Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Coordinators Meet With Media Following 14th Spring Practice
April 17, 2019 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State football team held its 14th practice of the spring Wednesday afternoon, wrapping up a two-hour session at Boone Pickens Stadium. Coach Mike Gundy and OSU's coordinators met with media after the workout to talk about the team's development. A few of their comments:
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"Same routine for us. Really good practices. Quarterbacks have been sharing reps. I know everybody wants to know about quarterbacks. They've shared reps all the way through. Really had about an 80 percent scrimmage today. A little bit of individual work. A lot of situation things that we feel like are important in preparing to start the season next year. With as much youth that we have at certain spots, it's important for us to be further ahead in preparation, in situational, for the first game next year. We are very experienced in some positions and then we don't have any experience at some positions, and so it's one of those years. A little bit different. Everybody is getting a little bit better. For the most part, we are all healthy. Devin Harper still won't be out there (Saturday). He has had a foot (injury).Other than that I think most everybody else that has been practicing will be out there. So we've been very fortunate in that area for the spring practice – half scrimmage, half practice that we'll put on. We're going to go for about an hour and half for the fans. Now we'll be out there, as a team, for two hours. I believe the doors open at 12 (p.m.). Essentially the majority of it will start at one o'clock. Some people might come early, but that'll be the stretch, that'll be some special teams, drill work and such. We'll have an individual period and then we will have an individual where offense and defense work together. A lot of teaching and coaching. Then during the practice we'll have a seven-on-seven and extensive period where the fans can see the quarterbacks throw the ball. We'll have an inside drill where we'll line it up and we'll bang heads for a little while. There will be some one-on-one where you'll get to see the wideouts and corners and safeties go against each other. There have been some really good battles this year. I've been impressed with A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams and their development against our receivers, so I think the fans will really like that. Then we'll get into, basically, a 36-play scrimmage where it will be scripted, but it'll be scripted so we can try to highlight some things I think the crowd would want to see. People would ask why are we doing that. The reason we are doing that is because, if we don't, the defense can somewhat guide with what the offense does and then the fans might not get to see some of the people touch the ball or plays we want to run. So I think that will benefit the crowd more. Then we'll have a two-minute drill, which will be live. Everybody will just call the plays, run it. Then we'll do a couple other things. Should be about an hour and a half. I figured an hour and a half of solid football with maybe a five-minute break. It's supposed to be about 85 degrees, so we might take a little break, but I thought that would be about what the people would want to see and then they can come down and see the players, get autographs, talk to the players and then go to baseball or whatever it may be. We are very fortunate. We have a beautiful day, a beautiful Easter weekend and we are going to have great football with a lot of festivities here on campus. We are looking forward to it."
On OSU's safeties:
"Way ahead from where we were last year, certainly. They're better in our system now. Safety is not an easy position to play in this defense, so it takes experience. It takes reps so you don't get eye-violated and things like that. They continue to get better and we do a decent job with play action here, so they really get tested. We are further ahead, certainly, but we need a lot of work."
On Sean Gleeson's approach:
"He is a very detailed guy. He is a young guy that is very cerebral and technology sound, so from a standpoint he is different from the other guys in that area. There are a lot of ways to get the job done, but he is going to have very much attention to detail."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles
On OSU's safeties:
"We had three true freshman playing a lot for us last year at safety. This is a safety-driven defense. Anytime you play with five DB's all the time it's safety driven. Now those guys have had a thousand reps so they've gone from rookies to veterans pretty quick and it's starting to show up. It's going to help us a ton in terms of giving up big plays."
On coaching at OSU now vs. last year:
"These guys only know what I've taught them. They only know the system that I've brought in, which is a huge plus. They're now starting to think like I do and they're good players. That's the thing, they're good players. They're talented, they're smart and they love football. The package is going to be able to continue to grow and those guys are really going to be able to manage things on the field as it happens so quickly."
On what he wants the OSU defense to be:
"I still want to attack and I still want to challenge people. Challenge the offense and play every play like it's the game, because that's what the offense is doing in the Big 12. They're trying to score a touchdown on every play so that's what makes it different. We have to play every play like it's for the game. So my approach won't change but game-planning might change. Honestly, after a year of going against opponents and knowing our strengths and the things that we can accomplish and how people react to our system, that is going to affect the game plan."
On what he's seen going against OSU's offense in practice:
"Our offense is traditionally always strong. They don't rebuild, they reload. So I haven't seen much of a drop off because our offense is very aggressive, very cutting edge. So I don't see that, they play like veterans even though they are new, because they've been in a system that has high expectations."
Offensive Coordinator Sean Gleeson
On Tylan Wallace:
"The identity I hope our guys have is the three things I said in the press release. I want them to play fast, physical and hungry. When you have a kid who has had as much success as Tylan, some of those guys can be prima donnas sometimes when they have had a ton of success and not come out to practice every day. When you have a workman group at quarterback and you get a wideout who has had a ton of success and comes out to work every day, that is just infectious. It makes our goal of being fast, physical and hungry more attainable."
On coaching players at different levels of college football:
"There's a little bit more speed. There's just more guys, so it's not too different than when I was in Division III. We had a couple kids when I was at Williams College who probably could've been on an Ivy League team. Here we have a couple guys who stand out."
On Charlie Dickey:
"I think anybody could get along with Charlie Dickey. The guy is like salt-to-the-earth O-line guy. He's easy to work with, humble, hard-working, great practice coach and technician. We had the Princeton staff out here the past couple of days, and they were all talking about how great Charlie was and how they wanted to take him back, so he's incredible and he's very knowledgeable in the run game. He is a great source of information and a great resource for me."
