OSU-Houston Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma State interim head coach Doug Meacham
Opening Statement
"We came out early and hit some plays, were moving the ball and doing some things well… There was a point in the game where you thought 'This is going to be the one,' and then we had a collection of things occur… A bad snap, a penalty, offsides, pass interference and it just kind of spiraled… It's frustrating because I know how much it means to these guys in the locker room, it's not like they're giving up, there are some upset guys in there."

On starting Quarterback Sam Jackson V:
"I know he can play a lot better than that and I knew he would make mistakes, but I don' t know that I've ever taken a receiver at this level and moved him to quarterback in the middle of the season… I know it's a whole lot on Sam, a lot on him… He made some mistakes, a couple of ill-advised throws, a couple of reads that were incorrect, but he functioned at times like we wanted him to… When you haven't played quarterback in two years, it's hard."

On shirtless guys in crowd:
"I want to say how awesome it was… I don't know who those kids were up there with their shirts off, but it was awesome… It was phenomenal because it's human nature to pout and go home when things aren't going the way you hoped, our guys definitely felt it and you don't see that too often… I appreciate our students hanging in there with us and giving us something to play for."

On quarterback Noah Walters throwing a touchdown:
"It's pretty cool. He was just a guy on the street at Central Florida and wasn't even on the team… I guess he got left out somehow, but he's played a lot of football, he's an older kid and he's been in the system for a while now… It was great to see (him throw a touchdown), obviously it was a great play by Gavin Freeman and it might be something to build on."

Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Clint Bowen
On what needs to be focused on in the future:
"I think our kids are coming together. The absolute number one thing we need to work on, we are not a good fundamental football team. You know, I will go to the old Aristotle quote, 'We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit.' And we haven't gotten that. I have spent more time these past two weeks talking about stamps, first step, pad level, than I ever have in the history of being a Power Four football coach. I mean, we just do not play well fundamentally. I keep telling our guys, you can't do all the stuff you want to do until you learn how to play this game at a very efficient body control, very efficient first step, very efficient eye control, very efficient fundamental level. It really doesn't matter. That's what keeps happening to us. We're in situations and fundamentals keep us from making plays."

On the growth of Mordecai McDaniel:
"Mordecai is a real guy. He's a big physical kid. He's got good length to him, and he's a strong kid. He has really good instincts in terms of seeing things and pulling the trigger and reacting. Mordecai is a really good football player. You know, he really has a total skill set. He has been a positive to the team."

On the missed fundamental aspects of the game:
"To me, it's smaller than that. It's when you move efficiently, you don't hop, you hop, you fly, you have two feet in the air, you can't change directions. Birds, insects and airplanes can change direction; they are not football players. So when you're hopping around, you are not in a position to change direction. It's learning how to move your body without raising your arms; it is everything. We need to go to a very basic level about how to play this game, and luckily, our kids are buying in, and they are going to get there. Our Thursday practice was a lot better than the previous Thursday. So as long as they keep hanging in there and growing, we'll get these kids to play in the way that they want to be able to play, the way that you are expected to play at this level."

Oklahoma State safety Mordecai McDaniel
On the fundamentals:
"It is just being detailed. When it comes down to game time, you can practice it all you want, but when it shows up on the field, you have to be able to execute the call and get back to our fundamentals. Don't panic. Nothing that they did was something we had never seen before. So it's just about getting back to our fundamentals and playing our game."

On the roster changes and coaching changes:
"This isn't my first go-around with coaches being fired and everybody having to stick together. I learned through all of that, that our players and the team have to stay accountable for each other, and we have to play for each other. The worst has already happened. We lost a head coach and a defensive coordinator, that's what it is. I don't have a problem playing for my buddies, even with a new defensive coordinator. He looks like he cares, and the other coaches care. They care for our future. They are willing to fight the fight too."

On correcting things in the game:
"Yeah, as long as we keep chipping away. We need to execute everything. We can't keep leaving the little things out there because the little things can be another first down or six more points. We need to be on top of it all, the whole game. The offense gave a lot of fight. They turned me up."

On Sam Jackson V:
"I've been following Sam's journey since before he got over here. When I figured out he was a receiver, I was shocked. I thought he was a good quarterback, too. But, he got to show his athleticism from switching from receiver to quarterback. There aren't many people who can do that and execute the plays out there. So kudos to Sam."

Oklahoma State outside linebacker Malik Charles
On the game and his performance:
"Obviously, it's disappointing we didn't win. I feel like as a defense, at times we played really good and at times we didn't play up to our standard, which is okay. But that's stuff we have to work on. Personally, I feel like I had an alright game. I'd rather us win than me have really good stats. But it was an alright game for me."

On how the team is improving week-after-week:
"I feel like every week we are getting closer and closer together. Now it's just about playing complementary football at this point. Just putting all of the pieces together. And I think we're getting closer and closer to that goal."

