Stoops Quotes from San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO -- Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops met with the media in San Antonio on Friday afternoon. The Sooners, 10-2 and Big 12 South Division champions, play Missouri Saturday night at the Alamodome for the conference title and an automatic berth in the BCS. ABC has the national telecast beginning at 7 p.m. CT.

Head Coach Bob Stoops

Opening Comments:
As a team we're really excited to be here in this position, ready to try and compete for another Big 12 Championship. They're all incredibly special.

We're excited to be playing an excellent Missouri football team, and it's also earning their way here. Great venue. I haven't been down here in the Alamodome so I'm looking really forward to the venue being here. I know we've got a great number of players, of course, in the state of Texas that are on our team that all coming down here to compete in Texas is exciting.

We don't have to worry about what the weather conditions are going to be tomorrow. It's going to be perfect. I think both teams, we would prefer that. So we're just excited about the opportunity and looking forward to competing tomorrow in the Big 12 Championship game.

Sooner Fan Guide to San Antonio | 2007 Big 12 Championship Central | Scouting the Tigers | Boomer Bytes

OU & Missouri Game Notes (PDF) | OU Depth Chart | 2007 OU Football Guide

Q. I think a lot of people that don't know you look at you say, boy, he's really young to have done this.
I'm pretty old.

Q. But how do you react? Just personally to the success that you've had relatively early in your career?
I don't really reflect on it personally. I'm just not that way by nature. The success we've had as a program at Oklahoma has been the product of a great number of people. And I feel incredibly fortunate, I guess, would be the right way to say it, fortunate to have been in the position I am surrounded by and have worked with the people that I have, that have all helped establish this and have been a part of all this success.

I'm a piece of it, but I've been supported in an amazing way by a great administration, a great school, great tradition and a group of assistant coaches and players that have really put forth great effort. So, anyway, but personally I just don't feel it's right. I think football is the ultimate team sport, and there isn't any one guy, whether it's coach or player, that's -- I get a lot of the credit, but, believe me, I'm very aware of all the pieces and all the people that have been a part of it.

Q. This is your sixth trip to a Big 12 championship game. What advantage does having all that experience go into tomorrow's game?
I don't know to what degree, how you quantify that. I know it doesn't hurt. And I know our players really more than anything, maybe the four or so ago doesn't matter as much as last year. This is a good number of guys that were in this situation last year. Maybe that part of it, I think, gives you a degree of advantage.

But in the end I think you win and lose on its own merit, on what we do tomorrow. And what we did last year isn't going to matter. But I do believe they'll come in with a great attitude having been there and also having competed, there's familiarity I think with both teams having competed against each other the last two years as opposed to coming in when you haven't played. Like last year we didn't play Nebraska last year, so there's a little bit of catching up to do.

Q. Missouri kind of used their loss to you to kind of be a motivator to step it up a notch and finish out the season. When you look at them, their last few games, what do you see different than when you prepared for them the first time this year?
Maybe a little more emphasis running the football. They run the football I think a lot better than any of you give them credit for, or maybe you do. I'm just saying that sometimes it's not talked about as much. They do a great job running the ball. Tony Temple. And they get a great number of plays off of play action and getting you to maybe get uncomfortable with the run and then they sneak some plays in behind you and they get some big plays that way. We have definitely worked really hard and diligently all week defensively to be great and strong on the run game and to try and to be sure that we can take that part of -- to really control and it be great tackling and support and run to begin with.

Outside of that, we thought, really, just in the last two times we've played in the last two years, we thought they're really excellent players. Excellent and well coached. And we've got to match that by doing the same thing ourselves.

Q. Talk a little bit about your thoughts about watching Chase Daniel. You've of course had to prepare for him once before, what he brings to the table. Then talk a bit about Sam Bradford and has he surprised you at all being as young as he is to play at the level he's at?
Yes, Chase is just an exceptional competitor. You watch everything that he does. He runs the ball well. He scrambles well. But before that when he sees a receiver open, he's got a quick release, gets the ball there. He's accurate. So they use his talents all the right ways by getting the ball out quick, using him to run. He scrambles to make plays when really you've got him played well and then all of a sudden he's got something back there and you have to hold it another three seconds.

