OSU Head Coach Mike Gundy Breaks Down The Win Over Cincinnati

Oklahoma State picked up its 4th straight win Saturday night, beating Cincinnati 45-13. With the win, OSU moves into a five-way tie for 1st place in the Big 12. After the game, head coach Mike Gundy met with the media to break down the win over the Bearcats.

Opening statement:

“I know it was a little rainy and chilly -- but it was awesome. The crowd got into the game and were very engaged with the team, and it helped us a lot. Offensively and defensively, we made really good adjustments at halftime. I was pleased with our coaching in this game. At halftime, I thought our plans were okay, not great. And then we made adjustments on both sides of the ball. There were really good adjustments by both staffs, and it worked well for us in the second half. We were able to pick up and rush the ball a little bit. They played run defense, a little bit like we used to see in the old days. Safeties were low -- one at 10 and one at eight -- everybody else playing run. Which is smart on their part. That’s what we’ve done and done well lately. They came in with a plan to stop the run and see if we could throw it. We were able to get some throws. It was nice for Leon (Johnson III) to step up and make some plays. We’re down some guys at the wide receiver position, and he came in to make some plays. The couple adjustments I mentioned helped us rush the ball better in the second half. We did a better job at tackling and condensing the running game from a defensive standpoint in the second half. It was a good win for us, and I told the team they can enjoy this one tonight, and (then) we have to go back to work. In college football, you celebrate a lot in the locker room, and sometimes it’s not as happy. (But) then you have to go back the next day and get ready to keep rolling.”

On halftime adjustments to boost the running game:

“We ran okay in the first half. We made a couple adjustments in our run-game concepts, and there were places for (Ollie Gordon) to run. His crease was two or three yards wide. They’ve done that now -- our offensive line has done that -- for four or five weeks now. We’re blocking and covering guys up, creating some holes. He’s running, and when he gets through there, he’s running to be physical. He’s running away. His vision is really good right now. That was a good run defense. Their team is a good run team… If somebody were to say (before the game) that we could run for 315 yards, I would have said ‘not so fast.’ We broke one in the end to Ollie (Gordon) there that pushed the numbers up. It’s pretty safe that we’ve rushed consistently for 250, but we’re blocking them. We’re covering them up and we’re blocking them.”

On defensive adjustments after Cincinnati’s strong first half:

“(We) made some adjustments in the way that we were handling the running game. They got us on the insides of the old school lead zone in the first half. We missed some tackles again. To me, it looked like we missed five or six tackles. We didn’t really miss any in the second half. In the first half we did. Twice, we had a guy in position, and they just didn’t make the play. But we made an adjustment on their lead zone concept, and it helped us out. We were able to pressure the quarterback in the second half, and it made a big difference.”

On a breakout performance from wideout Leon Johnson III:

“I felt like he would play really good, but I’m not going to say that I thought he would step up for the first time and go for 150. So, I think we’re pleasantly, kind of surprised. He’s always practiced well. You have to give him credit. One thing that’s difficult for college players to do to stay engaged and practice hard and compete, when you think ‘Saturday, I might not get to play that much.’ That’s hard. We talk to the players about that all the time, so that you never know when you’re going to get to play. But it’s still hard to tell a guy ‘I need you to run, bust it in practice, watch extra tape and all these things. Oh, and you might not play very much.’ And he’s done a good job at that. When we needed him at West Virginia, he stepped up and helped us. Then he practiced all week and played well today. That’s a real challenge for young people nowadays to understand the commitment it takes, even though you might not think you’re going to play very much on Saturday.”

On where he sees the Cowboys within the conference entering November:

“It’s week-to-week. I don’t need to repeat myself (about) the parity across college football. This league is no different. You have to practice well, play well and try to minimize turnovers, play good on special teams and give yourself a chance to win. I think that college football is moving forward now, as we’ve turned into the NFL. It’s going to be week-to-week. Fortunately, our guys have played good over the last four or five weeks. They believe in themselves. They’re practicing very well. I don’t have to say anything to them. They have a high level of enthusiasm and energy which has become contagious. Good things are happening. As long as they stay humble, stay hungry and not expect anything, they’ll have a chance to compete and play well in all the games.”

On OSU’s recent dominance in the run game:

“Obviously we’re able to run the ball effectively now over the last three or four weeks. Prior to that, we couldn’t run it a lick. We’re getting a little better at running the ball. We’re covering people up and we’re a little more physical, and the backs are running physical. It was nice to get Elijah (Collins) in there tonight. He did a nice job running. Success is contagious. Now they all think they can run good behind our line and get through some creases. When you start to do things like that, it works out well for you and helps you in the long run. It’s only if we practice well this week. We’re not good enough to not practice well and then perform well on Saturday. We’re not that good.”