Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Practice in Boone Pickens Stadium for First Time this Fall
August 12, 2023 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State football team held its ninth practice of fall camp Saturday morning at 8 a.m., taking the field inside Boone Pickens Stadium for the first time this fall.
After the two-hour workout in full pads, coach Mike Gundy and several Cowboy players met with media at the stadium to talk about the team's progress. Here are some of their comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
On the running backs:
"They're doing good. They're getting hit a little bit, but we're not hitting them all the time. They need to get hit, tackled and taken to the ground so we can find out where we're at. We're going to have some depth. Elijah (Collins) has been banged up and out a couple days, but he'll be back Monday. (Jaden) Nixon got banged up and was out for a few days, he'll be back in the middle of the week. Knock on wood, they're all going to be up and running here in the middle of the week, and they're doing good. It's similar to the quarterback situation. They're all doing pretty good, but there's still things they need to work on."
On Collin Clay and the defensive line:
"At this point, we have more depth in our four-man front than we've ever had on our four-man front, which is good. Those guys are playing pretty good. Collin (Clay) is a guy that's developed his body. He's around 320ish pounds and went through a year where he was injured for a while and has since kind of grown up and developed some more toughness. He is a powerful dude."
On Xavier Ross:
"He looks 100 percent different now than he did this time last year. He's bigger, he's developed himself and he's competing. He understands that it's okay, it's going to be violent and there's a lot going on and to just keep fighting. I'm very pleased with him."
On the defensive scheme:
"I really like what we're doing. I like the simplicity of what it gives us. I like the flexibility. It's easier to play four-down than I thought it would be. I like what Coach Nardo's doing and his teaching and coaching. I like that our defensive staff has rallied with him. I like the way it's gone to this point. We haven't played a game, but I really like where we're at. I don't think it could be any better now at this point. We're still in some development stage, but I just think we're in a really good spot right now."
On special teams:
"Both guys are punting and we got three guys kicking and doing good. Those punters do the hold and they switch like always. I've been very fortunate in my years here that we've always had really quality young men that are willing to work hard on their own. We don't have a guy that coaches them. We have an analyst that does an overall picture, but they don't really have a coach. It's gone really good, and they've done a good job and I feel good about it."
Defensive Lineman Collin Clay
On Bryan Nardo's impact:
"I think that as a defense as a whole it's the buy-in, because when Coach Nardo came in, in his head he's thinking he has to gain our trust and we have to build our relationship, and vice versa with us. We have to trust him. We have to build that relationship with him, so the buy-in as a whole on the defense. We have a lot of young guys that're stepping up this year and the maturity level that they have to have is important. So as we go through the winter, he's explaining this to us and all this good stuff. He stresses family and that was the main thing that was important for us, having that family relationship with our coach. From that aspect outside of football and then bringing it in football, he comes with an energy that I would not expect to see from a lot of people every single day. He'll come up to everybody and be like, 'I heard you were going to have a great practice today, I heard you were going to get an interception today.' He's encouraging us and he's all about speaking things into existence. Just being able to have somebody come up to us and be like, 'Just go fly around, don't worry about nothing. Just go play football.' That's we want to do is go play football, so that was something that was important as a unit for us."
On where the team is at three weeks from the season opener:
"It's been amazing, and like I said, in the spring it was a lot of just learning the position, learning the techniques and stuff, so that was the main thing we had to build on in the spring. Now, we're weeks away from the first game and I've been more confident in my guys than I've ever been. Everybody knows what they're doing and everybody trusts everybody that's out there on the field, so now it's just the accountability; the leadership. We have to keep going and building that."
On adjusting to three defensive coordinators in three seasons:
"I'm super confident in Coach (Bryan) Nardo. Due to my injuries, I never got to play under Coach (Jim) Knowles, so I never really got to experience that with him. Then, Coach (Derek) Mason came in and he brought the energy every single day. Now, Coach Nardo is here and, like I said, it's just a new energy on the team. It's been amazing to build a relationship with Coach Nardo and the guys around. We're all confident about him."
Offensive Lineman Taylor Miterko
On fall camp thus far:
"I think everyone's having a good camp, me included. All of us fifth-year guys, I think we're all having our best camp. This is going into our fifth year, and we've been through it. We know what to expect. We're just polishing things we already know and trying to work to get better. I think, me included along with all those guys, we're having a really good camp."
On the depth of the offensive line:
"We're all so close. We've brought in all these new guys and made them our friends and our teammates. We coached them, helped them and tried to help develop them. With the numbers we have right now, along with the guys who have been here for a while, I think we do have a lot of strength because we brought those guys in and made them our own. We tried to do our part to develop them and make them feel comfortable in the system and here in this culture. I think there is a lot of strength in the number of guys we have on the offensive line."
On Saturday's practice:
"Today, I think we did well in a lot of areas. There were also areas that we need to improve, but that's to be expected. We still have a whole other week of camp and three weeks before our first game, so there's areas where we need to improve but there's also areas that we're striving in and doing well in. It's to be expected to have some areas where we're going to get better at. We are getting better every day, everybody on the offensive line is getting a lot better. Today was a big steppingstone in getting everybody better."
