OU vs. Kansas State - Postgame Quotes - University of Oklahoma

Head Coach Bob Stoops

Opening Statement:
“My compliments as always to Coach Snyder, their staff and their team playing another hard-fought football game. They won it. Again, I'm still proud of my team and the resiliency, the way we kept fighting back and competed all day and the way the game transpired. Cody Thomas comes in and leads us on a touchdown drive after Trevor is out. Trevor comes back out and picks it back up. We kept answering back. Statistical watchers, that's what everyone was a week ago, wanted statistics. Statistics don't matter much now do they? Now we are on the other side of it in a tough game and we lose. A lot was positive but, again, too many big mistakes that you can't overcome. You can't overcome an interception for a touchdown, you can't overcome missed field goals, you can't overcome not getting the ball in the end zone when it is third and one, you can't overcome not being able to protect an extra point. Those all were factors that put us in the spot we were in. I feel for Michael (Hunnicutt). He has been a great kicker for us and a great young man. We all love him. I feel that for him, because with the kicker it sticks out. It's more than just Michael. Like I said, the extra point that was blocked shouldn't happen. That's just poor execution inside. When those things happen and you can't execute in those areas, you are not going to when against a good team. They are too hard to overcome. That's what it was and that is how you end up one point short.”

On if he would take Hunnicutt in that situation 100 times out of 100:
“I would, and I still will. I put my arm around him in the locker room. I feel for him because that sticks out, but there is more than that.”

On if they ran a certain stunt on the blocked extra point:
“Everybody piles up and moves around in there. That's just really poor on our part.”

On if he knows what happened on Hunnicutt's second miss:
“No. Well, he told me he was rushing it.”

On the improvement of the offense as the game went along:
“It's execution. I know when it isn't right, and I said it all of last week. Sometimes it's precision in our route running. Sometimes it's pressure. Sometimes it's spacing. Sometimes it's timing. Sometimes it's accuracy. Trevor (Knight) had a good day, other than the one major play, in all of those areas along with all of the receivers and people protecting him.”

On defending the quarterback run game:
“It's always a challenge. They got the extra half (?) with the quarterback and in today's world they like to throw the ball when everyone is blocking downfield. There is such a grey area there. If you're going to play the quarterback run game, your linebackers and safeties have to do it and now they're throwing the ball. It's complicated.”

On losing FB Aaron Ripkowski to the targeting call:
“That was hard to overcome too. We lose Aaron Ripkowski and we lose Blake (Bell) at the end of the game. Normally, down on the goal line like that, we are in our base sets. That really hurts. We're not used to being down inside the one with the edges open. The two guys who have consistently been there through the year are Blake and Rip. Again, that's not an excuse, but it is the truth. It threw us off a little bit when you get down in those tight, tough situations when you don't have two of your guys.”

On being down to one timeout with 11 or 12 minutes to go:
“Well, they are all different. We burned one, I know, with the offense to avoid delay of game. We made good use of that one. The other one we had to make sure we were exact on third down defensively and we were. We got off of the field. When you're going through a game, those things happen.”

On the interception return for a touchdown:
“It was a poor decision to make the throw. It was one of those where you hand it off or throw it if it's an easy throw. The throw wasn't an easy one.”

On WR Sterling Shepard's performance:
“Sterling had another incredible game. He just competes. He is such a great competitor to go with the talent. He is really special that way.”

On his message to the team the rest of the season:
“Well, just that we have a lot of games to go. We have to respond from it and do some of the things that we are capable of doing like protecting the field goal and doing all of the things we talked about. We did a lot of good things today, but those major mistakes you can't overcome it.”

On if the failed conversion in short-yardage late was a missed assignment:
“I think they just beat us up front in that situation on third and short. Again, we didn't have some of the guys we were used to having with Ripkowski and Bell out. That was another thing we couldn't overcome. It's just how it was set up.”

On the reverse pass by WR Durron Neal:
“I didn't even talk about that one. That's another scoring opportunity with the wind and we throw an interception.”

On if a lot of times he will take 30 points and rely on the defense to win the game:
“Well, if we don't throw a pick six, it would have. 30-24, if you're counting. When you play these guys that's how it's going to be sometimes. You throw a pick six, that's not the score. It's not 30-24 anymore. And as you said, you score 30 points and have the opportunity for seven more that we are used to having the way he kicks.”

