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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Stoops Meets Media in Advance of Fiesta Bowl
December 21, 2010 | Football
View the press conference in its entirety via the video player to the right. Quotes are available below.
The Sooners (11-2, 6-2 Big 12) are making their eighth BCS appearance in the last 11 years and will meet UConn (8-4, 5-2 Big East), a BCS participant for the first time, on January 1.
For complete coverage leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, details for fans making the trip to Arizona and broadcast options for following the Sooners from around the world, visit Sooner Bowl Central.
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Head Coach Bob Stoops |
Opening comments:
"Because we didn't have this (weekly press conference)after the Big 12 Championship I wanted to recognize some of the players that really had incredible games in the Big 12 Championship. Offensively, Kenny Stills had a huge game and, as a true freshman, made some great plays. Landry Jones, anytime you throw the ball like that against Nebraska you're really playing well. DeMarco Murray had another big night with his all-purpose yards over 100 again. I tell yeah, another guy, Cameron Kenny, has just come on through the whole second-half of the year. He had like five catches on third downs and all were against a great corner for Nebraska in (Prince) Amukamara. He just had some huge plays when we really needed them. So he really played well and Donald Stephenson had a great night. He was recognized by the coaches as one of the players of the game.
"Defensively, Travis Lewis came up with three turnovers. The interception in the end-zone was a huge play in the game and then he recovers a couple fumbles. Pryce Macon, an older fifth-year senior, a guy that has been knocked out of a couple seasons of play because of some injuries, comes in and has a career night. He had five tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and it was really pleasing as a coach to watch a guy like Pryce come in at the end of his career and make an impact like he did. It was really special. Demontre Hurst really had a great night covering along with several other guys. Then it was positive to see Jimmy Stevens make two fourth quarter field goals when we had to have them. It was a big factor in the game.
"That's what has got us in the position to be in the Fiesta Bowl playing Connecticut. Randy Edsall and his staff have done an excellent job there. They're 8-4, but what we look at is the quarterback change after the Louisville game. Zach Frazer has come in and has won five-straight football games. Everybody talks about what guy's records are but to me it's all about what everyone is doing at the end of the year. These guys are on a five-game winning streak. They are playing really well. They have an All-American running back, (Jordan) Todman, who does a great job running the football and is physical. They are a well disciplined football team. You look at ranked opponents and just two games ago they played Cincinnati and beat them by 21 points. They are really playing well and are a good, solid, and a well coached football team. So, it will be a challenge like they always are. Anytime you're playing another conference champion, those are tough games.
"So far we have had a good few days of practice. We only have one guy to this point that's injured since we played our last game and that is Roy Finch. He had a reoccurrence of his hairline fracture in his foot. He had to have some pins put in and the doctors estimate that he will be out six-to-seven weeks and then he will be able to return to workouts and play. Hopefully we can stay healthy through this time. Our players will practice tomorrow and then we will give them a few days to go home and enjoy Christmas break with their families. We rejoin out in Phoenix on the 26th. Up until they leave we will have had a normal game week with Monday-through-Thursday practice like we would be getting ready for a game. After tomorrow's practice, which will complete a Thursday practice, our gameplan will be installed and then we will go back through it when we get out to the bowl game. We will go back through our normal Monday-through-Friday routine leading up to the game."
On promoting Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell as co-offensive coordinators:
"Promoting Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell to co-offensive coordinators I feel gives us the best opportunity to continue with the direction our offense has been and to work with what our players do best. I think we have always done a good job of working to what our players do best and complementing them. I feel that Jay and Josh understand what we have, they understand our personnel and what we are able to do well and what we are not able to do well. It gives us the best opportunity to maximize our players' talents and work our offense the way we have been working. I say that because we have had multiple co-offensive coordinators since I have been working here through the years. I'm not saying this is the right way, but we have won seven Big 12 Championships with six quarterbacks. That says a lot about our ability to continue our system, maximize our quarterbacks and other guys around them to exert their potential, ability and play to it. I believe these guys understand our personnel better than anyone I'm going to bring in. I have confidence that they have the experience and understanding of what we do and will continue the same path we have been on, competing for championships. I believe they will be able to do that."
On the philosophy of hiring from within the program:
"It is great for everything. I've always structurally built our staff that way. It was intentional from the beginning. As long as I believe in the direction we are going and like the direction, we should not have to make wholesale changes. That way, to me, there is more structure for the players. They have been built in this program over one, two, three and four years. They understand our philosophy and how we do it. It has been intentional that way and fortunately, for the most part, it has worked out well. Again, players have a familiarity as well with the guys we have and like I said I think experience has shown it to be successful."
On the freshman class exceeding expectations:
"There is no question. I think it's fair to say that with the way they have consistently played through the year. You can't say in any one case `boy that was a freshman mistake or that really hurt us.' I don't know if there is anyone of those true freshmen which stick out that way. They all really played solid and well through the year."
On if he knew how special the freshman class was going to be:
"You always like your class. I felt really good about it and we were very excited about the number of them. There were 29, all freshmen, and so we felt really good about them. Of course when you start to work with them, which we got to see a few of them in winter conditioning with four guys coming in early, you got to see there in spring ball that they a few of them were really going to stick out."
On Connecticut's passing game:
"They do a great job and that's what happens when you've got an excellent running attack and a great back. You get so concerned about him that you give up big plays and they will go after them with their different play-action passes and their different trick plays as well."
On what makes Connecticut's running back Jordan Todman so special:
"His patience. I think all really good backs see holes and have patience to wait for their blocking to clear the hole. A lot of times, backs over look it and backs hit up in there too soon when the space isn't there yet. They haven't had time for the blocks to work the way they should. To me, he has a great vision that way and has good patience for it. Then of course he has the ability to make people miss him."
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