He does all those things. It's important that we can get to him and contain him and make our plays. But Sam Bradford has been -- there's no other word. All the praise I believe has been due to Chase. I've said it as well.

Then you look at Sam and think he's only one touchdown behind him and two interceptions less than him and our offense is averaging 44 points a game, theirs is averaging 42. So our guys have done pretty well. For a first time being out there as a redshirt freshman, obviously we couldn't have asked for much more. The guy is exceptional and has an incredible future in front of him. He's doing everything we need him to do and more.

Has he surprised us to some degree? It's probably fair to say that none of us saw this coming, to throw for what 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions is pretty exceptional for a first-year guy. And to average 44 points a game while doing it. So we just choose to run the ball a little bit more in some ways that -- but it's been productive for us is the right way to say it.

Q. Can you give us an update on Auston English, and if he does not play, how will that affect your defense in preparing for this Missouri team?
Right now I would say it's a possibility that he plays. And I'm not being coy here. He was better yesterday than he has been in a couple of weeks. How effective that's going to be, we'll have to see how explosive he is and what he's doing when he warms up tomorrow. But he's going to give it -- he's going to try to. But we've been playing without him now the last couple three weeks.

The guys have played for him have really done well. We have Allen Davis back who has played a lot for us the last couple of years. Jeremy Beal had a real good game last week against Oklahoma State. Alonzo Dotson has been playing for us for four years. Those guys are all like always -- we used Cory Bennett last week against Oklahoma State, one of our inside linemen, who did a good job for us on the perimeter. Gives us a little more pop, a little more punch because he's just a little bigger, a little stronger, that really in some instances was a plus for us. So we'll work those guys like we always do.

Q. Looking at the tape of Missouri the last couple of weeks, are they much better than they were when they played you guys?
Again, that's one of those how do you quantify that? You're playing different people. I thought they were awfully good before we played them last time. They came in undefeated. Lighting the scoreboard up and playing good defense. And they're still doing that. So I don't know how to say how much better or worse anybody is. In the end, they looked really good then. They look really good now. It's fair to say that I feel we're better overall. And if we keep our quarterback healthy, he doesn't have to tackle anybody, we feel good about what he's done and what our team has done as well.

Q. What's been the biggest difference in your defense in the second half the last three games? I don't know if it's adjustments at halftime, but it's been a lot better.
I think, again, the game is played through four quarters. Has everybody played perfectly through all four, not usually. Some of it is just execution. First half we were out of position, not by structure -- by structure, something we practiced all week a guy gets out of position, you get hurt. And the second half he was in position, made the tackle looks good.

Coach Venables has done a good job. We've made some adjustments and I think at halftime he did a great job of making, there were a couple of formations we changed how we supported the run and what we were doing and I thought Brent did an excellent job in those cases of making some changes and how we were defending a couple of different formations and it worked. Some of it, too, was that guys stayed in position and made the plays where they didn't make them in the first half.

Q. Bob, you've never played down here. You've never played in San Antonio. But Brent was talking the other night, he's been down here with that Alamodome?
I didn't ask him. I didn't want him to expound on it either.

Q. He was talking about how what a terrible night that was. What do you remember about that night?
Maybe we could do the same thing A&M did. (Laughter). He's talking about Brent being at K-State at the time and going for a national championship. Of course I was just hired at Oklahoma. And I remember, it was paining me to watch it in the hotel room watching the game. But, again, I didn't ask him feelings on it. I didn't ask him to talk about it. I didn't ask him anything outside of I like to think back on all our experiences in the Big 12 Championship game. So it was again having ties to K-State was tough to watch, I guess, is the best way to say it.

Q. Over the last week, there's been a lot of talk in Missouri about how they blew that game, and there's been some responses out of your all's camp, you and Brent particularly saying, well, we made mistakes too. Is it really that big a deal?
Is what a big deal?

