Game Quotes: Oklahoma 62, Tulsa 21

OU HEAD COACH BOB STOOPS
On the game:
"I liked the way it went. We started off by going right down the field and then we had a foolish penalty that put us back. Offensively, outside of penalties, we did a good job. We ran the ball great and Sam (Bradford) was outstanding throwing the ball. Defensively, they had us on our heels at first but we settled in and played quite well. I think we will learn from this and improve in the areas that we need to. We gave up some big plays with deep passes, but then we started to create some turnovers and made some plays to force interceptions."

"They never got anything going in the run game and that is a big deal for us. I know a lot of people don't really look at that, but that is key to how we run the game."

"Our special teams played really well. The coverage units were really outstanding and our return game was great. Getting DeMarco back to make plays really helped us."

Was Tulsa your biggest test yet?
"You know they test us in different areas. They run a very unconventional offense and the different things that Tulsa does. It requires discipline and I think our guys are better that they went through it and they will be better for it.

On Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith:
"He is a really good player. I knew it and our staff prepared for it. He stands back there and scrambles to buy himself some time so he can make some plays. I like watching him and he is a great player, a real competitor."

Talk about your depth at running back:
"Well Allen Patrick was awesome. He is such a hard, tough runner and had a really good night. The other guys all did well, DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown did a great job. Also, Mossis Madu had a good game and we have to keep finding him plays to be able to get him in there."

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OU QUARTERBACK SAM BRADFORD
How much better can this offensive be?
"We can always improve things in the red zone and try to eliminate the penalties. I have to try to eliminate the turnovers the best I can because we had points on the board in the first half, but I had a costly interception. I need to limit those."

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TULSA HEAD COACH TODD GRAHAM
On the game:
"Naturally, you have to give Oklahoma a lot of credit. They are a great football team and they were the better team tonight. Offensively, we started off where we wanted to start off, but we made too many mistakes. We probably played our poorest game thus far, but when you play someone that has the athleticism and speed that they do, you have to give them a lot of credit. They are definitely one of the top teams in the country."

"We did not play up to our capability. We made way too many mental errors. We got some kids banged up. Our backups were not prepared to play, and we did not do a very good job coming off of a big win last week and getting ready to play."

On the injuries in the secondary:
"It was absolutely a big problem. We had a young guy come in, John Destin. He is a newcomer. He made a lot of errors and got beat several times. Roy (Roberts) is probably our best cornerback. We start off with a big turnover and playing the kind of defense that we want, then he gets hurt and is not able to come back, and Randy Duncan, our free safety, gets hurt and is not able to come back. It really, really hurt us."

On the team:
"We have a great quarterback. One of the interceptions should not have been an interception. Our receiver slapped the ball around and did not secure it. I am very proud of how our kids played. They (Oklahoma) are very big and physical up front. We are going to score a lot of points. We have some leaders on defense. We need to improve on the back end and not make alignment errors. That is the thing that has really bothered me. As coaches, we have to get these guys ready to play so that they can go next week. We have to be able to go and play, we have to have people ready."

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TULSA QUARTERBACK PAUL SMITH
How do you think the offense did tonight?
"All right, definitely not good, but we were able to do some things against a very talented team. I think we have a lot of things to learn. As you will see on film, as with any loss, we were real close on a lot of things, and that is why I think we didn't necessarily do too bad. I definitely think we could have done some of them a little bit better."

About the momentum shift after the kickoff return in the 2nd half.
"I think there were a couple of momentum shifts, and that was one that deflated us a little bit. I still think, in that point of the game, the coaches on the sideline kept us up. I was doing my part and my best to keep everyone going and everybody believing. I really think they responded pretty well. I think we did a good job of coming out and battling. The whole time I was in the game I was certainly impressed with everybody's drive. Nobody gave up. Nobody hung their heads. Even when we knew we were going to lose late in the game, everyone kept battling."

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TULSA LINEBACKER CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN
You have seen two of the better offensive lines in the country, could you compare them?
"I would definitely have to say they are both very talented. They did a great job tonight, and they neutralized us pretty well. They did a good job of protecting the quarterback, we tried to get to him and they did a great job of blocking us. I am encouraged on the rest of the season after facing two of the better lines and better teams. I am ready to move on and start conference play."

Talk about guys not being there to make the play and missed open field tackles:
"We had a lot of missed tackles tonight. We didn't play as well as we could have. Give Oklahoma credit, they have some extremely good players and great athletes, and they make plays too. It is their job to make us miss and it is our job to tackle them."

The goals are still there, could you talk about what those are?
"Yes, obviously this was a disappointing loss tonight, but we do have the whole conference season ahead of us. We are excited to get ready again for Conference USA and excited to see what we can accomplish and see what we can do."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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