Linebacker Xavier Benson
On the defense this year:
"Amazing. The defense looks very sound, very complete. A lot of guys are understanding their roles and understanding everybody else's roles, so it makes the puzzles feel faster and quicker. That's what we want to do. We want to play fast and to play fast you have to understand what you're running. A lot of guys are taking the time out of it to understand it. And (Coach Bryan) Nardo's trusting us with what we see. We're just feeding off each other."
On Nardo teaching the defense well:
"He breaks it down. He'll figure out a way to teach it to you if it doesn't click in that way. It's not like he has only a few ways to teach certain things. Some people like sitting down and hearing it one time. I'm just a person that if you tell me one time, and I see it one time it's cool. Some people like drawing it out. Some people like getting the feel of it. He's good at touching all aspects of it."
On the other linebackers:
"They love football. They really actually do. It sits with me because I come with this type of mindset every day: I gotta play harder. Even if I'm playing extremely hard, I got to play harder. And I have guys in the same headspace and mindset as me. Nobody's in a negative aspect."
Wide Receiver Blaine Green
On his mindset:
"I'm just ready to step up to the plate whenever my number's called. Whatever to help out this team."
On team chemistry off the field:
"The program as a whole is getting really close together. Whether it's offensive line and defensive line hanging out… I went over to the D-line house probably the other week and was hanging out with them. There's not any groups here. Of course, you've got your position groups and you'll be with them in meetings, but this team as a whole is starting to get to know each other off the field as well as on the field. Coach Gundy is making us meet new people every day, but I feel like it was already happening. Today I ate breakfast with Hudson (Kaak). We were watching his favorite rugby team win their game during breakfast today. It's just little things like that are bringing this team closer together."
On finding a groove:
"Fall camp is the same every year. You kind of lose track of your days. You're just on the same wash, rinse, repeat cycle. Especially when it comes to this week. I was like, 'Man, is it Thursday?' and, 'No, it's Friday.' I get home and people are going out and stuff, but we're just getting ready for bed and ready for the little scrimmage we had today. It feels good to get in the groove. That first day's kind of shocking, especially in this heat and the humidity. Our first day was a shock to everybody, but you get in that little groove and you get the feel of the plays. You get how it feels to run out there in this heat. I feel like we're on a roll right now."
The Oklahoma State football team is scheduled to open the 2023 season September 2 when it faces Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Cowboy football tickets are available online through okstate.com/tickets and by calling or texting 877-255-4678.
After the two-hour workout in full pads, coach Mike Gundy and several Cowboy players met with media at the stadium to talk about the team's progress. Here are some of their comments:
Coach Mike Gundy
On the running backs:
"They're doing good. They're getting hit a little bit, but we're not hitting them all the time. They need to get hit, tackled and taken to the ground so we can find out where we're at. We're going to have some depth. Elijah (Collins) has been banged up and out a couple days, but he'll be back Monday. (Jaden) Nixon got banged up and was out for a few days, he'll be back in the middle of the week. Knock on wood, they're all going to be up and running here in the middle of the week, and they're doing good. It's similar to the quarterback situation. They're all doing pretty good, but there's still things they need to work on."
On Collin Clay and the defensive line:
"At this point, we have more depth in our four-man front than we've ever had on our four-man front, which is good. Those guys are playing pretty good. Collin (Clay) is a guy that's developed his body. He's around 320ish pounds and went through a year where he was injured for a while and has since kind of grown up and developed some more toughness. He is a powerful dude."
On Xavier Ross:
"He looks 100 percent different now than he did this time last year. He's bigger, he's developed himself and he's competing. He understands that it's okay, it's going to be violent and there's a lot going on and to just keep fighting. I'm very pleased with him."
On the defensive scheme:
"I really like what we're doing. I like the simplicity of what it gives us. I like the flexibility. It's easier to play four-down than I thought it would be. I like what Coach Nardo's doing and his teaching and coaching. I like that our defensive staff has rallied with him. I like the way it's gone to this point. We haven't played a game, but I really like where we're at. I don't think it could be any better now at this point. We're still in some development stage, but I just think we're in a really good spot right now."
On special teams:
"Both guys are punting and we got three guys kicking and doing good. Those punters do the hold and they switch like always. I've been very fortunate in my years here that we've always had really quality young men that are willing to work hard on their own. We don't have a guy that coaches them. We have an analyst that does an overall picture, but they don't really have a coach. It's gone really good, and they've done a good job and I feel good about it."