Q. Whether Missouri thinks they blew the game or whether you won it or what?
No, again, it's just whatever perspective you want to take. I mean, you can look at it different ways. The first interception we got the blitz on, pressure them. The ball goes right down the middle. Our guy makes a great cut right in front of the guy, intercepts the ball. Is that good defense or did they just give it to us? I don't know.

Their running back Maclin, receiver, fabulous player, they run a quick sweep and they're going to throw the ball. Most people suck up. Makes for a great highlight if we're out of position and get fooled. But we stay in position, we're over the top of them, underneath the receiver and intercept the ball, is that good defense, good reaction or is that them giving it to us.

Depends on how you want to write your article. So in the end it doesn't really matter. We had two turnovers too. They take the lead in the fourth quarter when we drop a kickoff return. We fumble the ball and give them the ball in the short field. So we made our share of mistakes as well. It's just how you want to tell your story. That's up to you to do.

Q. You just mentioned Maclin's name, did he turn out to be the player that you thought he could be?
Obviously why we tried to get him. We thought he was an excellent player, sure. He is. He does a great job. Running and catching the ball.

Q. Talked about how many times you've been in these championship games, do you change any routine in terms of what you do and getting ready?
No, not really. Our routine has been for the most part pretty successful. And so, no, our routine is pretty much the same as it usually is. It is the same.

Q. Coach, we just heard Gary Pinkel talking about possibly bringing home their first Big 12 Championship over there. Obviously it means a lot to them. What does it mean to your team you have been here so often?
It's still -- I keep saying each year is its own entity, its own kind of body of work. And these guys that we have here on this team won't be together again after this season. So this is -- they take a lot of pride in this one year and winning this game on its own merit, as I've talked about: Hey, this is special. Let's capitalize on it and make the most of it and make sure we're at our best. That's what you try to do and there is a lot of pride in that. And I understand Gary's point. But I'll say this after four of them, each one is it's still awfully special. We're excited for it.

Q. I asked Coach Pinkel this, Ohio guys are in some pretty huge games. He said there aren't a lot of people in Ohio rooting for him --
It isn't going to make a difference either way who they're rooting for. I know how Gary is and I am, we're not concerned about everybody else outside of our ourselves and guys and our team and our program. We're fortunate to be in good situations.

Gary has done a great job. I've said that in the last week in my conference I think Missouri and their administration, just like I said about Coach Mangino at KU withstood their course and developed their programs and look at what's happening now and the way they're playing. And it just sometimes takes a bit of time that they stay the course. And Gary's done a great job. So it's exciting to be in this position. And we just happen to be from Ohio. I even had a coaching stint for nine months at Kent, his alma mater.

Q. Bob, along those same lines: What do you make of the North Division right now and kind of what's happened and finally shuffled a little bit?
There's times that teams have their times where they're really strong and stay strong and other teams may not be as strong as they have been. I mean, that was the case in the South for a while. I know there was a period of time when Oklahoma wasn't up here all -- we weren't being talked about a lot, weren't winning many championships. There's probably a 10-, 15-year period of time where we weren't considered for much.

Now things have changed a little bit. So I think there's just -- there are periods of time where some programs may be down. Other programs are flourishing. And trying to stay there. So it's just -- there's always going to be, I believe, always quality teams throughout the league. And I guess that's the best way to say it.

I've said this a lot. I think each conference you got those teams at the top that will play with anybody. You've got those teams in the middle that will beat anybody if they're not ready, and you've got some teams that are struggling. And I think ours is always that way. I think around the country I think every conference is that way and sometimes different teams come up that maybe traditionally you haven't been used to seeing that are really -- that are playing well and are kind of hitting their stride and are representing another school and playing in a great way.

