Sherman on Playing the Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma travels to College Station to play the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field. ABC will televise the game beginning at 2:30 p.m.

OU will hold its weekly press conference on Tuesday. Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman met with the media today and complete quotes are below courtesy Texas A&M Athletics Media Relations. View Sooner Gameday Central for complete information on attending the game or following TV, radio and internet coverage of the Sooners across the nation.

SoonerSports.com staff will blog live during Saturday's game. Throughout the day, you can view our commentary on the TV broadcast, observations from the field, notes from the media relations staff in the press box plus fan emails and reaction during the game.

Head Coach Mike Sherman

After the game you said Colorado's front four was one of the most active you'd seen, and that helped stop the running game...after looking at film, was there anything else the running game didn't do that it needs to do?
"There were a couple of plays (where) we were on again, off again. The first play of the game we had an eight-yard gain but there was a penalty against them, and we took the penalty and made it 1st-and-5 instead of 2nd-and-2 or whatever it was. Then we had another run with a penalty on it. We did have a couple of chances to make some positive gains besides the long run by Cyrus Gray, but not enough to meet the satisfaction that we needed.

"I think what we did come away from the game with was it's so important to keep hammering away at it because it does help you control pass rushes a little bit. And that long run that Cyrus made really was a game-changer in my mind. It changed field position for us, really put us in an optimal position. So even though we didn't run the ball effectively, I think the fact we didn't give up on it is a great lesson. I constantly remind myself that you just never know when you're going to be able to find a crack and be able to break a long run, and that one was a significant one.

"But as I said they were a good defensive front, we knew that going in, they're very multiple in their back end with their support, and who was supporting on the runs. We just have to execute better up front and be better in our run game than we were. Sometimes the back missed some cuts we could have made-it wasn't all the offensive lineman. There were a couple of plays where if we'd stayed in the hole we could have made some good yardage, but we elected to cut it back too soon. That didn't allow us to get up on the linebacker and make a play on the linebacker on the back side.

"So there were a couple of those. A couple were on us-we ran a counter misdirection play, they brought the corner and got us in the backfield. They guessed right on some of their pressures and got us, and we were able to get the long run which was significant for us."

Looking at Oklahoma's run defense, can you talk about the matchup with them?
"They're very exceptional. They will now be the best front we've played. They're exceptional up front, and the linebackers are young but active. Their front people don't stay blocked very long, they're aggressively attacking up field, they're good with their hands, and they're good getting off the blocks. They play with a lot of speed."

Were you surprised when you got to campus that there were eight scholarship offensive linemen? Does that surprise you that there were that few?
"Well, I looked at it before I came (laughter). But yeah, I was surprised that we didn't have more on scholarship at that time."

Can you talk about Kevin Matthews and the job he's done at center, and with his snapping?
"I think he had one that was a low snap, but overall he's been much more consistent in that area. He's played well. I wouldn't say this was one of his better games, but he played okay. I have high expectations of him, and expect him to play very well every week. I'm very critical of those linemen."

Can you talk about Oklahoma's offense and the challenge of slowing them down?
"Well, when you consider that the least amount of points I think they've scored this year is 35, one in a win and one against Texas, obviously that's a major challenge for us, to be able to control them not just with our defense but by not having our offense be three-and-out and putting our defense back out there. That will be significant, as well as the kicking game where they're exceptional on field position. Getting ourselves into positive field position, and throwing the ball, will be as much part of our defense as when we're (the defense) on the field."

When you look at OU's offense, especially when so many Big 12 teams are leaning heavily on the pass, is that the direction you'd like to see this offense go, in terms of balance?
"I've always believed in balance, and we don't have the balance I'd like to have this year. I wish we could have better balance than we do. We fight it a little bit, when we're trying to gameplan and scheme and trying to play to our strengths and someone else's weaknesses. But yes, I'd like to have balance in our offense. When you're throwing the football, you just never know when your quarterback is going to wake up and the biorhythms aren't clicking, or a receiver for whatever reason isn't having a good day.

"But the running game is something that, if you have good running backs, can be a consistent part of your arsenal. The passing game, with the weather, the wind, whatever...it can affect the passing game a bit. So I hate to put all my eggs in one basket. I think you have to throw the football to win championships, but to be able to get to the championship game you have to be able to run it."

