OU Taking Positive Energy Into A&M Game

NORMAN, Okla. -- Coach Stoops and Oklahoma players met with the media Tuesday in advance of this weekend's matchup against Texas A&M. The Sooners and Aggies kick off at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Saturday on ABC.

For complete coverage throughout the week, details on attending the game and broadcast options for following the Sooners from around the world, please visit Sooner Gameday Central.

Head Coach Bob Stoops

Opening comments:
"Going back on the Kansas State game, like I said after the game and really felt so afterwards, that it was one of the more complete wins as a team that we've had in quite a while. This is clear when you look at the number of players that stepped up and made big plays and made significant plays in the game to give us an opportunity to win.

"Some guys offensively that really played well up front were Gabe Ikard, Tyler Evans, Adam Shead, Donald Stephens and Lane Johnson. Many skilled guys had nice plays and nice games too. Ryan Broyles had 171 yards receiving on 14 catches and two touchdowns. He was special again. Jaz Reynolds stepped up. Dejuan Miller and Kenny Stills had good games, all with big and good plays. About all the running backs contributed in a positive way. Roy Finch was a spark once again. Trey Millard consistently plays great. The other young guys did a nice job, Brennan Clay and Brandon Williams. Landry Jones again sets a school record with 505 yards. It was just a great day away from home. We played against a team that was throughout their seven games, was first in our conference's defense, not just one or two of their games, but all seven. It really was an excellent game on Landry's part as well.

"Defensively we really settled in during the second half and played great football. We were a little more assignment correct. We held them to 16 yards or so in the second half. They scored zero points in the second half. It was really good football. Again guys up front that played well were Casey Walker, Jamarkus McFarland, Stacy McGee, Frank Alexander, Ronnell Lewis, David King and R.J. Washington, all those guys did really well. Ronnell Lewis, Sam Proctor, Tony Jefferson, Tom Wort and Corey Nelson were all players of the game. Those guys really led the team in tackles and each of them had a couple of sacks. They really played well.

"It was a good solid win and gets us to this game with Texas A&M coming here. Texas A&M is a team that has 17 or 18 starters back from a year ago where they had an excellent season. They've lost three very tough games against excellent teams. You look at the two early, losing by a point to Oklahoma State and four points to Arkansas. Those were two teams ranked in the top 10. Both of those games were close in the fourth quarter and Texas A&M had a chance to win. They also had a chance to win last week in overtime against Missouri. Their main factor was just turnovers. If they had one or no turnovers in those games, than they could have won. We are aware of the quality of football team that they are and we are going to need another really good week of practice this week to give us an opportunity to win."

On Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill:
"He throws the ball well. You can tell he is a composed and tough player. He is an excellent athlete. When he pulls the ball and runs with it he looks good doing it. He may hurt you more than some quarterbacks because he has the ability to run the football better than most with his receiver experience. He has a good size to absorb the hits also. He does a lot of good things, but he throws the ball well also.

"It is very fair to say that this is probably the most balanced team we have played throughout the year. They do a good job of running the football. They want to run the football and they are creative at running it. They run it on everyone. They take advantage of that and how you are trying to stop the run with play-action passes. It is a big challenge."

On Roy Finch:
"We are going to continue to get Roy the ball. I think our offense has done a really good job about getting him the ball in a lot of different ways. We will continue to do that. Roy is not a guy that can play 50 snaps, it's best the way we are doing it. The other guys are going to continue to step up and play 20-25 snaps also in different ways. Even Trey Millard will be in there once and a while, so we will see how that goes."

On the development of Jaz Reynolds:
"It makes a big difference that you can spread the field more. When there's people like Jaz making big plays, it's hard then to isolate on the other guys. It has been positive really all year, the way he has emerged, and coming off the plays he has in the games."

