Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Arrive in Memphis for AutoZone Liberty Bowl
December 25, 2018 | Cowboy Football
Photos
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Oklahoma State football team arrived in Memphis Tuesday afternoon and held its first on-site practice at Memphis University School Tuesday evening.
Coach Mike Gundy and defensive tackle Enoch Smith, Jr., also met with members of the Memphis media to discuss the Cowboys' arrival for the upcoming AutoZone Liberty Bowl matchup against Missouri. A look at some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"Well we're excited to be here in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. All of our players are here, so we're going to have our meetings and then go over and have a brief practice this evening. We've had a great day. Merry Christmas to everybody, and we're looking forward to being here for a week."
On the history of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl:
"We're familiar with it. What's interesting is that this bowl has gone on for 60 years and Oklahoma State hasn't been in it, so we're excited about it. It's one of the bowls that was a traditional bowl when I was a young kid growing up, and it's one of the ones that you saw all the time. We've been to a lot of bowls and we're excited about being in Memphis."
On the balance of enjoying the bowl site but also preparing for a game:
"We've had 14 good practices at home and we anticipate having four really good practices here. We've been very successful in the way we handle our players and we want them to really experience and enjoy Memphis. There's a time of the day for meetings and practice, and then we want them to enjoy themselves and be very careful and safe – respect everyone else and the environment – but there's also preparation and in the end the most important thing is to play the very best that we can in the game."
On his family's familiarity with the Memphis area:
"We've been here a lot. My boys have played travel baseball south of here and I've been to Graceland several times. My wife's oldest brother played on the Memphis Chicks probably 15 years ago on his way up through the organization with the Royals, so we used to come over here to watch him play. I think they were Double-A then. We've had a long history in Memphis and we're excited to be back here and eat some good food."
On what to expect from the team in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl:
"I think our guys will play really well. It has been an unusual season for us from the standpoint that we turned over a lot of veteran players and we had a new quarterback who played very well most of the year. Our team can be very competitive and our players have practiced very well. They're excited to be in Memphis. It's really important for a team to compete and play well in a bowl game when they're excited to be in the bowl game, and our team is very excited about being in the Liberty Bowl."
Defensive Tackle Enoch Smith, Jr.
On what it's like to be in Memphis:
"It's extremely special for me knowing that it's going to be my last (game). I'm extremely grateful to get to play against an SEC team as my last game, and the city of Memphis – I've never been here before. It's very historic to my fraternity, personally. There's a lot of things with civil rights and things like that, so I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity."
On Missouri:
"Based off the film that I've been watching, they have a lot of talent, especially at the skill positions. Their offensive line is, by far, one of the best linemen corps that I believe we'll have faced this season. I feel like it's going to be a great opportunity for us as a team and as a defensive line."
On how he reacts to people suggesting the Liberty Bowl will be an offensive shootout:
"As a defensive player, when you hear stuff like that you always try to prove everybody wrong. Coming from the Big 12 Conference, it's kind of typical. As a defensive player, you just have to continue to do what you have to do every single play – small techniques, your step, cross facing offensive linemen, and just doing whatever you need to do to help your team come out with a victory and quiet all the naysayers."
On balancing enjoying the bowl site and preparing for the game:
"You can't be distracted by outside things. You have to remember the purpose of you coming here, and that's to play football. You can always enjoy everything when the time comes, but you have to keep that in the back of your mind. I came here to play a football game, to help our team be victorious and try to get another ring."
-----
The Cowboys wrap up the 2018 season at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve, with kickoff set for 2:45 p.m. CT on ESPN. Tickets are still available at www.okstate.com/tickets or by calling the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Oklahoma State football team arrived in Memphis Tuesday afternoon and held its first on-site practice at Memphis University School Tuesday evening.
Coach Mike Gundy and defensive tackle Enoch Smith, Jr., also met with members of the Memphis media to discuss the Cowboys' arrival for the upcoming AutoZone Liberty Bowl matchup against Missouri. A look at some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement:
"Well we're excited to be here in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. All of our players are here, so we're going to have our meetings and then go over and have a brief practice this evening. We've had a great day. Merry Christmas to everybody, and we're looking forward to being here for a week."
On the history of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl:
"We're familiar with it. What's interesting is that this bowl has gone on for 60 years and Oklahoma State hasn't been in it, so we're excited about it. It's one of the bowls that was a traditional bowl when I was a young kid growing up, and it's one of the ones that you saw all the time. We've been to a lot of bowls and we're excited about being in Memphis."
On the balance of enjoying the bowl site but also preparing for a game:
"We've had 14 good practices at home and we anticipate having four really good practices here. We've been very successful in the way we handle our players and we want them to really experience and enjoy Memphis. There's a time of the day for meetings and practice, and then we want them to enjoy themselves and be very careful and safe – respect everyone else and the environment – but there's also preparation and in the end the most important thing is to play the very best that we can in the game."
On his family's familiarity with the Memphis area:
"We've been here a lot. My boys have played travel baseball south of here and I've been to Graceland several times. My wife's oldest brother played on the Memphis Chicks probably 15 years ago on his way up through the organization with the Royals, so we used to come over here to watch him play. I think they were Double-A then. We've had a long history in Memphis and we're excited to be back here and eat some good food."
On what to expect from the team in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl:
"I think our guys will play really well. It has been an unusual season for us from the standpoint that we turned over a lot of veteran players and we had a new quarterback who played very well most of the year. Our team can be very competitive and our players have practiced very well. They're excited to be in Memphis. It's really important for a team to compete and play well in a bowl game when they're excited to be in the bowl game, and our team is very excited about being in the Liberty Bowl."
Defensive Tackle Enoch Smith, Jr.
On what it's like to be in Memphis:
"It's extremely special for me knowing that it's going to be my last (game). I'm extremely grateful to get to play against an SEC team as my last game, and the city of Memphis – I've never been here before. It's very historic to my fraternity, personally. There's a lot of things with civil rights and things like that, so I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity."
On Missouri:
"Based off the film that I've been watching, they have a lot of talent, especially at the skill positions. Their offensive line is, by far, one of the best linemen corps that I believe we'll have faced this season. I feel like it's going to be a great opportunity for us as a team and as a defensive line."
On how he reacts to people suggesting the Liberty Bowl will be an offensive shootout:
"As a defensive player, when you hear stuff like that you always try to prove everybody wrong. Coming from the Big 12 Conference, it's kind of typical. As a defensive player, you just have to continue to do what you have to do every single play – small techniques, your step, cross facing offensive linemen, and just doing whatever you need to do to help your team come out with a victory and quiet all the naysayers."
On balancing enjoying the bowl site and preparing for the game:
"You can't be distracted by outside things. You have to remember the purpose of you coming here, and that's to play football. You can always enjoy everything when the time comes, but you have to keep that in the back of your mind. I came here to play a football game, to help our team be victorious and try to get another ring."
-----
The Cowboys wrap up the 2018 season at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve, with kickoff set for 2:45 p.m. CT on ESPN. Tickets are still available at www.okstate.com/tickets or by calling the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
Players Mentioned
DT
/ Cowboy FootballTuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
