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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Stoops, Sooners Eye Tigers
October 09, 2007 | Football
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NORMAN, Okla. -- Head Coach Bob Stoops previewed Oklahoma's game vs. Missouri during his weekly press conference Tuesday in the Kerr-McGee Stadium Club. The Sooners face the Tigers at 5:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. ESPN's College GameDay will broadcast from Norman throughout the day while the game will be televised by FSN.
View video of Coach Stoops' press conference, along with sophomore Brian Simmons, redshirt freshman Gerald McCoy and senior Allen Patrick. Complete transcriptions from all of today's interviews are available below, courtesy OU Athletics Media Relations.
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HEAD COACH BOB STOOPS
Opening Comments:
“I felt really positive about the game afterwards in the locker room. It was a hard fought game, on both sides, for all four quarters. I was proud of all of our players for playing and competing the way they did the whole game and for making the plays we did in the fourth quarter. I thought that was pretty special. I thought a big factor in the game was we had the ball just a hair over 10 minutes in the fourth quarter and Texas had it just under five minutes. I thought the 94-yard drive that we put together was just awesome with the way our guys executed and played, as well as the defense and holding them to a four-and-out at the end of the game.
“Some parts of the game were displeasing. I thought after the interception by Reggie Smith we had a chance to have the ball inside the red-zone at the 25 yard line. We cut a guy on the return, which we know we can't do, and it ends up about a 28-yard penalty. That moved it way back, and then we had a holding penalty and get nothing out of it. That had a chance to be a huge momentum swing and a big difference maker in the fourth quarter to put us up two possessions. From not playing smart and getting penalties, we got nothing. There are still a lot of areas we can be smarter at.
“The effort and intensity was there for all four quarters, that part was pleasing. Some guys really played well defensively. Auston English, again, was just sensational. Auston and DeMarcus Granger were the coach's players of the game. Offensively, guys up front, Trent Williams and Brandon Walker, had good games. Malcolm Kelly of course, and Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray all had big games. Juaquin Iglesias also had a really good game. A bunch of those guys I just named are just freshman and sophomores. It is pleasing to see some young players step up and make a difference in the outcome.”
On hosting Missouri:
“The more you win, it makes each week more important. We are pleased to be in that position hosting a Missouri team that is really playing well. Coach (Gary) Pinkel and his staff have done an outstanding job. Offensively and defensively they are really hot. They really played in a great way defensively last week. They are a really solid football team so it will be a big challenge, but of course we are excited about that challenge.”
On the special teams:
“Punting -- I think we are second in the league, and we averaged 46 yards per punt last week against Texas, which I thought was really good. Kickoff coverage was the issue, I thought our kickoff coverage was poor. On kickoff returns, I think we are first in the Big 12. The placements were fine. I think the problem with the field goal was that he (Garrett Hartley) just kind of pulled it. Kind of like at Tulsa. I thought the snap and hold were good and hopefully this week we can get that fixed. We have a lot of confidence in Garrett and I think he will come through. Again, our special teams overall has been pretty good.”
On the defensive line's success:
“Absolutely, they have been really solid. They have been able to get a lot of pressure. Even on that fourth down play, Gerald McCoy was able to get in there and get in his face. So those guys are doing a nice job, we had four sacks and he had to scramble.”
On Malcolm Kelly:
“He is an impressive player. The most impressive was probably that third down conversion at the end of the game that we really had to have. You know what, Sam threw a great ball. We had him running the slant pattern and Sam lays it out behind Malcolm and he makes a catch that not a lot of guys can make. He has incredible hands and runs routes well.”
On Missouri's offense:
“They are excellent. They spread the field and space you. They have really talented guys across the board and aren't afraid to give the ball to any of them. You just have to be disciplined with your space and make sure that they don't get too much of it. We are going to have to change up our coverages. You know, I don't like to compare this year to last year. Last year was a long time ago. They are a different team, we are a different team, and in the end I don't recall a time last year where I didn't think that they were excellent. You see a lot of the same guys that are there and doing well. I think their quarterback had some great receivers to throw the ball to and he gets it out there well. Again, I thought that last year they were really strong and looked really sharp. They use their tight end slit out like a wide receiver. They will come back in to block, but they don't line up like a normal tight end.”
On Missouri defense:
“They are sound structurally. They like to crowd the box and take away the run. They really played well against Nebraska last week.”
