Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: OSU Athletics
Gundy, Cowboys Talk Conference Opener Against Utah
September 16, 2024 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Head coach Mike Gundy and several Cowboys met with the media Monday in Stillwater to look back at Oklahoma State's win over Tulsa and preview the conference opener against Utah. Here are some of their comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the win over Tulsa:
"We played better as a team on defense and made a couple of adjustments and fit the run better after the first drive. (We) had some pressure on the quarterback ... We were pretty accurate, obviously. They had one man, there were even times there was two people extra in the box, so we had to throw a lot of passes and just keep moving forward. (We) tackled pretty good in the game. So, we need to try to get a little bit better each week."
On the matchup with Utah:
"It is (big), but they're all big, right? That's the good thing about college football, every game matters. You try to do the best you can, it's week-to-week, but we're playing a very good football team. (A) very sound football team that plays physical, tough football, so it'll be a real challenge for us this week. Obviously, looking forward to playing the game."
On the Utah offense:
"They do a good job playing with two tight ends. They like to play action out of it. They like to run misdirection, get the quarterback on the perimeter. They're good at rushing the ball. They block well. They've been good at what they've done for a number of years and they don't get out of their box much. They stay the course pretty much with what they've done for quite a while."
On if he anticipated Josh Ford's quick acclimation to the college level:
"I thought there was a chance just watching him in high school for three years, knowing his background and his demeanor. Then, when he came in early and we watched him train in the weight room, just running and practice and being physical in the spring, we had discussions about him as a group. My comment then was that if he can withstand the physicality through the month of August and learn to play to the speed of this level, then he'll get on the field and be playing games. So far, that's what's taking place."
On Alan Bowman's improvements since last season:
"He's not flushing the pocket with protection. Last year, he flushed the pocket several times when he had good protection. If you flush the pocket when you have good protection, that means the guys on the other side of the offensive line are going to run and get you really fast. This year, he's improved on sitting in the pocket and allowing our guys to protect him. Up to this point, our protection has been very good. We'll know a lot more about our protection after this game on Saturday, because we're playing a high-level team that's got strong, physical guys inside."
Wide Receiver Talyn Shettron
On his breakout game against Tulsa:
"Through all the injuries, I've always been just waiting for my moment. I'm glad I was able to have a nice little breakout game and hopefully there is more to come… It was pretty crazy, all my friends and all my family sending me all the pictures, sending me the touchdown, telling me congrats. I loved it, I'm very appreciative for everyone to text me."
On keys to the Utah game:
"They're physical. They play hard. They're going to try to beat us up. Try to come out here, come into our stadium and out physical us. We have to make sure we're ready to be physical."
Offensive Lineman Joe Michalski
On his evaluation of the offensive line thus far:
"I feel like we're blocking the pass really well. We haven't had a lot of times where (Alan) Bowman felt pressure or rushed to throw the ball. It's been good, we're passing the ball well. Obviously, we need to pick it up a little in the run game. Our blocks need to be better. We need to be more vertical and not get stretched as much laterally. Just one of those things where we just got to keep coming in every day, watching film, practicing and just getting better. I have no doubt that we'll pick right back up where we were."
On what he sees from Utah:
"Their interior d-linemen are really good, they're explosive. One of them is a pretty veteran guy and they have a good linebacker who plays downhill, fits things really well, he's good at shedding blocks. They kind of remind me of us. They're a very physical team, they pride themselves on being physical and they all swarm to the ball."
Safety Trey Rucker
On the challenges Utah's offense presents:
"We just got to lock in on our eyes this week and make sure we look at the right assignment, because that's when all their trickery stuff comes in. They try to get us, put us to sleep and hope we have bad eyes. If their tight ends get leaked down the field or if the running back leaks down the field, we can get in trouble. As long as we have good eye discipline this game, we should be there."
On the team's chemistry after three games:
"We're ready for anybody that comes across our way right now. The way our chemistry is and the way we've been playing shows that. And we're doing better every day."
Defensive Lineman Justin Kirkland
On how he's improved since this time last year:
"I've now been in it for a year, kind of know what's going to happen. Really being able to pick up little things that I need to do better like better footwork, better hands, better eyes, stuff like that, whereas last year it was like a deer in the headlights… There're no more excuses being a first-year guy."
On playing without Collin Oliver:
"He's a big factor of our team, not only on the field but off the field (too). We're on the sideline, he's the one hyping everybody up, talking. He's kind of a glue guy, so he hasn't really stepped down from that role. He's texting us every day… It was a big impact not having him there, but he's still around and in everything."
