Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gundy, players preview non-conference matchup against Oregon
September 01, 2025 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and four players met with media at Boone Pickens Stadium on Monday to preview the Cowboys' first road test of the season against Oregon. Some of their comments:
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
On the running game:
"We just need to become more physical. The interesting thing is that I watched a few more games than I ever watched because we had an extra day, and it's not as easy to run the ball. When you look at teams trying to rush the football, it's not as easy at times. Defenses are gaining a little bit on the offense when it comes to stopping the run, but we still have to create some space to be more physical."
On his initial thoughts of Oregon's team:
"They're a good football team. Oregon is playing really well. I think they're well-coached, they're spending a lot of money, and they've invested a lot in that organization. You can see they're a good football team. This will be a good challenge for our team. They're going to be essentially going up against players that what people would think are comparable to the best organizations in the country at this time, so we're aware of that. I don't think there's any secret that they have really good players, but I feel like our players will be excited to compete."
On quarterback Zane Flores making his first collegiate start in Eugene:
"Our coaches need to put him in a good position— give him things that he does best, and he needs to go play and be aggressive, not look over his shoulder. He needs to go out and do what he's done all his life, play quarterback— go out and play hard, have fun and compete. Zane traveled with us some in conference, we took him on several games, and we took him as a true freshman to Texas. He's been in it, now he's not been the guy out there playing. I feel like he'll be fine in the stadiums that he'll be competing in this year. I don't know that that'll affect him a lot. The maturity of getting experience and going and playing would be more of a factor, in my opinion."
On if there's any extra difficulty with Zane Flores making his first start on the road:
"I guess. The comfort level at home would be better than playing on the road, but that's everybody, much less the guy making his first start. Zane has been around. He's been with us a long time. The system is somewhat new to him, not 100%, so I would expect him to function just fine, I really would. I will go back and say that the coaches need to do a good job of preparing him and putting him in a good situation, and 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."
On Flores' performance against UT Martin:
"He made a good throw down their sideline in a crucial time. We talked about that after the game. He made a good scramble, he did some things check-wise that were good for a player's first time out there. He's got a long way to go, and you can go back and look at teams playing across the country – teams that have quarterbacks that are relatively new and inexperienced can take a while to get going, but we understand that."
On Bryan McCoy Jr.'s play on Thursday:
"I thought he was sound in his ability. He didn't overrun things, he played behind the ball when he needed to. He's a very aggressive player and he loves to play football and he loves to practice. His demeanor and his approach with Oklahoma State Football are 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 this team. That's what you would get if you asked around our facility about him. In most cases, guys who do things like that end up being good players. Jaylen Warren, he just signed a new deal (in the NFL), and he had the same attitude. He was only here nine months, but he loved Oklahoma State Football. He committed to Coach Glass, committed to the culture. Everything he was going to do, he was going to do it right. And that's generally what happens."
On how the defensive line held up against UT Martin:
"They started reading the three technique and running some different things where essentially, you're running option football off a down lineman. So, we had to make an adjustment with that. Coach (Todd) Grantham's philosophy on defense is that we need to contain and then build a wall up front. They did a decent job in the last game, but this (game) will give us a feel for where we're at in doing those things because this will be against a team that can probably play against anybody on any given day this year in college football."
On Jacobi Oliphant Jr.'s versatility:
"They're playing him down (at linebacker) some. He could play some nickel, could play inside some on passing downs and such, but he's so big. He's like 225 pounds now... I don't know that we expected (his weight) to change that much, but he's going to end up being 230 plus. So he's going to live down closer to the ball than he is (in the secondary)."
On the transition Brandon Rawls and Terrill Davis have made from Division II to Power Four football:
"Brandon fits the same mold as McCoy. Those two are like identical twins when it comes to how they feel about being at Oklahoma State, and so that'll give you an example of the reason he's playing well and getting all the reps and doing well. That's what he brings to the table. At the wide out slot, that's one position that you can have guys, in my opinion, that may be a level or two lower, that can make that jump to this level if they have the physical attributes, because it's not as physical for them. Like offensive linemen, you've got to really evaluate it, based on the physicality at this level in the trenches, which is much different. But out on the perimeter, they can live in that world. So, we're looking for him to continue to make plays for us."
On Terrill Davis getting a bigger role at wide receiver:
"He's been productive in practice. He makes his catches. He knows what to do, he's intelligent and he was productive... He was very productive in practice and understood, picked the system up, and did very well."