Q. Want to ask you about your ability -- DeMarco Murray is not going to be in this game, but he only had five yards the first time. You feel like Allen Patrick and Chris Brown will have success running the ball against Missouri?
We sure hope they will, of course, and that's our plan. You always want to. But those guys, quality players, quality backs, and we've got a lot of confidence in them. So, sure, we hope and hope to be able to establish the run and execute it well and have the balance that we like to have.

Q. If Bo Pelini becomes the head coach what kind of head coach would he be?
I don't know if I should answer because he's not one yet and he's got a big game tomorrow. Again, he'll be a great coach. We loved what he did in our program. He's a positive guy and he's got strong background. So he'll be an excellent coach, and I'm sure there will be a point where that will happen for him.

Q. What do you like to say to the Hispanic community for this game?
Hopefully they'll be cheering hard for Jacob Gutierrez, one of our players, proud to be down here in his hometown and just appreciate any following and hopefully the ones here at the game are rooting for the Sooners. Hopefully we've got a few extra fans there.

Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel

Opening Comments:
It was July, I'm not sure, 18th, whatever it was, we came down for media day I brought three players: Chase Coffman, Martin Rucker and Lorenzo Williams. And when we were done with the media day, we were coming back to the airport here, I asked our driver to take us over to the Dome here. And he did. And we walked in, the Dallas Cowboys were practicing at the time. Looked around a little bit and I remember them looking at me saying, Coach, this is where we've gotta be. We gotta get here. I said, Yeah, it would be awesome. Got back in the car and went back. We're excited about being here. We worked very hard. We're playing a great Oklahoma football team, who has been in this environment a lot. But we had a great week of preparation, and I expect that that our players will play well.

Q. Wonder if you can update us on Chase Coffman's condition if he'll play tomorrow night?
Questionable. Got a little work on Wednesday and Thursday and it will be a game-day decision. Our medical staff along with Chase will make that decision. We'll find out right before the game.

Q. Gary, you've had basically two quarterbacks over the last six years, Bob Stoops has won four Big 12 titles in the last seven years with four different quarterbacks and tomorrow night trying to go five for five. Can you talk about how difficult it is or maybe it's not difficult to keep retooling with a new quarterback on an annual or every-year basis?
Bob's done a great job recruiting quarterbacks, number one. We all know that football is the greatest team sport that there is. You have 320-pound players and 180-pound players playing on the same field, different fundamentals. You all have to make it work as a team except one position as the quarterback. In order to win at a high level you have to have a great quarterback. He has to play at a high level. Bob knows that, that's why they've had great success. We've been fortunate to have Brad Smith and now Chase Daniel. So it's -- certainly increase your chances for success if you have an impact player there.

Q. So much has been made of the experience that Stoops has, big-game Bob, all that, and a lot has made of the experience you don't have in the Big 12, making it to that game. How do you address those situations or do they matter?
Doesn't matter now. The only way you'll get it is to be thrown in the fire. But our football team, after we lost to Oklahoma, went five straight games to make that Kansas game for the championship. One was at Kansas State, which we had hadn't won at forever and Colorado we hadn't won at forever. We handled the pressure we did that. Then we went and played a game against a real good Kansas team. So I think we've been through some experiences on these big games. And certainly I think that one thing about our football team, I think it's business-as-usual type team. It wasn't any different this week than it's been all year. In terms of being able to set all the stuff aside and just focus on trying to play our best game. And I think with the leadership that we have that hopefully we can do that.

Q. Gary, would you mind just in general discussing the impact that Auston English has had with the defense this year?
He's just a great player. He's an impact player. Those guys change football games. And without question one of the best -- not only in our league, but in the country.

Q. Coach, you had a lot of success recruiting here in Texas the past couple of years. Talk about how playing in a high-profile game tomorrow night. Will fit in that plan?
The question has been about the success we've had recruiting in Texas and being down here in this high-profile game. Yeah, Missouri is our number one priority recruiting. And we get into Oklahoma. And then certainly Texas is number two. And we recruit hard. I think we have four and a half coaches down here sometimes more depending on the numbers, the players we're recruiting. But it's been hugely important for our football program. And I think it's nothing but -- it's just a plus that we're playing this game down here and it will have an impact certainly in the Texas recruiting.

