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Meacham, players preview road contest at Kansas
October 27, 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 Kansas. Some of their comments:
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
Opening Statement:
"For us, we'll just forge ahead and go onto the next one. I feel like defensively, there's some energy over there based on what they did, they did some nice things. They held Texas Tech to its lowest rushing total, and the only other team to hold them under 400 (total) yards was Arizona State. There's some confidence over there and guys want to join in. Plus, we're going to have an infusion of some freshmen, guys who haven't played, who can play in the last four games but can still garner a redshirt. So we'll get five to seven players out there on special teams and helping us out at times offensively and defensively."
On the newcomers that he's excited to see:
"Carl'veon Young, I'd kind of like to see him. (Matrail) Lopez, the receiver. Those two guys are very athletic. Carl'veon was at Carl Albert, and he was a high jumper and an athlete. His brother was, at one point, committed here for basketball, I think. Those two guys are long, athletic, young, and two great kids that I look forward to seeing out there, along with a few others."
On Matrail Lopez's development through fall camp until he got injured:
"Yeah, he looked like a guy who could play and give us some minutes at receiver. I think what we've got to figure out is that inside or outside. He's got that body to where he could kind of do both. He's got a skillset where he could play inside, but he's just long enough to be able to play the outside. I hate that his hand got hurt, but this week is going to be good for him to get out there and get some game time experience."
On the locker room atmosphere after the game:
"I said a few things, and it got a pretty good response back from most of the unit. There's still some juice there, probably as much now as there was two weeks ago, in terms of what I'm looking at. That's a testament to the kinds of kids we have and what kind of jobs the coaches that are here have done for those guys. Just pushing the message that this is adversity, you're going to go through worse in life, and this is going to train you on how to be prepared down the road. How you respond right now is going to mean a lot to everybody who is watching you, and this is how they're going to remember you for a while. I know at halftime Bob Schick stood up and got on some kids and showed some leadership. So, there's good stuff that's happening, the scoreboard doesn't reflect it, but I'm proud of a lot of the guys on the team. It was certainly a pretty good response postgame considering what occurred on the scoreboard."
On Clint Bowen returning to Kansas:
"[Clint] will have half of Lawrence, Kansas, there for him, his wife, his family, everybody. His wife was Ms. Kansas, I believe. I know he's juiced to go back there and take a crack at his alma mater."
On coaching the coaches:
"To some degree. I am in a lot of other stuff, the landscape, and how it is with the players. There's probably a lot more of that going on than me coaching the coaches. I think I am more delegating, here's what I need you to do, go do it, sort of thing. If it's not occurring, then we have a discussion. I don't know how much of that I'm actually doing at this point. I think those guys are doing a great job. If you saw what occurred in the locker room postgame, then you can tell the coaches are doing a good job, in terms of morale, focusing on getting better, forging ahead, practicing hard, all that stuff."
On giving up the play-calling duties:
"I think it was the absolute right thing to do in terms of letting those guys have some control over their future. At the same time, it allowed me to be able to handle things that were detracting from me being able to put together a solid game plan."
On Gavin Freeman:
"I didn't know a lot about him, but I learned a lot about him when I got here. Super tough kid, he has one speed, he's fearless, has good ball skills. You'd like him to be six-foot-two, but he's what you consider a slot to be. That twitchy, punt returner guy that can catch low balls and turn them into big balls. I didn't know a ton about him, but through the course of practicing with him, I got a sense for how tough he was and how hard he practices."
Wide Receiver Gavin Freeman
On the atmosphere of the locker room after the game:
"It's frustrating. Obviously, we don't score any points, and it's not what we want to happen. We need to be better, and just in the locker room, you still try to bring everybody along. You still want to keep your head up and everything, but it just sucks. We got to do our part and we got to get the job done."
On the energy in the locker room:
"We still have the same fight, that's not going to change from week to week. No matter how the game goes, if we lose or win, our effort and our want to play and be behind everybody's back, that's going to be our number one priority, and that's not going to change for sure."
On if Texas Tech was a personal game:
"It's definitely a more personal game for me just because I was committed. The head coach he didn't want me once the new head coach got hired. There's a chip on my shoulder, but I wanted to go and play for my teammates."
On the potential for freshmen to play in the upcoming games:
"I know all the freshmen want to play, and they get four games, so those four games they're going to be higher energy-wise. I hope to see those guys start to get some playing time. I like seeing my boys and my homies play, so it should be fun."
On freshman Matrail Lopez and his potential:
"Before he got hurt, he was making some really good plays in practice and making those opportunities for sure. Because I was telling the receivers, sometimes he would make some crazy plays, and it's rare a kid has like a one-two [punch], that's his route running, and he definitely has that."
Safety Parker Robertson
On how the Texas Tech game affected the team's confidence:
"That was probably our best defensive game of the year, so, definitely a boost of confidence. Our D-line played great, linebackers played well, our DBs played alright, so just building that confidence going into Kansas next, the last four games of the year, we just got to keep playing."
