The Top Five Quotes from Mike Gundy’s Pre-Oregon News Conference

STILLWATER — Mike Gundy will take his new-look team nearly 2,000 miles up to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for a game that, here in September, looks to be the Cowboys’ toughest test of the season.

Oklahoma State plays Oregon at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday in Autzen Stadium. Gundy met with the media Monday to preview the contest. Here are some things he said that stood out. You can see a video of his full news conference below.

We’ve already written a more focused piece on Gundy discussing injuries and Wendell Gregory’s availability. And another on Gundy diving into what will be Zane Flores’ first start.

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1. O-Line Needs More Physicality

One of the main takeaways from the Cowboys’ 27-7 win against UT-Martin last week was that OSU struggled to establish a running game.

OSU ran for 3.0 yards a carry against the Skyhawks. Running backs ran for just 2.7 yards a carry. After the game, Gundy pointed to needing to create some more space up front. After watching the tape, Gundy felt good about what he said in the postgame presser.

“We just gotta get better at what we do,” Gundy said. “It’s not a scheme or a concept issue. We just weren’t very physical. We gotta be a little more physical and find a way to create space.”

2. ‘We Need to Live on Reps and Not Necessarily Concepts’

The kids would call that a bar from Mike Gundy.

He said it when discussing the tough spot Zane Flores is in making his first start on the road in Oregon.

We already have a more focused piece on Gundy’s comments about Flores here, but here’s another quote of Gundy discussing the job of the OSU coaching staff to get Flores ready for Eugene.

“I will go back and say the coaches need to do a good job of preparing him and putting him in a good situation,” Gundy said. “Not get out of our box too much and put him in a position where he has to do a lot of thinking. We need to live on reps and not necessarily concepts.”

3. Terrill Davis’ Practice Production

Terrill Davis tied Gavin Freeman for a game-high six targets in last Thursday’s opener.

A transfer from UCO, Davis is used to football’s being thrown in his direction. He had 1,609 receiving yards last season, which led all of NCAA regardless of division. But, Thursday was Davis’ first game at the Division-I level. Despite that, the Cowboys didn’t shy from looking his way. Why?

“He’s just productive in practice,” Gundy said. “He makes his catches, and he knows what to do. He’s intelligent, and he was productive. And we’ve got a number of wideouts. We weren’t able to get enough of them in enough. I mean, that’s an issue now is, reps for everybody. But he was very productive in practice and understands, picked the system up, did very well.”

4. Gundy Pays No Mind to the Spread

This has got to be one of the biggest underdog spots a Mike Gundy-led team has ever been in.

Oregon is a 28.5-point favorite for Saturday’s game, according to FanDuel. With an over/under of 56.5, that means the sports book is thinking something like 42-14 is how this game is going to go in the Ducks’ favor.

It’s felt like over the years Gundy’s teams have performed their best with their backs to the wall, but Gundy said Monday he isn’t putting much thought into what Vegas has to say.

“I’ve never used any of those numbers,” Gundy said. “I’ve never paid attention to them. That was by design. Now, you can’t avoid it because if you’re just watching a game, they’re running at the bottom of the TV. But I’ve never been aware of spreads. I never pay much attention to them.”

5. Gundy Compares Bryan McCoy’s Attitude to Jaylen Warren

Bryan McCoy Jr. is averaging 14 tackles a game as a Cowboy. Sure, it’s only been one game, but that’s impressive nonetheless.

For reference, Malcolm Rodriguez hit that number just once in his OSU career — a 15-tackle performance against Missouri State in 2021. Nick Martin eclipsed that three times (two 17-tackle games and a 16-tackler).

A transfer from Akron, this will be McCoy’s only season in orange and black after playing the previous three with the Zips. But early returns on McCoy and what he has brought to this OSU team are high.

“I thought he was sound in his ability,” Gundy said. “He didn’t overrun things. He played behind the ball when he needed to. But he’s a very aggressive player. He loves to play football, and he loves to practice. And his demeanor and his approach with Oklahoma State football, it’s like he’s been here for three or four years. He loves Oklahoma State football. He’s 100% committed to Coach (Rob) Glass. He’s 100% committed to his team, and that’s what you would get if you ask around our facility about him. And in most cases, guys that do things like that, end up being good players.

“Like Jaylen Warren. He just signed a new deal. Well, he’s the same attitude. Loved Oklahoma State football. Was only here a year, nine months maybe, but he loved Oklahoma State football. Committed to Coach Glass. Committed to the culture — ‘I’m going to do everything I can do to do it right.’ That’s generally what happens.”