Oklahoma State Cowboys College Football Pregame Quote, 10/14/2024

Any updates on the quarterback situation this week?

“Well, we’re working all of our guys, getting them good quality work, and I told the coaches that we needed to make a decision by Thursday after practice.”

Is Zane Flores involved?

“He’s practicing, he’s getting work like the other guys are.”

What do you hope to accomplish with extra week and how they reacted to extra week?

“We did the thing that I mentioned, that worked the fundamentals in all three phases. We had really good practices last week, and then we had a good workout last night. Not really a practice, but we got them back together, and had a workout last night, and we just stressed the things that we feel like that we need to get accomplished. Need to be a better run-fit defense, minimize a few of the big plays that we’ve gotten and then continue to work offensively in rushing the football and being good at our basic play action passes, which we’ve worked on from day one. So there wasn’t any big mystery or any big secret to what we tried to get accomplished, just just good quality work.”

Good results from first bye last year. You try to replicate that in terms of plans and approach or you do things differently?

“Same thing, very similar to what we did last year. I mean, obviously it’s, you know, every year is different. We all know that. I think watching college football, we, I don’t know how much carryover there is anymore from one year to the other, but the plan to answer your question was very similar to what it was a week ago. I mean, I’m sorry, a year ago.”

How are guys processing three losses?

“As I mentioned last week, they’ve been really good. Obviously, they want to win and have success, but I watch their willingness to compete in practice, their attentiveness in meetings and practice, and it’s been good. Like I said, they were really good last week. I think that the maturity does help us. I think they understand and they can see where we’ve been deficient in certain areas and ways to improve that, to give ourselves a chance to win a game.”

Did the extra week give you more time to work with analysts and fringe guys?

“Well, I work with those guys each week, and, you know, I don’t really have an issue with what we’re trying to get accomplished. I feel like it’s the right things. Now, you know, I’ve been very honest over the last month and a half, there’s times that I didn’t agree with game plans, and we’ve looked at that, made adjustments. There’s times that we need to be in better positions as players. So we tried to get all of that balled up in one and get as much as we could get accomplished last week. And then, obviously, we’ll do it this week before we have to take off on Thursday.”

Specific things you can do during the bye you can’t do normally?

“We can get into a little more depth and watching practice and game planning that we have the extra time. Obviously, during a game week, we finish everything up on Sunday and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We get as much game plan concepts as we can for that game. On an open week, we have a little more time to look at things in depth and try to figure out really what’s best for the upcoming opponent, versus being rushed into two days on a normal game week.”

On watching BYU this past weekend:

“Yeah, I watched most of the game on television, yes. They’re having a great year. Kalani (Sitake) is doing a great job. They’re very mature. They’re getting really, really good quarterback play, in my opinion. And they have good players. I think they’ve got probably three or four guys that are going to get drafted off the team from what I see — just from the naked eye. Now. I don’t follow up on any of that, but they’ve got a good team. They’re mature. They’re playing with confidence. Quarterback’s playing really good at this time, and they’re getting good pass rush. They get good pressure on the quarterback with a four-man rush.”

His philosophy on coaching changes:

“Evaluating coaches during the season and at the end of the season and potentially making changes over my 20 years has been something that’s not been a big part of who I am. I believe that the coaches that I hire, that I’m responsible for them performing and putting us in a position to have success. And that’s a 24/7 job for me. My responsibility is to see things that I feel need adjusted or need fixed and have discussions with those coaches or that side of the ball, whatever particular side it may be. Then if I can see improvements being made in one specific area or on one side of the football, then I feel like that’s us making progress, moving in the right direction. That’s a job that’s 24/7, as I mentioned. It never stops. So I have to evaluate each and every day, each and every week, and each and every December at the end of the season.”

On if he is philosophically against midseason coaching changes:

“I think every situation is different. I’ve never felt like there was a reason of a benefit for the current team to make a midseason change. I know people do that, but you’re asking me specifically and I have never seen a time when it would benefit the team to make a midseason change.”

On if having a more expanded staff makes it more likely for him to make a midseason change:

“There’s more that goes into it vs. just move a guy out, move a guy in. There’s just a lot of moving parts. Even though we have expanded coaching staffs, we still have specific coaches that are responsible for positions and/or coordinating on both sides of the ball. It would have to be a really, really good reason to say, ‘I’m gonna stop in midstream and restart with another coach.’ And I’m not saying one way is right or wrong, I’ve just never been a big fan of that side of it just based on I feel like it might cause more disruption than good at that particular time.”

On what has been done the past two weeks to try to fortify the defense:

“Well, there’s not anything out of the ordinary. What we’ve done is try to identify where the issues were, as I mentioned earlier on this call, and then what’s the solutions based on the personnel that we have and how can we make that better for this game, the upcoming game on Friday night. That’s what we did last week, and we’ll continue to do that this week.”