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the win over Tulsa:
"We played better as a team on defense and made a couple of adjustments and fit the run better after the first drive. (We) had some pressure on the quarterback ... We were pretty accurate, obviously. They had one man, there were even times there was two people extra in the box, so we had to throw a lot of passes and just keep moving forward. (We) tackled pretty good in the game. So, we need to try to get a little bit better each week."
On the matchup with Utah:
"It is (big), but they're all big, right? That's the good thing about college football, every game matters. You try to do the best you can, it's week-to-week, but we're playing a very good football team. (A) very sound football team that plays physical, tough football, so it'll be a real challenge for us this week. Obviously, looking forward to playing the game."
On the Utah offense:
"They do a good job playing with two tight ends. They like to play action out of it. They like to run misdirection, get the quarterback on the perimeter. They're good at rushing the ball. They block well. They've been good at what they've done for a number of years and they don't get out of their box much. They stay the course pretty much with what they've done for quite a while."
On if he anticipated Josh Ford's quick acclimation to the college level:
"I thought there was a chance just watching him in high school for three years, knowing his background and his demeanor. Then, when he came in early and we watched him train in the weight room, just running and practice and being physical in the spring, we had discussions about him as a group. My comment then was that if he can withstand the physicality through the month of August and learn to play to the speed of this level, then he'll get on the field and be playing games. So far, that's what's taking place."
On Alan Bowman's improvements since last season:
"He's not flushing the pocket with protection. Last year, he flushed the pocket several times when he had good protection. If you flush the pocket when you have good protection, that means the guys on the other side of the offensive line are going to run and get you really fast. This year, he's improved on sitting in the pocket and allowing our guys to protect him. Up to this point, our protection has been very good. We'll know a lot more about our protection after this game on Saturday, because we're playing a high-level team that's got strong, physical guys inside."
Wide Receiver Talyn Shettron
On his breakout game against Tulsa:
"Through all the injuries, I've always been just waiting for my moment. I'm glad I was able to have a nice little breakout game and hopefully there is more to come… It was pretty crazy, all my friends and all my family sending me all the pictures, sending me the touchdown, telling me congrats. I loved it, I'm very appreciative for everyone to text me."
On keys to the Utah game:
"They're physical. They play hard. They're going to try to beat us up. Try to come out here, come into our stadium and out physical us. We have to make sure we're ready to be physical."
Offensive Lineman Joe Michalski
On his evaluation of the offensive line thus far:
"I feel like we're blocking the pass really well. We haven't had a lot of times where (Alan) Bowman felt pressure or rushed to throw the ball. It's been good, we're passing the ball well. Obviously, we need to pick it up a little in the run game. Our blocks need to be better. We need to be more vertical and not get stretched as much laterally. Just one of those things where we just got to keep coming in every day, watching film, practicing and just getting better. I have no doubt that we'll pick right back up where we were."
On what he sees from Utah:
"Their interior d-linemen are really good, they're explosive. One of them is a pretty veteran guy and they have a good linebacker who plays downhill, fits things really well, he's good at shedding blocks. They kind of remind me of us. They're a very physical team, they pride themselves on being physical and they all swarm to the ball."
Safety Trey Rucker
On the challenges Utah's offense presents:
"We just got to lock in on our eyes this week and make sure we look at the right assignment, because that's when all their trickery stuff comes in. They try to get us, put us to sleep and hope we have bad eyes. If their tight ends get leaked down the field or if the running back leaks down the field, we can get in trouble. As long as we have good eye discipline this game, we should be there."
On the team's chemistry after three games:
"We're ready for anybody that comes across our way right now. The way our chemistry is and the way we've been playing shows that. And we're doing better every day."
Defensive Lineman Justin Kirkland
On how he's improved since this time last year:
"I've now been in it for a year, kind of know what's going to happen. Really being able to pick up little things that I need to do better like better footwork, better hands, better eyes, stuff like that, whereas last year it was like a deer in the headlights… There're no more excuses being a first-year guy."
On playing without Collin Oliver:
"He's a big factor of our team, not only on the field but off the field (too). We're on the sideline, he's the one hyping everybody up, talking. He's kind of a glue guy, so he hasn't really stepped down from that role. He's texting us every day… It was a big impact not having him there, but he's still around and in everything."
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Cowboy Football
TE
/ Cowboy Football
NT
/ Cowboy Football
OL
/ Cowboy Football
LB
/ Cowboy Football
S
/ Cowboy Football
WR
/ Cowboy FootballTuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
