Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State Postgame Quotes — October 6, 2018
October 06, 2018 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement
"That was a little bit of an unusual game for us. We made some big plays. Going into the game we knew with this style of defense that there would be times they would get us and put us into some negative yardage plays, and there would be times that we would get them. But the negative yardage plays were too many and we didn't protect very well. I think we run blocked pretty well at times, without looking at the tape."
On the offense's struggles
"Our protections weren't very good. We got in too many situations where we put pressure on Taylor and forced him to run out of the pocket. Without watching the tape that was a big factor offensively, was just not being able to protect and get the ball thrown down the field. There were some times we had some chances, we dropped a pass here or there that we sure would like to have back."
On the defense
"We're giving up too many big plays. We can't allow that many big plays and expect to win games, much less in conference. We've got to regroup a little bit and try to make the best decisions with the personnel that we have and what direction we're going to try to minimize big plays, more so than what we're doing. There was a lot more quarterback run than what we had anticipated, we adjusted to that as the game went. But ultimately it came down to big plays, so we got to be better in those situations. We had a couple errors in special teams, we dropped a punt. We had momentum, had a touchdown, drove down the field, stopped them, stopped them a couple times, dropped a punt in the end zone. Zach (Sinor) is a veteran guy, he's got to be able to make that play. He's got to execute. We lost a little bit of momentum there. But even throughout the day we had nine penalties for 87 yards, that's 40 yards too many at least. Again, we had a horse-collar on the sideline, had a couple holding penalties on offensive linemen. We had one call on (Calvin) Bundage, I'm not sure what it was, even now. But regardless, we have to be more disciplined in the penalty area. We're not good enough to overcome large numbers of penalty yards. It's college football, we got to get back to work in the morning and come up with a good plan. We got to travel on the road again and we got to get ready to play. That's the message I gave the guys."
On how his team can rebound from the loss
"I said, 'Look here's the deal: You guys need to get you something to eat, spend some time with your families, you need to get in your apartment or your dorm or wherever you live and get you some rest. You got to come back tomorrow with an open mind.' And you got to give Iowa State credit. They're well coached. They've been hanging around every game for the last two or three years , not jus with us but with just about everybody in this conference. They've become a good team in this conference, they do a great job so when you put yourself in that position eventually it's going to benefit them and that's what it did. They've been in just about every game this year and they've been right there until the end, we were just the ones that couldn't overcome it. We got to get back in the morning and get back to work.
On Taylor Cornelius' performance:
"I'll have a hard time giving you an answer because I thought he was running for his life. It's not easy to play quarterback and throw the ball when you're running for your life. That's just the way it is. In all fairness, he probably didn't have the best opportunity, would be my guess."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles
On the defense overall
"I like to tell the players that the mistakes on Saturday, they are my mistakes. There is no finger pointing. We had some match-up problems but that is not their problem, that is not the players' fault. That is my fault. It is my job to put them in better positions to succeed no matter where we are at and whomever we are going against. When you score as many points as our offense did, we should win games. So I think that falls on me to continue to work, evaluate and to adjust what I do."
On Purdy coming into to play
"I think that was a great move on their part. I think it took us too long to adjust to that. I think that was a good game plan by them. We started out well the first couple of series and after that, it took us too long to adjust. We finally got adjusted to it but it took a while and hurt us."
On why it takes so long to adjust
"I wish I knew. We have to teach resiliently. Things happen, people are going to run things that you didn't expect. We have a system, work the system. Stay with it, be confident. Fix it. We will help you fix it on the sideline. It just took us too long. I think that the better defense you are, the quicker you can fix them. I mean it happens to everyone, but that is football defense nowadays and how quickly you can fix what is happening. The longer it takes, the more points you give up."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On the offense's adjustments
"You want to try to call the plays you've been working on all week. You try to fix, adjust and communicate on the headsets and try to coach them from the sideline and march forward. Obviously, if there is a problem schematically or matchup-wise you try to make adjustments as you go along."
On Cornelius' performance
"I can't give you a solid evaluation until I watch the film, but I think there is a toughness factor to him. I think he made some great plays. There are of course always some plays we want to have back."
