Oklahoma State University Athletics
Saturday, October 25
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Texas Tech
Meacham, players meet with media ahead of road test at Texas Tech
October 20, 2025 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State interim head coach Doug Meacham and several players met with the media ahead of Saturday's road matchup against Texas Tech. Some of their comments:
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
On the QB situation and Sam Jackson V:
"So, to answer that question, I don't know yet. I know that [Zane] has come a long way, and we'll know a little more about that part when we get through practice. There's nothing that says it can't be a two-quarterback platoon situation. It could be Zane all the way or it could be Sam all the way, we have to figure that out. [Sam] made some great wild plays and he's really good with his legs. At the same time, he made a couple mistakes that were pretty catastrophic. I think overall his circumstance, there's probably not a whole lot of guys that can do what he's done, coming from receiver to quarterback. I'd like to see who that is, in this entire country come out and perform at that kind of level coming in as a receiver for two years. We just got a limit a couple little things. He took his eye off a snap, the pick six, I don't know that was a phenomenal route. The receiver was a little bit lazy at the top of the route, maybe a little bit late. He had a couple things in there that weren't good, but for the most part, you got to admire what he's done within the limited amount of time at a position where there's not an eye in the stadium or on other sideline that isn't on you every snap."
On Sam Jackson's arm:
"He's made some wild throws. It comes out at a rate I haven't seen too many guys that can trigger the ball like that. If you notice the flight of the ball, the rotation of it, it's tight, it's light, it's lot of rotations on that ball. It probably has something to do with this hand size. He's an accurate thrower, just like anything, though if you hadn't done something in a while, you're going to have moments where it's not great. One of the throws I have seen was a comeback route. We ran a trick play where he was a receiver, and we hand it to him, where he reversed out and threw a comeback coming out of our own side. That was a great throw. I think he's just going to get better, more confident, and I think the team sees the caliber player he's developed into."
On Texas Tech:
"They're ninth in the country in total defense, number one in the country in rush defense with 62 yards per game. But if you think about Tech's offense, they are number one in the country in total offense, they are number one, but they are minus a quarterback potentially, but we definitely have our work cut out for us."
On Texas Tech's defense:
"If you think about, they're defense it's their two defensive ends, Romelo Height and David Bailey. Bailey has about 11 sacks and the other kid has around five, so that's an issue because now you have to chip and do things with backs and tight ends. Now, when your throwing passes you don't have the stretch horizontally that you want because those guys have to chip to get out late or get eaten up by the defensive ends. Anytime you can put pressure on the quarterback and not have to blitz, that's why those guys make all the money in the NFL. If you have an edge guy that you have to chip, double, and don't have to blitz and you can leave seven guys in coverage, that's why those guys are so valuable, and they have two of them. I think [Bailey] was the number one portal guy in the nation, coming out of Stanford. He's a hard charger, he's got some strength, girth to him. The linebacker Jacob Rodroguez leads the team in tackles and has two interceptions, and then another corner has got around three or four picks. The thing you notice about them is their relentless pursuit to the football, they fly to the football. They are well coached, I know coach McGuire is a defensive guy, and they are really good on defense."
On Jakobe Sanders:
"He's a super strong kid, he's a little bit undersized in terms of height, but he went out there and battled and did a good job. It's the same thing that you tell all the backup players, you're an ankle or a shoulder away from being in the game, so you have to prepare like you're a starter. For a young kid, it's hard to maintain that type of focus when you know there's a good chance you're probably not going to play, but at the same time you better be prepared when it does occur. He was ready to go, so good job by the coaches to get their guys prepared."
On the offensive line unit as a whole:
"Well, we lost the left tackle and we switched Nuku (Mafi) over. When you start the season, you'd prefer those five to stay in the same position and keep the same five as best as you can, just with the communication and everything. When you work next to someone for long enough, you get good as a tandem, and that's either way if you're a guard or a tackle. I know when I played, there wasn't a whole lot of substitutions up front, you want that to be cohesive. We've had to juggle it around a little bit, and they've still performed pretty well, so really pleased with those guys. I think in terms of a unit, there's five of them and they've held their own pretty well."
On what the offensive line's performance says about the coaches:
"They do a good job, they're very thorough, they work hard in practice. Coming out at practice to watch the individual periods, and they're working fundamentals. They're going the same time as special teams is going, and special teams goes for about 20-25 minutes. So, they get a bunch of individual time, a lot of instruction and a lot of technique work. Those guys do a really good job."