On trying to get Christian Fitzpatrick more involved:
"He had some targets. We didn't connect with him. We had him running wide open out to the boundary one time, but didn't get the ball to him on time. The way certain things fell, he didn't become as much of a factor as what he needs to be. So, we've got to get him more involved. He's got some talent, he's got length, he's got maturity and he's had some success. He's just one of the players we've got to get involved."
On the expectations of improvement:
"My message today to the team's going to be the same thing I told him that first of August, 'If you're not improving each week as an individual and we don't improve as an offense, defense, special teams, and then as a unit, then we're not doing a good job coaching.' We have to improve each week."
Linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr.
On teammate De'Marion Thomas:
"All the praise to him. He definitely does a great job keeping me safe and keeping me sound. So, I'm able to read the play and just make it, and it's just all teamwork. Yeah, praise be done for real."
On the upcoming game against Oregon:
"I'm just very excited. Everything is just to be played in between the white lines. There's really nothing else to say about it. We wear orange. They wear green. I'm not really going to put any name to it. We'll watch the film, they'll watch the film and we're going to play football. We have athletes. They have athletes. We all get paid to play this game. So, it shouldn't be any difference in what's going on."
On head coach Mike Gundy:
"I mean, he's not an easy man to appease, so I definitely had to work my tail off to show him that I do love playing this game. He's a great coach, man, he steers us in the right direction."
On dealing with the hype coming into a big game:
"I would say I control the hype. I'm not going to let the hype bring me to a level where I'm not used to being. That's all it's about, they want to hype everything up and say all these things immediately, and try to control your mind and everything. At the end of the day, I'm the one in the white lines. I'm the one making the plays. So, as long as I'm in control of the tempo of everything that's going on in the game, I've got my guys lined up, I'm communicating correctly, it should be a ball game."
Defensive Tackle De'Marion Thomas
On playing an inside technique:
"It's definitely fun. I mean, we get the short end of the stick, but that's what I came here for. I'm not going to complain about anything. Nose guard is a gritty position. Defensive line is a gritty position. I love taking those double. I love making plays inside [and] helping the team."
On his expectations against Oregon:
"I expect us to come in and play dominant defense, set the tone, especially in the front. The front four to set the tone."
On the linebackers playing behind him:
"I want to say [Bryan] McCoy had 16, maybe 15 [tackles]. You've got a guy running sideline to sideline, filling gaps inside, making it easier for me. Coming off those doubles and slips and all that, so I get more one-on-ones. That helps him, and it helps me."
On experts naming OSU a heavy underdog against Oregon:
"I don't really pay attention. The only people we need are the people in the room. I like being an underdog. I like going in, preparing, and making a name for myself. This is the perfect game to do it. So other than that, I really don't care about other people."
Wide receiver Terrill Davis
On his prior experience helping prepare for games like Oregon:
"My past experience has definitely helped me prepare for this moment. I'm just thankful that my coaches trust me here and that my quarterback trusts me. We go into the game just like we go into any other game. We prepare the same. We go into every game thinking that we are going to win. That's my goal. I don't really pay too much attention to point spreads or anything like that. We work hard, so I know we've got a chance."
On Zane Flores' leadership:
"That is one thing about Zane. He is so level-headed. He is a great leader, and you can tell just in practice, like he goes out there and does his job. He leads the team well, and we are excited to have Zane."
On the offense's comfort level with either quarterback after fall camp:
"Yeah, for sure. We had reps with both of them, so we were confident. We didn't know going into the game who was going to be the guy (starting QB), so we were ready for either one of them."
Running back Kalib Hicks
On the competition between the running backs:
"I think we all bring something different to the table. I think we all have different skills. I think we can help each other compete and make each other better, so I think it's going to be really good for us. I think, definitely, appearance-wise, everybody has their own physical training. You have Roddy, who's a smaller guy, but he's still powerful, and he has speed. Sesi is more of a catching back, receiving back, but he has power too. All these guys have different styles, you know, getting to know them personally is an even better part, becoming a brotherhood, becoming friends and helping each other on the field and off the field."
On why he chose OSU:
"I think it was Coach Gundy. As far as coming here, he let me know what it was, and he didn't sugarcoat anything. I think he is a very good coach, a very good leader for OSU for many years. So, I always knew about him and already knew what he was about, so I think that is the reason why."
On what he is taking away from the UT Martin game:
"I think for me, I just need to start faster. I think some things I missed for myself were maybe missing a hole or hitting a hole faster. I think as a unit, I think we need to start faster."
