OSU-UT Martin Postgame Quote Sheet

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy….

… Opening statement:
"That was a good (game) to get under our belt and get moving… I told the team "There will be a lot that we can learn from in all three phases." The good thing is we've got good video to learn about some of the new players on our team, which I'm excited about. Glad we played on a Thursday to give the guys a chance to recover tomorrow and get a day off on Saturday."

… On team's performance:
"The one thing that we did on defense that was really good was we were good against the run, but unfortunately, we weren't very good on offense. We were a little bit over three yards-per-carry, and I'd love to have that number over 4.5 yards rushing the ball. We did a good job taking care of the ball offensively, and I know defensively we did a good job getting to the quarterback."

… On starting quarterback Hauss Hejny:
"I thought he played well… He moved around and was effective and made plays with his legs which is what he does… He didn't get to play long enough to get into a rhythm, but I thought he started out the game really well."

… On linebacker Wendell Gregory:
"Gregory is a special young talent. He's got ability, and he's young and raw. Tonight's really the first time he's played much, but he did a good job and made some plays… He's 265 pounds, and they've done a good job of coaching him, and he has some ability to get to the quarterback. He's powerful and shifty… He can do some of the things Colin Oliver used to do, but he's 20-something pounds bigger."

Gavin Freeman, OSU wide receiver...

… On his increased involvement in the offense:
"Anything I can do to help the boys. I'm down for anything. I just know they're right behind me and I'm right behind them."

… On the depth of the receiving room:
"The receiving room? Deep. We've got a lot of playmakers and we've got trust in everybody. That's the big thing; is we trust everybody to make plays."

… On how competition breeds success:
"Seeing each receiver do their own thing, because each one is their own character.... (We) can help each other. Like 'I need to add that to my bag, or this, and do that."

Austin Kawecki, OSU offensive lineman...

… On the offensive line's performance:
"I think we definitely have a lot of things to work on. Five new guys, it just takes a little bit of time, a little bit of growing pains, but we did a lot of good things and a couple bad things. I'm just excited to see where to go from here."

… On the morale and communication of the offensive line:
"A few plays kind of got miscommunicated, but we learned from it -- a kind of next-play mentality from there, just keep on moving forward."

… On the competition for starting offensive line spots:
"I think we're just trying to find the best five guys that can play together. That's the goal. Early in the year, trying new things out, different guys in different spots, so I think it's really good to see it full-speed."

Wendell Gregory, OSU edge rusher…

… On the opportunity to play for OSU:
"A lot of people counted me out. As y'all know, at South Carolina (I) didn't play; I wanted to hit the portal and go somewhere to call home. Coach Grantham, Coach Gundy, everybody here – It was a no-brainer, I loved them, so I had to come here."

… On what it's like to play for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham:
"He's great. He'll get on you, but he wants nothing but excellence. We go over play after play. He comes from the NFL, so those plays are pretty difficult. Early mornings and long nights in the film room with coach Grantham will get you right for sure."

… On what he saw from UT Martin that allowed him to get three sacks:
"I see how the lineman is (positioned), how he likes to jump set, how he likes to sit there and wait. I just study that after each play on the sideline. I go with coach Walker… watch plays and then see what they do."

… On next week's trip to Oregon:
"It's a statement game, 100 percent. Last year wasn't the best so I feel like this game can solidify everything."

Kale Smith, OSU cornerback...

… On his interception
"It was a great feeling, of course, but I think my teammates put me in the best position to make that play."

… On what he saw during the play to lead to the interception
"Off the line, I had my man covered, but then I was looking at the quarterback, and then I saw a man behind me (who was) kind of open, and I saw the quarterback (focus on the receiver) and I turned off my man and went to go get the ball."
… On how the OSU pass rush helped its secondary:
"It put the quarterback in a tough spot, and it (helped) us cover our people better. The pressure on the quarterback helps the secondary a lot, because (the offense) doesn't have all the time to run all types of routes – like they only have one route to run, and we can stop them."

Sesi Vailahi, OSU running back…

… On scoring a touchdown after his first was overturned by replay:
"It felt good seeing him put the hands up when I scored but, obviously, they (overturned) and said it wasn't a touchdown. I wanted to go back in there and finish the drive, so I ended up scoring. It felt good to kind of earn it back

… On his evaluations of the running back room
"I feel like we've just got to be more patient in the run game, allow the blocks to happen and when (a hole) opens up, just hit it."

Jason Simpson, UT Martin head coach….

… On the game, as a whole:
"Congratulations to Oklahoma State and Coach Gundy. I appreciate him bringing us here, and it was a great atmosphere. As I evaluate our team, I thought there were spots where they played really hard, especially on defense, where I see things that really excite me for the rest of the season. 42 rushes for 127 yards, that's something to build off of, so we're really excited about that."

… On moving the ball against OSU:
"They made some outside that we have to defend better and that kind of flipped the field on us. We moved the ball at times, but in between the 20s, you've got to be better. In the high red zones, you've got to be better. I thought that (John) Gentry had some good runs, some tough runs, and it gave us some physicality."

…. On the mistakes UT Martin made:
"The game plan coming in was to slow the game up a bit and muddy it up a little bit. But you can't do that when you have four procedure penalties. You just can't do that. We all can do better, and it starts with me. I think as a team, the guys will tell you some of the stuff carried over from camp, and some didn't, but now we go to UTEP next week. There are some things that, when this team plays a couple of more games together, they'll get a little more intentional in their competitive nature."

… On OSU's atmosphere and tempo:
"It's difficult. It's your first game, and you've had practices together, but you can't simulate that. I would definitely think that cost us a couple of plays, and I was disappointed in the defense several times. We're having to sub a lot of guys, we've got a lot of guys dinged up, so you want to get your cleats in the ground a little better, and I think Oklahoma State did a good job of playing with a little tempo."

… On Jase Bauer and moving the pocket:
"You didn't really want (him) to stay in the pocket. We gave up four sacks, one of them was on the move, but I tried to move the pocket around. Jase (Bauer) is pretty athletic, but you're facing Big 12 rushers, and so you're not going to sit in that pocket. That's part of the reason that you can't really push the ball down the field. You don't want to hold it for three seconds. It just depends on what we do this week. We'll watch some tape and see what gives us the best chance to be successful."

John Gentry, UTM running back…

… On the Skyhawks' trick-play touchdown:
"I knew we were going to call it. We practice it a lot. We just took advantage of an opportunity. I knew we were playing a bigger opponent, a P4 opponent, so plays had to be made, and I wasn't going to be the one to not do my one-eleven."

Toby Camp, UTM defensive lineman…

… On his first career start:
"It was real fun, just seeing all the hard work pay off and me finally being in the starting lineup. It was great to see things come forward and go my way."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Gavin Freeman

Wendell Gregory

Hauss Hejny

Austin Kawecki

Kale Smith

Sesi Vailahi

Related Videos