On if Grant Seagren has surprised them at all:
"Yeah, obviously he's got the size you're looking for. He's a legit six-foot-six, most of the time when you here six-foot-six, six-foot-seven, they're really six-foot-five and some change. He may be actually six-foot-six. He's super athletic, being a tight end prior to being moved to the offensive line. He's got very limited experience on the offensive line then all of a sudden, you're making your first start at Oregon. He did really well, and he's been a really consistent player. He's very athletic, he's got some good length and he's only going to get better. He really cares, he listens, he takes notes, he wants to get better. He's a kid that is probably going to be a draft guy. I know we're way ahead of ourselves here, but he's got the intangibles, the size and the length, all of the things that everybody is looking for."
On what went into the decision to change play calling duties:
"I didn't feel like those guys were getting my best because of the mental aspect of it all. You're dealing with 100-something players, and trying to figure out if I should do this, or should do that, etc. There's a lot of mental gymnastics in that. I don't think I was doing a very good job in terms of giving them my best, and those guys are fighting for themselves in terms of their career. So, I just unplugged myself and said you guys can go make this what you want moving forward, and they did that. I just felt like I wasn't completely dialed in with everything. It wasn't the physical workload, it's just the mental workload. I felt distracted and felt like to give our offense the best opportunity, it was just a really good fit."
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"He played pretty well, and he was hitting gears this last weekend that I hadn't seen him do before. That's the best I've seen him look, he looked good. The one that he took around the right edge, he was rolling. He looked like he had some pop to him. He's healthy, finally, and he looked fresh, he looked good. He's so compact and he's good in short space, he's got great short space speed and twitchiness, and he can get small. He's kind of a shorter guy so you can't locate him as well, because he can jump in and out of the cuts. He's going to be a really good player in the future, and I'm really pleased with how he played last week and how he battled. He was physical, and he finished hard at the end of those runs too."
Defensive back Landyn Cleveland
On playing with teammates Eric Fletcher and LaDanian Fields:
"It was great, I love having LaDanian and Eric out there. All through fall camp, we were with the twos, so we know how to communicate with each other because we built chemistry throughout the fall. Having them out there with me is great, it's like a family experience."
On his decision to stay at OSU:
"Last year, I was a true freshman, and I played, but I didn't really play how I wanted to. So, this year, it was like I could really go show everybody that this is my time and that this is what Landyn Cleveland can do. We had the chance to get in the [transfer] portal and to redshirt, but I felt like 'why do that when I have seven more games to go play football?' and I know I can go out there and play. So, I didn't see a point in [entering the transfer portal.]"
On taking on a leadership role:
"I try to be a leader; I try to be more vocal now, because I know that as a team, we have a leader, but we need everybody to be a leader in some capacity. On the back end, I'm trying to make sure we're all on the same page, we're all talking, we're all being held to the same standard. But I do try to be a leader."
Offensive lineman Jakobe Sanders
On being able to play in Stillwater, his hometown:
"It's everything. I don't know any Stillwater kid who doesn't dream of starting a homecoming game and being able to play. To have that happen, and for that to be my first collegiate start, it was a dream come true."
On OSU's offensive line coaches:
"It's probably the most unique o-line coaching staff in the country. To have three former players, they know exactly what you're going through. They each have different insight to the game and the way they combine it together, they're all on the same page."
On how the offensive line builds confidence:
"Going out there and seeing the rushing yards and how we're doing out there, it just gives us more and more confidence. Coach Mitchell and Coach Bassett give us tips on what we need to work on each week and how to get better. But there's nothing better than just going out there and playing, seeing how you do."
Linebacker Brandon Rawls
On what halftime adjustments were made:
"We beat ourselves in the first half. We had a lot of missed gaps. When we came in Coach Bowen told us to settle in, do what we're taught. Go back to the fundamentals and stick to the level of our training."
On interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen and his passion for football:
"I love Coach Bowen, he's big on fundamental football, tackling, running to the ball, effort, the three things you can control… He demands effort every day. He's a super big football guy. The day before the game he said he barely slept."
On what it meant to see the crowd for the homecoming game:
"Just how loyal and true the fan base really is to us, how much this town loves us. Coming out even in the first quarter, and seeing how packed it was, how everybody was there rooting us on… it's uplifting to see. I love seeing the crowd, coming out and all the black and orange, shows that we have something to fight for."
Punter Wes Pahl
On how he has been working on the shorter-distance punts:
"The pooch punt is what we call it. I've been putting a lot of work in. I've learned a lot over the years. Just getting better. I've been trying to master that part of the game."
On special teams coach Sean Snyder:
"He's helped me a lot, the past year and a half, he's been there making me a better punter, more consistent punter, trying to maximize my potential."
On if he is worried about the wind:
"Our stadium gets pretty swirly here. It was pretty swirly on Saturday. Every day, in practice, we train in the wind, so you just prepare for these circumstances in the variables you have to deal with as a punter."