Q. Coach, Tony Temple didn't play in the first game. What's he going to bring to your game plan offensively that you didn't have in the first game?
We'll find out. It's nice having Tony back. I thought the other players did a good job when we played last game. But time will tell. It's nice to have him back healthy. He's certainly a good player. We'll wait and see.

Q. Coach, you said business as usual preparing for a game, but in your opinion is this a different Oklahoma team than the one you saw in mid-October and is this a different Missouri team that they saw that same night?
I think we're both about the same. Obviously what you do is you go back, we both played half a season, we have to go back and look at that, evaluate that. Then you form game plans like both schools do. Whether you do it a year later or six weeks later. I think both teams are very similar. We'll probably do some different things.

Q. Coach, you mentioned this week being business as usual, but when it comes to the BCS, if you basically don't win this game there's a good chance you won't be in the BCS Bowl. Is that hard to fathom the fact that you gotta win this game to be where you want to be?
You know what, we're putting everything we have in this championship game. And all that stuff will sort itself out later on.

Q. Coach, you talk about the preparation for this game. A national title could be on the line and so many things. How have you kept your guys' focus? Last week when you prepared for Kansas you guys were not dealing with school. You had the week off. And this week you were back in classes, trying to make it seem normal. But you can't help but know that being No. 1 everything you've ever dreamed for is just a game away.
Well, I still think it's back to what we've been doing. And I think our players understand that if you don't remove all the stuff there's no way in the world you can prepare to play your best game. I trust that our players are doing that. What you do, you watch how you practice, you watch the intensity and the speed of the practice. You watch the focus of the practice. I had my seniors that have done a great job of leadership. And I'll be very surprised if we don't play well. I mean, I certainly -- we won't know until tomorrow. But you better learn to sort it and separate it and prepare or you won't play your best game. I think our players understand that.

Q. Some of your players earlier in the week talked about this being a second chance. But not letting it be about revenge. Can you talk a little bit about what you've done to curb that sort of natural revenge mentality?
Well, I think some things were blown out of proportion. Our last game, Oklahoma won because they did the things in the fourth quarter to win. And that's how you win games, and that's what they did. And we didn't. So you give them credit. They deserve to win because they did the right things, and I think what you do, I don't think it's really any revenge in any way there. We understand we're playing a great football team. And I think, again, that's what we must do is kind of focus on just each player playing his best and hopefully we can do that.

Q. Beyond this season, when you start next season, the season after that, what will be your personal expectations for your program now?
I'd like to finish this season before I go to the next season, next season, next season after that. We will always have high standards and high goals. Time will tell. I think when we get back and reflect with however this ends up this season, you know, we'll sit down and reflect and certainly talk about the goals that we have and the direction we want to go. But hopefully we'll continue to win at a high level.

Q. When you guys came out for the Kansas game, there was a lot of intensity. There was a lot of preparation for it. It seemed like you guys were a little rattled there. Just the overall atmosphere of it all. How do you stop that from happening with the inexperience factor this weekend?
I didn't know we were rattled. So I hadn't heard that one. I thought our players really came out and played well. I think on offense we struggled a little bit, then Tony Temple started running. I thought our defense was playing well. I think our kids -- certainly they're going to be anxious. Certainly it's -- I'm not trying to devalue this great experience and time will tell how we actually deal with it. But hopefully we can come out here and sort it all out and play our best.

Q. You're really good at talking to your players and letting them visualize their goals. You talked about what they wanted to do and what they had to do to get this far. You mentioned July 18th. You had them look at the field. Well, there's that trophy sitting there. We all took tight shots of it. Have you been thinking about that and where you might put that if you get that?
We don't have a football one back at Missouri; we have a basketball one. I think in August what I did, I came in our first team meeting and I brought that in and I -- the exact type trophy it was. Then we hung one up and for the first time this year. We hung it up in the locker room, the picture of it. And never won it at Missouri before, but I just think you had to create a vision. Really not much focus on it, but a vision. And it's nice that we're here and have a chance at it.