Mike Gundy
Opening statement:
"Same routine for us. Really good practices. Quarterbacks have been sharing reps. I know everybody wants to know about quarterbacks. They've shared reps all the way through. Really had about an 80 percent scrimmage today. A little bit of individual work. A lot of situation things that we feel like are important in preparing to start the season next year. With as much youth that we have at certain spots, it's important for us to be further ahead in preparation, in situational, for the first game next year. We are very experienced in some positions and then we don't have any experience at some positions, and so it's one of those years. A little bit different. Everybody is getting a little bit better. For the most part, we are all healthy. Devin Harper still won't be out there (Saturday). He has had a foot (injury).Other than that I think most everybody else that has been practicing will be out there. So we've been very fortunate in that area for the spring practice – half scrimmage, half practice that we'll put on. We're going to go for about an hour and half for the fans. Now we'll be out there, as a team, for two hours. I believe the doors open at 12 (p.m.). Essentially the majority of it will start at one o'clock. Some people might come early, but that'll be the stretch, that'll be some special teams, drill work and such. We'll have an individual period and then we will have an individual where offense and defense work together. A lot of teaching and coaching. Then during the practice we'll have a seven-on-seven and extensive period where the fans can see the quarterbacks throw the ball. We'll have an inside drill where we'll line it up and we'll bang heads for a little while. There will be some one-on-one where you'll get to see the wideouts and corners and safeties go against each other. There have been some really good battles this year. I've been impressed with A.J. Green and Rodarius Williams and their development against our receivers, so I think the fans will really like that. Then we'll get into, basically, a 36-play scrimmage where it will be scripted, but it'll be scripted so we can try to highlight some things I think the crowd would want to see. People would ask why are we doing that. The reason we are doing that is because, if we don't, the defense can somewhat guide with what the offense does and then the fans might not get to see some of the people touch the ball or plays we want to run. So I think that will benefit the crowd more. Then we'll have a two-minute drill, which will be live. Everybody will just call the plays, run it. Then we'll do a couple other things. Should be about an hour and a half. I figured an hour and a half of solid football with maybe a five-minute break. It's supposed to be about 85 degrees, so we might take a little break, but I thought that would be about what the people would want to see and then they can come down and see the players, get autographs, talk to the players and then go to baseball or whatever it may be. We are very fortunate. We have a beautiful day, a beautiful Easter weekend and we are going to have great football with a lot of festivities here on campus. We are looking forward to it."
On OSU's safeties:
"Way ahead from where we were last year, certainly. They're better in our system now. Safety is not an easy position to play in this defense, so it takes experience. It takes reps so you don't get eye-violated and things like that. They continue to get better and we do a decent job with play action here, so they really get tested. We are further ahead, certainly, but we need a lot of work."
On Sean Gleeson's approach:
"He is a very detailed guy. He is a young guy that is very cerebral and technology sound, so from a standpoint he is different from the other guys in that area. There are a lot of ways to get the job done, but he is going to have very much attention to detail."
Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles
On OSU's safeties:
"We had three true freshman playing a lot for us last year at safety. This is a safety-driven defense. Anytime you play with five DB's all the time it's safety driven. Now those guys have had a thousand reps so they've gone from rookies to veterans pretty quick and it's starting to show up. It's going to help us a ton in terms of giving up big plays."
On coaching at OSU now vs. last year:
"These guys only know what I've taught them. They only know the system that I've brought in, which is a huge plus. They're now starting to think like I do and they're good players. That's the thing, they're good players. They're talented, they're smart and they love football. The package is going to be able to continue to grow and those guys are really going to be able to manage things on the field as it happens so quickly."
On what he wants the OSU defense to be:
"I still want to attack and I still want to challenge people. Challenge the offense and play every play like it's the game, because that's what the offense is doing in the Big 12. They're trying to score a touchdown on every play so that's what makes it different. We have to play every play like it's for the game. So my approach won't change but game-planning might change. Honestly, after a year of going against opponents and knowing our strengths and the things that we can accomplish and how people react to our system, that is going to affect the game plan."
On what he's seen going against OSU's offense in practice:
"Our offense is traditionally always strong. They don't rebuild, they reload. So I haven't seen much of a drop off because our offense is very aggressive, very cutting edge. So I don't see that, they play like veterans even though they are new, because they've been in a system that has high expectations."
Offensive Coordinator Sean Gleeson
On Tylan Wallace:
"The identity I hope our guys have is the three things I said in the press release. I want them to play fast, physical and hungry. When you have a kid who has had as much success as Tylan, some of those guys can be prima donnas sometimes when they have had a ton of success and not come out to practice every day. When you have a workman group at quarterback and you get a wideout who has had a ton of success and comes out to work every day, that is just infectious. It makes our goal of being fast, physical and hungry more attainable."
On coaching players at different levels of college football:
"There's a little bit more speed. There's just more guys, so it's not too different than when I was in Division III. We had a couple kids when I was at Williams College who probably could've been on an Ivy League team. Here we have a couple guys who stand out."
On Charlie Dickey:
"I think anybody could get along with Charlie Dickey. The guy is like salt-to-the-earth O-line guy. He's easy to work with, humble, hard-working, great practice coach and technician. We had the Princeton staff out here the past couple of days, and they were all talking about how great Charlie was and how they wanted to take him back, so he's incredible and he's very knowledgeable in the run game. He is a great source of information and a great resource for me."
Players Mentioned
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