OSU Football: Week 6 Notebook

Following their first loss of the season, Coach Gundy and the Cowboys met with the media to discuss the West Virginia game and preview the upcoming test against Kansas State. Here's what they had to say.

Coach Mike Gundy

"We did not execute at West Virginia. I don't have any concerns with our scheme and the play calling. We didn't execute and we turned the ball over."

"There are things you can fix. Drops, more accurate throws and getting on the right people in blocking schemes are things you can fix in a week."

"I like that our defense has improved and I think we're in the right spot, we're challenging more in certain areas, things aren't as easy for offenses as it was in the past. We don't have all the answers and we have areas to improve in but I like the direction we're going, I like the coaches, I like the philosophy and I like the players' attitude."

"If you asked most coaches across the country that have an offensive background they would tell you that maybe just over half the time, maybe 75 percent is a play blocked correctly. The rest of the time somebody's gotta make a play. That's the situation we're in now. We've gotta be able to make a guy miss and get up the field and score or get more chunk plays in the running game. That's really what we're lacking right now."

On J.W. Walsh's decision to check out of a running play to a fade on second-and-goal: "He did it on his own, and I was as surprised as whoever was watching the game when it happened. Why players sometimes do that I don't know. It's like when you tell your kid to brush his teeth and you find out a week later he hasn't brushed his teeth. You told him a week ago to brush his teeth. Well we don't have the play that he checked out of in that set. It's a run play. We can sit in here and talk about it all you want and make each other feel good but the truth is this: the ball's on the two-inch line, I'd prefer to run it. That's what we told him."

On Kansas State running an offensive scheme similar to when Colin Klein was quarterback: "There's a lot of similarities in what they're doing. They try to spread you out and use the back as an extra blocker and the quarterback runs and they have another guy that comes in that's a runner in my opinion. The philosophies are the same."

On the possibility of Justin Gilbert being suspended for his ejection near the end of the West Virginia game: "I'm going to wait and see what comes down through the conference and then I'm going to sit down and have a conversation with Justin."

On the kicking game: "He's gotta kick it through the goal-posts. He hit the ball pretty good, he just obviously lined up wrong. And it doesn't do you any good if you hit it good if it doesn't go through the goal-posts. He's done it, but he hasn't done it out in front of a crowd yet. And I feel like he will. It's repetition and timing. And with the punter, we had two poor punts, the other punts he had were really good. So we continue to teach, coach, instill confidence in them and move forward to the next game."

Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer

On what he saw on film that he didn't see during the game: "It wasn't much different than what I saw during the game. We caught on to what they were trying to do. They wanted to take a lot of deep shots against us. For the most part, the kids played well. They threw it deep 17 times and completed four. There were some pass interference calls, which happens. We did well in the run game, and the kids got off the field, but not enough. I was hoping we would get more turnovers with how many times the ball was in the air. That was a disappointment. The goal is to force three per game, or one every 25 plays."

Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich

On struggles in the running game: "A lot of things factor into it. It's not just about running the football, but the effectiveness of your play action passes as well. It's about what you do on first down. It's about being effective. Your effectiveness in different areas can affect a lot. It's not just one thing."

Defensive Line Coach Joe Bob Clements

On his experience with Kansas State factoring into this week's game: "I don't know. If I try to do too much of that, it might end up causing more issues than benefits. I've spent a lot of time practicing against Kansas State's offense, but it's a different perception because we never had to play them. They did things in practice that caused us problems, but we would just shrug it off because we weren't keeping score-we didn't have to play them. Now that I'm an opponent, I'm seeing it through a different set of eyes."

On Bill Snyder's influence on his life: "He means a lot. I love the man. Growing up, I've had some major influences in my life, from my father to my grandfathers and my uncles. Outside of family, I think he's had more influence on my life than any other person. It was difficult to tell him that I thought it was best for me to come to Oklahoma State. I thought it was best for me and my family, but it was still tough to do."

Quarterback J.W. Walsh

On what caused the loss to West Virginia: "Mistakes. We made a lot of mistakes that really hurt the team and in costly situations. After watching film, we want to correct those mistakes, and if we correct them, then good things will start to happen for us again. We can't let West Virginia beat us twice. We've got to move forward and only focus on Kansas State this week. We need to focus on beating them."

Offensive Lineman Brandon Webb

On the offensive line's struggles last week: "We will do better. We felt like we kind of let the team down a little bit. As seniors, me and Parker (Graham) talked, and we think it's kind of our fault. We have to get better this week and show up against Kansas State."

Receiver Tracy Moore

On dropped passes during the WVU game: "We got a bunch of young guys, and it was their first Big 12 game and first true road game. It's different than being in practice or at home where everybody is cheering for you. There's a lot of pressure, and I guess it got to them a little bit. The easiest way to deal with it is to drop one and learn from it."

Defensive End Tyler Johnson

On readjusting after a tough loss: "We still did a lot of good things. You have to take positives out of wins, and you have to take positives out of losses. Also, you have to correct the bad things, but if we lessen our turnovers and make a few big plays, we're in that game. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way."

Linebacker Ryan Simmons

On how the team rebounds for Kansas State: "It starts within yourself. First and foremost, you need to hold yourself accountable to make sure that you can get the job done and not make those same mistakes that you made last week. Owning up to your responsibility and coming back even harder. We're really fired up. We're just ready to play. Last week is in the past, so we're ready for Kansas State."

Defensive Tackle Calvin Barnett

On Kansas State: "They're going to be a little different this year because Collin Klein is gone. They still have their key receiver, Tyler Lockett. I think their whole offensive line is returning. They've always had a good scheme. I can tell everyone has continued to buy into Coach Bill Snyder and everything he does. We'll be ready for their discipline and make sure we're ready to do what we need to do."