Coach Stoops and Players Meet Media

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops and select players met with the media at the weekly football press conference on Tuesday.

The Sooners host the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. It's the Big 12 Conference home opener for OU. Fox Sports Net will broadcast the game live to the nation, Oklahoma's 49th consecutive game on TV.

Please refer to Sooner Gameday Central for complete broadcast options including radio, satellite radio, live internet audio, live stats and O-Zone webcasts.

Sooner Gameday Central: Iowa State | The Sooner Experience

HEAD COACH BOB STOOPS
Opening comments:
I felt that there are a lot of positives in the way we played and how we played and in the effort in all parts of the game. We weren't as consistent as we needed to be in a few areas. Penalties, as I've said a number of times, hurt us. They were hard to overcome and stopped drives. Turnovers stopped drives.

Offense and defense go hand in hand. If your turn the football over, you give them the ball. You're even sacrificing points, giving them the points, taking pressure off them and taking away momentum. Defensively, I thought the first half we were playing really well. Five or six possessions are three-and-outs. We give up one drive and we have a couple break downs that we feel we can be better at.

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Then the disappointing part is in the second half we give them a short field to start with. We end up with back to back drives to start the second half and we give up scores and we weren't able to overcome that.

There is a lot of good. You hold Texas to 232 yardswhich isn't easy to do when you turn the ball over five times and you're still able to limit them to that. We are doing some good things but we need to be more consistent and take away the one big play and need to be able to take care of the football better. The judgment calls you're going to have to live with but the penalties that we're getting prior to the snap, we need to be able to control.

Regardless in what transpired and the way that game ended, we have seven conference games ahead of us-- the first one being here this week against Iowa State. For us to be back at home here and start again with another game in the Big 12 is important. I've always had great respect for Dan McCarney and his staff. They always work hard and do a really good job coaching. The players are always playing hard and playing well. We need to improve this week and eliminate some of the things that have hurt ourselves.

It felt really great yesterday in the way we practiced. Our guys came out and had a really good, strong and positive attitude. They realize watching the tape and studying it where they need to play better. They also see where they played awfully well in some areas. We just have to push for the consistency we want to be able to win this week.”

On correcting penalties:
You have to continue to focus on it and continue to concentrate up front. We'll do some more drills here in practice time, getting different cadences. Defense is trying to draw you offsides, being able to sit in there and hold in there. Practicing and taking care of the football. We do work it. We're all constantly doing strip-drills and pulling on the football. Players just have to be more concentrated in those areas when they just caught a football and being able to finish with it. They have to take greater concentration in games to secure the ball.

On staying mentally focused after a loss to Texas:
I've only been here eight years and we haven't had an issue of it. We've lost it, we've won it. We've always traditionally come back and played well. Regardless of what happens in that game, you put it behind you and you get ready to play again. We've still got another game to play.

On which players had a good game:
Manuel Johnson played well and made a lot a nice third down catches. C.J. Ah-You and Calvin Thibodeaux played well along with Darien Williams, Reggie Smith. Patrick Allen made some nice plays on special teams.

On the possibility of breaking Gerald McCoy's redshirt:
We'll see as we get through the year. He's getting more snaps with the ones and twos and the way we rotate in there at practice. It's one thing to look good at certain segments of practice. It's another thing when things are at the level we're playing at. Not everybody sees that part but we do. Gerald's closer and closer. We're bringing him along. If we feel he can make a definite impact he'll play. I guess it isn't a definite no' that he'll redshirt but we want to make sure that if he's playing, he's playing at the level we need him to be and it's going to be worthwhile for him.

On the defensive end's performance:
“They did a good job, they've had a lot of good games. They're playing well and they did get decent pressure. The one touchdown (Colt McCoy) throws, C.J. Ah-You is hitting him in the arm just as he throws. The first play of the game he knocks him over.

On if the offense should have gone to Malcolm Kelly more on Saturday:
Not really. I like the way we called it. Let's face it, if we didn't turn the ball over five times, we have got a lot of opportunities. Who knows if he wouldn't have got it more with that extra possession time. We were 8-16, 50%, on third downs which is pretty good against anyone you are playing. You are moving the football, and penalties and turnovers stop us. It is not who we went to with it, or that we couldn't find anyone open, or couldn't work the ball.

