Gundy and Cowboys Meet With Media Ahead of West Virginia

STILLWATER - Ahead of Saturday's matchup in Morgantown with West Virginia, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy and select members of the Cowboys joined the media at Gundy's weekly luncheon. Here is some of what they had to say:

Head coach Mike Gundy

Opening Statement:
"We'll go right to West Virginia. I don't think we need to go back too much on the Kansas game. This team's playing really good football right now. This is the most physical team, offensively, that we've played by far. They could be the best 4-4 team in the country. Particularly playing really, really well at home, playing really good defense; they're very disruptive. There's a variety. We'll have to have a really good week at practice, have good plans on both sides of the ball and get ready to get out there and play on Saturday afternoon."

On West Virginia's improvements so far this season:
"They've adjusted and made some changes offensively. They're wanting to throw the ball more in my opinion. That's where they've made improvement, as an outsider looking in, on some of the things they've done offensively. They're very similar defensively; they've been pretty good defensively all year. They're very disruptive; very fast, very physical and they tackle well."

On the defense heading into West Virginia:
"There's probably not a lot of teams in the country that can say they've played pretty well defensively every week. We've played pretty well defensively every week. The team we're playing Saturday is a different approach. It's the best group up front we've played. They have a running back who is physical. Their quarterback is considerably better in my opinion than he was last year. They have a couple wideouts that can make plays and a big tight end who has made plays for them. They're gelling and playing much better now than they were a month ago."

On the defense's success on third down:
"Jim (Knowles) mixes it up. I think he is a good play-caller. That's part of it on third down is doing things people think you wouldn't do. I think with the experience and some of the things we do with the veterans at the safety position and linebackers help with that."

On expecting a close game vs. West Virginia:
"This will be a fourth-quarter game. We need to get to the fourth quarter with these guys. They're playing really well right now and hopefully we can get in that position to where the experience that we have had in five or six games should help us, I would think because we've been there. We need to put ourselves in a position where we're in a competitive game in the fourth quarter."

Cowboy Back Braden Cassity

On the West Virginia defensive line:
"For us, we have to run block, pass block and do it all. I see a veteran group that knows what they're doing. They're strong and physical and we need to be ready to go, especially after last week's game. Everyone in the Big 12 has a Brock Martin or Trace Ford, or someone like that who can rush like those kind of guys. We'll be facing that for sure and have a good challenge, but I think we'll be ready for it."

On improvement as a route runner and receiver:
"It's a thing that comes with time. I've built more confidence with Spencer (Sanders) as well. I'm always working at it, every day actually. It's been there, but I'm still working at it and going to keep working at it."

On the defining characteristics of this team:
"Discipline and toughness, that's what it has been. I feel like that's what it is going to be, that's engraved in us and something we take very seriously. I would say grit as well. Playing football you're not going to feel great, but you have to get it done. It's that and so many of us are actually enjoying it. We'll go to practice with smiles on our face not because we're joking, but because we're enjoying what we're doing."

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez

On being named a Butkus Award semifinalist:
"It's a huge honor to me to be on the semifinalist list for that. I mean, a lot of great guys have come through here and just to be on that is an honor."

On the defense's success on third down:
"Just the guys. We've got a lot of veteran guys out there, and just Coach Knowles. He knows our play calling. He knows what we're good at and he's adjusted every year and every game for that. He just plays to our abilities."

On sustaining success late in the season:
"It just goes back to being veterans. We've been here a long time, it feels like. Just going out every month and just coming together and sticking it out. I mean, everyone is going to be tired. Everyone is going to be fatigued. It's just one of those things where, we've been here before and we know what it takes."

Brennan Presley

On Spencer Sander's block on his touchdown rush:
"I didn't even realize it until after because I was running the ball so I saw the safety, and I saw him throw the block. To me, I thought it was just a block, so I run in. I didn't even notice it until they put it on the scoreboard, and he does it. On one hand I love it, on the second hand I'm like never do that again. It was like mixed feelings, I'm glad he's OK."

On if having a healthy offense makes them harder to defend:
"If someone has to come out, there's no drop off, everyone can play on this roster, especially at the receiver position. Even the freshmen, they're not really freshmen anymore since they've played in games. The young one's like Jaden Bray, Bryson and Blaine Green, John Paul Richardson, they all come in and contribute. We know what they can do, so when they get out in the game it's no surprise to us when they go out there and make plays."

On what will help this team going into November:
"I think our focus and our mindset. I mean we lose one game and when you lose, you find out who your team is, more than when you win. You have to deal with diversity and deal with most of the people on the team and how they interact and stuff like that. I think that loss, although it sucked, we came back to practice and we weren't laying our heads down or cherry-picking at practice. We weren't out there going half-speed, we were going full-speed, picking each other up and everything that we want is still ahead of us. I think that focus and everything we do at practice is what goes good for us and won't hurt us throughout this whole month of November."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jaden Bray

Braden Cassity

Trace Ford

Blaine Green

Brock Martin

Brennan Presley

John Paul Richardson

Malcolm Rodriguez

Related Videos