Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
Final
Football
35
vs Illinois State
3
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Looking Forward to Season Opener
August 31, 2010 | Football
|
||
View video of Coach Stoops, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and select OU players by clicking the links to the right. Quotes are available below.
Oklahoma kicks off its 116th season of college football against the Aggies Saturday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by Fox Sports Net. View complete details on the pay-per-view telecast here.
SoonerSports.com will once again blog live from Owen Field, providing notes, observations and commentary as the action unfolds. Live stats will also be available for free. All-Access subscribers can listen to the Sooner Sports Network radio broadcast through our premium site.
For complete coverage throughout the week and broadcast options for following the game on Saturday, visit Sooner Gameday Central.
 |
Head Coach Bob Stoops |
Opening statement:
"Welcome everyone to the 2010 Sooner football season. I would like to just start first, with also President David Boren and Joe Castiglione and all of us at the University of Oklahoma and everyone in the athletic department and certainly everyone on our football team, to thank Bob Barry and his long time service and commitment here at the University of Oklahoma. It's been great for me, going onto a 12th season, to have the opportunity to work with Bob. Again, a true professional, a guy that loves the University and loves what he does. I get a chance to, not a ton of opportunities, but every Friday get to review the game with Bob in my office, or somewhere, going through what we expect for the week's game, and then the weekly radio shows through the years, he's just been very easy to work with.
"Now getting into the season we're just anxious like everybody at this point in the year. This week, you're really anxious to play. You've been looking at each other for a month now and running into each other for, by Friday, what will be 28-29 practices. You really need to see someone else.
"We're anxious to get on the field and play Utah State. Gary Andersen has a done a great job if you look at what they did in a year's time last year. As coaches, you look past the 4-8 record and look at how they played everybody and watching that game and breaking it down. At Texas A&M a year ago to start the year, they're throwing the ball in the end zone at the end of the game with a chance to tie it, down eight points 38-30. Looking at them going into Fresno State they're up ten points at halftime. Fresno State, as everyone knows, is always traditionally very tough to play at their place. Through the year they had a lot of tight, good games. He's really made a strong impact in one year's time.
"I think their quarterback, Diondre Borel, is really a special player. Very talented, run around guy that can really give you problems. Unfortunately for them, their great running back Robert Turbin is out. That's unfortunate for any young guy in college to have to miss. Anyway, they have a very explosive offense. I think they were ranked twelfth in the country a year ago in total offense. They've really done a good job in a year's period of time.
"I think the main focus for us, as people from week-to-week want to talk about the other team, for us it's really about us. It's really focusing on how well can we play, how well can we execute, will we take care of the football and be responsible with the ball. Will we remain penalty free and do the things to execute cleanly and play as well as we're able to play. We're about mental errors, those kind of things. What we're really focused on and want to accomplish this week is just the players and that they play in a sharp way and play as well as we're able to play and execute the way we're able to."
On Adrian Taylor's recovery:
"Adrian is set to practice today and he did some things yesterday. He has, through camp, gotten some snaps here and there. We'll see today how much he is able to do. He feels good about it. So far it's held up pretty well. It's just trying to not give him much too soon. We have given him some all along and we'll give him more today. Visiting with him, he hasn't had much pain. There will be some conditioning. As everyone that's watched us play, we like to rotate four or five guys in there to keep them going hard and keep them fresh. Hopefully Adrian can give us, we're hoping, somewhere between 15-20 snaps."
On the receivers:
"They're shaping up. I've actually been quite pleased in the past week and a half in how they've responded and picked up their pace. They're playing a little more consistently. Cameron Kenney has come on, made some better plays. Dejuan Miller, a little bit more consistent and competitive plays. I think what has the chance to help us there, kind of like the offensive line, is to watch how many snaps that each guy is getting and to make sure that when they are getting them that they're highly competitive, playing at top speed and playing as hard and well as they can play. We have some tight ends and fullbacks back this year that we think are good players. What we want to ask those guys is that when they're in there, they need to make a difference. We'll rotate and see who is playing the best and how many snaps each of them gets. When you're in there, you need to be effective and competitive. Through the last week and a half or so, I've seen that."
On players playing in their first game:
"I try and always remind our players that are playing for the first time to focus on the process: Your alignment, your expectations of the formations, what you're looking at and anticipate. Then you just have to play freely. You have to understand that you're going as fast as they are, as fast as you think it is. Trust your technique and trust your preparation and you'll be in the right place."
On DeMarco Murray:
"He just seems to be looser and maybe a little quicker. I've always thought that he's been pretty quick. I just think it's easier for him. Hopefully, it'll help us out."
