Stoops, OU Players Discuss Texas

Tuesday Press Conference Video Coach Stoops Press Conference Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables Sam Bradford Press Conference Junior Defensive End Auston English	Sophomore CB Dominique Franks Senior Wide Receiver Juaquin Iglesias Junior Cornerback Brian Jackson Sophomore Running Back Mossis Madu
Sooner Gameday Central: OU vs. Texas Everything you need to know leading up to the game in one convenient location.

NORMAN, Okla. -- Head coach Bob Stoops and select Oklahoma players met with the media Tuesday to preview Saturday's showdown with arch-rival Texas. The top-ranked Sooners and No. 5 Longhorns square off at 11 a.m. Saturday in front of 92,000 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas.

The game will be televised nationally by ABC (Channel 5 in Oklahoma City, Channel 8 in Tulsa and Channel 7 in Lawton). Brent Musberger will call the game with analysis from Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reports from Lisa Salters.

Video video coverage of Tuesday's press conference by clicking the links above. Quotes from Coach Stoops and OU's players are available below, courtesy of OU Athletics Media Relations.

Head Coach Bob Stoops

Opening Statement:
"As always, going back over last week's game with Baylor, I thought it was a really solid game for us to come out and play so well in the beginning. Our defense came out, forced a three and out, and then our offense scored in the first four possessions to go up 28-0 in the first quarter. Run and pass, the offense just played well. Sam Bradford was again incredible, with almost 400 yards throwing.

"Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias had big days catching the ball as well. Some other guys recognized for the offense was Phil Loadholt, Jon Cooper and Matt Clapp, who goes kind of unheard for us in that fullback position. Those guys were recognized for players of the game. Defensively, Ryan Reynolds had a heck of a game. Keenan Clayton, and the whole secondary was really solid.

"It was a good win, and puts us in a great position this week heading into the Texas game. It's a great rivalry, everyone understands it and everyone is talking about it. It is a really good atmosphere to compete in and a great challenge to play a great Texas team. I think that Mack Brown and their staff always do an excellent job. They always have a great number of excellent athletes who are fast and good players. So it's a major challenge and an exciting one as well.

"They are playing really well on both sides of the ball, and everyone really talks about Colt McCoy. Rightfully so, as he has had a great year and has been very efficient in distributing the ball. Defensively, they have been playing very aggressively and picking up their assignments. So, they are an all-around good football team, and it's going to make for an exciting game come Saturday."

On the secondary:
"They have played great. Every one of them has been sound. They have been disciplined in our run support as well as our coverage's. They have stayed on top of the ball and challenged people. I don't keep tabs on that, but as far as pass breakups and things like that; we have probably done that just as well as anyone, if not better. It has been exciting. Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson have been as good as anyone we have had here thus far. Again, it's only five games, but I have as much confidence in them as anyone we have had. Nick Harris and Lendy Holmes have also played great inside, so I have a lot of confidence in our defense."

On Texas' defense:
"It's a big challenge. They have an excellent team defense, and they have had a lot of sacks and quarterback pressures. They will stunt you different ways, so it will be an important matchup. Will we be able to give Sam time to throw the ball? And more importantly, will we be able to run the ball? Being able to still run the football when they do give you those stunts is always a big part of the game."

On Texas' secondary:
"They have done a great job. They have a couple of young guys. But they are really playing well. You can watch them and see that they play some zone and man coverage, and they mix it up a lot. They play more man coverage than I would have thought until we watched film on Sunday, but they are doing it well. They are doing a nice job."

On Sam Bradford's improvement:
"I think he is overall better than last year. He is a quicker and stronger with the delivery. The ball is traveling faster and comes out quicker and it helps. I think that he is processing things quicker, not that he was ever slow with it, but still. I think the experience and confidence that he has now allows him to process everything faster. I think the confidence that we have in him to give him opportunities helps as well, because we trust him so much."

On what makes OU-Texas so special:
"It's the same with a lot of the big rivalries; it's the tradition and the history. Another thing that adds to it is that they are great teams. It's more than just bragging rights now. It's an inside track, or one up on the other guy, on your way to a championship, hopefully. I think being in the same division has really escalated it."

QB Sam Bradford

On differences from last year to this year:
"I think the experience from last year has helped a lot. I know more of what to expect going into this game. I know the environment and what it will be like down there and realize the preparation it takes to get ready for a game like this. I'm more aware."

On going to OU-Texas as a kid:
"I can remember going to the OU/Texas game with my dad as a kid. Walking in and seeing the red and orange divided, I thought it would be a dream to play in a game like this. To go out and actually do it, I really can't even begin to explain the excitement and fulfillment."

On the Texas Defense:
"Texas is a very good defensive team this year. They really try to create pressure on the quarterback, make you throw it quickly and then put good coverage behind it. Coach Heupel said that maybe they've had seven sacks in their past few games, so we know that's going to be part of their game plan."

On being in the race for the Heisman:
"A few years ago, I probably would have laughed. It's really something I'm not concerned with, my main goal is to win games."

