Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Gundy Previews Texas Tech Game
September 25, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Coach Mike Gundy met with media Monday at Boone Pickens Stadium to preview the Cowboys' game at Texas Tech this Saturday. His comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"Just as a review to last week, it was really pretty much what we thought for the most part. We had three turnovers when the game was still rolling. The last one was in a hurried situation. We had that additional turnover on the punt where they got it inside the 30 or the 35-yard line, and that's just like another turnover. So that's four to their one, so we were minus-three. We also had multiple chances to get off the field on third downs and we didn't. Offensively, we were just a step away five or six times from a five-yard run being a 15- or 20-yard run. When you snowball all of that together, that's what happens to you. Obviously, they did a better job of coaching than we did because their kids executed their game plans better than ours. In looking at the game, there's a lot of areas and a lot of things that we can correct, which is good. We'll work toward that and the players were back at it with practice last night. The attitudes were good and we have our hands full again this week like each week. There's a tremendous amount of parity in our league. I haven't really seen anybody play, but I know that from here on out for us each week is going to be a dogfight. We have to have a great week of practice and our coaches have to have great game plans. We have to take care of the football and get off the field on third downs to give ourselves the best chance to play well and win games. Tech is similar to what they have been. Their quarterback throws the ball really well and has tremendous skill. They do a nice job with play calling and mixing things up and I'm fairly certain that their defense is improved. They understand their schemes and are able to get to the football. They went to Houston and won on the road and beat Arizona State. ASU has a really good offense and they get good quarterback play. It'll be a good game and we need a good week of practice and we're looking forward to getting back out there."
On Teven Jenkins and Johnny Wilson's play:
"They played OK. Certainly not like Larry Williams and Zach Crabtree, but they played OK. We have to be careful in what we ask them to do and how we expect them to play. I don't think there's any other way to put it. You took two guys out of there who were fifth-year seniors and put in two freshman. Did they play like Larry and Zach? No, but were they OK for where they're at in their career? Sure."
On pursuing a medical redshirt for Larry Williams:
"We will. … You can go up to the fourth game and he was three one year and five the other. I don't know how they'll see that, but I certainly think there should be consideration for him because he's only gotten to play eight games in two years. Obviously, that's somebody else's decision."
On Teven Jenkins:
"We put him out there because he was the next guy. He's progressing along. He has good skill and all he's missing is experience. He's a little more rough around the edges than the two seniors, but we like him and Wilson. I think that in a couple years we'll be talking about these guys as good football players. Right now though, they're just not at the point where you're as comfortable with them out there as you are with a senior. We were giving them some experience in the first couple games. We wanted to get those guys out there to get their feet wet and get some experience in a game."
On third-down defense against TCU:
"It was similar to Tulsa in that it was something different every time. They hit us on a screen once and we didn't rally to the ball and they hit us on clearout and a deep-out cut. It was something different each play and that's something we have to continue to work at. Those are key downs where you have to get off the field. Time of possession doesn't mean much for us with our offense, but the first three-and-out we had on defense was in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left. We let them extend on third-and-medium or long multiple times and we didn't run the ball as effectively in this game, and when you pile that up you get crushed in time of possession. We just have to get everybody on the same page."
On watching the TCU touchdown that was reviewed:
"There were some things that I went back and looked at and need to study more today, but I haven't quite gotten to that. I don't understand what that rule is. I don't know how to interpret that rule to say whether it was right or wrong. I only know what you guys know, and what it looked like to me is that worst case scenario it was down on the 1-yard line. I don't know what communication goes on in the review, but over our headset we thought it was either going to be a fumble or they're going to say he was down. It's hard for me to comment on that because I don't really get it or know what they look at."
On changes in Texas Tech's offense:
"The concepts are similar and they're form-fitting them around who's the trigger guy, in my opinion. Their quarterback throws it really well. Patrick Mahomes was special in his ability to throw it deep really well and so they could be building it around what their quarterbacks are capable of, but you have to remember that those packages and schemes that they run are based on defense, structure and safety level."
On Texas Tech's defensive aggressiveness:
"They're predominantly three-down up front, and they used to be a mixture. They're bringing some edge rushers and they have a couple of guys that rush on the edge pretty well. They're playing better in my opinion and I think they would like to pressure you more than what they might have in the past."
On what he's looking for in his team to see that they've moved on from last week's loss:
"I think they have. The outside world takes wins and losses differently than we do. Every Saturday, half the teams in the country lose, so half the teams in the country have to go back to work on Sunday and Monday or it's not fun the next week. We try to stay level-headed, even with wins. People outside the program go crazy when we have big wins and start making hotel reservations for this or that, but in our world, we have a body of work that we have to get accomplished every week. I hope our guys understand that from the history of our program, and I think they do. I think you're going to see eight weeks from now that there's going to be a lot of parity in this league. It's going to be exciting for fans, but it's going to be hard on the coaches because there's a lot of teams in the same boat. It's going to be based on the health of your team, turnovers and key plays on special teams. We're one of those that's right in the middle of that."
Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"Just as a review to last week, it was really pretty much what we thought for the most part. We had three turnovers when the game was still rolling. The last one was in a hurried situation. We had that additional turnover on the punt where they got it inside the 30 or the 35-yard line, and that's just like another turnover. So that's four to their one, so we were minus-three. We also had multiple chances to get off the field on third downs and we didn't. Offensively, we were just a step away five or six times from a five-yard run being a 15- or 20-yard run. When you snowball all of that together, that's what happens to you. Obviously, they did a better job of coaching than we did because their kids executed their game plans better than ours. In looking at the game, there's a lot of areas and a lot of things that we can correct, which is good. We'll work toward that and the players were back at it with practice last night. The attitudes were good and we have our hands full again this week like each week. There's a tremendous amount of parity in our league. I haven't really seen anybody play, but I know that from here on out for us each week is going to be a dogfight. We have to have a great week of practice and our coaches have to have great game plans. We have to take care of the football and get off the field on third downs to give ourselves the best chance to play well and win games. Tech is similar to what they have been. Their quarterback throws the ball really well and has tremendous skill. They do a nice job with play calling and mixing things up and I'm fairly certain that their defense is improved. They understand their schemes and are able to get to the football. They went to Houston and won on the road and beat Arizona State. ASU has a really good offense and they get good quarterback play. It'll be a good game and we need a good week of practice and we're looking forward to getting back out there."
On Teven Jenkins and Johnny Wilson's play:
"They played OK. Certainly not like Larry Williams and Zach Crabtree, but they played OK. We have to be careful in what we ask them to do and how we expect them to play. I don't think there's any other way to put it. You took two guys out of there who were fifth-year seniors and put in two freshman. Did they play like Larry and Zach? No, but were they OK for where they're at in their career? Sure."
On pursuing a medical redshirt for Larry Williams:
"We will. … You can go up to the fourth game and he was three one year and five the other. I don't know how they'll see that, but I certainly think there should be consideration for him because he's only gotten to play eight games in two years. Obviously, that's somebody else's decision."
On Teven Jenkins:
"We put him out there because he was the next guy. He's progressing along. He has good skill and all he's missing is experience. He's a little more rough around the edges than the two seniors, but we like him and Wilson. I think that in a couple years we'll be talking about these guys as good football players. Right now though, they're just not at the point where you're as comfortable with them out there as you are with a senior. We were giving them some experience in the first couple games. We wanted to get those guys out there to get their feet wet and get some experience in a game."
On third-down defense against TCU:
"It was similar to Tulsa in that it was something different every time. They hit us on a screen once and we didn't rally to the ball and they hit us on clearout and a deep-out cut. It was something different each play and that's something we have to continue to work at. Those are key downs where you have to get off the field. Time of possession doesn't mean much for us with our offense, but the first three-and-out we had on defense was in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left. We let them extend on third-and-medium or long multiple times and we didn't run the ball as effectively in this game, and when you pile that up you get crushed in time of possession. We just have to get everybody on the same page."
On watching the TCU touchdown that was reviewed:
"There were some things that I went back and looked at and need to study more today, but I haven't quite gotten to that. I don't understand what that rule is. I don't know how to interpret that rule to say whether it was right or wrong. I only know what you guys know, and what it looked like to me is that worst case scenario it was down on the 1-yard line. I don't know what communication goes on in the review, but over our headset we thought it was either going to be a fumble or they're going to say he was down. It's hard for me to comment on that because I don't really get it or know what they look at."
On changes in Texas Tech's offense:
"The concepts are similar and they're form-fitting them around who's the trigger guy, in my opinion. Their quarterback throws it really well. Patrick Mahomes was special in his ability to throw it deep really well and so they could be building it around what their quarterbacks are capable of, but you have to remember that those packages and schemes that they run are based on defense, structure and safety level."
On Texas Tech's defensive aggressiveness:
"They're predominantly three-down up front, and they used to be a mixture. They're bringing some edge rushers and they have a couple of guys that rush on the edge pretty well. They're playing better in my opinion and I think they would like to pressure you more than what they might have in the past."
On what he's looking for in his team to see that they've moved on from last week's loss:
"I think they have. The outside world takes wins and losses differently than we do. Every Saturday, half the teams in the country lose, so half the teams in the country have to go back to work on Sunday and Monday or it's not fun the next week. We try to stay level-headed, even with wins. People outside the program go crazy when we have big wins and start making hotel reservations for this or that, but in our world, we have a body of work that we have to get accomplished every week. I hope our guys understand that from the history of our program, and I think they do. I think you're going to see eight weeks from now that there's going to be a lot of parity in this league. It's going to be exciting for fans, but it's going to be hard on the coaches because there's a lot of teams in the same boat. It's going to be based on the health of your team, turnovers and key plays on special teams. We're one of those that's right in the middle of that."
Players Mentioned
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
