Oklahoma State Cowboys College Football Pregame Quote, 10/14/2019

This is a big week for Oklahoma State. Obviously, with the largest homecoming in the country. We are guesstimating 60 to 70,000 people back in town. It is a really exciting time. It has been a great tradition that has carried on here for forever. The most difficult part for me is tickets. Everybody wants tickets. Former players, ex-players and pro players, but it is a good problem to have with us having that many people coming back. We will have a full house and it will be a perfect time in the afternoon for some college football.

On what Spencer Sanders can improve on:

The first area for him is to take care of the football. He threw a bad interception, got hit on another one and the other was tipped. We want to limit those, but the issue is fumbling the ball in the pocket. We have worked hard and will continue to work on focusing on that aspect of the game. We can’t lose the turnover battle and expect to win games.

On A.J. Green’s development and leadership:

It’s hard to play corner in this league. Defenses are trending a bit the other way where they’re not being challenged on schemes as much as they have been in the last five to six years. Green is a good football player; he’s worked really hard this year. He’s essentially setting himself for a great year and, eventually, an NFL career. If he continues to work hard, keep his head on this shoulders and stays healthy, he’s going to have an NFL career. He’s played well for us. What I’m particularly pleased with, at this points, is that he practices hard and he never says anything. He’s bought into the program and he’s been a good leader for us; that’s why he’s been a captain several times.

On making defensive adjustments to pressure opposing quarterbacks:

I think that’s always an issue as teams transition to a three-down look. It is difficult, at times, to get pressure on the quarterback. The other thing is, when you focus too much on pressuring the quarterback, you’re creating gaps for quarterbacks to run. You watch games in this league and you can see how many times guys step up in the pocket and run for six, eight, 10 yards. That’s the issue you face when you’re in more of a three-down look, which is what more people are playing now. I think we have to be creative to find ways to get pressure on the quarterback and also find ways to cut those gaps down because the guys in this league are really good at slipping through those gaps and picking up yardage.

On the status of Dylan Galloway:

He’s back; he was practicing with us last night. Depending on how he progresses, hopefully we can get him back out there this week.

On adjusting offensive line around injuries:

It happens; injuries are part of the game. When you start shuffling around those five guys, I’m not a big fan of that. If we didn’t have injuries, very seldom do we move those guys, even in years we struggled. If we don’t keep them in the same spots, it’s not easy for them to get better. Some other guys are also getting a little experience and they’re getting better too.

On the offensive line responding to adjustments:

They just have to do what you’re told. We have to put the best five on the field based on our opponent, our strengths and maybe their weaknesses. Maturity plays a role in that as well. You can never bypass the importance of the snap. You always have to take that into account.