The Five Best Quotes from OSU’s Media Day

Oklahoma State held its football Media Day on Saturday following the conclusion of the Cowboys’ first week of fall camp. Media members got to hear from Mike Gundy as well as a slew of his 2022 squad.

Here are some of the top quotes to come out of Media Day.

Spencer Sander is confident entering his fourth year at the helm of the Cowboys offense. Mike Gundy has called him “a magician” on more than one occasion this summer. Here’s Sanders on what it will take for OSU to take the next step.

“It’s time to show people what this offense can do. We have to take care of the little things, so that when the big things come, the little things take care of the big things.”

While the Pokes’ offense found its legs down the stretch of 2021, it was OSU’s defense that carried them to the Big 12 Championship. Here’s what Gundy has to say about how this year’s defensive unit compares to last year’s.

“For the first time in my career, when we went into a game, I felt like we had a defense that could just stop people, and if we could just manage to score about 15 to 20 points, we could win.

“It’s so early right now in watching our defense, but I’m comfortable with our pass rush. We’re young at linebacker. We can run. We can hit. We don’t know a lot because we haven’t had many quality reps. We’re replacing some safeties and corners, but the corners have had a considerable amount of quality reps, so I feel pretty comfortable on the back end. I feel comfortable with the coaches. I like the transition with where we’re at with Coach (Derek) Mason and Joe Bob (Clements) moving to linebackers.”

The biggest difference between the Cowboys’ practices in August and those in the spring is their ability to field a full offensive line. Gundy gave an update on how his experienced O-line looks despite missing a lot of reps in the spring.

“I will say that Coach (Rob) Glass mentioned in our staff meeting a week ago that he felt like we were in really good physical condition. He doesn’t say that much. It’s hard to get that out of him. So, that made me feel good. He gauges most of that on the big guys cause the skill kids are gonna come along. They’re the most athletic, so once they get adjusted, they’ll be fine. But so far, we’re holding up up front with our big guys.”

Dominic Richardson is set to take the bulk of carries for the Cowboys this season. He talked about the pressure of taking over for Jaylen Warren.

“There is a little bit of pressure, but not as much because I’ve been working to this point for a long time. I knew one year would come and now this is the year. I put in the extra work after practice, do the extra studies and working out some more like footwork and how to run my pass protection right. It’s all that, for sure.” 

Another Cowboy who will be asked to fill some big cleats is linebacker Mason Cobb. He’ll get plenty of reps thanks to the departure of OSU’s two starting LBs, Malcolm Rodriguez and Devin Harper. Cobb shared his impression of first-year defensive coordinator Derek Mason.

“It’s been smooth. I love the way he coaches. He coaches everyone the same, from walk-ons to starters. I love how we are doing things.”