OSU coach, players recap win over Baylor, look ahead to showdown with Longhorns
Keith Toston
Oct. 26, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy and selected Cowboy players met with members of the media Monday at Boone Pickens Stadium to preview this week’s game against Texas. Some of the highlights:
“To finish up with the Baylor game, it’s very consistent with what we thought after the game. The team played well in all three phases. Offensively, we were efficient. The quarterback played well and the offensive line played well. We caught the football and our running backs got some tough yards. Defensively, we were able to bottle them up at times and eliminate scoring opportunities. Special teams-wise, we were sound also. It’s a good win for us.”
On playing Texas this week
“We’re looking forward to our game ahead of us. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. We’re playing a very, very good football team. I don’t think there is any question, depending on who you talk to, that this could probably be the best football team in the country. I know our players are excited about it. The coaches are looking forward to the week of preparation.”
On Texas’s individual performers
“I’m not sure we need to go into detail on all the individuals. I think everybody that covers this part of the country is aware of the quarterback and receiver and the skill they have on the perimeter and the athleticism they have on defense being No. 1 in the nation against the run. They have a terrific return unit in the kicking game. I think everyone is aware of that. I know our football team will work extremely hard this week. We’ll come up with a good plan. We’re looking forward to competing. We’re looking forward to an opportunity to go out and play against what some people may think is the best team in college football.”
On Texas’s defensive success this season
“They’re very athletic. They can run and they are physical. They’ve been that way for a number of years and I think they’re very well-coached. They’ve always had a dominant pass rusher. Sergio Kindle is putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback. They have other guys that are exceptional rushers. They have speed at the linebacker spot. They’ve got guys playing at the corner position that have got some world-class track times. So, when you put all that together, you’re going to have a pretty good defense.”
On close losses in recent years against Texas
“That question comes up every year and I’m not sure if we’re snake bitten, but I feel that when we play Texas, they have very good football teams. Maybe someone could give us a number offhand over the last four years what their overall record is, but it’s probably pretty good. In most cases, when you’re competing in a team sport against teams that are really good, you have to be sound in all areas. You have to have a good plan and your players must be tuned in and play really hard to put yourself in a position to win the game. There is some credit that goes to the players in the last few years for putting themselves in that position, and then you’d like to eventually find a way to get it done.”
On managing his team’s emotions during the week
“I think managing the emotions and the attitude of the team is a big part of college football. I’m not sure anybody has the answer to that, but in dealing with young people and some of the highs and lows they go through on a weekly basis it’s very important. The team chemistry and the relationship with a player and a coach can certainly contribute to the success of the season. We don’t want to get too excited about a game, but we also want to be fully prepared and play with great effort. I think you have to play with some poise in order to win football games.”
On preparing to face Texas
“You work hard as a staff and as a team and put together a plan in all three phases and then you ask the players to play hard and as a coach, you hope that your plan was good. You hope your plan is equal to or better than theirs and if the players go play hard, you put yourself in a position to try to win the football game.”
On Zac Robinson’s recent success
“He’s playing well right now. He’s playing with more confidence. He’s managed the game very well. In my opinion, being a good quarterback is being able to manage the game in understanding what your strengths are and where their weaknesses are and try to attack those areas using what your strengths are as an offense. I think he’s done a pretty good job of that over the last few weeks.”
On the leadership that has led to solid start in Big 12 play
“When you have as many off-the-field distractions and injuries or things come up that we have this year, you have to have leaders other than the coaches. The coaches are the most important and have to step up and be leaders and steady the ship. Secondly, the quarterback, in most cases, has to be a leader. If you’re on a team without a veteran quarterback, then it has to come from somewhere else. It also helps if it can be the quarterback and he’s done a good job. Russell Okung has done a good job with that. Keith Toston has done a nice job with that. DeMarcus Conner doesn’t get a lot of catches, but he’s been a great leader for us on and off the field through some issues in the last few weeks. Defensively, Perrish Cox has stepped up. Patrick Lavine has been a good leader for us. Derek Burton is very quiet, but he’s been a good leader for us. There are a number of players.Bryant Ward on special teams has really been a good leader for us. That’s just the chemistry of your team and they enjoy being around each other and enjoy practicing. So no matter what happens, they’ll buy in and go play hard.”
