Gundy Previews Friday Night Matchup with Kansas State
Gundy Previews Friday Night Matchup with Kansas State
STILLWATER – Mike Gundy met with the media Monday in Stillwater to discuss the Cowboys’ upcoming game against Kansas State. Here are some of his comments:
Head Coach Mike Gundy
On the bye week:
“We had good practices. Hopefully the guys got rested up a little bit. We were back at it last night and obviously a full practice today. This is the best team that we’ve played overall, so we’ll really need to step up and compete in all three phases, but the players are excited about practicing and their attitudes have been great, so that’s been encouraging as a coach.”
On OSU’s versatility in the secondary:
“(Cameron Epps) a big body. Obviously, Kendal (Daniels) is a big body. Lyrik (Rawls) was if he’s in there. When guys go down like Lyrik, somebody’s got to step up and play. Based on the personnel that we’re playing each week, it could vary, whether it’s a safety or maybe it’s a third corner that’s in for a nickel. It’s just different things we have to do based on who we’re playing.”
On Dalton Cooper’s impact at left tackle:
“He seems to be a little more comfortable. As I mentioned, if we can keep five guys in there healthy practicing, that helps with communication. He played pretty good at that spot in the last game and was one of the reasons that we were able to play well offensively.”
On the team’s leadership:
“We’ve got a number of guys. Each year, the team is different. Somebody’s got to drive them and pull them along. Coaches can do so much, but to a certain extent the players have to do it themselves. Nickolas Martin, who I’ve mentioned, is doing a good job. Collin (Oliver) is coming around, he’s not a real vocal guy, but his attitude and presence has been really good. They’ve done a nice job on that side of the ball. (Joe) Michalski is doing a good job offensively keeping the guys going. We always get good things from (Brennan) Presley. Again, he’s not real vocal, but we get good leadership from him. As a group, they’re practicing really hard and buying into competing like we did last week, which is a good sign.”
On the Kansas State defense:
“They do some four-man (front) like we do. There are a lot of similarities in what we’re doing. Coverage-wise they’re doing a couple of things differently, but the concepts are all pretty much the same. Their safeties are good players, they tackle really well… Front-wise, a different group, but relentless. They play hard. They look very similar to what they did. They were a little more experienced in the box last year, but their backend is very experienced with those safeties.”