On if they’re looking at any defensive personnel changes after watching the WVU film without Nick Martin:

“So, there’s not really a lot of personnel changes. If we have guys that are injured, we move other guys in. We ask them to compete, play at a high level. We’re like anybody else in the country. If we lose an experienced player that’s very talented, the guy that’s moving in for him is probably not gonna be that far along. But then our job is to put him in a position, concept and scheme-wise, and not ask him to do too much, to where they can play at a high level to give us the best chance to have success on that side of the ball.”

Rangel’s on-field performance?

“He graded out and played much better in this last outing than he did in the first one. The first one, he misfired on a couple throws. But he was better in this last one.”

Justin Wright back?

“Justin’s been practicing and is getting some work. How far he’ll come along in the six-to-eight practices that he’s had, it’s hard to tell. But he is back out there practicing with us.”

BYU’s rise unexpected/Parity in the Big 12?

“Well, we’ve talked about this. We talked about it two years ago, last year, last summer, this last season. We talked about it out in Las Vegas and I’ve mentioned it here. We’re in free agency now. We’re in a different world. These players are in, mentally, a different state. They make money. Now this has become an NFL concept. And it’s all coming true. It’s week to week. It’s hard to tell based on offseason transactions. Quarterback play is still a big part of it, in my opinion. You get good quarterback play, you’ll always be in the mix. If you’re not getting good quarterback play, then you’ll have a hard time competing. But what you’re saying is true. I think this is the future. It’s across the board, and it’s good for viewership, not so good for coaches. Hard on the lifestyle. But either way, it’s the future based on the availability in the offseason to bring kids in. I had a higher opinion of BYU than what most people did because the last two years, BYU started the season 4-0, 5-0, I don’t know, they might’ve even got to 6-0 at one time. And then they had injuries and had quarterback issues and a couple other things that happened and they fell off at the end of the season. But they’ve had a good team, in my opinion, over the last three or four years.”

Brennan/Ollie injuries?

“No injury updates.”

What have you pinpointed in Bowman’s struggles?

“We need him to set his feet. We need him to step up in the pocket. That’s the discussions we’ve had with him, and I’ve had them with you guys for the last two months. Early in the season, it was much better. Then the last three or four games, he’s not sitting in the pocket and stepping up and delivering to targets. He’s falling backwards and that’s causing him accuracy issues, which you guys can see. It’s very simple when it comes to his issues. We need him to sit in the pocket, we need him to step up and work forward and deliver the ball.”

Surprising he was going it and regressing?

“I’m not sure. I would’ve already stopped it if I had a reason for it. And I’m saying that in a very respectful way. I’m not out there doing it. I feel like we’re coaching it and I feel like we’re explaining it. We have to get it done on the field. That’s what has to happen, and it’s not a really complicated concept. When he has set in the pocket and played forward, he has done very well. When he has drifted sideways or backwards, he’s performed poorly. That’s about as clear-cut as I can get.”

On preparing for the altitude: 

“I’m sure there could be issues with altitude. These guys now have nutritionists. And we have vitamins and such and things we give them to try to keep their oxygen levels at a high. BYU does not play in a temp offense, which I think could be a bigger factor. That’s not been their history, so I don’t really feel like that’ll be an issue. I’ve never played there. I’ve been there, been to Provo a couple times, but I’ve never played there. I don’t feel like it’ll be an issue, in my opinion, with the altitude.”

Special teams light-bulb moment?

“Just from practice, watching ’em in practice, and them understanding concepts and figuring out what we’re trying to get accomplished. I’ve seen strides over the weeks that made me feel like we would have good days on special teams. Which that was the one bright spot from the last game. Those are the things that that I see in practice, and that was the reason I mentioned to you that I liked where we were, and I felt like that we were getting better on special teams.”

Snyder takes awhile to make it click?

“It’s not really more complicated. I think that there’s just greater detail in the technique that we use, and it does take some time. Repetitions obviously going to make us all better, and I’m seeing some of the continued repetition in the same area start to pay some dividends for our team.”

What is your message to frustrated fans who buy tickets, fund NIL, etc?

“Well, there’s three ways to answer that. One would be as the head coach and the ambassador of Oklahoma State University. One would be as a person. And one would be as just the head coach of the team. So, I mean, there’s a variety of ways that you could answer that question.”

You want to pick one of those three and answer it?

