Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Look Ahead to Road Clash with Arizona State
September 04, 2023 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER - Mike Gundy and several players met with the media Monday in Stillwater to review the 2023 season opener against Central Arkansas and look ahead to the first road game against Arizona State. Here are some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
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On takeaways from the quarterback position:
"They played good… 30 for (48), (304) yards… If that was one person you'd say it's a pretty good day. It just looks a little odd being three people, but they all three played pretty well… We're going to practice all three of them. Distribute reps based on what we think it should be, the way they played. I should've checked this, but (the three QB strategy) might've been as effective and as efficient mentally as we've ever had with the combination of one, in a game that maybe wasn't a blowout."
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On younger players gaining experience in Week 1:
"Our guys played really hard and competed… We have a number of young players in this program that I feel really good about and are playing at somewhat of a high level based on being out there for the first time and those guys should get better each week."
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On the development of Nickolas Martin:
"Trying to become a leader early in his career, which is really encouraging. We brought Nick in here - your east Texas, little bit undersized, tough, would strike you, old school type of player. Don't see a lot of guys like that anymore. Some people weren't sure if he was going to be big enough or would actually be able to not be a 'tweener' at his position. But, he could run, he loved football and would play the game violently. That's what we liked about him. He's got a long way to go, he just started playing. But, he's starting to try to be a leader by his actions and bringing guys along with him, which is a positive."
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On finding the identity of the team:
"What I did like is that we blocked better in the second half. Our running backs ran aggressive when they knew we were going to run the ball, and we had to have them step up and make plays. We didn't get that last year, so that's a plus... But defensively, there are things that we felt could happen in this game and they did. I told you that I was worried about tackling. So, we have to really work hard this week on ways to improve tackling. It's not going to fix itself in one week."
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On adjusting to the new clock rules:
"About six to seven plays on each side of the ball is what we're seeing is the difference. The week zero games were about five plays on each side lost on a national average. As of yesterday, with the national average, six to seven plays on each side of the ball is what we got based on guessing. We had 85 plays because we play faster and then we had a number of times when we stopped (Central Arkansas) and went three and out."
Wide Receiver De'Zhaun StriblingÂ
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On traveling to play Arizona State:
"It's a hot environment. They have a good fanbase. A lot of people show up. Just be ready for a hot environment and be ready for a long fight."
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On rotating quarterbacks:
"Doesn't bother me. I'm doing my (part). When the ball's thrown to me, I'll catch the ball. I'll put great effort out there and block as hard as I can… They're all three great players, great assets, great morality with them, great people, great quarterbacks."
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On how the wide receivers are performing:
"Great. I think we could've cleaned up a couple of passes on the floor. We have to fix that for sure, but, as a whole, I think we played with great effort, running some great routes and catching the ball very well."
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Offensive Lineman Joe Michalski
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On analyzing the film to improve the offensive line:Â
"We just have to start faster. Watching the third and fourth quarter, we played and drove the ball really well. We just have to be able to do that from the beginning and not have that slow start. If we do that, we'll be just fine."Â
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On getting good reps when the line is performing well:Â
"It gets easier. You get more confidence, everyone does. We just have to be able to stay levelheaded and not get too high or too low. Once you start running the ball a little better, it opens up other stuff too."
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On how to fix slow starts by the offensive line:Â
"Execution. You can't allow yourself to make those mental errors. It's not effort or anything like that because our guys are giving great effort. Just mental errors. Going over the playbook and stuff like that. We need to be able to execute different looks and the linebacker leverages and a lot of other factors."Â
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Nose Tackle Justin Kirkland
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On his first game as a Cowboy:Â
"I try to hold myself to a really high standard. I thought it was a good game. Obviously, there's things to improve on. We just have to try to ride that escalator up from here."Â
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On positives from game one:Â
"It was good to finally be able to go up against a different team and fly around and see everybody compete. That was the most fun for me. Watching back on film, I didn't realize how celebratory I was with everybody else. That's awesome. It's like a family and it really does feel like that out there."Â
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Linebacker Nickolas Martin
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On starting against Central Arkansas:
"It means everything. I've been here. I'm going on my third year, so it meant the world to me. Coaches believed in me, teammates believed in me and I got to contribute to the win on Saturday. Ready to go on from here and grow."
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On Bryan Nardo's first game at Oklahoma State:
"Great guy. He reminds me of my high school coach, how genuine he is, player-orientated and how much he cares for everybody else. He's selfless… I commend him for everything he's done for me, for us as a team. Love him."
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On moving forward to week two:
"I think we're all excited to see what's in store, see what we can do as a defense. Go out there and have fun. Play together, and play for a common goal and get that win. I'm really excited to see what Coach has in store for us. It's going to be fun."
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