Notes on Mike Gundy’s Kansas State Press Conference

This was another relatively short conference on Monday where Coach Gundy recaps Texas, talks Ben Grogan, the Snyder-Cats, the RB situation, some about Mason and JW, social media and the defense.

Thoughts on Texas

• Kind of an abrupt opening with, “As a follow-up to the last game, after watching the tape, I think we were pretty akkrit in the postgame conference. The defense played really good. Offensively, we actually ran the ball a little better than I thought.”
• “The quarterback (Mason Rudolph, for those arriving late) had four throws that were, what I would call, ‘not as accurate as he would want them to be.’ One of the interceptions was a route issue.”
• “We got to a certain point in the game where I wanted to win the game with defense. And I can be wrong. But, those are the calls that I make. There was just a point in the game I felt really good about the defense.”

On Ben Grogan

• “We were fortunate Ben was excellent for us. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Ben. When he gets it off before the clock goes off and hits it, he’s a pretty good player.”
• “His demeanor is easy-going, low-key and that’s a positive. We’re very proud of him.” Coach seems to really dig the guys who are pretty laid back…like him.

Talking K-State

• “They could very well be better up front, in their front seven, than what we saw this past week.”
• “I’m very impressed, so far, with their defense. They’ve got the experience at the corner spots. Got some guys there that have been there, seems like they’ve been there 10 years.”
• “The schemes seem to be the same as they’ve been forever – like since I played against them out here in 1989.” The Snyder Schemes!

Running Backs

• Coach was asked about Rennie Childs and the number of carries he should expect: “I liked his aggressiveness, how he kept his pads down and ran hard. He ran through some arm tackles. He didn’t take lost yards. He was good in what we asked him to do. We’re ok with him being out there for 20 plays.”
• “Chris (Carson) should practice Tuesday. We’ll see how he feels, but I would anticipate him being ready to play. But, Rennie should be able to carry the ball 20 times comfortably.”

On the Defense

• He was asked what has made the difference between last year and this: “Maturity and depth. They’re another year into it. We’ve got good players up front. They’ve got a lot of energy.”
• On Kevin Peterson and the others with experience: “Experience is important in those games. These type players, they’ve been there. They realize it’s all going to be ok.”
• Regarding some specific players…Jimmy Bean: “Jimmy’s really matured as a person and as a player for us. He’s also about fifteen pounds heavier than he was his first three years. That helps him be a better player at this level.”
• Seth Jacobs: “He’s a good person, plays with great effort. He likes to play. He’s very savvy – very intelligent. He got the play of the game for the one-handed interception, essentially having a club on one hand.”
• Jordan Sterns: “From a mental approach, he’s about a 5-6 now. He’s learning to play at the speed it takes to be successful.”

About Mason Rudolph and the QB Situation

• “He didn’t fall off as much as you think when you watch the tape. He needs to play better. I know the opinion of the general public is that, on a scale of 1-10, he was about a three. But…he was really a five.” So Gundy!
• On the fumble for the Scoop & Score: “It looked so bad that everyone had the general impression from that point on he’s had a bad day. But, he had several plays where he had 3rd and long with people right around him where he stepped up in the pocket and put the ball right on the money.” Like to hear a coach support his young QB1!
• “There’s times he does need to pull the ball down. You don’t get out of the system. If you do, bad things can happen. We want him to get better. He wants to get better.”
• Regarding the 1st (awesome!!) TD pass – thought this was interesting: “He tried to do too much. But it worked for him. The ball should have been in a different location earlier in the play and he wouldn’t have been in that situation.”
• “When you throw the ball 35 times a game, you’re going to have 3-4 throws you don’t like.”
• “JW could play 5 plays or 25, sometimes we just feel like we need a change of pace. He (Rudolph) had some numbness and we just said, ‘Hey, we’ll go with the other guy for a little bit.’” Then back to the other guy. Then back…

Finally, on Social Media

• “My phone works just like everybody else’s.” At least, that’s what my 10-year old tells me. “You get 30-40 messages telling you everything you did wrong. You get 3-4 telling you what you did right.”
• “I tell them, what we’ve done is elevate Oklahoma State football to the point to where it’s (a win at Texas) isn’t enough. They want you to dominate. I tell them, you guys have done a great job. Now you have to live with the flip side of it.”
• “But, we’re ok with it. It’s what pays the bills.”