ORLANDO – The head coaches from Miami and Oklahoma State met with media members Monday morning (Dec. 28) in a Zoom conference call to talk about the Cheez-It Bowl and more.
With the actual game taking place on Tuesday (Dec. 29), it was the last time anyone from either school would be available to the media prior to today’s 5:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.
Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz went first as he spoke on how the final preparations for this game went with his team.
“We have to be the most excited team to play,” Diaz said. “I think that’s important in bowl games, probably more important this year than ever before. And then we have to finish. This is going to be a very difficult game to win, and it’s going to be a grind-it-out affair I think for both teams. There’s going to be back and forth, which you know, in
bowl games there always is back and forth; and be prepared to go for 60 minutes because I think that’s what it’s going to take.”
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy shared similar sentiments.
“Our team had a great week of practice,” Gundy said. “We sent them home for a few days and then brought them back. We’re excited about playing in this game. It’s been an unusual bowl game experience for us in that normally we’d be down there spending six wonderful days in Orlando at the Cheez-It Bowl, so this is like a road game for us…It is different than it has been in the past, but I was proud of our team for staying together and working, getting three or four quality practices and getting a chance to go play in a bowl game. This is something they are going to remember for the rest of their lives.”
For Gundy, it was key for his team to practice the art of balance as far as game preparation went. This is why he allowed his players to spend the Christmas period with their families.
Spoiler alert: This move could prove to be a difference maker for Oklahoma State.
“Yeah, there’s no question we made a good decision letting them go home for three days, spend time with their family,” Gundy said. “You know, it cost us some practices. We had what I would consider four real practices for this bowl game. Most bowl games for us we practice 14 times, but for them to go and spend time with their family, take a break, and then come back, their attitudes have been good. The practices have been good. In the meetings they are all joking around and enjoy being around each other, and that’s really what we’re trying to get accomplished this year during the bowl season.”
In what is officially the last day of the 2020 season for both Oklahoma State and Miami, Diaz realizes that a collective’s level of excitement for a game could be the difference in this one.
“We had some highly spirited practices this past week when it
was still a week away from kickoff and how are these guys going to go to work,” Diaz said. “Just based off the evidence there, I was encouraged with what I saw. We’ve got to get out there Tuesday night and see the energy and passion that we bring. But I suspect based off what we’ve seen so far, our guys will be ready to play.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Zoom and Cheez-It Bowl