On Tylan Wallace's drop in the fourth quarter
"Those things happen. If you let that frustrate you, then you are in for a roller coaster ride. You throw the ball in the air, there is going to be a time or two he puts it to the ground. He came back and made a great play and made up for it. He is a great player. Even Jerry Rice dropped a ball here and there. So it's move on to the next play."
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius
On the loss to Iowa State
"We have to do a better job limiting our penalties and turnovers."
On Coach Gundy's message after the game
"This one is over with. We've got to move on and learn from our mistakes because we have another game next week."
On how he can help the team change focus toward K-State
"I can help make sure that everyone is focused and locked in. Don't let them hang their heads. This one is over with, so we just have to move on to the next one."
Running Back Justice Hill
On the loss to Iowa State
"We just lost the game. Their guys just made more plays."
On setting a Big 12 record with his 12th-straight game with at least one rushing touchdown:
"It really doesn't matter to me. We just have to win the game."
On how the team moves forward next week
"We just have to get better."
Defensive End Jordan Brailford
On his immediate thoughts after the loss
"Iowa State made some changes to what they showed on film. We didn't do a good enough job and let them score way too many points. That's really it as far as the defense goes."
On the defensive line continuing to create pressure
"That's our job and what we're supposed to do as a defensive line. We always pride ourselves on getting after it, but at the end of the day we didn't do enough to help our team get the win today."
On Coach Gundy's message afterward
"He told us that we have to continue to move forward. We're all going to come in tomorrow, go over the mistakes we made and after that we have to get focused on next week."
Cornerback Rodarius Williams
On the defense vs. Iowa State
"It was just a tough game. We just have to get together as a team now and improve our communication. We beat ourselves."
On how the team can move forward
"We just have to stay positive and keep our heads up. Going forward, we have to minimize our mistakes on our side of the ball. Coach Gundy just told us to keep our head up and move forward."
On how he can help the defense as a leader
"I just have to start being more vocal and a better leader than I was today. I feel like we were kind of laid back throughout the game and then we started to pick it up at the end. We started way too slow."
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell
Regarding Tonight's Game
"I'm really proud of our football team today. I've said this every week, I really believe it. This group continues to get better and I thought they have since the start of this football season. Today, I thought a little bit of resolve from the early portion of our season showed up when we needed it the most. I was really proud of our kids."
Regarding Coach's Initial Plan with Purdy
"Pretty much what you saw. We told him that Zeb was going to start the game. Brock has practiced really well the past couple weeks and I wanted to bring him along slowly. I don't want to put him in a situation to fail. Certainly Zeb has done a really good job for this football team. We told Brock he would play the second series and see where we go from there."
Regarding Purdy's Mobility
"I think it forces another threat that you have to be ready for. He gives you a little bit of everything. I think that is important and it is certainly something that he brings to the table."
Regarding Purdy's Big Plays
"Obviously, we had to see that in practice to believe in it. I'm not going to play him unless he's earned the right to play, and Brock has consistently shown the right to play. That's why I thought it was time to give him that opportunity and what we saw is what we saw in practice a lot of the time. He's a guy that has playmaking abilities."
Running Back Kene Nwangwu
On the team's work ethic
"I think we come into every practice like it's a game. We practice with high intensity and play like we are actually in a game."
On getting more playing time
"It's good to get into a flow, to see how the defensive linemen and the linebackers are out there flowing. It's good and really helps me get it going."
On the importance of the win
"It's a momentum boost. I mean we have got to go and just start a streak. Coming into Jack Trice coming off a win is going to be a fun place to play."
Linebacker O'Rien Vance
On defending Justice Hill
"We just game planned for every possible situation that could have happened. It turns out that our game plan worked, and we did a good job of getting in his way."
On pressuring the quarterback
"We just game planned for it. We knew his tendencies and our planning paid off and it went our way."
Wide Receiver Hakeem Butler
On the performance of Brock Purdy
"He prepares every day. He brought energy to the game, and we were primed and ready to have a big day."
On Purdy's interception
"He made a mistake I guess. He knew what happened immediately. He didn't panic. Even when I make mistakes I know immediately what I could have done differently."
