Oklahoma State University Athletics
Meacham, players meet with media ahead of season finale
November 24, 2025 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State interim head coach Doug Meacham and several players met with the media ahead of Saturday's season finale against Iowa State. A look at some of their comments:
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
On the last week with the seniors:
"All the guys who aren't seniors, at one point, you are going to be a senior, and you are going to rely on everyone else to give it your all and try to go out the right way. So, my message has been that it's going to be a collective effort, play like there is no tomorrow, and do it for these guys and send them out with a memory that will last forever."
On how valuable the seniors have been:
"A lot of those guys, they don't have any motives other than they just want to play football and win a game, you know. They're at the end of the road in terms of playing football here, and hopefully, a couple of them get a shot at the next level. It's always good to have them guys who have all those experiences, and if the younger guys will just pay attention and listen to what they have to say, you can learn a lot and bypass some things that you may have run head-on into, had they not listened to the guys that had already been down the road they're traveling. So, it's good to listen to those guys, and it's always nice to have an older guy speak up and be a leader, because generally when an older guy speaks up, most people listen."
On how a college football career prepares you for life:
"Definitely. For myself, you know, I was brought up on the other side of the tracks, we didn't have much, and I hadn't been around a whole lot of people who were goal-oriented and punctual. I think coming to college for me, just going to class, being on time and how much detail it took for me to survive academically and how much work you had to put into the off-season and just the season, definitely prepared me for life in general. After going through some of the stuff, like my strength coach was John Stucky, who looked like a Russian mobster to some degree, but you know they pushed us awfully hard and for sure having not gone through that, I mean, I don't know where I would've ended up, honestly. I think college pretty much saved me in terms of the next 40 years after college."
On what this season meant to him:
"It means a lot. Obviously, I don't like the records, the numerics of it, but just the opportunity for Chad Weiberg to have the faith in me to be able to get us to the finish line means a lot. They saw something in me that they felt like I could be the front man for this football team, and I'm kind of tired of saying 'through these tough times' because who cares, no one cares. It's been an honor to do it. It's been kind of unique and cool to go through this as a head coach, as I said before, I have never been a head coach in any way, shape or form, so it's kind of unique to get this perspective on it. For me, having not done that, I always wondered what that's like. I wonder why that guy thought to do these things, and now I kind of get it a little bit to some degree. It's good to be able to look through the curtain and look at the other side of it and see, you know, how sometimes head coaches you may disagree with what they are doing, and you can kind of go, now I get why they did that. So, it's kind of cool to go through that and just have that experience, and when you go through life at the end of the thing, you look back, and there are moments, this will be one of them for me."
On Iowa State:
"It's classic Iowa State. I know they've had a lot of injuries on defense, but their scheme gives them a chance because it's just so difficult. They have definitely evolved back there on the back end of what they do. You used to be able to see what they were doing, but it's so much different now. They unfold into the same things, but it's hard to tell in pre-snap. They've had a lot of injuries on defense, I think they're kind of light. I think they do it old school. If you try to go big on them on defense, they're going to split out the big tight ends and mismatch your nickels and guys inside, and if you play them normally, they're just going to run it up your tailpipe. I think the quarterback is a really good player, he's similar to the guy they had that's on the 49ers now… he fits the mold and model for what they represent. He's just a tough guy, workman-like, takes care of the ball, can chew up the clock, can run it, take shots. They're humongous up front, and we're going to try and find ways to pick and choose when to stop the run and when not to. Some of those tight end guys have size, and you have to double them at the right time… They haven't had the season they're used to, but they're still a dangerous football team and a really good football team that is well-coached."
