Pleased With Hard Work, Gundy Calls Off Final Two-A-Day Session

Wednesday, August 15th 2007, 11:21 am

By: News On 6

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) _ After a grueling morning session, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy spared his team the second half of its final scheduled two-a-day practices Tuesday by calling off an afternoon workout.

``We're going to give them the afternoon off, try to let them get their feet back under them,'' Gundy said. ``Tomorrow we're going to go a long time and then we're going to scrimmage.''

After a 20-play scrimmage during Tuesday's practice, Gundy said he planned a 60-play scrimmage at the end of the Cowboys' practice session on Wednesday. All the sessions are closed to the public.

``We just planned on doing it that way. If they practiced hard, we told them we'd give them the afternoon off and let them have a team-building day,'' Gundy said. ``We're going to stick with that.''

Oklahoma State had planned to have its third and final two-a-day sessions but players _ many of whom took an ice bath after the morning workout _ were instead given a reprieve from temperatures forecast to climb to 100 degrees and perhaps beyond.

``We'll probably go to a movie or something. We've been working hard, so we deserve it,'' defensive end Marque Fountain said. ``We put our work in this morning, so the coaches are happy with us and with what we put in. They feel like we did what we had to do today.''

Oklahoma State has single practice sessions scheduled Wednesday through Sunday, with their next day off Monday for the start of classes.

Gundy said the Cowboys will begin focusing on preparations for Georgia, their opponent in their Sept. 1 season opener, following Wednesday's scrimmage. He has said the team would need to get ready for the season quicker than the previous two seasons, when Oklahoma State opened against Division I-AA opponents.

``I think offensively we're pretty far along. Defensively we're further along than I thought we would be in a new system, but we still have a ways to go because of everything that's new to the defensive players,'' Gundy said.