On staying ready despite not starting:
"It's just packages we have. We really don't have starters or second strings or anything; it's kind of just a big rotation of keeping guys fresh. That's what the coaches called, and I'm just ready for my number to be called whenever it is."
On how he thought he did against Texas Tech:
"I had a good day. I wouldn't say it was my best day or my worst day, but it was just a solid day of defense."
On the defense's attitude:
"I feel like everyone is just going out there competing. I know we're having a rough year, but it's still college football. We're still going out there and competing, giving everything that we've got. [Coach Bowen's] coaching, simplifying things down for us just to go out there and play fast and play confident. I feel like over these past few games, we've got a little bit more confident in his system and everyone's just playing a little bit faster."
On if defensive fundamentals are improving:
"I would say so. Our fundamentals are getting better with his type of defense, with the reads that we have to have. He's teaching us everything that we need to know, so it allows us to play a lot faster."
Offensive Lineman and Tight End Gage Stanaland
On the team's mentality entering the final three games of the season:
"The fight and the juice are still great. I come to work every day. I want to fight; I want to win, and I trust what my coaches want me to do. [With] the juice and the energy, I haven't seen a drop off. We still want to win; we come to work to win. We're still fighting, we're still grinding, and we're still doing everything we can to win."
On the coaches playing him at both guard and tight end:
"I just let them do their job, and I do what they tell me. I'm just lucky to be on the field; I'm so blessed and grateful to be here. So, I'm just happy to be on the field more than anything."
On alternating between positions in-game:
"I switched in-game against Texas Tech, [I wore] #79 on the last drive. So, there is a possibility to switch back to guard; that opportunity is always there.
Linebacker Trip White
On teammate Carl'veon Young:
"I've been waiting for him to get his opportunity. I feel like he's going to shock the Cowboy family. He's a very exciting player, he likes to work and he loves football. The older guys have been trying to come him along, and I feel like his time is here."
On teammate Parker Robertson:
"He's a special guy, you don't see too many like him. From how long he's been here and the season he's having, he's continued to be positive and keep everybody's head up. He's a real leader; he makes sure everybody achieves the same goal."
On his mindset:
"Showing Cowboy Nation that I can actually play, considering I didn't really play the first couple of games. But now, I have my shot, my first real shot to show everybody what I'm capable of. I'm just taking advantage of my opportunities."
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
Opening Statement:
"For us, we'll just forge ahead and go onto the next one. I feel like defensively, there's some energy over there based on what they did, they did some nice things. They held Texas Tech to its lowest rushing total, and the only other team to hold them under 400 (total) yards was Arizona State. There's some confidence over there and guys want to join in. Plus, we're going to have an infusion of some freshmen, guys who haven't played, who can play in the last four games but can still garner a redshirt. So we'll get five to seven players out there on special teams and helping us out at times offensively and defensively."
On the newcomers that he's excited to see:
"Carl'veon Young, I'd kind of like to see him. (Matrail) Lopez, the receiver. Those two guys are very athletic. Carl'veon was at Carl Albert, and he was a high jumper and an athlete. His brother was, at one point, committed here for basketball, I think. Those two guys are long, athletic, young, and two great kids that I look forward to seeing out there, along with a few others."
On Matrail Lopez's development through fall camp until he got injured:
"Yeah, he looked like a guy who could play and give us some minutes at receiver. I think what we've got to figure out is that inside or outside. He's got that body to where he could kind of do both. He's got a skillset where he could play inside, but he's just long enough to be able to play the outside. I hate that his hand got hurt, but this week is going to be good for him to get out there and get some game time experience."
On the locker room atmosphere after the game:
"I said a few things, and it got a pretty good response back from most of the unit. There's still some juice there, probably as much now as there was two weeks ago, in terms of what I'm looking at. That's a testament to the kinds of kids we have and what kind of jobs the coaches that are here have done for those guys. Just pushing the message that this is adversity, you're going to go through worse in life, and this is going to train you on how to be prepared down the road. How you respond right now is going to mean a lot to everybody who is watching you, and this is how they're going to remember you for a while. I know at halftime Bob Schick stood up and got on some kids and showed some leadership. So, there's good stuff that's happening, the scoreboard doesn't reflect it, but I'm proud of a lot of the guys on the team. It was certainly a pretty good response postgame considering what occurred on the scoreboard."
On Clint Bowen returning to Kansas:
"[Clint] will have half of Lawrence, Kansas, there for him, his wife, his family, everybody. His wife was Ms. Kansas, I believe. I know he's juiced to go back there and take a crack at his alma mater."