On team moral in the locker room:
"We've stayed together pretty well as a team and I'm just going out each day having fun, making the most of what we can right now."
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
On the QB situation and Sam Jackson V:
"So, to answer that question, I don't know yet. I know that [Zane] has come a long way, and we'll know a little more about that part when we get through practice. There's nothing that says it can't be a two-quarterback platoon situation. It could be Zane all the way or it could be Sam all the way, we have to figure that out. [Sam] made some great wild plays and he's really good with his legs. At the same time, he made a couple mistakes that were pretty catastrophic. I think overall his circumstance, there's probably not a whole lot of guys that can do what he's done, coming from receiver to quarterback. I'd like to see who that is, in this entire country come out and perform at that kind of level coming in as a receiver for two years. We just got a limit a couple little things. He took his eye off a snap, the pick six, I don't know that was a phenomenal route. The receiver was a little bit lazy at the top of the route, maybe a little bit late. He had a couple things in there that weren't good, but for the most part, you got to admire what he's done within the limited amount of time at a position where there's not an eye in the stadium or on other sideline that isn't on you every snap."
On Sam Jackson's arm:
"He's made some wild throws. It comes out at a rate I haven't seen too many guys that can trigger the ball like that. If you notice the flight of the ball, the rotation of it, it's tight, it's light, it's lot of rotations on that ball. It probably has something to do with this hand size. He's an accurate thrower, just like anything, though if you hadn't done something in a while, you're going to have moments where it's not great. One of the throws I have seen was a comeback route. We ran a trick play where he was a receiver, and we hand it to him, where he reversed out and threw a comeback coming out of our own side. That was a great throw. I think he's just going to get better, more confident, and I think the team sees the caliber player he's developed into."
On Texas Tech:
"They're ninth in the country in total defense, number one in the country in rush defense with 62 yards per game. But if you think about Tech's offense, they are number one in the country in total offense, they are number one, but they are minus a quarterback potentially, but we definitely have our work cut out for us."
On Texas Tech's defense:
"If you think about, they're defense it's their two defensive ends, Romelo Height and David Bailey. Bailey has about 11 sacks and the other kid has around five, so that's an issue because now you have to chip and do things with backs and tight ends. Now, when your throwing passes you don't have the stretch horizontally that you want because those guys have to chip to get out late or get eaten up by the defensive ends. Anytime you can put pressure on the quarterback and not have to blitz, that's why those guys make all the money in the NFL. If you have an edge guy that you have to chip, double, and don't have to blitz and you can leave seven guys in coverage, that's why those guys are so valuable, and they have two of them. I think [Bailey] was the number one portal guy in the nation, coming out of Stanford. He's a hard charger, he's got some strength, girth to him. The linebacker Jacob Rodroguez leads the team in tackles and has two interceptions, and then another corner has got around three or four picks. The thing you notice about them is their relentless pursuit to the football, they fly to the football. They are well coached, I know coach McGuire is a defensive guy, and they are really good on defense."
On Jakobe Sanders:
"He's a super strong kid, he's a little bit undersized in terms of height, but he went out there and battled and did a good job. It's the same thing that you tell all the backup players, you're an ankle or a shoulder away from being in the game, so you have to prepare like you're a starter. For a young kid, it's hard to maintain that type of focus when you know there's a good chance you're probably not going to play, but at the same time you better be prepared when it does occur. He was ready to go, so good job by the coaches to get their guys prepared."
On the offensive line unit as a whole:
"Well, we lost the left tackle and we switched Nuku (Mafi) over. When you start the season, you'd prefer those five to stay in the same position and keep the same five as best as you can, just with the communication and everything. When you work next to someone for long enough, you get good as a tandem, and that's either way if you're a guard or a tackle. I know when I played, there wasn't a whole lot of substitutions up front, you want that to be cohesive. We've had to juggle it around a little bit, and they've still performed pretty well, so really pleased with those guys. I think in terms of a unit, there's five of them and they've held their own pretty well."
On what the offensive line's performance says about the coaches:
"They do a good job, they're very thorough, they work hard in practice. Coming out at practice to watch the individual periods, and they're working fundamentals. They're going the same time as special teams is going, and special teams goes for about 20-25 minutes. So, they get a bunch of individual time, a lot of instruction and a lot of technique work. Those guys do a really good job."
On if Grant Seagren has surprised them at all:
"Yeah, obviously he's got the size you're looking for. He's a legit six-foot-six, most of the time when you here six-foot-six, six-foot-seven, they're really six-foot-five and some change. He may be actually six-foot-six. He's super athletic, being a tight end prior to being moved to the offensive line. He's got very limited experience on the offensive line then all of a sudden, you're making your first start at Oregon. He did really well, and he's been a really consistent player. He's very athletic, he's got some good length and he's only going to get better. He really cares, he listens, he takes notes, he wants to get better. He's a kid that is probably going to be a draft guy. I know we're way ahead of ourselves here, but he's got the intangibles, the size and the length, all of the things that everybody is looking for."