Defensive Lineman Collin Clay
On Bryan Nardo's impact:
"I think that as a defense as a whole it's the buy-in, because when Coach Nardo came in, in his head he's thinking he has to gain our trust and we have to build our relationship, and vice versa with us. We have to trust him. We have to build that relationship with him, so the buy-in as a whole on the defense. We have a lot of young guys that're stepping up this year and the maturity level that they have to have is important. So as we go through the winter, he's explaining this to us and all this good stuff. He stresses family and that was the main thing that was important for us, having that family relationship with our coach. From that aspect outside of football and then bringing it in football, he comes with an energy that I would not expect to see from a lot of people every single day. He'll come up to everybody and be like, 'I heard you were going to have a great practice today, I heard you were going to get an interception today.' He's encouraging us and he's all about speaking things into existence. Just being able to have somebody come up to us and be like, 'Just go fly around, don't worry about nothing. Just go play football.' That's we want to do is go play football, so that was something that was important as a unit for us."
On where the team is at three weeks from the season opener:
"It's been amazing, and like I said, in the spring it was a lot of just learning the position, learning the techniques and stuff, so that was the main thing we had to build on in the spring. Now, we're weeks away from the first game and I've been more confident in my guys than I've ever been. Everybody knows what they're doing and everybody trusts everybody that's out there on the field, so now it's just the accountability; the leadership. We have to keep going and building that."
On adjusting to three defensive coordinators in three seasons:
"I'm super confident in Coach (Bryan) Nardo. Due to my injuries, I never got to play under Coach (Jim) Knowles, so I never really got to experience that with him. Then, Coach (Derek) Mason came in and he brought the energy every single day. Now, Coach Nardo is here and, like I said, it's just a new energy on the team. It's been amazing to build a relationship with Coach Nardo and the guys around. We're all confident about him."
Offensive Lineman Taylor Miterko
On fall camp thus far:
"I think everyone's having a good camp, me included. All of us fifth-year guys, I think we're all having our best camp. This is going into our fifth year, and we've been through it. We know what to expect. We're just polishing things we already know and trying to work to get better. I think, me included along with all those guys, we're having a really good camp."
On the depth of the offensive line:
"We're all so close. We've brought in all these new guys and made them our friends and our teammates. We coached them, helped them and tried to help develop them. With the numbers we have right now, along with the guys who have been here for a while, I think we do have a lot of strength because we brought those guys in and made them our own. We tried to do our part to develop them and make them feel comfortable in the system and here in this culture. I think there is a lot of strength in the number of guys we have on the offensive line."
On Saturday's practice:
"Today, I think we did well in a lot of areas. There were also areas that we need to improve, but that's to be expected. We still have a whole other week of camp and three weeks before our first game, so there's areas where we need to improve but there's also areas that we're striving in and doing well in. It's to be expected to have some areas where we're going to get better at. We are getting better every day, everybody on the offensive line is getting a lot better. Today was a big steppingstone in getting everybody better."
Linebacker Xavier Benson
On the defense this year:
"Amazing. The defense looks very sound, very complete. A lot of guys are understanding their roles and understanding everybody else's roles, so it makes the puzzles feel faster and quicker. That's what we want to do. We want to play fast and to play fast you have to understand what you're running. A lot of guys are taking the time out of it to understand it. And (Coach Bryan) Nardo's trusting us with what we see. We're just feeding off each other."
On Nardo teaching the defense well:
"He breaks it down. He'll figure out a way to teach it to you if it doesn't click in that way. It's not like he has only a few ways to teach certain things. Some people like sitting down and hearing it one time. I'm just a person that if you tell me one time, and I see it one time it's cool. Some people like drawing it out. Some people like getting the feel of it. He's good at touching all aspects of it."
On the other linebackers:
"They love football. They really actually do. It sits with me because I come with this type of mindset every day: I gotta play harder. Even if I'm playing extremely hard, I got to play harder. And I have guys in the same headspace and mindset as me. Nobody's in a negative aspect."
Wide Receiver Blaine Green
On his mindset:
"I'm just ready to step up to the plate whenever my number's called. Whatever to help out this team."
On team chemistry off the field:
"The program as a whole is getting really close together. Whether it's offensive line and defensive line hanging out… I went over to the D-line house probably the other week and was hanging out with them. There's not any groups here. Of course, you've got your position groups and you'll be with them in meetings, but this team as a whole is starting to get to know each other off the field as well as on the field. Coach Gundy is making us meet new people every day, but I feel like it was already happening. Today I ate breakfast with Hudson (Kaak). We were watching his favorite rugby team win their game during breakfast today. It's just little things like that are bringing this team closer together."
On finding a groove:
"Fall camp is the same every year. You kind of lose track of your days. You're just on the same wash, rinse, repeat cycle. Especially when it comes to this week. I was like, 'Man, is it Thursday?' and, 'No, it's Friday.' I get home and people are going out and stuff, but we're just getting ready for bed and ready for the little scrimmage we had today. It feels good to get in the groove. That first day's kind of shocking, especially in this heat and the humidity. Our first day was a shock to everybody, but you get in that little groove and you get the feel of the plays. You get how it feels to run out there in this heat. I feel like we're on a roll right now."
The Oklahoma State football team is scheduled to open the 2023 season September 2 when it faces Central Arkansas at Boone Pickens Stadium, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Cowboy football tickets are available online through okstate.com/tickets and by calling or texting 877-255-4678.
Players Mentioned
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