On his plans after the season:
"The thing about all these coaches, and me included, is that when it appears that you may have to move on, which none of us really know for sure. You just don't know. You don't know who they hire, who knows you, or who they know, or how that will all unfold. I don't think anyone is totally counting themselves out of not being here, but they can't keep us all. What's difficult for everyone is at this time of year, no one wants to talk about hiring and firing jobs. They're focused on how to get to the bowl game to get a double paycheck. As much of a hurry you may be in to expedite something, they're not. It's a tough and tricky time for coaches. You have to wait until the season is over and the championship games are done. Sometimes you get lucky, and a guy actually knows you and reaches out prior to. My advice to these guys was to do the best job that you can possibly do with the job you have now, and it will pay off down the line. Be glad with what you got now. Too many coaches worry about looking ahead and finding the next job. Just do the best that you can do with the job you have, and it normally takes care of itself."
On players that surprised him this season:
"Well, what (Parker) Robertson did was amazing. He goes out there for the coin toss and no one is going to be afraid at all, they're going to ask if he's the kicker. But man, what a ball player. That kid, and I know I'm beating him into the ground with how proud I am of him, but did y'all see the play he broke up on the deep ball in the last minute? That guy right there is just someone who embodies old school. He needs to get the Rick Antle award if there were such a thing. That's what that guy is to me, a walk-on that made it the hard way. I'm super proud of that kid."
OSU Redshirt Senior Safety Parker Robertson
On playing defense after being on special teams:
"I just felt that I had the ability to do it. You watch everyone on TV, and everyone looks like they're giants out there. I'm 5'11 and 180 pounds, so yeah, I'm a little too small for that, but the more I got to play on special teams, the more I thought I could fit in with this. They're not too big, they're not too fast, too strong. I can fit right in."
On how his size plays a factor into playing effort:
"Size doesn't matter, it's all about the heart. If you have effort, you're going to make plays either way."
On his big play against UCF:
"IT kind of felt like a perfect, perfect hit. It was just timed to the snap perfectly, got there right at the handoff, and just laid the hit. It was just like a perfect moment, everything felt so pure."
On being a mentor this season:
"We've had to be there a lot because there's been a lot of change in this organization and throughout college football. You've got to say it's not always been like this. There are things changing all around you, you just have to get back to the fundamentals and realize that it's all going to get better. It's going to brighten up."
OSU Redshirt Senior Tight End Quinton Stewart
On the final game of his career:
"I'm pretty sentimental about it. I've had a ton of fun over my career, especially this past season, even though things may not have gone the way we wanted. I had a ton of fun this year, and I'm really sad that it's going to be over."
On what he enjoyed most:
"Mainly getting to spend time with the boys, we've all gotten really tight. Coach DJ (Tialavea), also, I really enjoyed playing under him. Looking back at it, that's what I've enjoyed the most."
On the team's mindset going into the season finale:
"There's no doubt in my mind that everyone loves playing for each other and everyone loves this team. When everyone has that mindset, everyone wants to win. There's no doubt in my mind that everyone's going to give this last game everything they've got."
OSU Redshirt Senior Defensive Tackle Aden Kelly
On the last game of his career:
"Ultimately, it's just the last one. It's the last time I get to wear that Cowboy uniform, and this place has been nothing short of special. Being a small-town kid coming out of a little school, I hope that I could pave the way for some of those guys in the future and things like that. But ultimately, it's just another opportunity, and it just happens to be the last one. I've cherished every memory that I've made here. Let's go make one more."
On what he'll take away from his time in Stillwater:
"I think everybody gets caught up in the wins and losses and things, and don't get me wrong, that's a large part. No one in this room, in this team, in this building wants to win as badly as I do, I promise. But the relationships, the connections, the people, the five-star community, the five-star facilities, this place has far exceeded what I dreamed of with a college experience. The place I've got to be, the people I've met, it's just been second-to-none, truly."
On his mindset going into the Iowa State matchup:
"They're just a bunch of big corn-fed boys that burn Iowa. They're going to show up down here, and they're going to get big, try to run the ball on you. If you don't match it and play physical, they're going to do it. I think that's a big focus for this week, just the physicality. Knowing what to expect from this game, what they're going to try to do, and what they're going to try to come in here with a mindset of doing."
OSU Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Bob Schick
On how motivating it is with the players who have stayed:
"It's been really good just to see the guys that have stayed here try to stick together and help us win. We've been close to winning, but it's been really important to me to try and win."