On why the veteran players on the defense aren't making big plays:
Yes, it is hard to put your finger on it. A lot of the things we have done here traditionally here for eight years, we haven't been able to have that big play. Whether it is a deflection, an interception, a sack, or someone that rips the ball out. Again it's hard to say exactly why, other than you just have to keep pushing for more. Whether it is more aggressiveness or more discipline in what we are doing. We have to keep pushing for that kind of play.

We haven't come up with the plays, whether its strip a ball out or an interception. But it isn't like they are not playing well. We just haven't come up with the big plays. We are not playing in that way where we are creating a lot of big plays. So it's hard to rip them when they did a lot of good things. We do want and expect big plays. We always want turnovers, and push for them. We are going to keep doing that. Again, that is what is frustrating as a coach is that there are so many parts of that game were so good. But it wasn't good enough, obviously.

On his relationship with Iowa State Coach, Dan McCarney:
We have a long history. He was there when I was recruited and my five years playing, and five years as a young graduate assistant coach. I use to tool around with he and Alvarez, whether it was recruiting or going to or from games. So they were great friends and mentors to me. Mentors first, and as I got older we became friends. I have a very close relationship with his family and with his parents. I just talked to his dad last week. I call him every fall to see how he is doing. We have a long history together, and a close one. He has done a great job. You see Mac's (McCarney's) team every year, and they are well coached and he always gets the most out of them.

On Iowa State QB Bret Meyer:
As you watch him, he has the ability like so many quarterbacks anymore to run around and make things happen when maybe there isn't much there. The ability to run and scramble is always there with him. He is efficient throwing the football. He is smart in how he uses his big three receivers. He uses them in a really good way. When his guys are covered, he will throw the ball on their back shoulder and give them the opportunity to come back and get the football. He is smart in the way he plays.

On Adrian Peterson's dad being able to be in the stands for the first time this Saturday:
I think it is great. It is hard to me to talk about, because it is a personal thing between the two of them. But I am happy for them, and I am sure it has been a long time coming. It will be a nice and good experience for them.

On Iowa State:
Offensively, they are very balanced when you look at the run and pass. They use the quarterback run game a good amount of times, so you have to be conscience of that. They have three big receivers that really use their body well.

Defensively, they are structurally very sound. They are conservative in the way they play. They are sound and disciplined, and make you work to beat them. They are a solid team.

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SENIOR QB PAUL THOMPSON
On leading the team after Texas loss:
We knew where we were and how close we were to being in a better position that game. A lot of that has to do with how they played us and how they forced the turnovers. We do feel like there are many things that could have been prevented prior and after the snaps. But we do have to move on because Iowa State is a great team.

We still have a lot of goals set in front of us and those goals are going to be achieved. We are going to regain our focus. If you're a great team you can bounce back. I believe we started back well yesterday with getting our game plan and boosting everybody's morale, so everyone is definitely focused now. I believe we're moving in the right direction.

As a leader of this offense (at practice), putting the emphasis on the focus before I tell them the play in the huddle. I tell them to focus on what we have to do and tell them to know their assignment but not be too antsy. I think last week we were a little too antsy and guys were a little jittery and caused false starts and did things that weren't in our nature to do.

So, I just have to tell everybody in the huddle to focus, don't think about it too much and play physical 100 percent and everything else will take care of itself. I think our mindset after yesterday's practices is well and I think we're going to be pointed in the right direction.

On remaining goals for the team:
We have a lot of big games ahead of us and I'm not going to go too specific into what our goals are, but we definitely have big goals set out in front of us and we believe a lot of them are achievable. I think our mindset after yesterday's practices is good and I think we are going to be pointing in the right direction.

On strong points of the game and improvements:
You're not going to execute 100 percent. You're going to have missed plays throughout the game. Our goal is to minimize errors and there were definitely things that we could have minimized and could have had a great day.

Going into halftime we felt real good about where we were at, felt real confident and morale was real high in the locker room. Everyone felt real confident coming out when we got the ball in the second half and we wanted to establish a good momentum to keep the ball rolling. It kind of went a little down hill after they scored after that first drive. But we were definitely feeling good after the first half and going into the second half.

We normally come into the second half feeling the strongest. We made some adjustments at halftime and came out definitely wanting to keep the running game going and we did that. On my part it might have been just executing. There are a lot of things like coming out stronger and just getting the ball rolling (that need to be improved on).

On the remainder of the season:
We feel real confident after watching some of the tapes against a great Texas team last week. We feel real comfortable about where we're at and the way we can execute. We also feel real comfortable about our schedule. Iowa State is a great team with a great defense.

