OSU Media Day: Gundy Hopes Last Year's Youth Leads To This Season's Success

It may not result in a Big 12 title, but the Cowboys do have one big thing going for them so far and that’s team chemistry. “One name I can throw out there, particularly from my point of view, would be Ramon Richards. Me and him are always going at it in the weight room, pushing each other [and] just kind of talking back and forth,” said OSU receiver David Glidden.

Richards says Glidden would tell him his arms were too small and that he needed to get bigger. “That made me work a little harder, because I'm like, ‘you're like five feet, you want me to get bigger,’” stated Richards.

J.W. Walsh elaborated on his Cowboy experience with offensive lineman Zac Crabtree. “I was part of the Fiesta Bowl team. I've been here five years, going on my fifth year and I've never been around a team in this program with this much cohesiveness, this much camaraderie that really enjoys being in the locker room, being on the field together every day,” he explained.

Quarterback Mason Rudolph says the team is a family. “I think we love each other. We're a big family... I've become close with so many guys,” he said.

There are important pieces in place. Rudolph and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah lead that list, but there are also question marks, like depth at defensive tackle.

While OSU fans are ready for really big things, Head Coach Mike Gundy has a confident, but cautious group. “The excitement, the players' effort, and I like our coaches and the way they've adjusted to our team. And we have a long ways to go,” says Gundy.

The Cowboys open on the road in three and a half weeks on a Thursday night at Central Michigan. Then there are two home games before a pivotal Big 12 opener at Texas at the end of September. That should be the first big hurdle for a team riding momentum from the end of last season.