“So you’re going to get a generic answer as the head coach and the ambassador to the university. Very similar. Somebody asked me that question the other day. The truth is that anybody that pays and comes to support our team has a right to say or do anything they want, right? And I’m OK with that. That’s one way. As a head coach, I would say that if you really want to help our team and you’re coming and being supportive of the team, no matter what, you’re also giving a vision to the recruits that are in the stands that are there listening and watching. So, you know, what’s your ultimate goal?You really love Oklahoma State. You really love Oklahoma State football. You want to help us. Be aware of the situation that’s at hand with recruits that are there and watching. And then the third way is as a parent. It’s like I tell my kids, ‘Every time something goes wrong in society, people who are weak want to complain and bitch.’ That’s what they do. So I tell my kids, ‘When something goes wrong, man up.’ Now, I don’t have girls, but nowadays, women, man up and be strong. Don’t always complain and bitch and try to find an easy way out. Same thing I share with the team. As we travel through life, there’s gonna be situations that don’t always go your way. So are you just going to cry and complain and bitch and moan? Or are you going to figure out a way to help and make it better? So there’s really three ways to handle that. And then in my situation based on who my audience is, those are the three ways that I handle that situation if that’s a good enough answer for you.”

Are you doing okay?

“Well, I had a little run-in with my cattle over the weekend. I guess they’ve been watching us play. I got headbutted, so I’ve got a bad eye that I didn’t think would be particularly enjoyable for people when they were looking at my pretty face in a live interview. But more importantly, it’s full of blood, and I get dizzy. So it’s not easy to be upright and be in a normal function. But other than that, I’m doing great.”

I know you like to go up way up top for practice. Are you able to do that? 

“no, I’m good. It’s just a combination of standing up there and talking to y’all for, you know, 30 minutes, and I’m a little nauseated and dizzy. I’m sure if you guys have ever had a bloodshot eye, that’s full blood. It can make you a little bit dizzy and nauseated. So I just didn’t think it would be good to stand up there in front of you guys and but no, I’m fine, and it should get better every day. Hopefully it’ll get a little better. But I’m fine. I’m working the same hours. I mean, it’s no big deal. I just didn’t think it was very appealing.”

Do you warn the guys to try to stay away from that even more when you’re in a little bit of a losing streak like this, or do you just kind of let that go? 

Well, actually, I tell them and warning the same thing all the time. I think whether you’re winning or playing good, or you’re not playing as good as you want to, or if you’ve lost some games, I don’t know what’s positive on social media out there in either situation, that’s just me as a person and maybe a parent more so than even a coach. But when I make decisions and try to communicate things with our team, I try to do it as if they were one of my own sons. And if I’m going to say what’s the pros and cons of social media, I don’t know that there would be enough pros, and there’s way more cons to getting on there, unless somebody has a good reason to get on there. So I share that with them constantly about that, because I think that, I really believe that there’s a part of your brain that you devote to that type of communication and social media, and I think it, it subconsciously wears on you, whether it’s positive or negative. And I think most of the time it can be negative, because if you continuously reading where you’re doing great all the time, then human nature is to relax a little bit, and then that’s when you get into an issue. And then obviously, if there’s people out there that are being negative, I don’t think that there’s anything about that that helps you and or our team. So yes, I make them aware of that in both situations.”

Was last week more about emotional and physical recovery, or was it more about an urgency to fix some issues and get better?

“Physical recovery was part of it. There wasn’t really anything emotionally. The team’s practice habits and attentiveness and enthusiasm and energy has been excellent. Honestly, you could have, you could have watched this practice last Tuesday and Wednesday, and you would have thought we hadn’t lost a game this year. So from that standpoint, it’s been good. We did cut back to try to give them a break. On the physical side of it, shoulders and all those things, because we’ve been at it since August 1, but we got some two and a half good practices in. I felt good about it. And then obviously we need to crank it up today and tomorrow, because we gotta leave a day early.”

Have your guys been as upset, disappointed, angry about these last three games that you would like for them to be, or do you pay much attention to that part of it?

“I pay a lot of attention to it. I think that’s a big part of my job, in the role that I play in that if we don’t play as well as we wanted to, then I want guys to feel that. I want to see them have some sort of dejection for that, and then I want them to recover quickly, because we got to go back to work. We have to reprogram, get ready for the next game and try not to let a game there be a hangover for the next one, and these guys have been good in that area. If you lose a game, I don’t think there’s any reason to celebrate or smile or laugh or joke around, even if it doesn’t affect you, then I think you need to act like it does, because we get a pass fail grade, which I’ve mentioned that before each week, and if at the end of the game, if we lose, we get a fail grade. Now we could have played a hell of a game and still get an F, because ultimately we’re trying to win the game, or we could have not played very well and get a passing grade because we won. Well, that’s where my role comes in, and being able to communicate to the coaches and the team about what my opinion is on what happened. So to answer your question, there, it hurts them emotionally when they don’t win, which is what you want, but I feel good about them recovering, because they’re going to have to recover quickly and come back and practice. And at this point, that’s what I see. I see the guys that are eager to improve and get better for the next game on Friday night.”