Q. Gary, on the visit here after media days, can you expand on that a little? You've got three fairly talkative guys, Coach we need to be here. What did you do to respond?
I don't recall the details. I know you would ask the details, too. I don't recall who said what. Just one of them said, We gotta be here. They just agreed. They were talking about it for a moment. I'm not trying to make it bigger than it was. But certainly I remember it.

Q. Do you remember what you said?
I said, Yes, it would be a good idea. (Laughter).

Q. Coach, there's a lot of talk that Chase's performance this weekend will help determine what happens with him in the Heisman trophy. Can you address that, what you expect to see from him and how he's handling that?
I think Chase is -- he's a really mature competitor. He loves these environments. I mean, there's no question about it. Because he's a great competitor. He knows he's playing against a great defensive football team and he recognizes that. But honestly I think he sorts all that. I don't think that he carries that on the field with him at all. I think he's handling those things well. And, you know, it's all based on performance. And any kind of an award like that should be. And I think he recognizes that. But this isn't about him winning an award; it's about us trying to win a championship.

Q. Have you done anything, are you worried at all about all the attention your team has gotten, not just from the local press, but ESPN, national press. You're number one in the country, Heisman stuff. Does that concern you at all, done anything to make sure that the guys keep their feet on the ground?
Responsibly I have to be concerned about that, and that's why I just try to communicate with my staff and with my seniors, what's going on with the team, are we okay. And really everything has been pretty much business as usual on our part. On our preparation, practices. As I mentioned before, the intensity, the focus we have, the meetings, and to say that it doesn't have an effect on them at all, I can't say that. But I certainly know this has not been going on for one week, it's been going on for the last three, four weeks for us. And hopefully we can deal with it.

Q. Coach, are you an Ohio native?
Yes, I grew up in Akron.

Q. I read, What's the deal with the Ohio coaches? Talking about really doing a great job getting your teams in big post season games, Bob Stoops being one of those. What's it about you in Ohio?
I know everybody in the state of Ohio wants me to lose this game. I can guarantee you that. I grew up in Akron and they said -- I was talking about I have a lot of high school buddies there and Kent State, which is just north of Akron, about 30 minutes, and so I have -- I think I'll be very disappointed if all my Ohio friends who are Buckeyes don't root for the Missouri Tigers.

Q. Coach, you go back to that first game against Oklahoma and after the loss this team has had to win each week out, how impressed have you been with your team's ability to rise to the occasion and to meet the occasion?
Well, that's one of the things we had done before. We didn't do that. We didn't win in November consistently at all. And so I was very proud of our team. It was how we prepared. I think what you do you figure it out it's all about preparation. It's all about what you put in it. It's all about being able to focus and play your best game. And it's all about removing all the stuff out there. And hopefully that experience helps us. Time will tell, but it will help us in this experience round.

Q. Concerning Tony Temple again, now that he's back and he's playing, you've had several wins in a row, how does he help take pressure off of Chase?
Tony does a good job -- Jimmy Jackson is playing Derrick Washington, quite a few tailbacks. No question that Tony, in our offense, we kind of throw the ball to open up running lanes. That's kind of what we do. We're going to throw the football, with our receiving core and our tight ends and quarterback. But the running game is so important. And obviously having a Tony Temple back there has helped us this season and he's had some injury issues. But I think he can do a lot with the ball. So hopefully that will be a plus for us. Time will tell.

Q. Two biggest wins of the year so far came in neutral field games where the crowd was virtually fifty/fifty. Can that help you tomorrow night when it's going to be a similar situation, and why do you think you've done so well in that kind of setup?
The Illinois game and St. Louis, start of the season and last week's game, I don't know. Again, I think it's just -- I've been asked that a couple of times this week. I hope it's a huge help for us. But we really don't talk about that with our football team. Hopefully it will be a plus.