On Missouri QB Chase Daniels:
“He is a really good player. He has a great feel for that offense. He is a powerful guy, if he doesn't like what he sees he can scramble. He has good feet and can make some holes. He does a really good job.”
On R-Freshman quarterback Sam Bradford's composure:
“If you see every day, you can see what kind of composure that he brings to the locker room. You can feel his demeanor. You don't see any changes. So, I appreciate his focus and his calmness. In the end it's expected though. I think it's obvious that we don't hold anything back from him in the way we call plays. He is smart with what he does with the ball and makes good decisions.”
On Demarco Murray and the offensive line:
“Demarco had a nice hole to break that long run. The line and the tight ends were able to get out there and open it up. That run and some of his other runs were just really strong and good runs. He is a powerful guy as well.”
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SOPHOMORE OFFENSIVE GUARD BRIAN SIMMONS
On playing at home after three weeks on the road:
“I'm excited. I got tired of wearing those white jerseys. It's good to be home. It's good to be around the home fans even though the Red River game felt like a home game. It was as loud as our house.”
On not letting the Texas win overshadow Missouri:
“It was a big win for us and it was my first time to beat Texas since I've been here. I am going to enjoy it but the coaches are reminding us that if we don't win this next game against Missouri, the Texas game was kind of pointless. The team has a good head on its shoulders. I don't think we'll have a hangover from Texas.”
On the magnitude of the Missouri game:
“This is a big game, and I could be wrong, but some people could consider this a bit of a rivalry. It's a big game, though. They're undefeated and rolling right now so we're excited for it and we're amped just like we were last week.”
On the team's confidence after the win and moving up in the rankings:
“Confidence is definitely back up, but even after the Colorado loss I can't say it went down too much. We just made a lot of mistakes, especially on the offensive line that really hurt us in that game. The confidence has always been here and I feel like we can play with anyone in the country.”
On following other high-ranked teams like LSU and USC:
“I notice who is winning and who is losing mostly because I have a lot of friends that play Division-1 football so I try to be on the lookout.”
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REDSHIRT FRESHMAN DEFENSIVE TACKLE GERALD MCCOY
On defending Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel:
“It's going to be a challenge. They're a Big 12 team and undefeated. Last year they had a great offense and this year they're even better. He (Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel) likes to move around so we're going to have to contain him.”
On Daniel's mobility:
“He's a mobile quarterback who likes to move around. You have to be alert. You have to know your rush lanes and you don't want to get too wide. So you just have to be more aware.”
On playing in the OU- Texas game:
“Crazy. It was fun though because I've been watching it all my life and when I was a kid I would say to myself 'that would be fun to play in' and I actually got to play in it. It was a great experience, and more than I thought it would be. Being a close game, it was even better and I enjoyed it a lot.”
On re-establishing the team's confidence level:
“We did re-establish the confidence level. I guess we just got out of sync against Colorado, not taking anything away from them. They're a good team, but we just didn't play all the way through. Coach emphasized last week that we have to play all the way through the fourth quarter. He told us yesterday we have to play every game like that, not just against Texas. We have to finish the season like that if we want to get to where we want to be.”
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SENIOR RUNNING BACK ALLEN PATRICK
On cramping up in the Texas game:
“When you have low percent body fat, cramping comes with it. When it's hot out there things are going to happen. I started cramping right when I came out of halftime. On that first play it just locked up. I'm trying to hydrate my body a little more now.”
On warm-ups:
“We go out there and try to get our rhythm going. A lot of guys are jumping around and getting excited and sometimes that takes its toll. You just get hot before the game.”
On the atmosphere when the team gets together:
“We have a lot of good guys in there and we have fun but when the time comes we get serious. We try to have fun and keep things going the way they are. Coach Gundy is a serious guy but when the time comes he has a little character too.
On DeMarco Murray coming into the game:
“DeMarco had a wonderful game and performed well for us. It was his time to come out there and make things happen.”
On the rotation between running backs:
“They come in and do just as good of a job as I can. There isn't a loss there and everybody is ready to compete.”
On Missouri's defense:
“Their offense is a high-powered offense and their defense is playing really good right now. It's going to be up to our offense to come out and put points on the board. They have a good team right now and we're going to have to play a physical game.”
On his season as an individual:
“It's going really well. There are some things I do need to work on, but right now things are going like I planned. It's not too bad right now.
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