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OSI catches up with Dallas Cowboy and former OSU RB Joseph Randle

Your favorite Big 12 Champion running back from Oklahoma State had a wild couple of days this past weekend.
Joseph Randle who won over the hearts of every fan in Stillwater during his three years in the Cowboy backfield, was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason, and moved his way up to second-string behind former OU back DeMarco Murray.
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On Sunday against the Washington Redskins, Murray went down with a strained MCL, and it was Randle's time to shine. He ended the night with 11 carries for 17 yards and a touchdown, and also caught 2 passes for 15 yards.
We were lucky enough to catch Randle, who will likely make his first professional start against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend, and talk about everything we've missed between the draft and now.
Here's what the rookie had to say.
We haven't gotten to talk to you since before the draft, and it's been a pretty interesting ride for you. You struggled with your injury, but it still had to be a fun time in training camp and the early part of the season. What's the ride been like so far?
Oh man, it's been great. It's been an incredible ride so far. It's almost like living my freshman year again. You may have had a great career at the level below, but no one cares about that and you have to reprove everything to everyone, and you have to just wait your turn at running back. That's what I've been doing, is just working as hard as I can and getting better and waiting my turn, then making contributions whenever I get the chance.
How has it been being in Dallas? You obviously have a lot of big, star-power names from Jerry Jones all the way to Jason Garrett and Tony Romo. What's it been like being around all of those guys so often and learning from those names that you and I have watched on Sportscenter and national television for so many years?
Oh it's been cool. I really haven't been thinking about it too much because I've been so busy with my own grind and working so much and trying to get better. I've been so busy trying to get where I need to be that I guess I didn't pay much attention to it, but everyone down here has been awesome. It's the best situation I could've asked for.
Take us through the first time you ran out onto the field at AT&T Stadium. I know you well enough to know that you might not have thought twice about it, but to people like us, we love to imagine what it's like to finally have the chance to make it. Was that a special moment for you, and what do you remember about it?
It was definitely something that I thought of as my hard work finally paying off. Everyone dreams of playing in the NFL regardless of their situation or where they're from or how they're growing up. It was definitely a blessing and something I'll never forget.
When you got to the Cowboys, there were a couple familiar faces. You knew Dan Bailey during your time at Oklahoma State, and had probably ran into Dez Bryant a few times even though he left OSU the year before you got there. Then you played against DeMarco Murray when he was in Norman. What was the reception like when you walked into the locker room and saw all those familiar faces?
Those guys have been awesome for me. I came in with a different situation than they did because I was injured when I first got to Dallas. I had that cast on my hand and couldn't really get out there and do the work while everyone else got to go out there. It was great though, the reception from those guys has been incredible and I've really enjoyed spending so much time around them.
Tell us about that injury and what you went through. You obviously had to work through that during training camp and you were in a battle with Lance Dunbar and Phil Tanner for the second running back spot. For the longest time, none of us had any idea where you were on the depth chart until you jogged out onto the field the other night. What was that process like working through that injury, and trying to get back to where you were?
Honestly, just getting out there and playing football is the best way to get better at football. I couldn't play football. I couldn't do any of the Organized Team Activities work or any of that stuff, so they wanted to get me worked real well before they put me out there. They gave me a little bit more work in preseason, so that helped me get into game shape and got me ready to play.
And the other night it all paid off. Obviously you hate to see a guy like DeMarco go down with an injury, but it meant that you finally got your chance that paid off in a big way with your first professional touchdown. What was that moment like, and what was it like after the game when I'm sure everyone was calling and texting and tweeting to you telling you congratulations? How awesome was it to finally live the dream?
It was a great feeling. Everyone around me has always been really supportive of me and my dream, and they know how hard I've worked to get here. Most of the people around me understand my situation and that I just had to wait. A lot of people want immediate action, but sometimes you do have to wait. It was a different situation because I've never had to do that before, but good things come those who wait, and my opportunity is showing itself this week because I might end up starting against Philadelphia.
Joseph, Dez, Dan, and the rest of the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at noon on FOX.
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