Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Gundy, Cowboys Discuss Fourth Straight Win, Bedlam Matchup
October 30, 2023 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Mike Gundy and several players met with the media Monday in Stillwater to look back at Oklahoma State's fourth straight win and preview the upcoming Bedlam game. Here are some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the defense:
"We've played pretty well as of late. We've given up some yards and some big plays, but we've minimized points, which is important. There's times where I felt like we needed to stop the rush better. We gave up a big pass (against Cincinnati) on a play-action boot where we got caught and left the over route. We have made some progress, we still have a ways to go. It'll be important in this game, as always, that we play physical up front."
On Leon Johnson III's performance vs. Cincinnati:
"I think we were all surprised and very impressed with his performance in essentially his first game at this level. He has shown signs in practice of performing at a high level. Practice is one thing, games are another. We talked about that a number of times, and until we get a young man on the field in a game, we never know what they can do. So, that's why we have tried to play as many as possible this year. Nobody would've thought that he could've come in at his first game in what was not a great day weather-wise for throwing and catching. It wasn't bad, but it was not like a normal day in September, October and perform at the level he did. He came in and did something we didn't know he could do in a conference game."
On Ollie Gordon II's rising publicity:
"For the last month, I've talked to him several times every week, usually later in the week on a Friday. Talked to him during the game when he lost his composure, it's an ongoing process. This is (more) different now than ever with young people because of social media and because of phones and notoriety… Ollie is still young. He's only been here a year and a half and he's playing great, but he's still a young person and is learning. He can get valuable information from those who have been ahead of him and before him. So, we try to give him as much as possible."
On quarterback Alan Bowman:
"He's making plays. I would like to see him set and not flush the pocket as much. I would like to see him not drift as much, but he's manufacturing and we're productive. I like his ability to distribute the ball where it needs to be. My thoughts with him are going to be similar to what they were a month ago. His strengths and what he does are very similar to Mason (Rudolph)'s. Mason learned very early in his career to stay in the pocket, stay in the pocket then move, then stay in the pocket and dump the ball off. Don't flush. Early in the year, he flushed, and he sacked himself a lot of times. He's better in this game than he was, but we need him to sit in there and play to his strengths."
On eliminating distractions:
"We just try to continue to work. It's like this week, we can feel good about ourselves, and this is coach's talk, but it's the truth. It's the challenge we have with young people now, and it's always been this way, but it's more now than ever. They have to absorb information in meetings today, be productive in our walk-throughs tonight and mentally prepare for tomorrow's practice, Tuesday and Wednesday's practice, to get ready for a walk-through Thursday and a walk-through Friday. If they get out of their box and let their minds go different directions, they're not going to play very well."
Nose Tackle Collin Clay
On Bedlam:
"It means a lot to all of us. I think it's an important game, but we still have to treat it like a game that we played in the past, continuing to execute the way that we're supposed to. All of us know how important this game is to us and we've got to go out there and play hard."
On bouncing back from early losses:
"Just the energy. I felt like (the early losses), that was our first test as a new team. It was a completely new team and I felt like that humbled us. To have that adversity that early, I think it was great it happened early because now I feel like we figured out what we needed to do. We're going out there, we're rolling like we're supposed to. As a new team, everybody faces adversity, but I feel like that was the right time to do it because we got places that we're trying to go. So, we got to handle our business from here on out."
Offensive Lineman Dalton Cooper
On his first Bedlam game:
"I just know it's crazy. Growing up in Oklahoma, the competition is just something else, it's next level. The two teams may not (always) be good but for this game, it's going to be crazy no matter what. Just growing up watching, I just wanted to be a part of it. I'm just thankful to be here to be a part of it. They haven't really talked much about like (the rivalry). We know that OU is a good team and we know that we're a good team. We just have to go out there and do what we have to do. Just take care of the ball and we'll be out there having a good time."
On the offense's confidence:
"It's gone up a lot compared to where we were those first four weeks. We kind of found our identity and we're kind of getting rolling. We understand we're able to communicate more with people, with each other and be able to just bounce ideas off of each other on the sideline. We're not showing as much frustration as we did in those first four games because we didn't score over 30. These last two we kind of hit it rolling, so we're getting good."
Linebacker Collin Oliver
On keys to Saturday's game:
"The team prepares the best, and I feel like we're going to be able to do that. It's going to be a great game, a great atmosphere. I can't wait to see what the showdown is like."
On getting more comfortable with defensive schemes:
"Players are getting comfortable in our scheme and in what they know they can do. We have athletes all over the field that are making plays now. There's not like one or two guys on offense or on defense making plays. Everybody is making plays now, which is what you want to see out of a successful defense."
Wide Receiver Brennan Presley
On the home crowd this season:
"(Coach) Gundy said it at Homecoming. He told us again, I think it was after the game that. He wasn't lying. This crowd has been some of the best interactions and just fan interactions that I've seen since I've been here, just how dedicated they are. I came out for warmups and it's rainy and cold, and you still saw people in the stands. The student section was still packed even after some of the people left after halftime. So, I just like their dedication that they've shown us it's unreal."
On the improvement in conference play:
"I think the team just finally realized what we are capable of when we just come out there and just play loose, play with energy. I think early on in the year you kind of stress or just play uptight or stuff like that because there's expectations. I don't know if I've said it before, but losing against Iowa State was kind of like a blessing in disguise, because you got to soak on it for the bye week a little bit. So, that fire and hunger for a couple of weeks, sitting there thinking 'you have nothing to lose.' I think the last four games we've came out hungry. I expected to win, but we also came out playing so loose and free. Just knowing we're going to make mistakes, but just playing hard. I think if you go back and look at all four games, we've been playing hard. We've been playing for each other and like Coach Gundy tells us every single day - stay humble and hungry."