On his plans after the season:
"I want to try and go pro and focus more time with my family and my wife."
Oklahoma State Interim Head Coach Doug Meacham
On the last week with the seniors:
"All the guys who aren't seniors, at one point, you are going to be a senior, and you are going to rely on everyone else to give it your all and try to go out the right way. So, my message has been that it's going to be a collective effort, play like there is no tomorrow, and do it for these guys and send them out with a memory that will last forever."
On how valuable the seniors have been:
"A lot of those guys, they don't have any motives other than they just want to play football and win a game, you know. They're at the end of the road in terms of playing football here, and hopefully, a couple of them get a shot at the next level. It's always good to have them guys who have all those experiences, and if the younger guys will just pay attention and listen to what they have to say, you can learn a lot and bypass some things that you may have run head-on into, had they not listened to the guys that had already been down the road they're traveling. So, it's good to listen to those guys, and it's always nice to have an older guy speak up and be a leader, because generally when an older guy speaks up, most people listen."
On how a college football career prepares you for life:
"Definitely. For myself, you know, I was brought up on the other side of the tracks, we didn't have much, and I hadn't been around a whole lot of people who were goal-oriented and punctual. I think coming to college for me, just going to class, being on time and how much detail it took for me to survive academically and how much work you had to put into the off-season and just the season, definitely prepared me for life in general. After going through some of the stuff, like my strength coach was John Stucky, who looked like a Russian mobster to some degree, but you know they pushed us awfully hard and for sure having not gone through that, I mean, I don't know where I would've ended up, honestly. I think college pretty much saved me in terms of the next 40 years after college."
On what this season meant to him:
"It means a lot. Obviously, I don't like the records, the numerics of it, but just the opportunity for Chad Weiberg to have the faith in me to be able to get us to the finish line means a lot. They saw something in me that they felt like I could be the front man for this football team, and I'm kind of tired of saying 'through these tough times' because who cares, no one cares. It's been an honor to do it. It's been kind of unique and cool to go through this as a head coach, as I said before, I have never been a head coach in any way, shape or form, so it's kind of unique to get this perspective on it. For me, having not done that, I always wondered what that's like. I wonder why that guy thought to do these things, and now I kind of get it a little bit to some degree. It's good to be able to look through the curtain and look at the other side of it and see, you know, how sometimes head coaches you may disagree with what they are doing, and you can kind of go, now I get why they did that. So, it's kind of cool to go through that and just have that experience, and when you go through life at the end of the thing, you look back, and there are moments, this will be one of them for me."
On Iowa State:
"It's classic Iowa State. I know they've had a lot of injuries on defense, but their scheme gives them a chance because it's just so difficult. They have definitely evolved back there on the back end of what they do. You used to be able to see what they were doing, but it's so much different now. They unfold into the same things, but it's hard to tell in pre-snap. They've had a lot of injuries on defense, I think they're kind of light. I think they do it old school. If you try to go big on them on defense, they're going to split out the big tight ends and mismatch your nickels and guys inside, and if you play them normally, they're just going to run it up your tailpipe. I think the quarterback is a really good player, he's similar to the guy they had that's on the 49ers now… he fits the mold and model for what they represent. He's just a tough guy, workman-like, takes care of the ball, can chew up the clock, can run it, take shots. They're humongous up front, and we're going to try and find ways to pick and choose when to stop the run and when not to. Some of those tight end guys have size, and you have to double them at the right time… They haven't had the season they're used to, but they're still a dangerous football team and a really good football team that is well-coached."
On his plans after the season:
"The thing about all these coaches, and me included, is that when it appears that you may have to move on, which none of us really know for sure. You just don't know. You don't know who they hire, who knows you, or who they know, or how that will all unfold. I don't think anyone is totally counting themselves out of not being here, but they can't keep us all. What's difficult for everyone is at this time of year, no one wants to talk about hiring and firing jobs. They're focused on how to get to the bowl game to get a double paycheck. As much of a hurry you may be in to expedite something, they're not. It's a tough and tricky time for coaches. You have to wait until the season is over and the championship games are done. Sometimes you get lucky, and a guy actually knows you and reaches out prior to. My advice to these guys was to do the best job that you can possibly do with the job you have now, and it will pay off down the line. Be glad with what you got now. Too many coaches worry about looking ahead and finding the next job. Just do the best that you can do with the job you have, and it normally takes care of itself."