How about your run defense, how do you think that has progressed?
"Well, we've struggled at different times, as you know. We haven't fit up all the times. I was excited the other day, even though we gave up the yardage and...gosh dangit, we had two guys making tackles and knocking each other off. Or one or two times where we were reaching and don't bring our feet, but we were there. There were some times, particularly in the second half, where we really pulled the trigger in regard to bringing our hips and our demeanor to the ball carrier, or the quarterback. So I think we improved there.

"The quarterback draw ate us up the other day, more than anything else. We were rushing the quarterback, and he was very elusive and was able to make guys miss, which concerns me. But it's an area of concern for us, and we keep working at it. We'll be challenged this week, and hopefully we'll have some things rectified during the course of this week."

Do you think you win that game the other day without the contributions of the freshmen?
"Well, they played a significant part, when you talk about Trent Hunter's two interceptions and Jeff Fuller's two touchdowns. Jeff was out of practice on Friday, his quad blew up on him and he couldn't practice. And we didn't know if he was going to play. We had him iced down and stemming him all during the 48 hours. And then (Ryan) Tannehill obviously played well. So yeah, they obviously played a significant part, along with (Tony) Jerod-Eddie and different guys. As did the other kids. It was a team win, but those three guys in particular made some big plays in the game."

Is it hard not to get excited just looking ahead to what those guys may become?
"Well, you can't win a championship with just a few guys. You need a bunch of guys. We've got to get everyone playing at their level in order to win a championship."

You talked earlier about expecting something special to happen this year...do you feel like the team's morale is high enough for that maybe to happen this weekend against Oklahoma?
"Well, I feel like the team's morale is very good. After the game, that locker room...you know, It's funny in coaching, when I think back on games that I've been a part of that we won, I very seldom remember the scores. I remember the locker rooms, and the guys, and what happened in there after the game.

"We beat Colorado for our second win in a row and our fourth win of the season, and you would have thought we'd won a national championship in the locker room. Everyone was very excited, coaches and players alike, and really enjoying the moment...which is so important, because we really haven't had the opportunity to do that very often. But that's what you remember, and that was really special. I think they enjoyed the feeling they had after winning that ballgame.

"We have a chance this week to play a very, very good opponent that is a top five team and one of the best ones I've seen on tape this year. This would be a very special moment if we could beat this team. Certainly it's a formidable task, but these things do happen."

Speaking of those freshmen, your top two receivers are both 6'4". I know they can catch the ball but how big a luxury is it for the quarterback to have big targets like that?
"Well, I think it kind of goes in line with the receivers in the Big 12, which are bigger receivers. To be able to match them up on corners who don't quite have that height...you don't usually see a corner that size. They are usually anywhere between 5'10" and 6'0", and very seldom do you see a corner who is 6'2". But I think their size definitely gives them an advantage. I think we're fast, but not that fast, but I think the size allows you an opportunity to not always be that burner all the time, because you can use your body to make plays."

So they're fast enough?
"I would say yeah, at this point they're fast enough."

When we talk to Trent Hunter, he seems like he's always excited. What does that attitude do, is that contagious with the older guys?
"Yeah, it is. I gave them an example one time. I had a Bunsen burner going in a meeting. They walked in and the Bunsen burner was going, it was boiling some water. I told them a story about when I was a kid growing up, my mother would boil us an egg, the five of us, and throw us an egg as we were going out the door. That was our version of fast food (laughter).

"I used to sit there and watch that water boil. I told the players that at 212 degrees, water boils. At 210 degrees, it doesn't. It takes a couple of degrees to move a train, an old steam car, a steamboat...it just takes one or two degrees. If you're at 210 it doesn't get it done. At 212 you can do unbelievable things with steam. It's like players in the locker room. You just need a couple of guys that can be those degrees and move you forward, that can be the catalysts that make a difference between a locker room being just okay and a locker room being great.

"We challenge the guys to be those types of players. And each week I think we're getting more and more guys that are sharing their emotion with their teammates. Kids today have a tendency to be a little too cool sometimes, and they don't want to show their emotions for fear they'll be ridiculed. Good teams show their emotions, and I think we're starting to do more of that."

