Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Gundy, Cowboys Talk Road Trip to Colorado
November 25, 2024 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Head coach Mike Gundy and several players met with the media Monday in Stillwater to preview Oklahoma State's road game at Colorado. Here are some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the keys against Colorado:
"You've got to control (Shedeur Sanders). You've got to know where Travis Hunter is and you've got to somehow get your hands on (Sanders) and make him move his feet and not let him get comfortable, because he's a really good player. His improvement over three years has been pretty impressive. Obviously, he's very talented, very athletic and competitive, but his ability to improve each year from three years ago has been pretty impressive. You've got to be aware of him and you've got to know where Travis hunter is. Offensively, we need to rush the ball for 4.5 (yards) per carry or more and we have to be able to use our play-action passing game to get big plays."
On preparing for Colorado standout Travis Hunter:
"He's arguably the best player in the country at what he does. He's at 135 or 140 snaps a game, which is somewhat unheard of. He's different from the standpoint that he has great endurance and he has a skillset that is through the roof. His ability to leap and maneuver his body to make catches or tip the ball and make plays. He has vision and a football IQ that allows him to slow the game down and play much faster than everybody else."
On Maealiuaki Smith's performance:
"I think all of it surprised me, just because you don't ever know until you put them out there and let them play. That position is just different until they get out there and they play the whole game, and they feel like nobody's looking over their shoulder. You never know how they're going to react, but I thought he had a lot of poise and played with confidence."
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"We've liked him since August. He took more hits from August until now than anybody in our organization because he was getting lots of reps with the threes and the young guys, then we'd bump him up and get him some work with the twos, and they'd hit him and hit him and hit him. We've liked him for five months. We just felt like we had backs that could support Ollie (Gordon II) and there wasn't any reason to burn a year on him, so that's why we held him back up to this point. I think he's got a very promising future."
Wide Receiver Brennan Presley
On Maealiuaki Smith's composure in his first start:
"It's really rare and it was good to see… Was he a little nervous? Probably. I mean, everybody's kind of nervous, but when he got out there, he was just super calm, super cool. (Nothing) didn't really seem to phase him. He just kind of went out there and took the game by storm and dictated things."
On ending his OSU career with a win:
"It'd mean a lot. You don't play the game to lose, so going up there and winning is the number one priority. We can play only how we know how to play… We want to go up there and win, but at the end of the day, it's about going out there and giving your best effort."
Running Back Ollie Gordon II
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"I can't wait to see what he turns into. I know it'll be something huge and I'm very proud of him… You could just tell he wasn't like a typical freshman. He came in, he was studying the plays, looking over stuff, asking us questions."
On De'Zhaun Stribling's big game against Texas Tech:
"Even last year when he was hurt, he was still around the program being huge, being a leader. I feel like Strib has shown a lot of us a lot of things, and he's a great leader, a great guy. He's a guy you want on your team, he's a hard worker."
Linebacker Jeff Roberson
On his takeaways from the Texas Tech game:
"Every game, you can go out and correct the things you did before. I think we're getting to where we stopped the run a little bit better last game. We still need to get off the field on third down. We just need to keep moving forward in what we're doing, and I think it's going to come."
On his mentality moving forward:
"We're going to do everything (to improve), including myself. I'm going to work extremely hard and I'm going to push the guys around me to beyond measures that we ever have. That's what we have to do. Good things happen to people that work hard."
Defensive End Obi Ezeigbo
On what he's seen from the Colorado offense:
"They are athletes, and I think what they try to do is space them out in the field so they can make plays. What we've got to do as a defense is crowd to the ball. All 11 hats to the ball, 24/7. Violence and effort will solve anything no matter who's out there, no matter who's playing."
On areas of emphasis this week:
"We've just got to finish. Get to the quarterback in time, defend, cover, get a (pass breakup), make a play. That's what third downs are for. You make a play on third down and we'll get off the field. That's what it is, we just got to finish."
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the keys against Colorado:
"You've got to control (Shedeur Sanders). You've got to know where Travis Hunter is and you've got to somehow get your hands on (Sanders) and make him move his feet and not let him get comfortable, because he's a really good player. His improvement over three years has been pretty impressive. Obviously, he's very talented, very athletic and competitive, but his ability to improve each year from three years ago has been pretty impressive. You've got to be aware of him and you've got to know where Travis hunter is. Offensively, we need to rush the ball for 4.5 (yards) per carry or more and we have to be able to use our play-action passing game to get big plays."
On preparing for Colorado standout Travis Hunter:
"He's arguably the best player in the country at what he does. He's at 135 or 140 snaps a game, which is somewhat unheard of. He's different from the standpoint that he has great endurance and he has a skillset that is through the roof. His ability to leap and maneuver his body to make catches or tip the ball and make plays. He has vision and a football IQ that allows him to slow the game down and play much faster than everybody else."
On Maealiuaki Smith's performance:
"I think all of it surprised me, just because you don't ever know until you put them out there and let them play. That position is just different until they get out there and they play the whole game, and they feel like nobody's looking over their shoulder. You never know how they're going to react, but I thought he had a lot of poise and played with confidence."
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"We've liked him since August. He took more hits from August until now than anybody in our organization because he was getting lots of reps with the threes and the young guys, then we'd bump him up and get him some work with the twos, and they'd hit him and hit him and hit him. We've liked him for five months. We just felt like we had backs that could support Ollie (Gordon II) and there wasn't any reason to burn a year on him, so that's why we held him back up to this point. I think he's got a very promising future."
Wide Receiver Brennan Presley
On Maealiuaki Smith's composure in his first start:
"It's really rare and it was good to see… Was he a little nervous? Probably. I mean, everybody's kind of nervous, but when he got out there, he was just super calm, super cool. (Nothing) didn't really seem to phase him. He just kind of went out there and took the game by storm and dictated things."
On ending his OSU career with a win:
"It'd mean a lot. You don't play the game to lose, so going up there and winning is the number one priority. We can play only how we know how to play… We want to go up there and win, but at the end of the day, it's about going out there and giving your best effort."
Running Back Ollie Gordon II
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"I can't wait to see what he turns into. I know it'll be something huge and I'm very proud of him… You could just tell he wasn't like a typical freshman. He came in, he was studying the plays, looking over stuff, asking us questions."
On De'Zhaun Stribling's big game against Texas Tech:
"Even last year when he was hurt, he was still around the program being huge, being a leader. I feel like Strib has shown a lot of us a lot of things, and he's a great leader, a great guy. He's a guy you want on your team, he's a hard worker."
Linebacker Jeff Roberson
On his takeaways from the Texas Tech game:
"Every game, you can go out and correct the things you did before. I think we're getting to where we stopped the run a little bit better last game. We still need to get off the field on third down. We just need to keep moving forward in what we're doing, and I think it's going to come."
On his mentality moving forward:
"We're going to do everything (to improve), including myself. I'm going to work extremely hard and I'm going to push the guys around me to beyond measures that we ever have. That's what we have to do. Good things happen to people that work hard."
Defensive End Obi Ezeigbo
On what he's seen from the Colorado offense:
"They are athletes, and I think what they try to do is space them out in the field so they can make plays. What we've got to do as a defense is crowd to the ball. All 11 hats to the ball, 24/7. Violence and effort will solve anything no matter who's out there, no matter who's playing."
On areas of emphasis this week:
"We've just got to finish. Get to the quarterback in time, defend, cover, get a (pass breakup), make a play. That's what third downs are for. You make a play on third down and we'll get off the field. That's what it is, we just got to finish."
Players Mentioned
DE
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RB
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WR
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