On coaching the coaches:
"To some degree. I am in a lot of other stuff, the landscape, and how it is with the players. There's probably a lot more of that going on than me coaching the coaches. I think I am more delegating, here's what I need you to do, go do it, sort of thing. If it's not occurring, then we have a discussion. I don't know how much of that I'm actually doing at this point. I think those guys are doing a great job. If you saw what occurred in the locker room postgame, then you can tell the coaches are doing a good job, in terms of morale, focusing on getting better, forging ahead, practicing hard, all that stuff."
On giving up the play-calling duties:
"I think it was the absolute right thing to do in terms of letting those guys have some control over their future. At the same time, it allowed me to be able to handle things that were detracting from me being able to put together a solid game plan."
On Gavin Freeman:
"I didn't know a lot about him, but I learned a lot about him when I got here. Super tough kid, he has one speed, he's fearless, has good ball skills. You'd like him to be six-foot-two, but he's what you consider a slot to be. That twitchy, punt returner guy that can catch low balls and turn them into big balls. I didn't know a ton about him, but through the course of practicing with him, I got a sense for how tough he was and how hard he practices."
Wide Receiver Gavin Freeman
On the atmosphere of the locker room after the game:
"It's frustrating. Obviously, we don't score any points, and it's not what we want to happen. We need to be better, and just in the locker room, you still try to bring everybody along. You still want to keep your head up and everything, but it just sucks. We got to do our part and we got to get the job done."
On the energy in the locker room:
"We still have the same fight, that's not going to change from week to week. No matter how the game goes, if we lose or win, our effort and our want to play and be behind everybody's back, that's going to be our number one priority, and that's not going to change for sure."
On if Texas Tech was a personal game:
"It's definitely a more personal game for me just because I was committed. The head coach he didn't want me once the new head coach got hired. There's a chip on my shoulder, but I wanted to go and play for my teammates."
On the potential for freshmen to play in the upcoming games:
"I know all the freshmen want to play, and they get four games, so those four games they're going to be higher energy-wise. I hope to see those guys start to get some playing time. I like seeing my boys and my homies play, so it should be fun."
On freshman Matrail Lopez and his potential:
"Before he got hurt, he was making some really good plays in practice and making those opportunities for sure. Because I was telling the receivers, sometimes he would make some crazy plays, and it's rare a kid has like a one-two [punch], that's his route running, and he definitely has that."
Safety Parker Robertson
On how the Texas Tech game affected the team's confidence:
"That was probably our best defensive game of the year, so, definitely a boost of confidence. Our D-line played great, linebackers played well, our DBs played alright, so just building that confidence going into Kansas next, the last four games of the year, we just got to keep playing."
On staying ready despite not starting:
"It's just packages we have. We really don't have starters or second strings or anything; it's kind of just a big rotation of keeping guys fresh. That's what the coaches called, and I'm just ready for my number to be called whenever it is."
On how he thought he did against Texas Tech:
"I had a good day. I wouldn't say it was my best day or my worst day, but it was just a solid day of defense."
On the defense's attitude:
"I feel like everyone is just going out there competing. I know we're having a rough year, but it's still college football. We're still going out there and competing, giving everything that we've got. [Coach Bowen's] coaching, simplifying things down for us just to go out there and play fast and play confident. I feel like over these past few games, we've got a little bit more confident in his system and everyone's just playing a little bit faster."
On if defensive fundamentals are improving:
"I would say so. Our fundamentals are getting better with his type of defense, with the reads that we have to have. He's teaching us everything that we need to know, so it allows us to play a lot faster."
Offensive Lineman and Tight End Gage Stanaland
On the team's mentality entering the final three games of the season:
"The fight and the juice are still great. I come to work every day. I want to fight; I want to win, and I trust what my coaches want me to do. [With] the juice and the energy, I haven't seen a drop off. We still want to win; we come to work to win. We're still fighting, we're still grinding, and we're still doing everything we can to win."
On the coaches playing him at both guard and tight end:
"I just let them do their job, and I do what they tell me. I'm just lucky to be on the field; I'm so blessed and grateful to be here. So, I'm just happy to be on the field more than anything."
On alternating between positions in-game:
"I switched in-game against Texas Tech, [I wore] #79 on the last drive. So, there is a possibility to switch back to guard; that opportunity is always there.
Linebacker Trip White
On teammate Carl'veon Young:
"I've been waiting for him to get his opportunity. I feel like he's going to shock the Cowboy family. He's a very exciting player, he likes to work and he loves football. The older guys have been trying to come him along, and I feel like his time is here."
On teammate Parker Robertson:
"He's a special guy, you don't see too many like him. From how long he's been here and the season he's having, he's continued to be positive and keep everybody's head up. He's a real leader; he makes sure everybody achieves the same goal."
On his mindset:
"Showing Cowboy Nation that I can actually play, considering I didn't really play the first couple of games. But now, I have my shot, my first real shot to show everybody what I'm capable of. I'm just taking advantage of my opportunities."
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Players Mentioned
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