On the group of shirtless fans:
"I saw it at first with the one or two guys up there, then it was three. I put my helmet on and was about to go on the field, and the next thing I know, it's (the videoboard) is saying world record, and I was like, 'Man there's a lot of people up there!' It's honestly really cool, it's nice to know that we still have a lot of supporters and a lot of people that come out and love Cowboy Football."

On what it means to be a part of the team still:
"It's the pride. Everybody that is still here is still fighting for the name on the front of the jersey and the name on the back. The people here are really prideful of this university, and the least we can do for them is fight, even if the result isn't a W. I want to step on the field making sure that everybody knows we gave our all out there."

OSU quarterback Sam Jackson V
On his preparation for playing quarterback:
"When I got the call, I immediately went in that day and worked on cadence, the code to the offensive line and just talked about playing the position because it's the hardest position to play on short notice. Even though I did it before, it had been a couple of years since then, but it was definitely a great week. All the guys in the quarterback room helped me out pretty well. Coach Johns and the other quarterbacks were pretty supportive of everything so it was easy to adjust to that."

On the mistakes in the game:
"Most of that came from me, with the fumbled snaps and 4th-and-1. I think everything started with me. Just being louder with the guys and knowing what to say to the offensive line. There's really no excuse for that. That's what they prepared me for so I just have to go in and execute."

On getting in-game experience:
"I think that reps in the game are the most important thing because practice is the closest thing you can get to the game, but we can't go tackle each other and put ourselves in bad situations when we have a game in three days. So in-game reps are the best reps."

OSU running back Rodney Fields Jr.
On pressure to make the catch on the first touchdown:
"There really wasn't any, from running the play multiple times, so I felt comfortable with the play. The throw didn't come from a QB so it's not the expectation for the ball to get down the field, so part of me having to come back for the ball is just a part of making the play."

On his excitement from the touchdown:
"That's how we seen the play on film and we just started with a great play so I was very excited"

On his cousin LaDanian Fields:
"He's been growing a lot and I tell him every week that he's been improving and when he gets his time he'll go out there and do his thing. Him finally getting up there and playing is amazing to me and a great feeling for myself and for my family."

Houston head coach Willie Fritz
Opening Statement
"I tip my hat to Oklahoma State — that's a tough situation they're in. They play hard, they're down on quarterbacks, they've got an interim head coach… they took a bunch of chances, (with) that first score they had. I thought they did a great job of playing their tails off and staying in the ball game. And then the second half, I thought we converted a bunch on second and third downs, (we) had some big plays mixed in there, (kicker) Ethan Sanchez hit them all. He did a good job of converting so we got points. I didn't think we tackled well early, but I thought second quarter, third quarter, we tackled pretty darn well, so we'll take it. I told the guys in there, 'It's hard to win, the opponent's trying to win too' — I'm at least happy about the fact that we got out of here with a convincing win."

On the momentum shift before halftime:
"I think it's huge. Obviously we were receiving the ball to begin the second half, and I think we got a field goal out of that. It gave us a bunch of momentum. Heck of a catch by Dean Connors, heck of a catch by Harvey Broussard, so there's some big plays by the receivers. We've seen Harvey do this in practice — hasn't had very many opportunities in games. And I'm proud of him, he persevered and had toughness."

On bouncing back from last week's loss:
"We had to get started with the game. There were a few big plays that they converted on. I think in that first drive we had them on third-and-long, and they converted and they scored it. It was a long week, we didn't play well the week before. It's great that we had an opportunity to come out and play better. I still don't think we played great and the guys probably agree with me, (but) at times we played very efficiently."

On what winning on the road meant to him:
"I keep telling these guys over and over again, 'You get 12 of these opportunities guaranteed — that's it. You work 350-355 days a year for these 12 opportunities so you got to put everything into each week that you possibly can.' And I feel like we're getting more and more guys doing that."

On the offensive performance today:
"We had some explosive plays today. I think we had close to 500 yards of total offense, I think we ran the ball effectively. I say it all the time, but if you can run the ball effectively, it really opens up the pass game and you saw that today."

Houston quarterback Connor Weigman
On the offense's rhythm throughout the game:
"I mean, I guess it comes down to execution. We were executing, and it's about energy and effort to start the play. I mean, we've got to strain and we've got to play hard, and that's what we did and that's what happens when you play hard."

On communicating with the offense every drive:
"I always like to stay engaged with my guys, go over and talk to the O-line, the receivers, running backs, just in between drives. I feel like it was an important drive — every drive's important, that's what I tell them when we're in practice, when we're in meetings. Every time we touch the ball, we get points on the board. That's the great recipe for success and if we do that, we're gonna win a lot of ball games."

On entering the second half of the season:
"Like you said, 5-1 is always good, but it's one week at a time and like I said earlier, every week is a ton of season and we've got to attack that week with everything we've got and don't worry about what's coming down the line. It's just that game each and every Saturday, and let's go get things done."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Malik Charles

Rodney Fields Jr.

Gavin Freeman

Sam Jackson V

Mordecai McDaniel

Noah Walters

Related Videos