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TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL MEDIA CONFERENCEDecember 4, 2011Mike GundyDavid ShawKRISTEN PFLIPSEN: Thank you all for joining the teleconference for the 41st annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. We would like to welcome Coach David Shaw and Coach Mike Gundy to the call, and we will take questions from the media. We are excited to have these two teams in our game. This will be the highest rated non-championship Fiesta Bowl in the BCS era, and this is the first game between the two teams. So let's get started. Q. Mike, can you talk a little bit about your offensive philosophy, how it evolved and how you guys play the way you play? How much of that was the way you played offense when you were the quarterback at Oklahoma State or just what's behind the way you guys play offensively? COACH GUNDY: Our offense is considerably different than the way we played when I was playing here in college. We're no huddle, and we try to play as fast as we can and more spread out and don't use full backs and tight ends attached as much as what would be a traditional offense. So we like the up-tempo, and we've had success with it. And our players enjoy competing in our system. Q. Just from an offensive standpoint, though, you played on a pretty prolific offense. What was prolific for that era was Barry and Artly (phonetic) and you throwing the ball. How much of what you've become as a head football coach was shaped by your experiences as a player? COACH GUNDY: Oh, I think that most of what's been shaped would be, you know, just kind of the toughness that was instilled in us as players. We were very hard-nosed and a tough football team back then. So we try to be as physical as possible in our style of play. My background is as a quarterback playing offense, so I like to throw it around and be aggressive and try to get as many big plays as possible. But it's considerably different than it was back when we were playing ball here in the mid '80s. Q. Mike, having been there last night and seen the celebration and the magnitude of that moment for your program, I'm sure people around the country might think that you guys are crushed not to make the national title game. But considering what this means for the program, I mean, describe what the enthusiasm level is right now to play in a Bowl game of this caliber. COACH GUNDY: Well, our team and our coaching staff are very excited to be in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. We're looking forward to playing Stanford and wanted to congratulate Coach Shaw and Stanford. And I have had a chance to watch them a few times late at night after our games. You know, what a great opportunity for two great quarterbacks to lead their teams into a BCS Bowl in a great stadium and, as they mentioned earlier on the teleconference, a team ranked third and team ranked fourth. And there is a tremendous buzz here in Stillwater. So we're looking forward to getting out to Scottsdale and then playing that game up there in Glendale. Q. David, congratulations. Wonder, are there any superlatives left to stay about Luck? Are you adjectived out on Luck? Just talk about him a little bit, if you wouldn't mind. COACH SHAW: Well, he's just been everything that we've needed him to be. First and foremost, from the leadership standpoint, he's a lead-by-example kind of guy. We put a lot on him mentally. We put a lot on him physically, which is what we need from him. And he's got all those tools and all the skills that you look for in a quarterback. And right on top there with everything else is that he's an absolute competitor that loves the game and loves when the game's on the line and loves when the ball is in his hands. And he's our guy, and he's done a great job all year. Q. What moment or two or six, if there are any, particularly stand out? COACH SHAW: There's so many, but the bottom line is -- Actually, I will say this: The USC game, threw an interception late in the fourth quarter, gave USC the lead and, you know, then was damn perfect after that. Took us down to score a touchdown to tie the game and then was phenomenal in overtime for the victory. Q. If I may continue, what's your first year been like there? How have you accepted the step upward? It sure seems like the team hasn't missed a beat. COACH SHAW: The thing is I have been here. I was here for four years before this year, had a hand in recruiting almost everybody on the team. I know these guys. And I stepped in from day one, pushed these guys to tell me I'm not going to accept anything less than your best. We've got a great group of seniors that helped turn around the culture here. And I know these guys. I love these guys. And they're great competitors. They love to fight. They've come to Stanford -- I tell them they come to Stanford not to hide. They came to Stanford to achieve. And they're doing that in the classroom and on the football field. Q. Mike, understanding what an achievement this is for the program, I was wondering if there's any degree of mixed emotions. How maybe hopeful were you before the BCS standings came out about maybe being No. 2 rather than No. 3? You spoke fairly eloquently last night about how deserving you thought your team was. COACH GUNDY: Well, I think that -- there was some disappointment from the standpoint of every team that feels like they've got some talent, some team chemistry, their goal is to play for the National Championship. And for me to say that our players didn't have that in mind when they left our facility last night would be coming out of left field. But I want to say that we have a tremendous amount of respect for Stanford, and we're very excited about being in the Fiesta Bowl. And so as their week continues tomorrow and Tuesday and they come back around, their focus will be playing the Fiesta Bowl. So I don't think anybody that was in our position could say that they didn't have some disappointment to not have an opportunity to play for it all. Q. Mike, could you talk about Brandon Weeden and the jump he's made this year. Kind of an unusual story given his age and what he did before playing for you guys. Also, the importance of Justin Blackmon coming back to school and what that meant for you guys and maybe enabling you to be a very elite team this year. COACH GUNDY: Well, Brandon's been our leader for the last two years. Our team has followed him. And as you guys know, he is 28 years old. He is very mature. He's played extremely well for us. And when Justin Blackmon decided to return for another season and Brandon Weeden made a decision to come back, it changed the culture at Oklahoma State in a lot of different ways. Season ticket sales, we had another record-setting season in that area; the excitement; the preseason top-ten ranking. And just the leadership and the maturity that those two guys bring to the table are second to none. I think we would all agree, whatever level it is, if you have an experienced quarterback who is a good player, you have a chance to win games. Q. David, as a former player, coach there, can you give us some perspective on what this one means, the program to be playing the No. 3 team in what is essentially a New Year's Day