Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy Bold Statement After Homecoming Loss To Arizona State
Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy fell to 0-6 in Big 12 play this season with Saturday’s loss to Arizona State.
STILLWATER, Okla. — After suffering a sixth consecutive defeat, Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy addressed the media.
He spoke for approximately 15 minutes about the loss to Arizona State, the disappointing nature of the season overall, and other topics.
Here are the key points from Gundy’s remarks on Saturday night:
Opening statement
“What I told the team was that in the first half, we struggled to get off the field on defense during third downs, allowing them multiple opportunities. We were only down by seven at that point. But when we came out for the second half, we couldn’t get anything going offensively, especially in the passing game. We rushed for about four-and-a-half yards a carry while averaging only three-point-something ourselves, which is always a significant factor. Unless there’s a big discrepancy in turnovers, if the other team is rushing for more yards per carry, it’s going to be a tough day for us. They converted 10 out of 16 third downs, which is too high. We were only 3 of 11, and we didn’t put ourselves in good positions.
On the positive side, our special teams showed some improvement, which I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to a point in the game where that really made an impact. I reminded the guys that it’s college football; once Saturday’s game is over, we need to reset for the next one. We have a game next Saturday, and I expect the team to really bring it in practice. They practiced well last week.
In my opinion, we need to improve our coaching. I’ll need to review the game tape, but there were aspects of our schemes that I didn’t fully agree with. It wasn’t disastrous, but I think we could have executed better. We need to make more plays; they made some key plays, especially their quarterback. In the second half, when we fell behind by two scores, they exploited our man coverage and created some big plays. We were trying to get the ball back out of desperation due to the clock, which didn’t help. I wish we could have performed and coached better, but now we need to focus on the next game.”
What specific aspects did you disagree with regarding the schemes?
“It’s too soon for me to go into specifics.”
Was it more on the offensive side, defensive, or both?
“A bit of both. It’s not overly negative, but losses tend to magnify things. I’ll need to watch the tape and analyze it.”
What’s been the biggest problem over the course of the season?
“Well, we’re averaging around 3 yards per carry while allowing about 5.7 yards per carry, which is a problem. We need to improve our run defense and find ways to enhance our rushing game. This team tends to stack the box, as I mentioned before, meaning they won’t give us equal numbers very often. We need to make an impact in the passing game. When facing a team that pushes us to throw and our passing is inconsistent, it makes things a lot tougher. Looking back at the first half, if we could have stopped them on half of their third downs, we would have been in much better shape.”
Thoughts on QB Smith?
“I thought he played quite well overall. He handled the situation well, even when the clock was winding down a couple of times—he managed to get lined up and executed. He kept the ball, ran when he needed to, and made some solid reads. Most of the plays we called for him were designed for him to make reads. It’s a great start to his career, and I think he did a commendable job. (Also), number 24 ran hard and pushed through well.”
Was the effort better?
“Yes. At halftime, I reviewed every play on the tablet, and our effort with the run game was significantly improved. Last week was disappointing, but this week was better. We still need to tackle better. I will say that Skattebo is a talented runner who can break tackles, but I still think we missed three or four tackles that we should have made. Overall, our rushing performance was definitely better in this game compared to last week.”
On their quarterback breaking tackles:
“He managed to extend plays. We had him down three times on third down situations that could have halted their drives.”
Can you express that in a different way?
“He escaped our grasp. We need to bring him down. There were two moments in the first half where if we had tackled him, it would have resulted in a punt. Instead, he made the conversions.”
Was it encouraging to see improvement in effort, especially at this stage of the season when players might tend to lose motivation?
“Definitely. Look, I’ve been clear with them — I told them straight up, ‘This isn’t acceptable. It’s nonnegotiable.’ They acknowledged that. I was tough on them all week. Our meetings were challenging because it’s difficult to confront the reality of not competing. They accepted that challenge. I haven’t reviewed the second half yet, but in the first half, they were hustling to the ball, and that needs to continue. What you said is true, but the other side is nonnegotiable. If you’re not going to give that effort, you don’t belong on the bus. I’m not blaming the players for everything; we need to coach better. But I made it clear to them — I don’t play in the games. If you want to be in the game, you have to give your all, and that’s nonnegotiable. I believe they did that. They fought until the end. Offensively, it may not have looked great, but they kept pushing and even scored on their last possession. Special teams were also working hard until the end, so I thought that was an improvement.”
What was the offense missing in the second half?