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the defense:
"We've played pretty well as of late. We've given up some yards and some big plays, but we've minimized points, which is important. There's times where I felt like we needed to stop the rush better. We gave up a big pass (against Cincinnati) on a play-action boot where we got caught and left the over route. We have made some progress, we still have a ways to go. It'll be important in this game, as always, that we play physical up front."
On Leon Johnson III's performance vs. Cincinnati:
"I think we were all surprised and very impressed with his performance in essentially his first game at this level. He has shown signs in practice of performing at a high level. Practice is one thing, games are another. We talked about that a number of times, and until we get a young man on the field in a game, we never know what they can do. So, that's why we have tried to play as many as possible this year. Nobody would've thought that he could've come in at his first game in what was not a great day weather-wise for throwing and catching. It wasn't bad, but it was not like a normal day in September, October and perform at the level he did. He came in and did something we didn't know he could do in a conference game."
On Ollie Gordon II's rising publicity:
"For the last month, I've talked to him several times every week, usually later in the week on a Friday. Talked to him during the game when he lost his composure, it's an ongoing process. This is (more) different now than ever with young people because of social media and because of phones and notoriety… Ollie is still young. He's only been here a year and a half and he's playing great, but he's still a young person and is learning. He can get valuable information from those who have been ahead of him and before him. So, we try to give him as much as possible."
On quarterback Alan Bowman:
"He's making plays. I would like to see him set and not flush the pocket as much. I would like to see him not drift as much, but he's manufacturing and we're productive. I like his ability to distribute the ball where it needs to be. My thoughts with him are going to be similar to what they were a month ago. His strengths and what he does are very similar to Mason (Rudolph)'s. Mason learned very early in his career to stay in the pocket, stay in the pocket then move, then stay in the pocket and dump the ball off. Don't flush. Early in the year, he flushed, and he sacked himself a lot of times. He's better in this game than he was, but we need him to sit in there and play to his strengths."
On eliminating distractions:
"We just try to continue to work. It's like this week, we can feel good about ourselves, and this is coach's talk, but it's the truth. It's the challenge we have with young people now, and it's always been this way, but it's more now than ever. They have to absorb information in meetings today, be productive in our walk-throughs tonight and mentally prepare for tomorrow's practice, Tuesday and Wednesday's practice, to get ready for a walk-through Thursday and a walk-through Friday. If they get out of their box and let their minds go different directions, they're not going to play very well."
Nose Tackle Collin Clay
On Bedlam:
"It means a lot to all of us. I think it's an important game, but we still have to treat it like a game that we played in the past, continuing to execute the way that we're supposed to. All of us know how important this game is to us and we've got to go out there and play hard."
On bouncing back from early losses:
"Just the energy. I felt like (the early losses), that was our first test as a new team. It was a completely new team and I felt like that humbled us. To have that adversity that early, I think it was great it happened early because now I feel like we figured out what we needed to do. We're going out there, we're rolling like we're supposed to. As a new team, everybody faces adversity, but I feel like that was the right time to do it because we got places that we're trying to go. So, we got to handle our business from here on out."
Offensive Lineman Dalton Cooper
On his first Bedlam game:
"I just know it's crazy. Growing up in Oklahoma, the competition is just something else, it's next level. The two teams may not (always) be good but for this game, it's going to be crazy no matter what. Just growing up watching, I just wanted to be a part of it. I'm just thankful to be here to be a part of it. They haven't really talked much about like (the rivalry). We know that OU is a good team and we know that we're a good team. We just have to go out there and do what we have to do. Just take care of the ball and we'll be out there having a good time."
On the offense's confidence:
"It's gone up a lot compared to where we were those first four weeks. We kind of found our identity and we're kind of getting rolling. We understand we're able to communicate more with people, with each other and be able to just bounce ideas off of each other on the sideline. We're not showing as much frustration as we did in those first four games because we didn't score over 30. These last two we kind of hit it rolling, so we're getting good."
Linebacker Collin Oliver
On keys to Saturday's game:
"The team prepares the best, and I feel like we're going to be able to do that. It's going to be a great game, a great atmosphere. I can't wait to see what the showdown is like."
On getting more comfortable with defensive schemes:
"Players are getting comfortable in our scheme and in what they know they can do. We have athletes all over the field that are making plays now. There's not like one or two guys on offense or on defense making plays. Everybody is making plays now, which is what you want to see out of a successful defense."
Wide Receiver Brennan Presley
On the home crowd this season:
"(Coach) Gundy said it at Homecoming. He told us again, I think it was after the game that. He wasn't lying. This crowd has been some of the best interactions and just fan interactions that I've seen since I've been here, just how dedicated they are. I came out for warmups and it's rainy and cold, and you still saw people in the stands. The student section was still packed even after some of the people left after halftime. So, I just like their dedication that they've shown us it's unreal."
On the improvement in conference play:
"I think the team just finally realized what we are capable of when we just come out there and just play loose, play with energy. I think early on in the year you kind of stress or just play uptight or stuff like that because there's expectations. I don't know if I've said it before, but losing against Iowa State was kind of like a blessing in disguise, because you got to soak on it for the bye week a little bit. So, that fire and hunger for a couple of weeks, sitting there thinking 'you have nothing to lose.' I think the last four games we've came out hungry. I expected to win, but we also came out playing so loose and free. Just knowing we're going to make mistakes, but just playing hard. I think if you go back and look at all four games, we've been playing hard. We've been playing for each other and like Coach Gundy tells us every single day - stay humble and hungry."
Players Mentioned
QB
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NT
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OL
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RB
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WR
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LB
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WR
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