Q. Was this the first year you hung that picture in your locker room and, if so, why didn't you do it before?
I just a lot of times through our players you want to focus one game at a time and we always talk about the championship, national championship. Everything. That was always something in our first meetings we have always done that. Without going through a lot of detail, I called it our pyramid objectives thing that I've done since I got to Missouri. But I just thought that this year the seniors come in February talking to me about trying to win at a higher level, wanting to win a championship and we decided to just kind of expand that a little bit. Maybe I should have done it before, is that what you're trying to tell me (smiling).

Q. Coach Stoops has said that he wishes it was a more fair playing field around the country as far as every conference playing a title game or everybody not playing a title game. In your case, if you didn't have this game, if you played at a different conference, you might already be in the national title game. Just your thoughts on the fairness of this game and conferences playing championships?
We know we do have the game, though. It's not like we just changed the rules a few weeks ago. I think everybody looks at that. It's in their favor, not in their favor. You have a championship game in the Big 12 and some other conferences and some others you don't. I think sometimes you probably help yourself, too. So everybody kind of looks at it as an advantage or disadvantage to them. I look at it as that's the way it is. I don't really give it much thought. That's just the opinion that I have.

Q. What do you think about Sam Bradford, Oklahoma's quarterback, who statistically matches up almost with Chase and leads in passing efficiency and all that, is he as good as he was the first time, has he gotten better? Your opinions on him?
He's a great player. I think a player to play that young at that level, his accuracy, his presence in the pocket. His ability to make decisions. Interception rate is very low. He's just really, really an outstanding player. And especially for being so young. So I think he's probably a lot better than he is when he played us, because with experience, with every game you get you become a better football player. So a very good impression.

Q. Was the success that Jeremy Maclin has had for you -- in the past people said, Missouri can't keep the guys at home, the home guys at home. With his success, do you think that's going to turn some guys where maybe they can't come in Big 10, Big 12 schools and maybe raid your state of players, the success he's had?
Hopefully -- I think we've done a pretty good job overall. We need to do better. But I don't know exact -- 10 or 11 starters on offense are from Missouri. And certainly I think maybe 15, 14 or 15 total. I really don't look -- didn't look at it right now. But certainly Jeremy Maclin with his -- what a great player he is. The impact he has and the media attention that he draws, I think that would be a real plus for us. And that you can go to Missouri, go an hour and a half away and great facilities and they win and have success, and hopefully it will be a plus.

Q. When you have a game like this tomorrow night at 7:00, how do you keep the guys now that they're here focused? What's the game plan for them so that they don't toss and turn all night long and psych themselves out before they even get to the field? And for the coach, do you sleep the night before when you've got all day tomorrow to think about it?
We can probably stick with players I think, than me. Honestly, this is like an in-season game for us. Everything is consistently, exactly what we do, we've been doing for the last 12 weeks. I think that's real important. It's absolutely identical. I think our players will be fine. Myself, I generally sleep pretty good the night before a game. I don't sleep the rest of the week. I'm so fatigued that I probably pass out, I sleep probably the night before. Probably the best night I do sleep. Probably, again, because I'm so tired.

Q. How much of a decision -- how much went into it being the fact that you were picked to be the preseason, Big 12 --
Had nothing to do with it. Nothing to do with it.

Q. If you win this game there's a lot to be tied into this, what would happen, a BCS bid and possible national championship bid, and then you take home the trophy, which part of that are you talking about?
We're not talking about anything, except the opportunity to win the championship. That's where our total focus is. Obviously I know that what's out there. Our players do. But certainly I think without question our focus is on what this can do for us and that's where it should be.

Q. With Chase having played in the Alamodome in high school, does that have any impact on the team?
I hope it does. He told me he played here, enjoyed playing here. But certainly it's familiar with him. But he's -- I don't really think it matters where he plays. Obviously I think he's excited about it because he's been here, and he knows it's a great stadium. But I think that he's the kind of guy that will try to play his best wherever he's at.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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