On players that surprised him this season:
"Well, what (Parker) Robertson did was amazing. He goes out there for the coin toss and no one is going to be afraid at all, they're going to ask if he's the kicker. But man, what a ball player. That kid, and I know I'm beating him into the ground with how proud I am of him, but did y'all see the play he broke up on the deep ball in the last minute? That guy right there is just someone who embodies old school. He needs to get the Rick Antle award if there were such a thing. That's what that guy is to me, a walk-on that made it the hard way. I'm super proud of that kid."
OSU Redshirt Senior Safety Parker Robertson
On playing defense after being on special teams:
"I just felt that I had the ability to do it. You watch everyone on TV, and everyone looks like they're giants out there. I'm 5'11 and 180 pounds, so yeah, I'm a little too small for that, but the more I got to play on special teams, the more I thought I could fit in with this. They're not too big, they're not too fast, too strong. I can fit right in."
On how his size plays a factor into playing effort:
"Size doesn't matter, it's all about the heart. If you have effort, you're going to make plays either way."
On his big play against UCF:
"IT kind of felt like a perfect, perfect hit. It was just timed to the snap perfectly, got there right at the handoff, and just laid the hit. It was just like a perfect moment, everything felt so pure."
On being a mentor this season:
"We've had to be there a lot because there's been a lot of change in this organization and throughout college football. You've got to say it's not always been like this. There are things changing all around you, you just have to get back to the fundamentals and realize that it's all going to get better. It's going to brighten up."
OSU Redshirt Senior Tight End Quinton Stewart
On the final game of his career:
"I'm pretty sentimental about it. I've had a ton of fun over my career, especially this past season, even though things may not have gone the way we wanted. I had a ton of fun this year, and I'm really sad that it's going to be over."
On what he enjoyed most:
"Mainly getting to spend time with the boys, we've all gotten really tight. Coach DJ (Tialavea), also, I really enjoyed playing under him. Looking back at it, that's what I've enjoyed the most."
On the team's mindset going into the season finale:
"There's no doubt in my mind that everyone loves playing for each other and everyone loves this team. When everyone has that mindset, everyone wants to win. There's no doubt in my mind that everyone's going to give this last game everything they've got."
OSU Redshirt Senior Defensive Tackle Aden Kelly
On the last game of his career:
"Ultimately, it's just the last one. It's the last time I get to wear that Cowboy uniform, and this place has been nothing short of special. Being a small-town kid coming out of a little school, I hope that I could pave the way for some of those guys in the future and things like that. But ultimately, it's just another opportunity, and it just happens to be the last one. I've cherished every memory that I've made here. Let's go make one more."
On what he'll take away from his time in Stillwater:
"I think everybody gets caught up in the wins and losses and things, and don't get me wrong, that's a large part. No one in this room, in this team, in this building wants to win as badly as I do, I promise. But the relationships, the connections, the people, the five-star community, the five-star facilities, this place has far exceeded what I dreamed of with a college experience. The place I've got to be, the people I've met, it's just been second-to-none, truly."
On his mindset going into the Iowa State matchup:
"They're just a bunch of big corn-fed boys that burn Iowa. They're going to show up down here, and they're going to get big, try to run the ball on you. If you don't match it and play physical, they're going to do it. I think that's a big focus for this week, just the physicality. Knowing what to expect from this game, what they're going to try to do, and what they're going to try to come in here with a mindset of doing."
OSU Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Bob Schick
On how motivating it is with the players who have stayed:
"It's been really good just to see the guys that have stayed here try to stick together and help us win. We've been close to winning, but it's been really important to me to try and win."
On his plans after the season:
"I want to try and go pro and focus more time with my family and my wife."
Players Mentioned
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