Coach, you talked about Owen Daniels before, the tight end for the Houston Texans, and how much you liked the kind of player he is...How important is it to have a guy of that size and that ability to the offense you run?
"Is he available (laughter)? I've got to say this, Owen Daniels is a Pro-Bowl tight end. I've been around a couple of them and he's a Pro-Bowl tight end. He's a tireless, hard worker and a great kid. I'm so happy for the success he's having. Jamie McCoy is similar in many ways-his work ethic, how he runs routes-he doesn't have Owen's size. Owen outweighs him by a good 25 pounds. But they're very similar in how they run routes. Owen is a tough son of a gun. Jamie came over as a receiver and has learned to mix it up with guys. For him to go in there and try to block those defensive ends-and he does a decent job at this point in his career of blocking them-that's no easy task at 225 pounds. I love Owen Daniels but I like Jamie McCoy a lot too."

Does Oklahoma remind you of anyone you've seen?
"No, they're different than anyone we've seen this year, as far as their overall team speed. They play fast, they play hard and they're very well-coached. I have a lot of respect for what they've done, in their recruiting and how they've brought those players in and developed them, and how they've coached them."

How would you gauge the continued progress of Von Miller, going from defensive end to linebacker. Is he getting better?
"Well, he went from defensive end to linebacker, now he's rushing the quarterback for us again. So he's kind of gone full-circle there. When we went to more of a nickel linebacker, and brought in (Alton) Dixon, Von's been pretty much in our rush package, and in what I call our spinner package, where he'll move around a lot and blitz from different spots on third down. He's doing fine. He made some big plays the other day."

Can you just talk about how you are using him in different ways and what he brings on the field?
"Well, he's a tremendous athlete. It's very difficult when your hand is on the ground to go back there and play linebacker in such a short period of time. I just felt like we needed him to be more part of the rush scheme because we need to be able to rush the quarterback. For whatever reason, whether it's who we're playing or matchups or whatever, we have been able to rush the quarterback better in the last couple of weeks since we made this move. I know he doesn't have a ton of sacks but he has generated some rush for us, which has been significant."

The penalty the other day, was that just a tough break?
"Yeah, you hate to see it. The poor young man broke his leg, and I feel terrible about that. It's hard to coach...if a kid is able to grab a part of the jersey, he has to be able to do that, but sometimes, it's like an incidental face mask. In the old days, when you had that call, the kid's hand gets caught up in there. What can you say to the kid? He's trying to tackle the guy, he's not trying to cause a penalty. On that situation Von was just trying to get him down. He reached for the first thing he could grab, and I feel bad for that young man. But there was no malicious intent on Von's part."

You've gotten three or four tackles on kickoff returns in the last few weeks inside the 20. Did you change personnel or what is the difference there?
"I tell you, (Chevar) Bryson has done a tremendous job...he's a receiver, and he hasn't gotten to play much receiver for us, but he's found his job and really helped us a lot on special teams. And Kenny Brown's the other one. He's done a great job for us there as well. (Nick) LaMantia's done a good job for us. Bryson was spectacular I thought the other day, in his effort and demeanor and getting down the field. He has tremendous speed and is very difficult to block, so he made a big contribution there."

Do you think your team's pacing themselves a little better? It seems like you've seen a little better performance in the second half the last few weeks...
"We don't have a problem with pacing ourselves necessarily. We should have played better in the first half, so if we were pacing ourselves I'd be upset by that. You need to come out and play the best you can. Offensively we just had our struggles. Our defense kept us in the ballgame. I probably put too much on Jerrod (Johnson) on checking plays and what not in the first half. We had a lot of stuff in that game plan, and we kind of took it off him in the second half, where we just called some things, and guessed right on some things and were able to hit some plays. But I don't think pacing is necessarily what we were doing. I hope that's not what we were doing."

Any injury updates on (Mike) Goodson or (Lee) Grimes or anyone else?
"Grimes will be able to play but he's probably going to have a cast on his finger. He has a severe sprain there. Goodson ran yesterday, and we're going to run him again today and find out more about him."

You've seen this team play a complete first half against Texas Tech, and a complete third quarter against Colorado. Is this team poised to put it all together for all four quarters?
"I would like to think so, and this would be the week you'd need to do it. This team can certainly play all four quarters. This would be the week, if we're going to put it all together. But if you really look at football, who in the games that were played yesterday in the NFL played four great quarters of football? It doesn't normally happen. It's back and forth, push and shove, and it's who has the edge at the end of the game or who scores the most points in one quarter...it's just the nature of the game.

"You're just not going to come out and score 100 points. Well, maybe in the Big 12 you do (laughter). I don't think anyone plans to give that up necessarily. If you look at the game of football it's kind of back and forth, back and forth. To answer your question, though, it is a point I made to our team. We have to put the whole thing together.

