Watch: Mike Gundy Wraps Tulsa, Looks Ahead to Utah, and Stops Noisy Drink Cooler

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State is set to host No. 12 Utah in the Big 12 opener this coming Saturday. The Pokes are coming off a 45-10 win over Tulsa this past weekend,

Head coach Mike Gundy met with the media on Monday to discuss the upcoming matchup. 

“They do a good job playing with two tight ends,” Gundy said of Utah. “They like to play-action out of it, like to misdirection, get the quarterback on the perimeter. They’re good at rushing the ball. They block well. They’ve been good at what they’ve done for a number of years. They don’t get out of their box much. They stay the course pretty much for what they’ve done for quite a while.”

Looking back on the Tulsa game, Gundy said the tape looked better on the defensive side of the ball than first thought. 

“We played better as a team on defense,” said Gundy. “Made a couple of adjustments. Fit the run better after the first drive. Put some pressure on the quarterback. We were pretty average, obviously, when they had an extra man. There was even times there were two extra people in the box. Just keep moving forward. We tackled pretty good in the game. Need to try to get a little bit better each week.”

The Cowboys need to continue to play good ball on the defensive side, while improving in some areas as Utah will be one of, if not the toughest challenge the Pokes will have faced up to this point in the season, alongside Arkansas.

The biggest question going into the game will be Utah quarterback, Cameron Rising, who missed this past week due to an injury to his throwing hand against Baylor.

“We’ve had some games on him. He (Rising vs. Baylor) went out in the second quarter, I think, so we’ve got decent tape on what they’re doing. They’re not really trying to change scheme wise much. They’re going to do what they do. Looks like they’re bringing him along as much chance as they get. He’s been in since the second quarter, so there’s been quite a few games. They’re running the same stuff.”

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

As it’s been for years, there’s always a point in a Gundy press conference that’s unpredictable and today was no different. The athletic department holds the Gundy pressers each week in the press box of Boone Pickens Stadium. As such, there are drink coolers like you’d see in a gas station with sliding doors. Well, the compressor on one of the coolers is starting to go out, which caught the attention of Gundy.

Gundy even left the lectern to go and help members of the media move the cooler to unplug it.