Miami: Statement Game in Norman

NORMAN, Okla. -- Miami head coach Randy Shannon and select UM players met with the media Tuesday in Coral Gables to discuss the game against No. 5 Oklahoma in Norman. Saturday's contest matches the Sooners vs. the Hurricanes for the first time since the national championship tilt in the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1988 and Miami's first trip to Owen Field since the 1985 season.

MIAMI HEAD COACH RANDY SHANNON
Opening statement:
"This week, we play Oklahoma and they are a great team. They have a lot of good players on their team. I know their coaching staff personally. They do a good job of getting their players ready for any opponent. I think that it will be a challenge for us to go out there and play, but I have confidence in what we're doing today. It is a televised game so there will be a lot of emotion, but it's just an opportunity for both teams to go out there and compete. At the end of the day, the best team is going to win the game."

On the Oklahoma-North Texas game film:
"All you look at is personnel. You don't look at schemes, because you can't look at those things when games get out of control. They have good personnel. They have big offensive and defensive lines. They have skilled running backs as well. They did the things they needed to do to win that game."

On similarities between Shannon and Bob Stoops:
"Well, we both like to win. I don't know if we have the same demeanor but we are both very competitive."

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On the Miami-Oklahoma rivalry:
"Half of these guys weren't even born then. Not one guy has said anything to me about it. What happened in the 80s is old. It doesn't play a factor into Saturday's game. [When I played] it was just an opportunity to go out there and play a great game, which we did. I can't really get too excited, because we have to get ready for this team, this week. Back then really has nothing to do with now.

"There's a reason that Oklahoma is ranked high. They have a big defensive line, a big offensive line and they play great offense. It will be a challenge for us to go out there, because we are playing a great defense. Our offense is doing good. We were able to rush the ball for 260 yards and that is something that we are going to continuously try to do. If we can go into Oklahoma and rush the ball for 260 yards, we will win the game. We have to go and get that done. We can't worry about what happened when I played, we have to worry about this team.

"It is a new team, new generation, new start and fresh faces. It's not Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson, but it's Randy Shannon and Bob Stoops."

On Sam Shields:
"[He is on the depth chart] as a starting point but he has to work his way up. He will play on Saturday."

On what a win at Oklahoma would mean to the Miami program:
"It's just a game. Every game is going to be big. We are going to keep emphasizing to take it one game at a time. Don't ever look too far forward. You have to do your job, have fun with it and enjoy the game. It is not one-on-one, it's a team."

On the play of true freshmen against Marshall:
"They did well. One of them got an interception and some other guys made great tackles on special teams. We are using those guys in special situations. They did a great job. They have to focus on maintaining what they did last week."

On Graig Cooper:
"I think that he is going to be a really great player for us. His competitive drive and what he brings to the team is going to be wonderful. With Javarris James always there with him, it is something unique."

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MIAMI QUARTERBACK KIRBY FREEMAN
On the Marshall game:
"We got some pretty powerful players this season. There are some things that I want to do better personally. I was really proud of our offensive line. Also, Javarris [James], [Graig] Cooper and Derron [Thomas] all had good days for the amount of carries they had. We didn't pass the ball that much and when we did they were short patterns. Marshall was a pretty good football team. They are making progress season to season."

On what was held back during the Marshall game:
"I wouldn't say that we held anything back. Now, we just decide what plays we are going to pull out of the bag. Oklahoma is a very good football team. They are well-coached, just as we are, they have great players from across the whole country."

On going to Oklahoma:
"We are going into Oklahoma now. A win is a win and that's what we got last week. We would like to do a little better on offense this week. This is the closest I'll be to home. I am excited. I have plenty of people coming to the game. It is going to be very loud, but I am very excited about going into that stadium with the people that I am going in with. It's been a while since Miami has played Oklahoma and this is a statement not only for this program but for the new era of Miami football."

On what Coach Shannon brings each week to the table:
"I like the way he looks at game situations, because he has been in our shoes before. Coach (Randy) Shannon and (Patrick) Nix have played, so they understand what it is like to be a player."

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- Quotes courtesy Miami Athletics Media Relations

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