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
On the running game:
"We just need to become more physical. The interesting thing is that I watched a few more games than I ever watched because we had an extra day, and it's not as easy to run the ball. When you look at teams trying to rush the football, it's not as easy at times. Defenses are gaining a little bit on the offense when it comes to stopping the run, but we still have to create some space to be more physical."
On his initial thoughts of Oregon's team:
"They're a good football team. Oregon is playing really well. I think they're well-coached, they're spending a lot of money, and they've invested a lot in that organization. You can see they're a good football team. This will be a good challenge for our team. They're going to be essentially going up against players that what people would think are comparable to the best organizations in the country at this time, so we're aware of that. I don't think there's any secret that they have really good players, but I feel like our players will be excited to compete."
On quarterback Zane Flores making his first collegiate start in Eugene:
"Our coaches need to put him in a good position— give him things that he does best, and he needs to go play and be aggressive, not look over his shoulder. He needs to go out and do what he's done all his life, play quarterback— go out and play hard, have fun and compete. Zane traveled with us some in conference, we took him on several games, and we took him as a true freshman to Texas. He's been in it, now he's not been the guy out there playing. I feel like he'll be fine in the stadiums that he'll be competing in this year. I don't know that that'll affect him a lot. The maturity of getting experience and going and playing would be more of a factor, in my opinion."
On if there's any extra difficulty with Zane Flores making his first start on the road:
"I guess. The comfort level at home would be better than playing on the road, but that's everybody, much less the guy making his first start. Zane has been around. He's been with us a long time. The system is somewhat new to him, not 100%, so I would expect him to function just fine, I really would. I will go back and say that the coaches need to do a good job of preparing him and putting him in a good situation, and 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."
On Flores' performance against UT Martin:
"He made a good throw down their sideline in a crucial time. We talked about that after the game. He made a good scramble, he did some things check-wise that were good for a player's first time out there. He's got a long way to go, and you can go back and look at teams playing across the country – teams that have quarterbacks that are relatively new and inexperienced can take a while to get going, but we understand that."
On Bryan McCoy Jr.'s play on Thursday:
"I thought he was sound in his ability. He didn't overrun things, he played behind the ball when he needed to. He's a very aggressive player and he loves to play football and he loves to practice. His demeanor and his approach with Oklahoma State Football are 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 this team. That's what you would get if you asked around our facility about him. In most cases, guys who do things like that end up being good players. Jaylen Warren, he just signed a new deal (in the NFL), and he had the same attitude. He was only here nine months, but he loved Oklahoma State Football. He committed to Coach Glass, committed to the culture. Everything he was going to do, he was going to do it right. And that's generally what happens."
On how the defensive line held up against UT Martin:
"They started reading the three technique and running some different things where essentially, you're running option football off a down lineman. So, we had to make an adjustment with that. Coach (Todd) Grantham's philosophy on defense is that we need to contain and then build a wall up front. They did a decent job in the last game, but this (game) will give us a feel for where we're at in doing those things because this will be against a team that can probably play against anybody on any given day this year in college football."
On Jacobi Oliphant Jr.'s versatility:
"They're playing him down (at linebacker) some. He could play some nickel, could play inside some on passing downs and such, but he's so big. He's like 225 pounds now... I don't know that we expected (his weight) to change that much, but he's going to end up being 230 plus. So he's going to live down closer to the ball than he is (in the secondary)."
On the transition Brandon Rawls and Terrill Davis have made from Division II to Power Four football:
"Brandon fits the same mold as McCoy. Those two are like identical twins when it comes to how they feel about being at Oklahoma State, and so that'll give you an example of the reason he's playing well and getting all the reps and doing well. That's what he brings to the table. At the wide out slot, that's one position that you can have guys, in my opinion, that may be a level or two lower, that can make that jump to this level if they have the physical attributes, because it's not as physical for them. Like offensive linemen, you've got to really evaluate it, based on the physicality at this level in the trenches, which is much different. But out on the perimeter, they can live in that world. So, we're looking for him to continue to make plays for us."
On Terrill Davis getting a bigger role at wide receiver:
"He's been productive in practice. He makes his catches. He knows what to do, he's intelligent and he was productive... He was very productive in practice and understood, picked the system up, and did very well."
