did I read that correctly?
Gundy's plan for stopping the run is to not be tired?
Gundy's plan for stopping the run is to not be tired?
Photo by Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State Football
You Have to Do A Better Job of Stopping the Run, Gundy's Thoughts on That and More
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy had his typical message to begin Monday’s news conference. The team was back at it on Sunday, the coaches early and Gundy said after his session with the offensive and defensive coaching staffs there weren’t many Gundy fans. In other words, Gundy apparently got after the coaches pretty good. The head coach said he graded the video of the second straight bad loss in Kansas, this one 37-16 to the Jayhawks, and he did not see a lack of effort. I asked about the defense in particular with 351-yards rushing given up and for the second week in a row the Oklahoma State defense allowed an opponent to become the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, this time KU running back Devin Neal with 32 carries for 224-yards and six receptions for 110-yards, really two big shovel passes.
Tackling?
Gundy said effort was good, but his defense looked tired.
“We missed more tackles in that game than we have,” Gundy said stating the obvious. “Quite honestly, we looked tired in my opinion. Defensively, we looked tired. We had our head down. We had two or three fits that could have been better, concept-wise. But we looked tired in my opinion. We had our head down. We didn’t tackle very good.”
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KY QB Jason Bean’s 73-yard touchdown run all OSU defenders looked slow.
Some of that can be attributed to less depth, the Cowboys have had 36 players impacted by injury and that includes four that were lost for the season in fall camp and 13 in-season. There are now seven that look to be completely lost for the season.
“We just don’t have as many numbers as we had when we started the year, but we have to find that happy medium of how much of to practice because we got to be sound in all those areas, but also try to keep them from getting fatigued,” Gundy said in a mouthful. “But when I looked at their computer chip that was in their shoulder pads and looked at the speed of the guys on defense, their speed was less in that game than has been all year long.”
So, not just missing tackles but sometimes not getting to the point of making the attempt to tackle.
What has Happened?
Gundy was asked what has happened in the span of two weeks as his team has gone from beating Texas on Homecoming and climbing to No. 8 in the nation to now dropping completely out of the rankings after a pair of blowout losses. We would expect that to be the case on Tuesday night when the second CFP rankings are released.
“We got some new guys playing. We’ve got guys that are trying to work into roles that haven’t had much experience,” Gundy said before hitting his crescendo on the answer. “We have some key players — I mean, I’m sure you noticed; I’m not trying to be a smart ass — we didn’t have Spencer. Makes a big difference.”
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Sanders on the sidelines is not a good thing.
Yes, Spencer Sanders makes a huge difference as he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That said, Gundy and his staff made the decision to go with Garret Rangel over Gunnar Gundy to start the Kansas game. Rangel completed 27-of-40 passing for an impressive 304-yards and two touchdowns. However, there were three interceptions. Offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn said only one his fault. The fumbled snap on fourth and a half-yard was huge.
“I thought he played good, made some plays,” Gundy said of Rangel. “Obviously, he had some mistakes, but that’s gonna happen when you’re young. He had some turnovers and things that were unfortunate, but I liked the way he competed, liked the way he threw the ball at times.”
If Sanders is out for the Iowa State game on Saturday, who will go. Does Gundy stick with Rangel or give Gunnar his opportunity?
“We haven’t talked about that yet,” Gundy answered. “We could very well do either [have Rangel or Gunnar Gundy play]. We haven’t had that discussion.”
Home Game!
Injuries, tired players, quarterback decisions, those variables have played out. Theone constant in the Cowboys losses were they all came on the road at TCU, at Kansas State, and Kansas. Oklahoma State is a perfect 5-0 at home.
“I don’t know about the team but it sure as hell helps me,” Gundy said of playing at Boone Pickens Stadium. “I feel a lot better. We need to come home, we need to get in front of this crowd, we need to be in front of the Paddle People. We’ve had great crowd support, great home settings. And there’s not any question people like playing at home.”
Finally We Got to See Four-Star Langston
For all the recruiting gurus who point to the stars, one that had not produced because he has been so often and consistently injured has been Midlothian (Heritage), Texas four-star wide receiver Langston Anderson.
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Anderson had a diving grab.
Saturday at Kansas, Anderson had three catches, all spectacular, for 61-yards. He had previously just one reception in his career.
“First time we’ve had him in what, six weeks? Made a couple plays. I told him, you know, after the game, everybody’s down and pouting and all that. Just think I have to motivate 140 players and 37 personnel on a Sunday when everybody’s pouting,” Gundy said setting up a punch line. “Give that some thought. So I told Langston, I said, ‘Hey look, be careful walking to the bus. If we can keep you healthy, you made a few plays, it’d be nice to have you next week.’
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
He also had this jumper on the sidelines.
“That’s what we brought him here for,” Gundy continued. “And it’s the first time we’ve gotten that out of him. How many years has he been here? Four? Been here four years and that’s the first time we’ve gotten that out of him. He’s been healthy and made a few plays. That was nice.”
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