"I thought special-teams wise for the most part, with the exception of a punt that almost got blocked, we were okay. Defense, I thought Jordan Pugh's play was probably the play of the game, even though at the end of the game Trent Hunter made that play that kept them from driving the ball. Jordan Pugh took points off the board at a very critical time in the ballgame. Either three or seven points were going to happen there, and he took them off the board. That was a critical play.

"So we're having plays throughout quarters, but more specifically-offensively I think-for us to putz around like we did in the first half was disappointing. But I was proud they came out in the third quarter and were able to do what they did."

With the kickers, you talk about them having to compete during the week, but is Randy Bullock starting to win that job on Saturdays now?
"I think it's always good for kickers to compete. They go to practice, and they sit there and watch practice, and the guys need to see that they are held accountable too. I think we'll always have competition there. He has done a nice job for us. I'm pleased and proud of what he's done. But kickers always have to have competition, because they're off by themselves a lot and doing their deal with the kicks. Then we call them together, and it's important they know that in those pressure situations that they have to perform. So we always try to create those in practice."

Is it now where (Richie) Bean is going to have to beat him out now?
"Yeah, as far as the field goals I think Randy's shown some consistency there. At this point he has the upper hand. We're going to have to see on the kickoffs."

Is Bean not completely healthy, because kickoffs did seem like a strength of his...
"It did and it is, but he tweaked it (groin) just a little bit last Thursday. So we're going to see where he is this week. I'm not sure if he's going to be available or not."

What have your coaches' meetings been like this fall, with all the adjustments and coaching on-the-fly it seems like you've had to do? With injuries you've had to shuffle personnel, scrap whole schemes...
"Well, it's been chaotic at times. The way I am, and this is the way I've coached in my time, if they tell me someone's out, I don't bat an eyelash. We go to the next one, and let's get the next guy ready. If this kid can't go, okay. Who's next? Let's get him ready. I think if you start whining and groaning about those things, whether it's youth or injuries or anything else, you just have a built-in excuse for failure. And I don't ever want us to have a built-in excuse for failure.

"I think it starts with the head coach. Sometimes, if we're really banged up, I won't let them hear the injury report. I'll just tell them what we're doing this week, because I don't want anyone to think we can't win the football game. We can. We've got to coach them up. Whatever guys we have, we've got to get them ready to play. That's what coaching is all about, taking ours against theirs and beating ours against theirs. We don't bat an eyelash, we just go.

"To be honest with you, we don't worry about it. Fans don't care, they want to win the game. I don't think Bill Byrne cares, he wants to win the game. So we act and perform like we don't care about it, we just have to go to the next guy."

Is there any more emphasis to the start this week, seeing how Oklahoma's come out of the gates the last few games?
"You know, our start to this last ballgame...our field position was horrendous when we started the drive. We motioned, got them to jump, and we had a good drive going. Then we had the turnover. And the turnover was a result of Jeff (Fuller) hearing a different play in the huddle, so when Jerrod was waiting for him to sit it down he kept on running. So a lack of communication stymied that drive which forced a turnover. But we had a drive going. I think 50 percent of the time we've scored on our opening drive, to some degree. It always is emphasized. We walk through the first 15, we talk through the first 15, maybe twice. There is emphasis on that, believe it or not. But sometimes it doesn't go as planned."

Do you ever vary much from that first 15?
"Oh yeah. We get in there and something different happens, we'll change in a heartbeat if something is happening that is different from what we'd expected. We'll change pretty quick."

Where did you come up with the Bunsen burner?
"I think here on campus we have a few science labs (laughter). I just told someone to go get me one and it was here pretty quick (laughing)."

Did the kids know what it was?
"Oh, some of them did (laughing). Fortunately some of them knew what it was. But I don't think some of them still knew what I was talking about though (laughter). It made me feel good like I said something important but I don't know if they knew what I was talking about (laughing)."

Did you catch any of the Texas/Texas Tech game?
"I did. What a great football game. I thought it was just a great football game. In defeat, I thought Texas showed great character going down the field. Colt McCoy did a great job of leading them down the field. And Tech did what they do. There's a lot of confidence in what they're doing. But that was just a phenomenal game. I don't watch much football. If I'm going to watch football I'll watch us or our opponents, usually. But I did watch that game. It was just a great game. Either team could have won."

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