On the significance of this game:
"This game is obviously big for both teams, but I don't think we can let it be any different than any other game we prepare and play. We have been successful in the first five games we've played, so we just need to put this game into perspective and play it like we have been."

DE Auston English

On being a Texas native playing for Oklahoma in this game:
"It's a big game, I don't think it really matters where you come from once you realize the history behind the series. It becomes a big deal for anybody that goes to your school."
"This game is always going to have national title implications most of the time. It's two historically great teams, so it just sets the stage for a great game."

On Ryan Reynolds impact on the defense this year:
"He's just really stepped up and filled the gap where we needed someone to come in and replace. He hasn't missed a step. He's a great guy and in the film room he studies and gets in preparation to make sure that he's ready to lead the defense out there."

On Colt McCoy leading the Texas offense:
"Last year maybe he went through some ups and downs. It looks like maybe he went in the weight room, gained some weight and speed and really took it upon himself to be the leader of the offense. He leads his team in rushing and has done a great job for their offense this game. They really do a lot of stuff that they always do as far as the schemes go. But finding a running back that's their go-to guy or anything like that they haven't settled on. Colt McCoy is their leading rusher, so I guess that's where they're at right now."

On being ranked No.1 in the nation:
"I really haven't thought much into it. It is good to have the number one ranking until the end of the season. So other than it being up there and giving respect to a team, people think we're the number one team in the nation, I don't think you can look at it too much. So many times it can just be a distraction."

CB Dominique Franks

On the anticipation of OU-Texas:
"There's nothing like OU-Texas. I'm really excited and ready for Saturday to come. This is the biggest anticipation of the year. It's a one versus five matchup. There's just a lot of anticipation going into the game, a lot of talk about whether our defense can stop their offense or their defense being able to stop our offense."

On playing his position:
"We know that we have to lock up on our receivers. We've got guys that can go up there and make a tackle, but if we come up from our coverage and they throw the ball over our heads it could result into a big play and that's going to be on me."

On being an intricate part of the game:
"I'm very excited about it. I can't really sleep at night just thinking about it. I went to bed around 10 o'clock and woke up about 1:30 in the morning and looked back over my playbook. I just know this is a great opportunity to be able to prove what I can do.

WR Juaquin Iglesias

On Sam Bradford winning the Heisman:
"I would like to see him win it. It think that he is well deserving of it with everything that he has done and accomplished thus far through his short career. It's an attribution to his hard work and dedication. He is a great player."

On the receivers' playmaking ability:
"It is a big thing for our team. Week in and week out a different person can hurt you. I think it helps our offense perform so well. It's really hard for defenses to key in on one person, because we can all make plays. It makes it tough to prepare for."

On last week's game:
"It felt good. You just have to make the plays that come to you, and that is what we all talk about. We all know that the ball can't come to us 20 times a game. We are all excited when others make plays, and we are excited for ourselves when it's our turn. We have been able to be effective so far. Hopefully we can continue that."

RB Mossis Madu

On Texas' stats against the run:
"We just went over those yesterday, and I didn't know that their defense was that good against the run. They are very similar to TCU, so we are probably going to have a better game plan this time around. We will have our minds right and be ready to get out there and run."

On the run game itself:
"I think we are definitely headed in the right direction. TCU kind of woke us up and made us realize that we can't just run against any team we want to. We have to go out there and earn every yard and work hard for it. We are preparing this week and we are going to go out there and do what we can."

On Sam's development:
"He has gotten way better. You can tell by watching him. He has become a leader now. I know it's kind of weird, but he's in my grade, and I still look up to him for leadership. He has become the total package. He has become a complete team player. He gives us speeches before the games this year, and he is really stepping up to the plate."

On the OU-Texas game meaning more this year than last:
"It always means this much. We could both be ranked 24 and 25, or we could be unranked. It's OU-Texas and it is always a big deal."

CB Brian Jackson

On coming from Texas to play at OU:
"It is really exciting to get to play in this game. I've never actually played defense in it before, so it will be a different experience for me. It will be a challenge, but I'm not nervous about it. We have to take it like every other week, just do our jobs and help the defense out."

On the secondary coming together:
"Our secondary has really worked hard. Dominique and I are not as experienced in these positions, so we have really looked to Lendy and Nic who are experienced. It's nice to know they are there and can cover us if we make a mistake."

On Texas receivers:
"The Texas receivers are good, but so are a lot of other receivers. You have to play with that aggressive attitude every time you step on the field no matter who you are playing. I'm not too worried about it."

On Colt McCoy:
"McCoy is a great quarterback who is very accurate, completing 80 percent of his passes. We are aiming to go out there and change that. We have to contain him just like we did against Griffin at Baylor. Griffin had a lot of speed, probably more than McCoy, but we will prepare in the right ways to contain him."

On being a physical threat:
"I pride myself on being a physical threat. God blessed me with the talent and the size that not many corners have, so of course I'm going to use it. Safety and corner are two completely different positions."

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