On Blake Bell:
"He is going to be fine. The fumble was his fault. It is just a wrinkle that is going to be there, but we like the way he throws the ball as well. The other part of it was that it was his first time out there. He drops one of them, but it's experience running the football. Maybe on some of the other plays where he didn't gain what he should of, he'll see it. You have to get experience doing it. We were glad to get him out there and get him more experience."

Junior DT Stacy McGee

On difference of play in the games the past two weeks:
"We just have to be more consistent and keep the game like we showed in the second half (vs. Kansas State), having both full offensive and defensive performances."

On how the revenge aspect can be counter-productive going into Saturday's game:
"We just have to stay focused and kind of look at it like we did against Kansas State. Not really look at it like we're seeking revenge on anybody, but just playing hard and staying on edge."

On Texas A&M's offensive strengths:
"What they do on offense is kind of like what we do here on offense. They just go in hard. This is probably one of the better offensive lines we've faced all year. It will be a test really for our whole defense because they have two good running backs, their receivers are good and their offensive line is pretty good too."

Senior S Sam Proctor

On his career at OU:
"I was raised that you never quit. As long as there was time left at OU, I never gave up on myself. That is something my mother raised me to believe, and it is something my family has been a great support in, so it is not just me when you see that attitude. There are a lot of people back home that have encouraged me over the years to continue my course here at OU, and that is what I want to do; I want to finish strong."

On what a shark is:
"It was really just something we used to build a family atmosphere around the defensive backs and the defense, and we have just used it to encourage each other."

On Texas A&M:
"Texas A&M is good, there is no way to sugarcoat it. They have great players, great skill players, guys who have speed and guys who have talent. It will be one of our biggest challenges of the year and right now we are preparing for it with all that we have.

"They are a really balanced team and that is what makes them dangerous. They can throw the ball just as well as they can run it."

On looking at this game differently with Texas A&M's losses:
"That is the biggest thing we have studied. Those guys are really just an eyelash from being undefeated. That team should have won every game that they had lost and they could easily be 8-0 right now. That is one of the things that we are very conscious of going into this week. They are capable of being an undefeated program right now."

On memories from the A&M game last year:
"They got us in their home stadium and it was loud. They fed off the momentum of the crowd and they made plays when they needed to make plays. In defense you have to tackle well and they made us miss in open space. At the end of the day, they took what they wanted from us."

On the special teams:
"Special teams can be the turning point of the game. Coach (Bobby Jack) Wright will often say 'be special on special teams.' Those one or two plays can turn the game around and get the crowd back in it, so I take pride in being on special teams."

On any encouragement from the BCS rankings:
"I think the real encouragement comes from how we played together. We complimented each other last week: offense, defense and special teams. We had fun. Coach Stoops had mentioned that he thought that we had stopped having fun as a team, but after that Kansas State game in the locker room we just had a lot of guys having fun and it almost brought you back to your middle school and high school days when it was about playing with your friends that you grew up with and learning to win and lose together. So, no, I do not think we have made the BSC rankings a focal point, we are just working to get better every week."

Sophomore WR Jaz Reynolds

On thoughts of watching his big catches on film:
"It was nice. I saw the first one on Sports Center and that was my first time ever making a top 10 play. It was my first time seeing it after the game. Everyone was hitting me up on Twitter and on my phone, telling me how it was on ESPN and everything. It was pretty cool."

On difference in play of the Sooners the past two weeks:
"I don't think we've seen the real OU team. We still have to put 60 minutes together. Against Texas Tech, we came out very flat and they came out and beat us. That's a lesson to us that we have to come out on edge every time."

On second half play during the Kansas State game:
"We knew we could do it. We worked together and really complemented each other, both offense and defense. When we do that, we can pretty much be the team everyone expected us to be."

On impact of the loss against Texas Tech:
"It bothers us every day. Every day in practice we think about it as that one blemish on our record, how we got beat at home and how they're the team that broke our home winning streak. It's in the back of our heads every practice."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Taking Positive Energy Into A&M Game

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