Post-Game Quotes: OU 57, Chattanooga 2

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson

On the game:
“(The offense) is still a work in progress, especially the second string. It was good to get those guys going, but we have to work our way through some glitches and communication problems.”

On the no huddle:
“It's just a way of communicating. Everybody has their own language but everybody is still communicating. To me that's all it is, a way of communicating. We meet as a group and work as a group. We have a bunch of talented guys and some of our second (string) guys can keep playing and growing, but other than that, I thought this was one our best preseasons and I was pleased.'”

On the receivers:
“Sometimes it's just progression and reads. Manny Johnson was good down the stretch two or three times. Manny and Jermaine get along well and up the field they scrambled around and hit a couple plays. I think Sam (Bradford) is pretty comfortable with the older guys. It's the younger guys he's not feeling as confident about, but they have a lot of time to get on task.”

Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables

On the second string play:
“We got in-game experience for the guys who didn't have any going in. Mainly, it was getting guys to get the kinks ironed out related to game management. I was very happy with the way they prepared going coming to this game. They were ready for a lot, they simplified the game and defended things well. The biggest thing to us was that they were well prepared. It won't change every week, it should be the same. Anytime you ask your guys for preparation and work and they can have success, it gives credibility. I am pleased with the overall preparation and I thought the game for the most part was pretty clean.”

Sophomore QB Sam Bradford

On the season-opening game:
“We came out and played really clean, we only had one penalty the first half which was something we really stressed. It was definitely a confidence booster, gaining more and more with each drive.”

On no huddle offense:
“It's given us the opportunity to put more points on the board. The tempo seemed really steady and Coach (Kevin) Wilson seemed pretty happy with the way we handled ourselves, but the film on Monday will give us the opportunity to really sit down and get a good critique of our performance.”

On Manuel Johnson:
“Manny had some great plays tonight, but he's been a good receiver for a long time and I have a lot of confidence in his abilities. He showed up tonight and did exactly what I already knew he could do, it was nothing I didn't already expect from him.”

Senior WR Juaquin Iglesias

On the receiving core:
“There is really no competition. We want each other to go out and do well and make the best plays for the benefit of the team. We all go out and support each other.”

On the rain delay:
“It's always a mental game and requires focus. I didn't feel like we were out for that long and when we came back out we were just as hyped as we were at the beginning of the game. It didn't take anything away from the excitement.”

On Chattanooga:
“Being out there with any competition, no matter what it's like or what the score is, it is better than going out and practicing. Gaining the game-like atmosphere helps with experience.”

Senior WR Manuel Johnson

On his performance:
“It was a good performance to start out my senior year. I felt good and made some plays. It was what you expect to accomplish in a season opener. I can definitely see a difference in my game -- in decision-making -- just from another year of experience alone.”

On the team's outlook:
“We got off looking good and did what we wanted to as an offense. I think the team is at a better starting point at this time of the year than we were at the same time last season. So that is something very promising.”

Sophomore RB DeMarco Murray

On his 49-yard run in the first quarter:
“It felt really good. I guess I ran out of gas a little bit at the end, but I'm getting back in the groove of things. I thought I was in the end zone. I was trying to get it in there because I didn't want to have to run another play after that.”

On the no-huddle offense:
“I think it went pretty well for us. There were a lot of times when we were having to get the call from the line and the ball from the refs, but it went pretty well for the first game. It's always an advantage to get more plays in than the other team.”

On returning from last year's knee injury:
“It feels good, just getting out there and getting hyped because you're in game mode. It feels great carrying the ball and getting some blocks. I felt well out there.”

Sophomore DB Dominique Franks

On facing Chattanooga:
“We go out there and try to treat every opponent the same. Coach Stoops talked to us about the Michigan vs. Appalachian State game last season during camp. We just play hard for four quarters and go all out.”

On the defense:
“I was really impressed with our preparation. We came out ready to make plays and I hope we carry that into next week.”

Junior LB Keenan Clayton

On the weather delay:
“Somebody said something about it lightening outside. We looked outside and saw it pouring down. We just waited around and stretched so that we could try to stay loose.”

Junior DE Auston English

On the defensive line:
“I was really pleased with our defensive line's play. Our interior guys made a lot of plays. A lot of time they were able to push the quarterback out of the pocket.”

Head Coach Rodney Allison

On the first half:
“No, it wasn't great on our part by any means. It might have been great on their part. They are good. I coached at Clemson for four years and Auburn for six years, and they look like the real deal to me. We didn't handle stuff up front on either side of the ball in the first half. That might be the best combination defensive and offensive lines in the country. They are good.”

On the game:
“We will watch film, but we got whipped up front. That is what it looked like. Our inexperience showed particularly in this caliber of game with some youth up front on offense. That might be the national champion right there. I am impressed.”

On the rain delay:
“We didn't know what was really going on. We were just sitting there. We were trying to get information because I have never been in that situation before and I didn't know what the options were. I am sure you want to play the game out and do whatever you can to finish the game but I pretty much didn't know anything.”

On second-half play:
“We have got a bunch of fighters. I think they played their starters the first ten minutes of the third quarter and it looked like there star quarterback was in there. It looked like they were somewhat more conservative (after halftime). A nice trait of ours is that our players have always played until the end of the game. They came back and played hard the whole game. From that standpoint I was pleased.”

Junior Punter Jeff Lloyd

On how he feels about the game:
“My leg is tired. It is never like that after a game. I was just glad to get that last punt and get out of there. I don't think I punted that much last season since I was used primarily for pooch punts.”

On how he feels he did as a first time starter:
“The second half I felt good about, but the first half I was kind of shaky. I think I had three punts of 30 yards or so. That was really inexcusable. I felt good about the second half, and Brock (Oliver), our freshman snapper, snapped the ball great. It makes a big difference and gives me confidence. I think our cover team did a great job. We had a lot of fair catches. I still didn't punt as well as I hoped, but we did a great job of not allowing big plays on the punt coverage.”

Senior DL Neil Brown

On the delay added during halftime:
“We approached the game with the mindset that there was two games -- the first and second half. We were just ready to get out there and get warmed up. In the second half, you never know what can happen.”

On playing Oklahoma:
“It is a great experience. It may be a once and a lifetime chance for a Football Championship Series team to play the fourth ranked team in the nation. They did a good job, but I believe we played pretty well. We made a few mistakes here and there and it cost us. They are fourth in the nation for a reason.”

On the play of the second half:
“There was a lot of pride. We were talking at halftime and we said that we have to come out stronger. They came out on the first series (of the second half), and their first stringers were in. I believe we got three 3-and-outs in a row and that was one of our goals. We are going to take what we learned from this game and apply it to every game other game this season. We have to keep building off of it to have a good season.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Post-Game Quotes: OU 57, Chattanooga 2

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