Postgame Quotes: OSU vs. WVU

Postgame Quote Sheet
Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia Football
Oct. 5, 2024 | Stillwater, Okla. | Boone Pickens Stadium

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy:

Opening Statement:
"I want to give credit to Coach Brown and West Virginia. They had good plans, they did a good job and they executed. I told the team that we got so far behind early in the game, that offensively it sets us back where we can't really stay balanced, and it makes it difficult for us. Defensively, we can't get off the field. In the first three possessions, I can't remember exactly, but we had several third downs we can't get off the field, that we needed to get off the field. One bright spot for us today was that we were good on special teams until the end. We went after a block, and zero (Kobe Hylton) had his heel touch the leg of the guy. Other than that, today was really good on special teams. Penalty-wise, we were good. On third downs, they were 9-for-15, which is way too much, we got to get off the field. We rushed for 3.5 yards per carry, they rushed for six yards a carry, which was a point in the game. They were rushing for 5.1 yards-a-carry, and we were rushing for about 3.1 yards-a-carry. Unfortunately, those statistics held true out there today. So that's what I told the team, I told them I'd be at work early in the morning, and if they want to come by and see me, I'll be here. Then we can get rolling on the next game."

… on the team's defensive struggles:
"Well, we're not fitting the run. We've got to do a better job of fitting the run. It looked like to me, that we had our worst tackling day of the year. In my mind, I was counting up to eight tackles where we had a chance to hit and get a guy down for a two-yard gain or less, and we bounced off and they ended up being big runs. I think that was a little bit of an issue, we did not tackle well this game at all."

… on how the offense can be improved:
"Our scheme is fine. I've got to look at it, but I didn't think we run blocked very well, I thought we got pushed around inside today, but again, I'm on the ground. In most cases, you're not going to wholesale change in the middle of the season. You've got to continue what you're doing; you can make small changes, but you got to get better at what you're doing, versus just saying that you're going to go to something new."

OSU linebacker Jeff Roberson…

… On avoiding frustration throughout this skid:
"Obviously, it's never fun to lose. Our goal every week is to go out there and win. We work hard throughout the whole week. We've just got to come out in this bye week and do what we've got to do to go out there against BYU."

… On if the run defense struggles are due to mental or physical issues:
"It could be both sometimes. Like I said, we just need to be better in the run game. That comes with understanding, watching film, going through it all and understanding what you got to do every play… Sometimes, the offense is going to win some plays. Our job is to stop them and we just got to execute better."

OSU offensive lineman Preston Wilson…

… On causes of the offensive struggles:
"Nothing particular. We've stayed doing a lot of the same things. Things just haven't been going our way these past few weeks. Ultimately, we've got a busy week coming up, so we're just going to keep grinding, keep working hard and keep trusting our coaches because we know that they'll put us in the best position possible. Just listen to whatever they say and go out there, try to execute and get us a win the week after the next."

… On maintaining focus:
"We don't really look at much of the social media stuff, as to what other people have to say about us, because at the end of the day, it matters what we think about each other. We know we have each other's backs. We know we have a coach that's all in and cares about us and we care about him."

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OSU wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling…

… on maintaining a positive outlook:
"I think we're in a good position mentally. Everyone is still fighting, keeping their head up and not feeling down about anything. I think we played with a lot of effort and a lot of discipline. That'll keep going on as the season goes."

… on Da'Wain Lofton's strong debut:
"(He) played great. His first game, right? He just got all those little jitters out, but he played great. He had a lot of composure, he was playing fast, catching the ball. He did great… For him to step up and help make plays, that was very crucial on his part. Just being out there, playing fast and compete at a high level, that's very good for him."

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown…

…on the game, as a whole:
"I've got a ton of respect for Mike Gundy and what they've done from a program perspective. I'm not sure how many times I've been here, but the last two we've been able to come in here and win. Those are special wins. Today was special. I thought our preparation staff-wise, player-wise, mentally, physically and emotionally -- I thought our guys were ready to go."

… on the rushing attack and rushing defense:
"I know Oklahoma State's fans are going to talk about Ollie Gordon, but that dude is a player. And for us to hold him to that amount of yards, I think says a lot about the will of our guys. Offensively, we talked about it Monday, that we haven't ran the ball, up until today, the way we are capable of. I think it was a team approach. When you do as much in the run game as we do, it's an all-11 effort. Our quarterback is a factor, our running backs are a factor, especially C.J. Donaldson, and our tight ends, this is the best they've played."

… on carrying momentum into next week:
"I think that this league is really hard, and each week is a new challenge. And you want to celebrate it. I think, sometimes, we don't take enough time to really celebrate, because this is a really big deal. We came into a tough venue versus a program that's won 10 games a lot of times, against a head coach that's going to be in the hall of fame at some point and we played a complete game. So you want to enjoy that and enjoy the plane ride home. We'll watch the game tomorrow and then flip it over to Iowa State."

… on their defensive goals coming into Stillwater:
"I said this coming, in that we were here to stop the run, like we had to stop the run. They had been throwing for 300-plus yards, and if they did that against us, I wouldn't have been overly concerned. I wanted to make them one-dimensional and stop the run, and we did that."

WVU quarterback Garrett Greene…

… on winning a big game like this one:
"In our league, every game is so tight, and you can win every game, or you can lose every game. You have to be ready. You have to be ready at every moment. So it's a really good win for us. It's a tough place to play. Oklahoma State, they're a really good team. I thought our defense did a phenomenal job of shutting down the running backs. And to me, something that we can build on. We're going to enjoy it tonight and then, tomorrow, we'll get ready for Iowa State."

… on the offense feeding off the defense:
"It's huge. When you go down and score, then, a few minutes later, you're right back up, because they went three-and-out or they got one first down and then had to punt, it's huge for rhythm. Our offense kind of got in a groove. I thought our defense did a phenomenal job today. I can't say enough about them."

WVU linebacker Josiah Trotter…

…on the defense's performance:
"I think it was great. We had some guys go down, but we had some other guys step up. You love to see that, but you hate to see guys go down, especially some of the key guys. But to be able to see guys step up like that, makes more trust for those other guys. When someone goes down, when you have trust for your teammate, that just makes everything just go a lot smoother."

… on putting a full, 60-minute performance:
"Against a team like this -- even though the season may not be going for them like they would like it to… for us, to come out like that for a full 60 minutes and play the way we did, that's adds a lot of confidence, especially going to next week's game with a really good team."

WVU running back Jaheim White…

… on the WVU run game clicking:
"It starts with the offensive line. They open it up for us. All week at practice for the past week or two, Coach Scott has been telling us that we have to worry about the safeties. The box is taken care of, and it's just one-on-one situation with the safeties, and we just got to win."

Players Mentioned

Kobe Hylton

Da'Wain Lofton

Jeff Roberson

De’Zhaun Stribling

Preston Wilson

Oklahoma State University Athletics