On trying to get Christian Fitzpatrick more involved:
"He had some targets. We didn't connect with him. We had him running wide open out to the boundary one time, but didn't get the ball to him on time. The way certain things fell, he didn't become as much of a factor as what he needs to be. So, we've got to get him more involved. He's got some talent, he's got length, he's got maturity and he's had some success. He's just one of the players we've got to get involved."
On the expectations of improvement:
"My message today to the team's going to be the same thing I told him that first of August, 'If you're not improving each week as an individual and we don't improve as an offense, defense, special teams, and then as a unit, then we're not doing a good job coaching.' We have to improve each week."
Linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr.
On teammate De'Marion Thomas:
"All the praise to him. He definitely does a great job keeping me safe and keeping me sound. So, I'm able to read the play and just make it, and it's just all teamwork. Yeah, praise be done for real."
On the upcoming game against Oregon:
"I'm just very excited. Everything is just to be played in between the white lines. There's really nothing else to say about it. We wear orange. They wear green. I'm not really going to put any name to it. We'll watch the film, they'll watch the film and we're going to play football. We have athletes. They have athletes. We all get paid to play this game. So, it shouldn't be any difference in what's going on."
On head coach Mike Gundy:
"I mean, he's not an easy man to appease, so I definitely had to work my tail off to show him that I do love playing this game. He's a great coach, man, he steers us in the right direction."
On dealing with the hype coming into a big game:
"I would say I control the hype. I'm not going to let the hype bring me to a level where I'm not used to being. That's all it's about, they want to hype everything up and say all these things immediately, and try to control your mind and everything. At the end of the day, I'm the one in the white lines. I'm the one making the plays. So, as long as I'm in control of the tempo of everything that's going on in the game, I've got my guys lined up, I'm communicating correctly, it should be a ball game."
Defensive Tackle De'Marion Thomas
On playing an inside technique:
"It's definitely fun. I mean, we get the short end of the stick, but that's what I came here for. I'm not going to complain about anything. Nose guard is a gritty position. Defensive line is a gritty position. I love taking those double. I love making plays inside [and] helping the team."
On his expectations against Oregon:
"I expect us to come in and play dominant defense, set the tone, especially in the front. The front four to set the tone."
On the linebackers playing behind him:
"I want to say [Bryan] McCoy had 16, maybe 15 [tackles]. You've got a guy running sideline to sideline, filling gaps inside, making it easier for me. Coming off those doubles and slips and all that, so I get more one-on-ones. That helps him, and it helps me."
On experts naming OSU a heavy underdog against Oregon:
"I don't really pay attention. The only people we need are the people in the room. I like being an underdog. I like going in, preparing, and making a name for myself. This is the perfect game to do it. So other than that, I really don't care about other people."
Wide receiver Terrill Davis
On his prior experience helping prepare for games like Oregon:
"My past experience has definitely helped me prepare for this moment. I'm just thankful that my coaches trust me here and that my quarterback trusts me. We go into the game just like we go into any other game. We prepare the same. We go into every game thinking that we are going to win. That's my goal. I don't really pay too much attention to point spreads or anything like that. We work hard, so I know we've got a chance."
On Zane Flores' leadership:
"That is one thing about Zane. He is so level-headed. He is a great leader, and you can tell just in practice, like he goes out there and does his job. He leads the team well, and we are excited to have Zane."
On the offense's comfort level with either quarterback after fall camp:
"Yeah, for sure. We had reps with both of them, so we were confident. We didn't know going into the game who was going to be the guy (starting QB), so we were ready for either one of them."
Running back Kalib Hicks
On the competition between the running backs:
"I think we all bring something different to the table. I think we all have different skills. I think we can help each other compete and make each other better, so I think it's going to be really good for us. I think, definitely, appearance-wise, everybody has their own physical training. You have Roddy, who's a smaller guy, but he's still powerful, and he has speed. Sesi is more of a catching back, receiving back, but he has power too. All these guys have different styles, you know, getting to know them personally is an even better part, becoming a brotherhood, becoming friends and helping each other on the field and off the field."
On why he chose OSU:
"I think it was Coach Gundy. As far as coming here, he let me know what it was, and he didn't sugarcoat anything. I think he is a very good coach, a very good leader for OSU for many years. So, I always knew about him and already knew what he was about, so I think that is the reason why."
On what he is taking away from the UT Martin game:
"I think for me, I just need to start faster. I think some things I missed for myself were maybe missing a hole or hitting a hole faster. I think as a unit, I think we need to start faster."
Players Mentioned
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DT
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