OSU-Tulsa Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy
Opening Statement…
Third-and-fourth down conversions were not good for us… I thought Tulsa did a good job early in the game with some of the concepts that we haven't executed on defense and really out-coached us through the first quarter… Our guys made adjustments defensively, but we missed about five tackles. But then the defense rallied, and I thought their quarterback played really well… He's a good little operator and made some plays running and scrambling… Offensively, the first drive we were rolling and then after that we couldn't sustain, and we had a couple key penalties that set us back, and right now, we don't overcome penalties very well."

On quarterback Zane Flores…
"I thought that Zane really competed and made some throws, but there were about four or five throws that he missed… But I also think we had about five or six drops where we need to do a better job catching the ball… I also thought he competed, he ran, he fought, there's times he ran the ball, but he's learning on the run. But he showed some grit right until the end."

On the crowd turnout…
"The thing that was most impressive tonight was the crowd… I hated it for the crowd, they had the blackout, and they showed up and were loud and very supportive."

On running back Rodney Fields Jr….
"He ran the ball well and had success, and he was healthy for the first time in awhile… He's been healthy for the last four-or-five practices that we've had and running full-speed, and I was pleased with the way he ran tonight."

Oklahoma State safety Parker Robertson
On his big performance…
"I just have to thank Coach (Todd) Grantham, he's the one calling the defense, he's the one putting me in the right spots to make those plays. I guess they were targeting the boundary-side safety so we just had to make the plays when they came our way."

On the players' feelings after the loss…
"It definitely hurts to lose, no one wants to lose. We're a very competitive group so going in the locker room, everyone is picking each other up and saying that we got this. I feel like we're going to do the same thing going into next week against Baylor. Conference hasn't started, we're 0-0 in conference so the Big 12 championship is still in our grasp. We just have to get back to our foundation and keep working."

On if Tulsa did anything that caught the defense off guard…
"Not really. I think we were amped up a bit coming off the bye week and after the Oregon game, everyone was a little fired up and trying to come downhill, and they hit us with a shot play."

Oklahoma State safety Dylan Smith
On what changed during the back-to-back stops in the second half…
"I think the mentality, just knowing that's what we had to do to try and turn the tide of the game."

If heading into Big 12 play is a clean slate…
"That's what you want to do immediately after you're done with non-conference, no matter what happened in non-conference, whether we went 3-0 or whatever, we still have to go out and perform during conference play."

On the locker room after the loss…
"Obviously some frustrations, but one thing I can compliment our team on is that we stay together. We try to be optimistic about everything, and we do know that everything is still in front of us."

Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores
On getting better with each game…
"Getting game experience. It's my first year playing so experience is a huge thing. I'm getting more comfortable, but I've still got things to work on, both me personally, and as an offense."

On having a similar start to the 2023 season:
"That was the 2023 season. We didn't have a hot start either, but it was the same thing. We put it behind us. We took it one week at a time, and I think our team is getting better. Hopefully, soon it will start to show."

On having a similar start to the 2023 season:
"Coach (Gundy) has been awesome. He's continuing to motivate us. He knows what we're feeling, and we know what he's feeling. So we're all kind of in this together. He's motivating us, and he's working his butt off, too."

Oklahoma State running back Rodney Fields Jr.
On Zane Flores and staying together as an offense…
"Zane is a playmaker, and he'll find a way to make something happen. We stick together and try to find ways to provide and move the ball down the field, so there's no frustration."

On his 100-yard game and continuing success…
"It means a lot, but there's still things that need to be improved. I need to see things I have to work on to get more yards."

On the run game improving…
"It's progressed a lot. There are still things that need to be better, but little by little it's getting better. Since our last game I feel like we have had a better game, playing harder and learning things."

Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb
On quarterback Baylor Hayes...
"He grew up tonight. He played on the national stage, on ESPN, on his third career start, second in FBS football, he's a redshirt freshman. I thought he used his legs really well. I thought he was huge in the first half making plays. And again, our defense was playing so well; in the fourth quarter, I wasn't going to let the freshman quarterback lose the game for us."

On running back Dominic Richardson...
"He played with a chip on his shoulder tonight – 31 carries, 149 yards. He was a werewolf all week, he had a look in his eye. Because he sat in Coach Gundy's office, and they said he wasn't quite good enough to play [at Oklahoma State]. He had something to prove tonight. He had that look in his eye all week, and I was very proud of the way he played tonight. He was a workhorse."

On the significance of beating Oklahoma State...
"Being the underdog and little brother, there's probably 30-40 guys on our team that were recruited by Oklahoma State that [Oklahoma State] didn't end up taking or end up offering a scholarship to. I had them raise their hands in the team meeting room, like, 'How many of you guys got offered by [Oklahoma State]? How many guys are from Oklahoma or Texas? How many guys played on the team and didn't feel like you were good enough to play here? This is your opportunity.' [Braylin] Presley having the first touchdown and Dom [Richardson] having 149 yards is karma, and I'm so proud of our team. I'm so proud of those guys that played with a chip on their shoulder tonight."

On what this win means for Tulsa football...
"It eliminates doubt. You always feel like you can do it, you always feel like the players can do it. That little five percent of doubt that's been in the back of our minds since I've been here is gone. I think we've got to use this to make sure that's gone. We've got a good football team, we've got a great staff, we've got a good program. There is a lot of really good sunshines and mornings for Tulsa football in our future. It's going to be bright; our guys are looking ahead."

Tulsa running back Dominic Richardson
How it was playing former team…
"I mean everything. We knew this this weekend we needed to lock in. Man, it was personal and being back here feels special. You know, this game means everything so we're soaking it in and celebrating the win."

On it being a revenge game…
"It just meant everything. I had a fire under my foot. I was ready for this game. I'm not gonna lie, I was looking past, you know, the first game, second game. I was like, 'Man, I gotta, I gotta be ready. I gotta play hard for my brothers, I gotta run hard every single play, every down.' And I feel like coming here today, just seeing all that orange it brought back memories. I was like 'I'm just ready to go.' It just meant everything."

Tulsa running back Braylin Presley
On the team's mindset…
"Going into this week, knowing how big of a week it is, knowing how big of a game this is, we knew that we had to execute and execute every detail, whether it's from the little things to the big things. So the plan going into this week, practice really well to take care of our bodies, but it felt good to get this one, especially at the home of OSU."

On it being a revenge game…
"It was a little personal for us all week. You know, practicing hard all week and knowing that they have a really good environment, knowing what to expect, knowing guys going to come, just take hard and have them ready to play, and we got it done. It was a little personal for us. But I'm glad to get it for the team."

On kicker Seth Morgan…
"Kind of indescribable. He works his butt off every week, every day. We put a lot of pressure on him and in practice just to make some high-pressure kicks, and that's why he goes up there and he never flinches, never blinks."

Tulsa linebacker Ray Coney
On the gameplan…
"I mean, you really just attacked the line like we felt like that was a weak point. Then the star quarterback got hurt, and we knew we just had to come with it. Play fast, we have another play, get some stops."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Rodney Fields Jr.

Zane Flores

Parker Robertson

Dylan Smith

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