I believe if we stay focused on them and not have the mental errors, we've got to be able to take care of the ball. We can't have that many turnovers, so we've got to cancel that for the remainder of the Big 12 and we should probably be alright.

On not getting caught up in talk outside the team:
I don't know what other guys watch at home or read in the paper, but for me I try to stay away from it most of the time. Younger guys I'm sure like to watch the T.V. and hear their names being mentioned. I think for the most part we try to block that out. I think the coaches let me and the younger guys know that you can't get caught up in all of that and lose your focus. I'd say for the most part the veterans know how to block that out.

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FRESHMAN TE JERMAINE GRESHAM
On how big plays happen:
You have to go out there and play hard. Those big plays will just happen.

On how much more he feels he can be a part of this offense:
I feel like I can contribute a whole lot more. Our coaches have great plans in every game.

On if the coaches have made a good effort in getting the tight-ends involved:
Yea, I think so. They are working to make the tight end a major part.

On if it feels good to be a big part in the offense:
Yea, it feels really good. Just going out on the field and making plays.

On why he is being utilized more:
It is just me having a better understanding of the offense, and the coaches putting it in my mind.

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JUNIOR DT CARL PENDLETON
On pressure on OU's defense:
Everybody has their part, and it's all a unit and you have to carry your load. Pressure isn't really an issue; you just have to get the job done. We put just as much pressure on ourselves as everyone else does. We just have to produce and make it happen.

Improvements to make:
Basically guys have to find a way to make bigger plays. We have to find a way to do above and beyond. That's one thing that Oklahoma makes their stand on- is guys making big plays and always making big plays. We need more of that. There are plenty of guys that are doing their job, their staying in their spot and taking care of their gap, but they're not making big plays in the back and not making sacks- the things that Oklahoma has always been good at. Those are the things that we need to improve on.

On disappointment:
I just think it means that we have to keep getting better in the defense. Keep getting better in trusting each other and keep getting better at playing as hard as we can all the time. I don't think it's a disappointment. You always have hopes to play as hard as you possibly can and it's our job to work hard each game to get better.

Is there still something to play for this season?
Oh absolutely, we still have seven or eight games left. There's no reason to be stopped after losing one, it's not an issue because we still have a while to go.

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SOPHOMORE WR MANUEL JOHNSON
On the Texas game:
We know that we can play a lot better than we did. We know they're a good team, but we know that we could have actually come out with a win if we would have done a few things. Coming out of that game we felt good, and if we play the way we're capable of playing, we know that we can win the rest of our season and our schedule.

On still having something to play for:
We still have a lot to play for. We still have eight games left to play in the Big 12. Anything can happen even though we lost against Texas. So we're just going to do what we can and come out with victories and hopefully we'll come out good in the end.

On Iowa State:
I don't think we have any problems. The past is behind us. We know what we have in front of us and Iowa State is a good team, so we're just going to prepare for them and hopefully come out with a good win. Iowa State is a good football team, they have a great offense. Their defense has great players and their corners are pretty good. We're definitely going to prepare for them pretty good. It should be a good game.

On concerns outside the team:
We're 3-2, and there are a lot of teams out there that have lost two games but are still highly ranked. Anything can happen if we win the rest of these games and we'll only have two losses. We can still go to a great bowl game. I don't think anybody should start panicking right now.

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JUNIOR K GARRETT HARTLEY
On improving this summer:
Going to Miami this summer was definitely helpful to consistency and trying to be perfect inside 45 yards. I get to coach high school seniors that are going to college. By coaching them I get to see from the outside what different techniques are and how to make mine as best I can.

On how improved fitness adds to ability:
Working with Coach Schmidt in the weight room this summer I put on about 15 pounds just from working out with him and doing the things I need to do. I believe (it's made me a better kicker). Overall being fit and being in tune to how my muscles work and how to prepare my legs before the game by relaxing-- knowing that they're feeling good and strong.

On the team's feelings after losing to Texas:
Fans are always going to be (upset) after a loss like that especially with the rivalry that it is with all the tradition that is in that game. But the players know what we have to do week in and week out. We have to move on. We're looking forward to Iowa State coming here and to playing a great game.

I'm not going to say (the Texas game) is never brought up again but we're not going to dwell on it. There are maybe some things in the game that we would love to change just like any game. There are a lot of what-if situations. We can't put ourselves in that (mindset) this week. We just have to continue to look forward to Iowa State and know what we have to do to prepare for them.

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