On what went into the decision to change play calling duties:
"I didn't feel like those guys were getting my best because of the mental aspect of it all. You're dealing with 100-something players, and trying to figure out if I should do this, or should do that, etc. There's a lot of mental gymnastics in that. I don't think I was doing a very good job in terms of giving them my best, and those guys are fighting for themselves in terms of their career. So, I just unplugged myself and said you guys can go make this what you want moving forward, and they did that. I just felt like I wasn't completely dialed in with everything. It wasn't the physical workload, it's just the mental workload. I felt distracted and felt like to give our offense the best opportunity, it was just a really good fit."
On Rodney Fields Jr.:
"He played pretty well, and he was hitting gears this last weekend that I hadn't seen him do before. That's the best I've seen him look, he looked good. The one that he took around the right edge, he was rolling. He looked like he had some pop to him. He's healthy, finally, and he looked fresh, he looked good. He's so compact and he's good in short space, he's got great short space speed and twitchiness, and he can get small. He's kind of a shorter guy so you can't locate him as well, because he can jump in and out of the cuts. He's going to be a really good player in the future, and I'm really pleased with how he played last week and how he battled. He was physical, and he finished hard at the end of those runs too."
Defensive back Landyn Cleveland
On playing with teammates Eric Fletcher and LaDanian Fields:
"It was great, I love having LaDanian and Eric out there. All through fall camp, we were with the twos, so we know how to communicate with each other because we built chemistry throughout the fall. Having them out there with me is great, it's like a family experience."
On his decision to stay at OSU:
"Last year, I was a true freshman, and I played, but I didn't really play how I wanted to. So, this year, it was like I could really go show everybody that this is my time and that this is what Landyn Cleveland can do. We had the chance to get in the [transfer] portal and to redshirt, but I felt like 'why do that when I have seven more games to go play football?' and I know I can go out there and play. So, I didn't see a point in [entering the transfer portal.]"
On taking on a leadership role:
"I try to be a leader; I try to be more vocal now, because I know that as a team, we have a leader, but we need everybody to be a leader in some capacity. On the back end, I'm trying to make sure we're all on the same page, we're all talking, we're all being held to the same standard. But I do try to be a leader."
Offensive lineman Jakobe Sanders
On being able to play in Stillwater, his hometown:
"It's everything. I don't know any Stillwater kid who doesn't dream of starting a homecoming game and being able to play. To have that happen, and for that to be my first collegiate start, it was a dream come true."
On OSU's offensive line coaches:
"It's probably the most unique o-line coaching staff in the country. To have three former players, they know exactly what you're going through. They each have different insight to the game and the way they combine it together, they're all on the same page."
On how the offensive line builds confidence:
"Going out there and seeing the rushing yards and how we're doing out there, it just gives us more and more confidence. Coach Mitchell and Coach Bassett give us tips on what we need to work on each week and how to get better. But there's nothing better than just going out there and playing, seeing how you do."
Linebacker Brandon Rawls
On what halftime adjustments were made:
"We beat ourselves in the first half. We had a lot of missed gaps. When we came in Coach Bowen told us to settle in, do what we're taught. Go back to the fundamentals and stick to the level of our training."
On interim defensive coordinator Clint Bowen and his passion for football:
"I love Coach Bowen, he's big on fundamental football, tackling, running to the ball, effort, the three things you can control… He demands effort every day. He's a super big football guy. The day before the game he said he barely slept."
On what it meant to see the crowd for the homecoming game:
"Just how loyal and true the fan base really is to us, how much this town loves us. Coming out even in the first quarter, and seeing how packed it was, how everybody was there rooting us on… it's uplifting to see. I love seeing the crowd, coming out and all the black and orange, shows that we have something to fight for."
Punter Wes Pahl
On how he has been working on the shorter-distance punts:
"The pooch punt is what we call it. I've been putting a lot of work in. I've learned a lot over the years. Just getting better. I've been trying to master that part of the game."
On special teams coach Sean Snyder:
"He's helped me a lot, the past year and a half, he's been there making me a better punter, more consistent punter, trying to maximize my potential."
On if he is worried about the wind:
"Our stadium gets pretty swirly here. It was pretty swirly on Saturday. Every day, in practice, we train in the wind, so you just prepare for these circumstances in the variables you have to deal with as a punter."
On team moral in the locker room:
"We've stayed together pretty well as a team and I'm just going out each day having fun, making the most of what we can right now."
Players Mentioned
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WR/QB
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LB
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OL
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OL
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