SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy has done a good job during his career of “playing” the media and with the absence of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles he has had the touch of an experienced flute player in the symphony orchestra. Gundy, we believe, wants to keep his options open for what he does in the future after the season finale in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. He wants to be able to make the move either outside or within the program in naming the next defensive coordinator.
So, when the question was asked, who was going to call the plays on defense?
“You’ve got Dan Hammerschmidt, Tim Duffie, and Joe Bob Clements and those guys will be able to mix up the play calling based on the situation,” answered Gundy.
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
We believe Joe Bob Clememts has the lead on calling the Cowboys defense in the Fiesta Bowl.
That left some ambiguity as far as what will happen. You think. Based on the experience of the staff and the reality that this defensive system is not the original scheme that Jim Knowles brought from Duke. Current defensive line coach Joe Bob Clements said the other day that he was excited when Gundy hired Knowles because he liked the way that Duke played defense, which means he also liked what TCU head coach Gary Patterson was doing with the Frogs defense. Knowles was taught the 4-2-5 by Patterson.
After a season, Clements said Gundy and the defensive staff debriefed Knowles on his first season in the Big 12 and it was apparent the 4-2-5 was not the answer on its’ own. Knowles, Clements, corners coach Tim Duffie, and safeties coach Dan Hammerschmidt all contributed in bringing in different facets like the Iowa State rush three, drop eight in coverage concept and the 33 stack from West Virginia. They morphed the defenses in the conference that gave offenses trouble and created a hybrid defense.
Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Dan Hammerschmidt is more than capable as a coach, been a coach on both sides of the ball in college.
Knowles even told me the day he accepted the Ohio State job that the Oklahoma State defense had become a “group project.”
Gundy was pressed how this would work and the truth of it is, when it comes down to crunch time there will need to be one voice and I believe that will be Joe Bob Clements. Now, will Duffie and Hammerschmidt be contributing? Absolutely they will, and it will be in between defensive series and it will be substantial. Clements knows his fellow coaches and is very happy to have them there.
“You have first and 10, second and normal base plays in the game,” Gundy started in an answer to a question on how the communication would work. “You have third and five plus, which would be more of a passing situation traditional. The defensive coaches have done what everybody else in the country does and they have breakdowns and numbers and that gives them the opportunity to make calls based on the situation we think we are in defensively compared to what Notre Dame has done offensively. You know they are playing with two quarterbacks that have been a little different style-wise but successful. Depending on the situation certain guys make plays (calls) particularly third down and plus would be different than second down and normal.”
Keep your eyes open. Previously this season, the Cowboys other defensive line coach Greg Richmond would be in the coach’s booth in the press box with Knowles. Saturday with Notre Dame I expect to see Clements in the box along with Hammerschmidt. Richmond will move down to the field where he is comfortable communicating with the defensive line. It is a veteran group.
Oklahoma State Athletics
Duffie and Hammerschmidt can coach the entire secondary from the field.
Duffie and Hammerschmidt co-coach the secondary, so Duffie can handle field communications and adjustments with corners and safeties, again a veteran group that won’t take much instruction to make adjustments through the game.
“I felt comfortable with the coaches in our defensive room,” Gundy said. “Most of the guys on my staff have been with me for a numbers of years and have a pretty good idea of what is going on. We rely on our coordinators like most everybody in the country, but in most cases you are going to have coaches in the room that are capable of calling offense, defense, and special teams based on being in the room.”
Gundy said he went to work and he did, being almost exclusively with the defense in bowl practices. I became comfortable with several guys calling the game. I believe that. I think the three coaches Gundy mentioned that he is comfortable with them. I believe he found that he has a defensive staff that knows this scheme well. I also believe Gundy knows you need one voice in situations in calling a game. I think that one voice will be Joe Bob Clements.
Now, the media won’t know exactly what is going on. They won’t know exactly who made calls, or who had what idea for what blitz, stunt, or cover was called and worked really well or was costly and the Irish took advantage of.
That allows Gundy to have all the information he needs to make the decision he wants in January or February about who will defensive coordinator either coming from within the program or coming in from the outside. It also is what Gundy thinks will work best because in the next 24 hours it is all about winning the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and finishing the season on a 12-2 high note.