On comparing Landry Jones to Sam Bradford:
"I was asked 'What is Landry better at than Sam?' and I said 'Growing a mustache.' In all fairness to Landry, we love where he's at. We love everything he's doing, his attitude. He has skill, he's smart and he works hard, he's going to be a great player. To compare him to the number one pick in the draft, a guy that set records, it's just not fair. He has the same kind of attitude and work ethic and is a humble team guy like Sam was. We'll see if he can develop the skill level to be that kind of guy. He'll be supported too. I always think back that the quarterback is sometimes only as good as those around him. There's evidence of that at every level. Sam had some really experienced guys a couple of years ago that were great players. We'll see where it goes with Landry. To compare him to Sam, to me, isn't quite fair just yet."
On Drew Allen:
"He's made good progress. I feel like he's made significant progress. He's made good improvement and I really believe he will through the year."
On Ryan Broyles:
"He's not just an excellent slot receiver, he's great on those edges too, the way he plays. We're just trying to find different opportunities for him to get the ball and make plays. We need to move him around."
On Utah State's offense:
"They're a little bit of everything, they have a million formations, a lot of quarterback run game and quarterback options. I think (the spread) is a great category. They have some good, speedy receivers. They do a good job running the football. That's always a big factor for us in stopping someone. Even though they maybe a spread of attack, they plan on running the ball."
On having a chance at getting the 800th win in school history:
"It would be great. It would be special. Everyone recognizes us as one of the more special schools in college football when you look at our tradition and history. Not just the past few years, but when you go back decades there aren't many like it. We're excited to be here, as a team, and proud to be part of that history and tradition and hope to keep adding to it."
|
Sophomore QB Landry Jones |
On the team being prepared for the upcoming season:
"I think we're polished and we're ready to go, but obviously we're going to work throughout the week and we're still working on stuff that Utah State does and stuff like that, just getting ready for the game. But I feel like we've had a great summer and spring. Going into fall camp everybody came out and I think everybody's ready to play the game."
On being elected as one of the captains of the team:
"It's great that I have teammates that think of me like that and I'm grateful that they elected me to be the captain and I'm going to do my best to represent who they are and what kind of team we are."
On Kenny Stills:
"When Kenny came in we knew he was going to be a good player because he is really fast and explosive. He didn't get to work out with us that much in the winter workouts, but when spring came along he started to showing up in practice. So it wasn't a surprise to me how well he performed in spring practices."
|
Sophomore DE David King |
On the excitement of the first game:
"We're all excited right now. We've been banging on each other since March when we started spring ball. It's definitely good to get out there in front of the fans and for the opening game, just to play against somebody else and see what they bring to the table. We know what we've got and we're ready to see the competition."
On Utah State:
"Everyone around the country is telling them they're huge underdogs, so it's going to bring out their completion level even more. We just have to play up to our ability here at Oklahoma."
|
Junior TE Trent Ratterree |
On riding his momentum from last season:
"That's what I decided at the end of last season, that I needed to step up and try to make a few more plays. I made a few, but definitely that's something that we as tight ends really need to do this year: To produce more and contribute more to our offense and our team."
On Utah State:
"They're good and they're quick. They're pretty physical and they'll get after you for sure. It's definitely a challenge for us just watching them. [The game] is not something quite what people think it's going to be. They're a better team than what people think."
On the importance of winning the first game:
"The first game is a big game. You saw what happened in our first game last year. That makes it big in itself. We don't want to do something like we did last year. We want to completely change the way we played and in essence become a new team."
|
Senior OL Eric Mensik |
On the depth of the offensive line this year:
"We have Donald (Stephenson), who's coming around and able to play, and have that depth there for the entire o-line. Everybody is there and everybody is healthy and were just trying to come together and we have come together really well just going towards the game on Saturday.
"If someone needs a breather there is someone there. We have ten guys now and that gives everyone an opportunity to play. During two-a-days we were able to go out there in two groups and all the freshmen got reps. It's really good to have depth there because last season it got down to six people in the bowl game. We had just one person rotating with everybody so now we actually have had that depth and have someone there for us."
On how Landry Jones has matured:
"It's been amazing to see him. He got thrown in the first game and he did really well last season. We all thought Sam (Bradford) was going to go through the entire season, but he just got thrown in and to see him now to take control of the huddle and take control of his offense is really neat to see."
On how versatile the offensive line will be this season:
"It's good that we've got some younger guys because that way it will give them opportunity for other seasons to come and to have younger guys. For me it's not a big deal because in practice I see it and on film we see how much more they're maturing and how much more everybody has been coming along. I think we just have a great chance to do something very special."
Sooner Football With Brent Venables - 9/7/25
Sunday, September 07
FB Highlights: OU 24, Michigan 13
Saturday, September 06
Brent Venables Postgame vs Michigan
Saturday, September 06
Ben Arbuckle Postgame vs Michigan
Saturday, September 06