Opening Statement
"That was a little bit of an unusual game for us. We made some big plays. Going into the game we knew with this style of defense that there would be times they would get us and put us into some negative yardage plays, and there would be times that we would get them. But the negative yardage plays were too many and we didn't protect very well. I think we run blocked pretty well at times, without looking at the tape."
On the offense's struggles
"Our protections weren't very good. We got in too many situations where we put pressure on Taylor and forced him to run out of the pocket. Without watching the tape that was a big factor offensively, was just not being able to protect and get the ball thrown down the field. There were some times we had some chances, we dropped a pass here or there that we sure would like to have back."
On the defense
"We're giving up too many big plays. We can't allow that many big plays and expect to win games, much less in conference. We've got to regroup a little bit and try to make the best decisions with the personnel that we have and what direction we're going to try to minimize big plays, more so than what we're doing. There was a lot more quarterback run than what we had anticipated, we adjusted to that as the game went. But ultimately it came down to big plays, so we got to be better in those situations. We had a couple errors in special teams, we dropped a punt. We had momentum, had a touchdown, drove down the field, stopped them, stopped them a couple times, dropped a punt in the end zone. Zach (Sinor) is a veteran guy, he's got to be able to make that play. He's got to execute. We lost a little bit of momentum there. But even throughout the day we had nine penalties for 87 yards, that's 40 yards too many at least. Again, we had a horse-collar on the sideline, had a couple holding penalties on offensive linemen. We had one call on (Calvin) Bundage, I'm not sure what it was, even now. But regardless, we have to be more disciplined in the penalty area. We're not good enough to overcome large numbers of penalty yards. It's college football, we got to get back to work in the morning and come up with a good plan. We got to travel on the road again and we got to get ready to play. That's the message I gave the guys."
On how his team can rebound from the loss
"I said, 'Look here's the deal: You guys need to get you something to eat, spend some time with your families, you need to get in your apartment or your dorm or wherever you live and get you some rest. You got to come back tomorrow with an open mind.' And you got to give Iowa State credit. They're well coached. They've been hanging around every game for the last two or three years , not jus with us but with just about everybody in this conference. They've become a good team in this conference, they do a great job so when you put yourself in that position eventually it's going to benefit them and that's what it did. They've been in just about every game this year and they've been right there until the end, we were just the ones that couldn't overcome it. We got to get back in the morning and get back to work.
On Taylor Cornelius' performance:
"I'll have a hard time giving you an answer because I thought he was running for his life. It's not easy to play quarterback and throw the ball when you're running for your life. That's just the way it is. In all fairness, he probably didn't have the best opportunity, would be my guess."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles
On the defense overall
"I like to tell the players that the mistakes on Saturday, they are my mistakes. There is no finger pointing. We had some match-up problems but that is not their problem, that is not the players' fault. That is my fault. It is my job to put them in better positions to succeed no matter where we are at and whomever we are going against. When you score as many points as our offense did, we should win games. So I think that falls on me to continue to work, evaluate and to adjust what I do."
On Purdy coming into to play
"I think that was a great move on their part. I think it took us too long to adjust to that. I think that was a good game plan by them. We started out well the first couple of series and after that, it took us too long to adjust. We finally got adjusted to it but it took a while and hurt us."
On why it takes so long to adjust
"I wish I knew. We have to teach resiliently. Things happen, people are going to run things that you didn't expect. We have a system, work the system. Stay with it, be confident. Fix it. We will help you fix it on the sideline. It just took us too long. I think that the better defense you are, the quicker you can fix them. I mean it happens to everyone, but that is football defense nowadays and how quickly you can fix what is happening. The longer it takes, the more points you give up."
Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich
On the offense's adjustments
"You want to try to call the plays you've been working on all week. You try to fix, adjust and communicate on the headsets and try to coach them from the sideline and march forward. Obviously, if there is a problem schematically or matchup-wise you try to make adjustments as you go along."
On Cornelius' performance
"I can't give you a solid evaluation until I watch the film, but I think there is a toughness factor to him. I think he made some great plays. There are of course always some plays we want to have back."