“We just couldn’t get any momentum going. The passing game was inconsistent, right? You all had a better view than I did; it just looked out of sync. Balls were bouncing on the ground, and it was hard to find any rhythm. Overall, it just wasn’t good. That’s how I felt standing on the field, rather than from above.”
Does the delay have anything to do with that?
“No, they had the same delay, and they performed really well in the third quarter. It made for a long day, but it didn’t affect the game.”
Did Smith do enough to earn more playing time?
“He’s already taking a lot of reps, as many as Bowman.”
What about more in-game reps?
“I’m not sure. I’d need to review the game. It’s a valid question—really, they all are—but I’d hate to commit to something and then go back on it. We’ll take a look and see.”
What prompted you to get him in the game?
“Well, you all asked a great question last Monday—there are definitely a few clever people among you… You didn’t find that funny? Anyway, some of you asked if we would play younger guys. It was a good question. We’re going to do whatever it takes to play our best and win next Saturday, but if we see opportunities to give younger players a chance during practice and feel they can compete well enough to help us win, we’ll do it, even if it’s in a limited role. Most young players can only handle so much in their first games. But we want to get them on the field for two reasons: first, it’s beneficial for them to gain experience, and second, it helps give our more experienced players a break. They get tired, and this year we haven’t been able to rotate as many guys as we have in the past, so those two things are important.”
Freshman quarterback Maealiuaki Smith “handled himself well” in his first action against Oklahoma State.
How pivotal was it that the kickoff return didn’t count?
“You know, you all are probably feeling the same way I did. I thought, ‘We just need one break.’ When things aren’t going as well as you’d like, every little detail stands out. I kept wondering if we could just get one lucky break to build some momentum and see where that takes us. It would have been really nice if that happened, but we were close. Regarding the call, it could go either way — the player was blocking and the other guy was trying to escape, which led to him being pushed down. It might have seemed worse than it actually was, but I wouldn’t say it was a terrible call.”
What’s your take on the touchdown being called back in the first quarter?
“I’m frustrated about that because once a play is run, it’s done. You can’t go back and redo it — there are no do-overs. That’s why it bothers me. I’m not saying the play should have been made, but once it happens, it happens. In my view, someone should have stayed near the ball to prevent the snap. I remember a game in the past where we played against a team that scored on an illegal play, and they counted it as a loss for us. I still see that as a win. So why can’t we go back and redo it too? If the ball is snapped, it’s snapped — that’s just the way it is.”
What’s your explanation?
“They had an injured player.”
So nobody noticed it until after the snap?
“I’m assuming that’s the case. If they were aware of an injured player, they should have rushed over to stop the play. I don’t know all the specifics or the rules regarding that situation because it’s a bit unusual. But once the ball is snapped, it’s snapped—you can’t rewind. We don’t get do-overs. It is what it is. It didn’t really change the outcome of the game, but that’s just how it is.”
On the four-down defensive front:
“We’ve faced some injuries in both positions, so we don’t have enough linebackers available to run a three-down scheme. From a depth perspective on the defensive line, we’re better positioned for a four-down approach than we are at linebacker, especially since that would require us to use four linebackers most of the time, which really limits us. It’s a good point, though, because that has been discussed, but right now we’re rotating three linebackers. If one of them gets hurt, we have to scrap our plan and start over with something different.”
Regarding the evaluation of younger players during games:
“Oh, the experience is quite different. Players like 18 (David Kabongo), 14 (Landyn Cleveland), 9 (Ayo Shotomide-King), and 40 (Josh Ford) are all getting time on the field. But when they’re in a game, the dynamics change. For instance, 18 plays with a lot of effort. You all saw him make some solid tackles today, right? He hit 4 (Cam Skattebo) a couple of times and tackled well. However, there were multiple instances where he was out of his gap and not fitting correctly. We asked him about it, and he admitted he knew, so we wondered, ‘Why weren’t you in your gap?’ The reality is, he’s a freshman, and that’s typical behavior for freshmen. But game time is vital for evaluation. From my perspective, I look at whether they will compete and maintain physical consistency. He showed that today by being aggressive. The rest will develop over time.”
Is there an incentive to increase their playing time?
“As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to be cautious about overloading them when they enter the game. Young players can fatigue quickly due to the mental demands. Today, 18, 14, and 9 all saw considerable action on defense. We’re increasing their reps as much as we can based on our current health situation. We just have to be careful not to overwhelm them, as they can start to struggle. But I believe they all competed well when they were in. Player 9, in particular, does a great job on offense—with his effort to gain yards and his ability to make catches in traffic.”