Oklahoma State Cowboys College Football Pregame Quote, 12/28/2021

I know you developed a great relationship with Jim [Knowles]. And any chance that some of you guys will have a cigar Saturday if you win and do that in kind of celebration for him?

I mean, I didn’t pack any cigars. I’m sure if I can get my hands on one, we will. I’m don’t know if we would do that to commemorate Knowles or what, but I think it could happen.

You were pretty early on the Collin Oliver hype train. There is obviously the athleticism and the physical end of it. When did you recognize the mentality and mindset that he had? Was it last spring when he got to campus?

I want to say it was during the off-season this summer. He came in. He worked his tail off. He never complained about anything. He did everything he was asked to, and then he just went on to fall camp and he was very coachable. He listened to the seniors. He took a lot of coaching points from guys that have been there and the coaches.

So, I mean, I knew early. Like you said, probably I would say this summer. Because during the spring, it’s hard to tell. Not everyone is going hard. Everyone is going hard, but it’s spring ball. Threes are getting more reps than anything. Older guys don’t really get a lot. So the level of competition is a little different during the spring.

Was there anywhere that you saw his maturity, even early on ‚Äì he’s 18, 19 years old ‚Äì but just kind of shine through?

I mean, he’s still a young buck. He still acts like a high school kid. He’s sitting right next to me, pretty much. We are actually roommates. I don’t know why they put us together ‚Äì young guy and old guy, I guess. He’s a goof, man. He’s still a kid, but he’s having fun doing it, and he’s doing a hell of a job.

I know one thing you had talked about when Coach [Jim] Knowles was here is how you had to get used to him yelling, and there was kind of that whole adjustment period. Now that he’s not here doing that, how would you describe the practices? How has that been for you?

Coach Joe Bob [Clements], he does his fair share of yelling. So we don’t really miss out on that. I got all the love in the world for Knowles. Everything ‚Äì I hope he has nothing but success for Ohio State. But we have got some stuff we need to do this Saturday. And you all know I’m coming back, so we have got some stuff that we need to do next year to prove that it wasn’t just Knowles. Knowles is a great coach, but you’ve got to have great players to go do the things that we did this year as a defense.

I know it has been said too that it was Coach [Jim] Knowles’ system but that these other position coaches really helped shape it into what it is today. How have you seen the position coaches respond? What has it been like working with them since he’s been gone?

I mean, everything has gone smoothly. I mean, haven’t missed a step, really. Coach [Joe Bob] Clements has kind of stepped into the play-calling role and he just kind of lets the position coaches coach his players. And assignment-wise, Coach Clements doesn’t really get out of ‚Äì he’s a D-line coach. That’s what he does. That’s what he knows. He knows all the other positions, too, but he is going to leave it to the guys that that’s their specific job. He’s not going to overreach his responsibilities and try to do something that he doesn’t need to.

Brock, is Joe Bob [Clements] ready to become the permanent defensive coordinator?

He could easily do it. I’m not going to come out and say that [Mike] Gundy should hire him. I mean, ultimately, that’s a [Chad] Weiberg and Gundy decision at the end of the day.

I got some flack for the blank check thing with [Jim] Knowles. Gundy hasn’t let that one go yet.

So I think he very well could. I think he would do a hell of a job. I think he’s been offered DC jobs before. He loves it here, loves Stillwater. His kids grew up here. He’s stayed the path here. I think he’s more than earned it.

A quick follow-up about the game Saturday. How much of an opportunity is this for the program? You clearly established yourself on a national stage. I’m not suggesting you haven’t. But to play a team like Notre Dame with its prestige and tradition, share a stage with them, so to speak, is that a next step in the process, do you think, for OSU football?

I mean, it’s just a big opportunity. Like Devin [Harper] said earlier, it’s like a 40-year waiting list to play these games and we get to play them during the off-season.

Unfortunately, I think, one of their best players opted out, running back (Kyren Williams). It would have been nice playing a team like Notre Dame at full strength. You always want to play your opponents at full strength.

And I think that kid will be a first-round draft pick. It would have been nice playing against someone like that. Notre Dame is a big name. It’s a household name. They have their own TV deals with CBS and all that stuff. So it’s a huge opportunity for us. We have done a good job of putting ourselves in the spotlight this year. And [Mike] Gundy has done a good job in his tenure. So I think we are all looking forward to Saturday.

How tough is it to keep from beating yourself up as a team, knowing how close you guys were? You got two losses. You lost to Iowa State by an inch or two at the goal line. You lost to Ohio State with that touchdown spot. How do you keep from looking back and saying, We were so close? Or do you look back?

I mean, at this point, you don’t really look back. It’s, what, three weeks? That first week, they gave us a week off to kind of go home and see our family, do finals, stuff like that. That’s your time to look back, if you want to look back.

It sucks, man. We are as close as anybody to winning that game. As a defense, we did everything we could. I know the offense wanted to get in there and score that touchdown and win the game just as much as we wanted them to.

But we do look back on it. We still talk about it every once in a while. It’s just locker room talk, this and that, at practice, whatever. But at this point, it’s just dust in the wind. We can’t go back now.

I was interested in your evaluation of Notre Dame’s tackles. They will be starting two freshmen. Obviously, inexperience is a negative, both in terms of their ability, the assets they bring to the table. How do you sort of see them on tape?

They are some big guys. Notre Dame is known for being O-line U. They obviously recruit some good talent, the offensive line.

So I wouldn’t say that their tackles are a weak point in their offense. There’s some games you go back that they gave up a lot of pressures; quarterback was under duress.

But they are good players. They are big bodies. You have to watch the film. You have to know what they like to do, how they set, and stuff like that. But to say they are bad players or weak links, I still think they are good players. They are just young.