Stoops, OU Players Discuss Texas
NORMAN, Okla. -- Head coach Bob Stoops and select Oklahoma players met with the media Tuesday to preview Saturday's showdown with arch-rival Texas. The top-ranked Sooners and No. 5 Longhorns square off at 11 a.m. Saturday in front of 92,000 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. The game will be televised nationally by ABC (Channel 5 in Oklahoma City, Channel 8 in Tulsa and Channel 7 in Lawton). Brent Musberger will call the game with analysis from Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reports from Lisa Salters. Video video coverage of Tuesday's press conference by clicking the links above. Quotes from Coach Stoops and OU's players are available below, courtesy of OU Athletics Media Relations.
Opening Statement: "As always, going back over last week's game with Baylor, I thought it was a really solid game for us to come out and play so well in the beginning. Our defense came out, forced a three and out, and then our offense scored in the first four possessions to go up 28-0 in the first quarter. Run and pass, the offense just played well. Sam Bradford was again incredible, with almost 400 yards throwing. "Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias had big days catching the ball as well. Some other guys recognized for the offense was Phil Loadholt, Jon Cooper and Matt Clapp, who goes kind of unheard for us in that fullback position. Those guys were recognized for players of the game. Defensively, Ryan Reynolds had a heck of a game. Keenan Clayton, and the whole secondary was really solid. "It was a good win, and puts us in a great
position this week heading into the Texas game. It's
a great rivalry, everyone understands it and everyone
is talking about it. It is a really good atmosphere
to compete in and a great challenge to play a great
Texas team. I think that Mack Brown and their staff
always do an excellent job. They always have a great
number of excellent athletes who are fast and good
players. So it's a major challenge and an exciting
one as well. On the secondary: On Texas' defense: On Texas' secondary: On Sam Bradford's improvement: On what makes OU-Texas so special:
On differences from last year to this year: "I think the experience from last year has helped a lot. I know more of what to expect going into this game. I know the environment and what it will be like down there and realize the preparation it takes to get ready for a game like this. I'm more aware." On going to OU-Texas as a kid: "I can remember going to the OU/Texas game with my dad as a kid. Walking in and seeing the red and orange divided, I thought it would be a dream to play in a game like this. To go out and actually do it, I really can't even begin to explain the excitement and fulfillment." On the Texas Defense: "Texas is a very good defensive team this year. They really try to create pressure on the quarterback, make you throw it quickly and then put good coverage behind it. Coach Heupel said that maybe they've had seven sacks in their past few games, so we know that's going to be part of their game plan." On being in the race for the Heisman: "A few years ago, I probably would have laughed. It's really something I'm not concerned with, my main goal is to win games." On the significance of this game: "This game is obviously big for both teams, but I don't think we can let it be any different than any other game we prepare and play. We have been successful in the first five games we've played, so we just need to put this game into perspective and play it like we have been."
On being a Texas native playing for Oklahoma in this game: "It's a big game, I don't think it really matters where you come from once you realize the history behind the series. It becomes a big deal for anybody that goes to your school." "This game is always going to have national title implications most of the time. It's two historically great teams, so it just sets the stage for a great game." On Ryan Reynolds impact on the defense this year: On Colt McCoy leading the Texas offense: On being ranked No.1 in the nation:
On the anticipation of OU-Texas: "There's nothing like OU-Texas. I'm really excited and ready for Saturday to come. This is the biggest anticipation of the year. It's a one versus five matchup. There's just a lot of anticipation going into the game, a lot of talk about whether our defense can stop their offense or their defense being able to stop our offense." On playing his position: On being an intricate part of the game:
On Sam Bradford winning the Heisman: "I would like to see him win it. It think that he is well deserving of it with everything that he has done and accomplished thus far through his short career. It's an attribution to his hard work and dedication. He is a great player." On the receivers' playmaking ability: "It is a big thing for our team. Week in and week out a different person can hurt you. I think it helps our offense perform so well. It's really hard for defenses to key in on one person, because we can all make plays. It makes it tough to prepare for." On last week's game: "It felt good. You just have to make the plays that come to you, and that is what we all talk about. We all know that the ball can't come to us 20 times a game. We are all excited when others make plays, and we are excited for ourselves when it's our turn. We have been able to be effective so far. Hopefully we can continue that."
On Texas' stats against the run: "We just went over those yesterday, and I didn't know that their defense was that good against the run. They are very similar to TCU, so we are probably going to have a better game plan this time around. We will have our minds right and be ready to get out there and run." On the run game itself: "I think we are definitely headed in the right direction. TCU kind of woke us up and made us realize that we can't just run against any team we want to. We have to go out there and earn every yard and work hard for it. We are preparing this week and we are going to go out there and do what we can." On Sam's development: "He has gotten way better. You can tell by watching him. He has become a leader now. I know it's kind of weird, but he's in my grade, and I still look up to him for leadership. He has become the total package. He has become a complete team player. He gives us speeches before the games this year, and he is really stepping up to the plate." On the OU-Texas game meaning more this year than last: "It always means this much. We could both be ranked 24 and 25, or we could be unranked. It's OU-Texas and it is always a big deal."
On coming from Texas to play at OU: "It is really exciting to get to play in this game. I've never actually played defense in it before, so it will be a different experience for me. It will be a challenge, but I'm not nervous about it. We have to take it like every other week, just do our jobs and help the defense out." On the secondary coming together: "Our secondary has really worked hard. Dominique and I are not as experienced in these positions, so we have really looked to Lendy and Nic who are experienced. It's nice to know they are there and can cover us if we make a mistake." On Texas receivers: "The Texas receivers are good, but so are a lot of other receivers. You have to play with that aggressive attitude every time you step on the field no matter who you are playing. I'm not too worried about it." On Colt McCoy: "McCoy is a great quarterback who is very accurate, completing 80 percent of his passes. We are aiming to go out there and change that. We have to contain him just like we did against Griffin at Baylor. Griffin had a lot of speed, probably more than McCoy, but we will prepare in the right ways to contain him." On being a physical threat: "I pride myself on being a physical threat. God blessed me with the talent and the size that not many corners have, so of course I'm going to use it. Safety and corner are two completely different positions." |
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