Notes on Mike Gundy’s Texas Tech Press Conference

Mike Gundy talked to the local media on Monday in Stillwater to review the TCU game and look ahead to Texas Tech. Here is a Cliff’s Notes version of his presser.

• Reviewed turnovers, getting off the field on third down and an inability to run the football as explosively as normal as reasons OSU lost to TCU. So basically the same as what we thought on Saturday. “There’s a lot of … mistakes we made that we can correct which is good.”

• Said “we have to have a great week of practice, and our coaches have to have great plans. Each week from here on out will be a dog fight.”

• Said Tech beating Houston and Arizona State is impressive. Said “I’m fairly certain their defense is improved considerably.” As an outsider looking in, of course.

• When asked about how his young linemen played, Gundy said, “Certainly not like Larry and Crabtree, but they played OK.” Said they need to be careful about what they ask them to do, which is essentially what Adam Lunt said in today’s Line Segment.

• “(Teven is) progressing along. It’s a new world for them. I think in a couple of years we’ll be talking about, hey, these guys are pretty good football players.”

• Said third downs given up against TCU was “similar to what it was against Tulsa” in that it was something different every time.

• Emphasized time of possession only when you can’t get three and outs (which OSU didn’t) and when you don’t run the ball as well as you could.

• He was asked about the TCU touchdown that may or may not have crossed the goal line. Said OSU did not expect for it to be called a TD. “Worst case scenario it was down on the 1. On headphones we said it’s either going to be a fumble or down on the 1. It’s hard for me to comment on that because I don’t really get it.”

• Said Tech’s QB throws it pretty good.

• Said Tech’s defense is “predominantly” three down. They bring some edge pressure. “No. 1 is a good football player.”

• Said Tech is “playing better in my opinion.”

• Said, “Outside world takes wins and losses differently than we do. Half the teams in the country lose.” Also noted that they try to stay level for wins and losses. People outside the program “go crazy” and make hotel reservations after wins but they don’t internally.

• Said there’s a lot of parity in the Big 12. “Great for the fans, great for everybody. Hard on the coaches.” Wins will be based on the healthier team, turnovers and key special teams plays. Said OSU is “right in the middle” of the mix.

• Said he’s looking for intensity and effort in practice which was “excellent” in practice last week. “So I don’t know if I’m looking for the right tools.”

• Said he wants focus and wants players in the building watching tape on their own. Thought that was interesting.

• Said OSU has to run the ball when opponents play high safeties. Said there were a couple of downfield passes that could have resulted in TDs — some dropped, some overthrown. Said that’s why you actually play the games.

• Said if the teams are somewhat equal you can’t make errors and you have to make big plays. Used UNC vs. “Gone-zah-gah” in the title game as an example. Said big talent can overcome errors but insinuated that OSU doesn’t have that talent advantage against the TCUs of the world.

• Said Chris Carson’s best 4-5 years are ahead of him.

• Said he prefers that Justice get 20 or 18 carries, but there’s a difference in maturity between Justice and King. A year from now that might be different. “You have to be a little careful of giving freshmen too much work.”

• Said he wants 80 snaps a game offensively. Wants 65 on defense, but “the world we play, it’s hard to control.”

• Said he gets a little anxious on the sideline wanting his offense to get back on the field. Said Mike Leach used to blitz on defense all the time just to get back on the field on offense because he didn’t care if the other team scored. Insinuated that he knows how that feels. Also said, “Fast offenses are only fun when you’re scoring.”

• Said “You lose a game that you feel like you could have won if you play better. You don’t sell the farm and change what you’re doing (like a lot people would like). You make minor corrections.”

• Said “we couldn’t get the dang ball to bounce the way we wanted it to.”

• Compared TCU’s secondary defense to geometry (which was glorious). Said it’s so hard to go over the top on them.

• Regarding Gary Patterson saying TCU ran more coverages than he has a long time. “He didn’t run that many coverages. Guys gotta market themselves, know what I’m saying?”