Jenni Carlson, Sports columnist
The Q&A: Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung
Jenni Carlson
Comments 
0
Published: October 31, 2009
Jenni Carlson: I know this is Texas week, but it’s also Halloween week. The way you’re playing this season, some might say you scare people. True or false?
OSU's Russell Okung has a sweet tooth. Photo by Matt Strasen, The Oklahoman Archive
Multimedia
Russell Okung: False. I don’t think I’ve been playing up to par yet. I still have a ways to go.
JC: What do you need to improve on?
RO: I don’t think we’ve had a 300-yard rushing game, so that’s something we really want to look forward to.
JC: Being an offensive lineman, how do you gauge personal success on a game-in, game-out basis?
RO: I’m a firm believer team success is always going to fuel individual goals. As a team, if we do our thing as a team, all that individual stuff is going to follow.
JC: Would 200 or 300 yards rushing or no sacks against you be something you’d take some pride in?
RO: Any offensive line, you take pride in not getting your quarterback hit. You want him taken care of. You don’t want anybody around the ball.
JC: All right, enough of the serious stuff. Back to Halloween. Best costume you ever had?
RO: Well, I really only had Halloween like twice in my whole life.
JC: Hold it — explain.
RO: Yeah, yeah. My mom, she doesn’t like us celebrating Halloween. Instead of Halloween, we do Hallelujah Night.
JC: What does that entail?
RO: We’d stay home, watch TV and eat candy.
JC: All the benefits of Halloween without having to dress up?
RO: I’ve been Superman and Batman before. Batman was probably my best one. I was probably like 5.
JC: Even though you didn’t trick or treat, you had candy. Was there a favorite?
RO: Oh, man, I have a real big sweet tooth. I eat a lot of
Gummi Worms. There’s a lot of good stuff. (Laughs.)
JC: So this is a dangerous time of year for you?
RO: Most definitely.
JC: Does that make Halloween your favorite holiday?
RO: I love Thanksgiving. All the food you can eat.
JC: I know you said that you don’t feel like you’re scary yet on the field, but as big as you are, have you ever scared anyone off the field?
RO: A bunch of little kids. But there was one time my aunt came to visit from
Nigeria and she hadn’t seen me in like 10 years. She saw me, and she was afraid of me.
JC: You unintentionally scared her, but what about the little kids? Unintentional or intentional?
RO: That was intentional.
JC: That’s not very nice, Russell.
RO: It’s not a very nice world. (Laughs.)
JC: You might be scarier than you think.
RO: I doubt it.
JC: What about Sergio Kindle and the rest of the Texas defense? Should those guys be scared of you?
RO: No, we’re going to have a good, fun time. They’re a great unit. We have a chance to go out there and compete and show who we are. It’s a great defense. I’m looking forward to it.
JC: But already people are talking about you as the best offensive tackle in college football. How do you process something like that?
RO: You know what? I just really put it aside because there was a time where I was the last offensive tackle. I really don’t worry about that type of stuff and what people say. I just go out there and continue to play hard.
JC: You’ve talked in the past about being a student of the position. You want to be the best you can be, and now, many people believe you are the best.
RO: Whatever you do, whether football or school or just in life, you want to be the best in what you do. You always want to strive to compete and better yourself and get ahead.
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).