Bowl? COACH SHAW: It is a great honor, and it will be a tremendous challenge for us. This was -- this was the goal when we got here four years ago with Coach Harbaugh. It really was to establish, first of all, a tough team and establish a team that can compete at the highest level. And our goal is a process goal, as we call it. It doesn't have an end. Our goal is to continually be a top 5 school in education and top 5 football team. And the guys that put in the work the last two years to be here, we're excited. We can't wait for this Fiesta Bowl against an outstanding opponent with the excitement that they play with, the excitement they play on offense and defense, the quarterback-and-receiver combo, Weeden to Blackmon, is outstanding to watch as a football fan. And it should be an exciting game. Q. David, is Oregon at all like them? Have you played anybody who runs the same sort of offensive no-huddle stuff? COACH SHAW: Oregon is a little different. The speed on the field and the speed with which the plays get run is about the closest thing, but the schemes are different and the quarterback as a runner is a different dimension for Oregon. That's the thing that gets you. You have to be able to line up quickly and have all 11 guys on defense ready to play because they will snap in a heartbeat. Q. Mike, you talked a lot about your defense. Obviously a crucial fact in the win over Oklahoma. They forced five turnovers against Baylor. They are maligned a lot of times for their numbers. Can you talk about what you guys tried to accomplish defensively and how you feel about them as a defense? COACH GUNDY: Well, we would certainly like to have more three-and-outs during the season and, statistics-wise, we would like to perform better. They have been very opportunistic and forced turnover. I like how they run to the football. They play with energy. As the season has progressed, we have done a better job of getting pressure on the other team's quarterback. And last night was an opportunity for them to shine on the big stage, and they got their motor running and played very well at home. Things got moving, and obviously the snowball started rolling and going downhill on Oklahoma. But we've got some work to do there. We do have good senior leadership on that side of the ball, and we have continued to improve in the second part of the season. Q. You mentioned that you watched Stanford a few times late at night. From what you know about them from watching them, what do you think of the matchup in terms of their offense against your defense and just Andrew Luck in general? COACH GUNDY: Well, we've got a lot of respect for them. And I've watched him the last couple years. Obviously with them being on the West Coast, sometimes when I get home at night, I am able to catch their games. And I have a great appreciation for what they do on offense. I'm familiar with that system. When I was the offensive coordinator here at Oklahoma State and Les Miles was the head coach, we were tight ends and two tight ends and moving guys and power and counter and downhill football with fullbacks. And so, I have a great respect for that. And you're talking about an offense that's got unbelievable numbers. You know, they're 11th in the country in total offense -- everybody knows that -- fifth in the country in pass efficiency, fifth in the country in scoring offense. Even more impressive, they're fifth in the country on third downs and only have given up six sacks, from what I can see, and are playing with what people would consider the leading Heisman Trophy candidate and maybe potentially the first player picked in the draft. So I think it is a great matchup. I have a lot of respect for the University, from what I know about it, and for Coach Shaw the times that I have been able to watch them and him on the sideline. So I think you got two quality football teams. You got two quality groups of young men that are playing for the right reasons, and we get to meet out in a beautiful location. Both of us have one loss. And spend some time there and then great to play a great game. Q. Can you talk a little bit about your defense? The defensive numbers are quite good. What has gone into that? What has made them play so well? COACH SHAW: A year ago Vic Fangio came in -- he is now the defense coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers -- and really gave our defense some attitude. We went to kind of a 3-4 scheme with a little more pressure than we had the year before. And he has since moved on and Derek Mason has taken over along with Jason Tarver and really put together a good group of guys. It is more than a scheme. It is a scheme that fits the guys that we have. We have guys that we think can do certain things, and we try to put them in the position to do those things. But it is a group of guys that play, that play hard. We talk about being relentless. We talk about stopping the run. We talk about being a complete defense, and the guys have played really, really well all year. Q. You talked about establishing -- I can't remember your word -- toughness. How has that gone? Did that take a while to take? And are you there? COACH SHAW: Well, it really -- it's an ongoing process because it's something that you never stop. You know, you hear Coach Gundy talk about it. It's just any good football team has to be physically, mentally and emotionally tough. You just have to be. We practice it. We put the pads on. We don't take the pads off. We put the pads on. We do our 907 drills. We're a physical team. And sometimes guys get a little dinged up in practice. But you know what? That's the only way we can run the ball and stop the run the way we want to do it, is we practice it. And it's something that you develop and you recruit to that end also. I'll take a -- almost a tenth of a second off the speed if we got a guy that's tough that won't falter when the game is on the line. And we believe those are the kind of kids we have. We don't have a bunch of just smart kids that love going to class. We got a bunch of tough kids that like going to class that play good football. And that's what this team has been built on. Q. Mike, can you talk about Justin Blackmon. You mentioned his return kind of took you guys to another level. But some guys come back and their bodies are here but their minds are in the NFL and they are thinking about what they could be doing as opposed to what they should be doing; his focus, his involvement, what you've gotten out of him. COACH GUNDY: Well, it's worked out for Justin because he is a great practice player. He enjoys the competition in practice. He has been that way since he walked on our campus. He competes in games. He wants to be in there. Some wide receivers don't want to be in the game as much. He'll play 70 plays in a game. He has got a great cardiovascular system. He can go and go. But he likes to compete. He likes to play the game, and he looks forward to every opportunity. That's what makes him a special player. KRISTEN PFLIPSEN: Thank you for joining. And if you have any additional questions, you can visit fiestabowl.org for information and credential information. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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