Quotes: Coach Stoops on Fiesta Bowl

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops conducted a teleconference Sunday night to discuss OU's bid to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and a matchup with the Connecticut Huskies. View a full transcript including quotes from UConn coach Randy Edsall here.

Q. Last night's game in mind, would you talk about how your defense has contributed to this late season surge?

Coach Stoops: Our defense has really come together in the last month.More than anything, mental preparation, not having mental breakdowns.When we're in place and we're in position, we've had guys make plays like they're capable of. It's been a big boost, definitely, in these tight games here down the stretch, we've had some key defensive stops, lot of turnovers the other night.

And you shut somebody out ranked 13th in the country the whole second half, as we did the other night in the championship game, you're doing a lot of things right.So it's been a big factor.

Q. Can you talk about your running back Murray and how effective he's been, also his ability to catch the ball out of the back field?

Coach Stoops: I think DeMarco's really signature is just his versatility. He can run outside.He's got great speed. He can pound it inside.He's very strong, very tough, very physical.He's got great hands.He's got receiver hands.We put him out in the slot.He can run routes.He catches the ball.

He's just very versatile. He's a great protector in pass protection. So his biggest asset is just that, that he's able to do everything really well. So he does multiple things for us, all purpose yards for us. He's off the charts, and we use him that guy. He's a multiple threat guy, and that's his biggest asset.

Q. Bob, if you could just comment on maybe how you're going to approach this game based on what happened here your last two trips?

Coach Stoops: Our guys are excited to play in the game.We realize the last two games out there we have not been successful and have lost the game, so it's motivation, definitely.We'll approach it like we always do.We'll approach all our bowl games with a very serious demeanor in how we prepare in practice.

Hopefully, when we get in the game, we'll have a chance to play better and maintain the focus throughout the month leading up to it, and prepare well to give ourselves a great chance to win the game.

Q. Can you talk about what you've seen in your quarterback's improvement from first year to second year, what he's doing differently?

Coach Stoops: It's like night and day.He's just so much more comfortable, sure of himself, his decision making.The other night playing a great defense, different times throwing the ball away when he needed to. Just his poise, he throws a great ball.He's playing really confidently now, really throughout the season.

He's had a great year for us. In the last four weeks against good football teams, he's really stepped up.I'm most proud of how he has played in the second half in the last two games that we've really needed.He's played incredibly well. So he's a special player, and I think everybody's starting to see it.

When you throw for I think he threw for 364 or so yards against Nebraska's defense, who I think is one of the better ones in the country and for sure secondary, you're having a good day.And he's really playing well right now.

Q. Can you talk about Travis Lewis said last night this is the sweetest Big 12 Championship.He talked about how gratifying it is to make it back to a BCS bowl game.Can you comment on not just what you guy his to deal with this season, but going back to last year?

Coach Stoops: I'm not much on going back to last year. Everybody loves to bring in other years. You can bring in the previous three years to last year, and we won three straight Big 12 Championships. So I don't know.

If you're bringing back one year, bring back four of them. In the end every year is different.I'm proud of these kids and what they've done this year.Of course, they've been awesome.

Their attitude, their work habits, everything about them.Their character.Their character really showed the other night, last night, in how they played in the second half and being down 17-0.

Maybe that's why it's so sweet.We weren't maybe as some years an overwhelming team when you're winning by big victories or by big margins.So in the end to be down, to come back in a hard-fought, tough fought game against another physical, well-coached, very good football team, I think that's why it was so sweet.

So it is special.I'm proud of our players making the big plays that they did throughout the game.The players deserve the credit. They really made the play when's they had opportunities, especially in the second half to win the game.

Q. You look back a couple years ago with the Boise State team at the Fiesta Bowl.How do you guard against your team being too confident against a big underdog?

Coach Stoops: I don't believe that was our factor that year. Everybody wants to say that.Let me tell you, Boise State was undefeated in that game with 26, 27, 28 seniors.We knew they were a very good football team.

If you remember that year 2006, we kicked our quarterback off the football team to start the season.Our starting quarterback was removed the day we started practice.Everybody wrote us off that year.Nobody expected us to win the Big 12 Championship.

So we fought, scratched, tooth and nail for everything we got that year to have a chance to win that game.So there was no one in our program. Media can talk what they want.We knew it was going to be a tough game.In the end we gave ourselves a chance to win the game, and they made a play or two at the end of the game to win it.But it had nothing to do with us thinking that they weren't a very good football team.

So if you watch our scores that year, we fought tooth and nail for a whole bunch of wins.So I'm proud of our team to be a Big 12 Champs that year when no one thought we could.

In the end, Boise made some excellent plays and they -- listen, they were undefeated.They had a bunch of seniors. Now everybody sees the quality program that they are.We knew it.

That won't be the case.That won't be a factor in the way we prepare.Our players know Connecticut's -- any time you win your conference championship, you have character, you're a good football team.They've just won five games in a row.We get all that.When you have to compete, you respect that.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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