Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State-West Virginia football - Sept. 25, 2020 - head coach postgame quotes
September 26, 2020 | Cowboy Football
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement
"Our defense was really good again. They continued to go out there and, as we struggled offensively, they kept their head up and made plays. We're obviously putting the ball on the ground too much offensively, and we're going to have to clean that up. We were able to put a drive together to end the game, but we're going long periods of time not being in sync offensively so we've got a lot of work in that area. I thought our special teams was excellent again. I feel at a certain time we were a little bit undisciplined with penalties even though some of them like Harvell-Peel's were a little unusual, but we have to back off a little bit with the offsides and being undisciplined. We found a way to win again. The defense continued to get stops and gave us an opportunity to win the football game."
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On the defensive pass rush
"It looks like they played well. There were a number of times we influenced the quarterback though I don't know if it will show up statistically because he got rid of the ball right before we hit him. You guys might know better than me, but I bet we got 10 hits on him today. Sometimes those count, but he sat in the pocket and took a lot of hits today. Our pressure was really good."
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On the Thurman Thomas ceremony
"The ring of honor is something I've pushed for for a long time. We've got a number of really qualified football players that have come out of this place that can go on the ring of honor. We won't be short with guys to put in the ring of honor. I told the team and other people my fondest memories of Thurman were against practice plays. He practiced harder than anyone I've ever been around. He went full speed all the time and took pride in it, which is why he played the way he played and why he was a tough guy."
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On Shane Illingworth
"When I say average, we're going to grade him based on a college quarterback not being a freshman, that's why he fell into the average category. For a true freshman he played okay. There's times he made some mistakes, but there's times he did make big plays. All of that is going to take time. This guy is young. We found a way to win, and that's what is important."
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On winning games in an unusual season
"It's a very unusual season. The conditioning of the teams is unusual. The makeup and focus is different than it ever has been. I have not been involved in anything like this in just watching what happens during the week and on the field. You just have to find a way to win somehow, and it's not pretty. I've been here 16 years as a coach, and that's not how you draw it up. It's just an unusual year that is different than it ever has been so the guys have to find a way to win the football game and make enough plays. We have to keep coaching simplicity with high reps and put the players in a position to win football games."Â Â Â
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West Virginia head coach Neal Brown
Opening Statement
"Today was not good enough. I'll say a bunch, but that's the story of the game – extremely disappointing performance. We were an undisciplined football team today, and that's on me, that's on our coaches. We talk all the time about WVU not beating WVU. Credit Oklahoma State, really a veteran football team. They've won a ton of games like this, and they've got great players at the skill positions. Their offensive line was obviously better today than they were last week. We had 12 penalties and gave them 10 points on offense. It was the fumble scoop-and-score and then a procedure penalty on third-and-one that gave them the ball back. Just an uncalled for, undisciplined receiver not getting lined up, and the quarterback not looking. Before we can win big games, we've got to quit losing. This was a big game; let's not get that mixed up. This is a team that we prepared for, we thought we had a good plan. Like I said, credit to Oklahoma State. Not pleased with how we performed, with how we coached, extremely disappointing."
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On adjusting the defensive game plan around Shane Illingworth
"They did a good job. I thought Shane Illingworth managed the game. I thought they did a good job coaching. They didn't ask Illingoworth, as a true freshman, to do a whole lot. If you look at it, I think he threw the ball 22 times and a lot of those were screens. They ran 41 times for 200 yards. You run for 200 yards, you're going to win most of them."
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On West Virginia's success running the spread offense
"I think our inside receivers did a nice job. Winston Wright Jr. and T.J. Simmons, those two guys did a nice job winning against man coverage. We missed some throws. Simmons kind of bobbled that ball that he probably would've scored on if he didn't bobble it. I thought we won inside. Bryce Ford-Wheaton did well inside, we just couldn't get him the ball. Those three guys at the receiver positions were the guys that played well.
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On the play of West Virginia's offensive line
"It's hard to tell until you watch the tape. I didn't think we maintained blocks very well early in the game. I thought we started doing some good things in the second and third quarters. We gave up a bunch of hits on the quarterback. It's hard to tell until you watch it on video. Some of those might not have been their fault so I don't want to be too hard on them."
Â
On Oklahoma State's pass defense
"They did a nice job. They pressured us a bunch. They're good in the secondary. I thought their nose guard, Cameron Murrary, is a really good player. They did a nice job of getting on the edge, which we didn't really anticipate going into the game. I've got to wait to see if it's a technique issue for us; that's my first inclination. That's the frustrating thing for me. We got into this game, into this environment that had pressure, against a good opponent and we had some adversity. I don't think we reacted very well."