Quarterback Zac Robinson On the running game “The line just keeps getting better. They keep jelling as a group. The backs are running hard. We haven’t had that many really long runs, but it’s just been 8 yards a pop. It seemed like at Baylor we were getting a lot of really good carries on first down and staying ahead of the chains. That’s always been good for us and the last few weeks we’ve really improved in that department.”
On if he’s playing the best football of his career right now “I don’t know. There’s been good stretches that I’ve had and I feel good right now and feel comfortable with the receivers more and more and the tight ends that we have. I feel good with what we’re doing and hopefully we can just keep getting better.”
On playing without Dez Bryant “It hasn’t been too difficult for us because we’ve had receivers just step up and they’ve known that they need to step up and make a play and they’ve done that. It’s made a smooth transition for us. The receivers just keep getting better, they keep working hard and they’re excited about playing and know that they could touch the ball on any given snap. So I don’t know if they’ve ever felt like that really in the past with Dez out there. Now they know that it’s a real possibility and I think they’re having a lot of fun with it.”
On OSU being viewed as competitive with Texas “I think, over the years, we’ve earned the respect from them and other teams in the conference that we can stay in there right with them and play with them the whole game. Obviously, we haven’t been able to finish it off and we’ve been real close. We know that we can be competitive and hopefully we can come out and play well this week.”
Running back Keith Toston On how he’s holding up after carrying the bulk of the load at running back “I’m a little banged up like I am every week, but I’ve got to focus and have some good practices this week and then I’ll be fine on game day.”
On if it’s best to attack the Texas defense or use speed to get to the edge “They have a great defense. With me, I just try to attack them. That’s just my running style. As far as if I was a speedster, I don’t know what I would do, but I know how I run and that’s just to try to attack the defense before they attack me.”
On how the hype before the Georgia game and after the Houston game will help the Cowboys this week “It makes us have our mind on the right things, knowing that we can get upset at anytime. It’s a big deal. I think that’s what U of H did for us. We came off a great win against Georgia. We were looking at the sky as the limit and then we got swept out from under our feet and that happens. I think that was a good thing to happen to us. Now I feel that we’re a little more alert and I think it’s going to help us.”
Tight End Cooper Bassett On scoring a touchdown against Baylor “Personally, that was an awesome feeling. I grew up bleeding orange ever since I was a little kid playing catch in the back yard. Every time I would make a catch, ‘Touchdown Cowboys,’ so to finally have that happen, it was an awesome feeling. I’ve been waiting on it. I’ve been practicing for it all my life so it was great to finally have it happen.”
On the tight ends being involved against Baylor “Every week, everyone is involved in the game plan. Then in game time, it just kind of depends on what the defense is throwing at us and their defense just allowed me and Wilson to get open and Zac put it right where it needed to be. Zac had a great game and that’s just kind of the things that attributed us to score.”
On the line ranking second nationally with only four sacks allowed this year “It’s not really something that they strive for, it’s something they expect. They expect Zac to come off the field with a clean jersey. It’s also a tribute to the running backs; there’s so much success with the running game and the receivers are doing a good job of getting open. Zac can run around and get himself out of some situations. The o-line and the tight ends and everyone that blocks for Zac and the offense as a whole, we take a bunch of pride in that.”
Safety Markelle Martin On last year’s game against Texas “It’s going to help us a lot because we felt like last year we didn’t finish, and that was one of our mottos last year was to ‘finish.’ This year we still have that on our shirts, we still have that in our head to finish and if we can just finish and show that we can go through four quarters, then we can show that we are a great program.”
On if one play made the difference in last year’s game “It’s never just one particular play. We know we have to finish and that’s one of the key things we have to talk about this week.”
On if “finishing” gives him confidence in this year’s game “Yes it does. We know that we can play with the best. We know that we can compete with them. If we can just finish and show that we can play.”
On Containing Colt McCoy “It’s one of those things we have to do. We focus on each week getting pressure to the quarterback, covering a lot better and just creating turnovers; just finding a way to win. That’s one of those things we have to do.”
Fullback Bryant Ward On if it’s nice to have a big game at home “For sure. The crowd’s a big part of it with all the noise and energy. Just to know that they’re backing you, it’s a big booster.”
On the offensive keys for the Texas game “The line. I think them being able to dominate and get their holes and stuff so that we can set up the running game.”
On if he dwells on the last two close losses to Texas “You go back and you think about them and you can’t really change it. When you let that get away, it really sticks with you but you have to get over it.”
