Mike Gundy familiar with new South Alabama coach
STILLWATER — South Alabama comes to Stillwater on Saturday with a different coaching staff than Oklahoma State faced a year ago.
But this isn’t Mike Gundy’s first time crossing paths with new Jaguar coach
Steve Campbell — who has a rather impressive record as a head coach.
Campbell was coaching Central Arkansas when it came to Boone Pickens Stadium in 2015. And Campbell was the head coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College when Gundy and his staff recruited running back
Dantrell Savage to OSU more than a decade ago.
“He’s done very well in his career,” Gundy said of Campbell. “This is a great opportunity for him and in the location he is, there's a number of very good players within a 4-hour drive of their campus.
“I've been told that he's finally gotten away from being the offensive coordinator and he's turned that over. Just from an outsider looking in, it looks like he's going through some adjustments, but he has done very well during his time.”
An NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee in 2014, Campbell has never coached a team that finished with a losing record, though this year could challenge that. Overall, he is 159-54 in 19 seasons as a head coach.
South Alabama opened with a 30-26 loss to Louisiana Tech heading into Saturday’s 7 p.m. game at OSU, which will be televised by Fox Sports Network.
Knowles seeing depth develop on defensive line
New OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles walked into a favorable situation with a defensive line that had three experienced veteran defensive ends and three more tackles.
But Knowles has been encouraged by the continued growth of less experienced players in those positions.
“We can play about eight, nine guys,” Knowles said. “I think we’ve got a lot of depth there. A lot of depth.”
Along with established defensive ends Jordan Brailford, Jarrell Owens and Cole Waltersheid, guys like redshirt freshman Brock Martin and junior-college transfer Mike Scott played meaningful reps last week.
At tackle, Cameron Murray and Brendon Evers got in the action with the regular trio of Darrion Daniels, Trey Carter and Enoch Smith Jr.
“Our front is strong,” Knowles said.
Gundy on video board: ‘I figured Holder was saving money’
Gundy hadn’t been informed about the pregame plan for the debut of the Cowboys’ new video board last week.
The board remained dark during warmups, and only turned on just before the Cowboys prepared to run out of the gate in the northwest corner of the stadium. At that point, Pistol Pete came to the 50-yard line with a giant remote control, pushed a button and the board lit up with OSU’s pregame video.
“I thought it didn’t work when we came out to warm up,” Gundy joked earlier this week. “Then I heard it, and I figured (athletic director Mike) Holder was saving money.
Gundy described the stadium atmosphere as “fantastic,” with the massive video board less than 30 yards from the back of the east end zone.