Â
Opening Statement
"Our defense was really good again. They continued to go out there and, as we struggled offensively, they kept their head up and made plays. We're obviously putting the ball on the ground too much offensively, and we're going to have to clean that up. We were able to put a drive together to end the game, but we're going long periods of time not being in sync offensively so we've got a lot of work in that area. I thought our special teams was excellent again. I feel at a certain time we were a little bit undisciplined with penalties even though some of them like Harvell-Peel's were a little unusual, but we have to back off a little bit with the offsides and being undisciplined. We found a way to win again. The defense continued to get stops and gave us an opportunity to win the football game."
Â
On the defensive pass rush
"It looks like they played well. There were a number of times we influenced the quarterback though I don't know if it will show up statistically because he got rid of the ball right before we hit him. You guys might know better than me, but I bet we got 10 hits on him today. Sometimes those count, but he sat in the pocket and took a lot of hits today. Our pressure was really good."
Â
On the Thurman Thomas ceremony
"The ring of honor is something I've pushed for for a long time. We've got a number of really qualified football players that have come out of this place that can go on the ring of honor. We won't be short with guys to put in the ring of honor. I told the team and other people my fondest memories of Thurman were against practice plays. He practiced harder than anyone I've ever been around. He went full speed all the time and took pride in it, which is why he played the way he played and why he was a tough guy."
Â
On Shane Illingworth
"When I say average, we're going to grade him based on a college quarterback not being a freshman, that's why he fell into the average category. For a true freshman he played okay. There's times he made some mistakes, but there's times he did make big plays. All of that is going to take time. This guy is young. We found a way to win, and that's what is important."
Â
On winning games in an unusual season
"It's a very unusual season. The conditioning of the teams is unusual. The makeup and focus is different than it ever has been. I have not been involved in anything like this in just watching what happens during the week and on the field. You just have to find a way to win somehow, and it's not pretty. I've been here 16 years as a coach, and that's not how you draw it up. It's just an unusual year that is different than it ever has been so the guys have to find a way to win the football game and make enough plays. We have to keep coaching simplicity with high reps and put the players in a position to win football games."Â Â Â
Â
West Virginia head coach Neal Brown
Opening Statement
"Today was not good enough. I'll say a bunch, but that's the story of the game – extremely disappointing performance. We were an undisciplined football team today, and that's on me, that's on our coaches. We talk all the time about WVU not beating WVU. Credit Oklahoma State, really a veteran football team. They've won a ton of games like this, and they've got great players at the skill positions. Their offensive line was obviously better today than they were last week. We had 12 penalties and gave them 10 points on offense. It was the fumble scoop-and-score and then a procedure penalty on third-and-one that gave them the ball back. Just an uncalled for, undisciplined receiver not getting lined up, and the quarterback not looking. Before we can win big games, we've got to quit losing. This was a big game; let's not get that mixed up. This is a team that we prepared for, we thought we had a good plan. Like I said, credit to Oklahoma State. Not pleased with how we performed, with how we coached, extremely disappointing."
Â
On adjusting the defensive game plan around Shane Illingworth
"They did a good job. I thought Shane Illingworth managed the game. I thought they did a good job coaching. They didn't ask Illingoworth, as a true freshman, to do a whole lot. If you look at it, I think he threw the ball 22 times and a lot of those were screens. They ran 41 times for 200 yards. You run for 200 yards, you're going to win most of them."
Â
On West Virginia's success running the spread offense
"I think our inside receivers did a nice job. Winston Wright Jr. and T.J. Simmons, those two guys did a nice job winning against man coverage. We missed some throws. Simmons kind of bobbled that ball that he probably would've scored on if he didn't bobble it. I thought we won inside. Bryce Ford-Wheaton did well inside, we just couldn't get him the ball. Those three guys at the receiver positions were the guys that played well.
Â
On the play of West Virginia's offensive line
"It's hard to tell until you watch the tape. I didn't think we maintained blocks very well early in the game. I thought we started doing some good things in the second and third quarters. We gave up a bunch of hits on the quarterback. It's hard to tell until you watch it on video. Some of those might not have been their fault so I don't want to be too hard on them."
Â
On Oklahoma State's pass defense
"They did a nice job. They pressured us a bunch. They're good in the secondary. I thought their nose guard, Cameron Murrary, is a really good player. They did a nice job of getting on the edge, which we didn't really anticipate going into the game. I've got to wait to see if it's a technique issue for us; that's my first inclination. That's the frustrating thing for me. We got into this game, into this environment that had pressure, against a good opponent and we had some adversity. I don't think we reacted very well."
Â
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