On Tylan Wallace's drop in the fourth quarter
"Those things happen. If you let that frustrate you, then you are in for a roller coaster ride. You throw the ball in the air, there is going to be a time or two he puts it to the ground. He came back and made a great play and made up for it. He is a great player. Even Jerry Rice dropped a ball here and there. So it's move on to the next play."
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius
On the loss to Iowa State
"We have to do a better job limiting our penalties and turnovers."
On Coach Gundy's message after the game
"This one is over with. We've got to move on and learn from our mistakes because we have another game next week."
On how he can help the team change focus toward K-State
"I can help make sure that everyone is focused and locked in. Don't let them hang their heads. This one is over with, so we just have to move on to the next one."
Running Back Justice Hill
On the loss to Iowa State
"We just lost the game. Their guys just made more plays."
On setting a Big 12 record with his 12th-straight game with at least one rushing touchdown:
"It really doesn't matter to me. We just have to win the game."
On how the team moves forward next week
"We just have to get better."
Defensive End Jordan Brailford
On his immediate thoughts after the loss
"Iowa State made some changes to what they showed on film. We didn't do a good enough job and let them score way too many points. That's really it as far as the defense goes."
On the defensive line continuing to create pressure
"That's our job and what we're supposed to do as a defensive line. We always pride ourselves on getting after it, but at the end of the day we didn't do enough to help our team get the win today."
On Coach Gundy's message afterward
"He told us that we have to continue to move forward. We're all going to come in tomorrow, go over the mistakes we made and after that we have to get focused on next week."
Cornerback Rodarius Williams
On the defense vs. Iowa State
"It was just a tough game. We just have to get together as a team now and improve our communication. We beat ourselves."
On how the team can move forward
"We just have to stay positive and keep our heads up. Going forward, we have to minimize our mistakes on our side of the ball. Coach Gundy just told us to keep our head up and move forward."
On how he can help the defense as a leader
"I just have to start being more vocal and a better leader than I was today. I feel like we were kind of laid back throughout the game and then we started to pick it up at the end. We started way too slow."
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell
Regarding Tonight's Game
"I'm really proud of our football team today. I've said this every week, I really believe it. This group continues to get better and I thought they have since the start of this football season. Today, I thought a little bit of resolve from the early portion of our season showed up when we needed it the most. I was really proud of our kids."
Regarding Coach's Initial Plan with Purdy
"Pretty much what you saw. We told him that Zeb was going to start the game. Brock has practiced really well the past couple weeks and I wanted to bring him along slowly. I don't want to put him in a situation to fail. Certainly Zeb has done a really good job for this football team. We told Brock he would play the second series and see where we go from there."
Regarding Purdy's Mobility
"I think it forces another threat that you have to be ready for. He gives you a little bit of everything. I think that is important and it is certainly something that he brings to the table."
Regarding Purdy's Big Plays
"Obviously, we had to see that in practice to believe in it. I'm not going to play him unless he's earned the right to play, and Brock has consistently shown the right to play. That's why I thought it was time to give him that opportunity and what we saw is what we saw in practice a lot of the time. He's a guy that has playmaking abilities."
Running Back Kene Nwangwu
On the team's work ethic
"I think we come into every practice like it's a game. We practice with high intensity and play like we are actually in a game."
On getting more playing time
"It's good to get into a flow, to see how the defensive linemen and the linebackers are out there flowing. It's good and really helps me get it going."
On the importance of the win
"It's a momentum boost. I mean we have got to go and just start a streak. Coming into Jack Trice coming off a win is going to be a fun place to play."
Linebacker O'Rien Vance
On defending Justice Hill
"We just game planned for every possible situation that could have happened. It turns out that our game plan worked, and we did a good job of getting in his way."
On pressuring the quarterback
"We just game planned for it. We knew his tendencies and our planning paid off and it went our way."
Wide Receiver Hakeem Butler
On the performance of Brock Purdy
"He prepares every day. He brought energy to the game, and we were primed and ready to have a big day."
On Purdy's interception
"He made a mistake I guess. He knew what happened immediately. He didn't panic. Even when I make mistakes I know immediately what I could have done differently."
Players Mentioned
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