going to do at that position within the next 10 days."
On the talent and depth of the wide receivers:
"We have a lot of guys that should give us the ability to play really fast. When you can play at the tempo that we want to, and then after a play those guys can run off the field and we can put three more out there is a great advantage. We would like to think that'll put stress on a defense, but we'll find out. I don't think it's outlandish to say that we're two-and-a-half deep with guys that we're comfortable putting out there in those positions."
On cornerback A.J. Green:
"I think he is physical and he's showing that he's competitive. He seems to be mature. He has athletic ability and he's one of the players that I've talked about in the summer. He's taller and longer than what we normally see from a guy at that position."
On Dillon Stoner:
"Dillon is a gym rat. He shows up and I think he's at least 15 pounds heavier than what he was last year, so he's obviously stronger. This time last year, he had some pain with his feet, and we've corrected those issues. You never hear him say a word. He makes catches and you can trust him. He can play on any special team, he can return punts and he can run down a tackle on punt coverage. He's a special player with a lot of ability."
Wide Receiver Marcell Ateman
On practice so far:
"It's been going great. It's only been a couple of days but practice has been going well. It's been a competitive practice so far."
On the receivers:
"We're going to be as good as we want to be. That's our preparation. We can't take anything lightly. We have to get better each and every day for Saturdays."
Cornerback Ramon Richards
On facing the top offense in the nation in practice:
"It's great for me. You got guys like Mason throwing the ball, then you got a guy like Justice Hill in the backfield. Reminds me to always keep your foot on the pedal."
On the first few days of practice:
"This offense is crazy. They're giving us a great look."
Running Back LD Brown
On fall camp:
"It's way better than last year. The progress I've made from one year to another and just adjusting to it."
On Justice Hill:
"You just trust the process. He had an outbreak year."
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius
On the competition:
"It's been great. You always want the competition to get better. I'm just trying to come out here every day, compete and get better."
On the receivers:
"You have all those veteran guys. We came in together. Chemistry develops and timing gets down. It's been fun so far."
Players Mentioned
CW
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WR
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CW
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RB
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QB
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CW
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CB
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RB
/ Cowboy Football
S
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WR
/ Cowboy Football
RB
/ Cowboy FootballThursday, August 13
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Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, August 12