On if he is surprised that his defense has given up so many yards in the last four weeks:
“Well, yeah, to a degree. I thought you could live with today and this team. Again, you guys are always about statistics. They were 5-11 on third downs. We got a lot more yards than they did. Are you going to shut them out? No. But, do we want more? Yeah. I don't think that's the case overall. Giving up 24 points to these guys and the way they put pressure on your quarterback game and block and all of that, they were averaging about twice that I think.”

On if QB Trevor Knight's injury kept them from running the ball with the quarterback:
“Obviously. That's what I have been saying. He goes out there and gets hurt and it kind of throws you off.”

On if he is surprised that a team with so much optimism at the beginning of the year is in this position:
“I know it can happen when you're the one that has to be on the field. Am I surprised? No. I know we can always be beat. It's easy to think that way when you're not the one that has to do it. Nothing surprises me.”

Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops

On Kansas State's quarterback run game:
“No, I do not think we played well enough to win. I think our kids did a great job competing and I thought they made some critical plays at some critical times but that is the stress you are under when you play Kansas State. The normal person would not understand that. We do. Our players knew it was going to be a tough game where each play is tough. They are ridiculously well coached and efficient. There are only so many things you can do and Jake Waters is an incredible player and Tyler Lockett and the way they run the football. It is tough match-up and you can see there is not a large discrepancy. Games are all going to be like this and we just did not make enough plays. We needed to make one more there at the end. We knew that they were going to be in the run pass option. You play all coverage, he is going to run it. We tried to match up the best we could, being a man short, and they hung the numbers like they usually do.”

On four plays making up half of Kansas State's yardage:
“That is how it is when you play them. Like I said the pressure they put you on consistently is never ending throughout the game; no matter what grouping. They understand their system very well and they understand how you are going to try and attack them. I thought overall we made a lot of good plays. You have to make good plays when you play those guys.”

On level of shock:
“I don't think anyone is shocked. We knew how competitive this conference was going to be. Each game and each week you can see how these things go. Look at how West Virginia is up on Baylor. We go down there and win it at West Virginia and Baylor goes down and loses, it just shows the depth of the league. I think the totality of any league gets you as the season goes on. It is not one particular game. Anyone could play one or two games but playing every week against as well coached teams as we play, there is a lot of pressure and stress consistently put on your field. It is a very taxing game. I know that is difficult for you to understand and I do not expect you to. It is the way football is played now. You could see the defense is under a lot of pressure each game.”

Co-Offensive Coordinator Josh Heupel

On the third down and goal that came up short:
“They brought in an extra defensive lineman. We were a little different because of the injury to Blake [Bell] and [Aaron] Ripkowski's ejection from the call earlier. We were using motion to cut off the back edge. We didn't kick out the first guy off the edge and we didn't get the penetration that we thought.”

On the changes in the game plan from last week to now:
“I felt like, with these guys, you want to play them out in space. You saw us hand the ball out in space a little bit. We used some of the run-pass stuff just based off of them loading the box; similar thoughts to what we saw against Texas. Trevor was good making decisions with those plays and I thought our two outside guys did a nice job of winning their battles one-on-one.”

On the passing game in today's loss:
“Trevor was 26-for-32, but at the end of the day we gave up a touchdown on the pick-six. We were good enough on third downs, but at the end of the day we weren't good enough to come up with the win.”

Senior Linebacker Geneo Grissom

On if the loss is disappointing:
“It hurts. We have to bounce back. Not every season is going to go the way you want it to. Kansas State played a great game and had a great game plan, and they made one point more plays than us tonight, so we have to be able to be able to bounce back and be able to make plays to account for that one point.”

On Jake Waters:
“With (Jake) Waters, he makes you play cautious because he can run, he can throw, and if you play cautious you can' t necessarily play fast, so he makes you play with great technique and if you don't he will make you pay.”

On how close the game was:
“It was just about as close as it could be. Hats off to Kansas State. They played a great game. We just have to be able to bounce back.”

Freshman Running Back Samaje Perine

On the disappointment level:
“It's very high, but we have to take this game as a learning experience to keep fighting on both sides of the ball and on special teams. We have to come out in practices and just get better.”

On staying on the field:
“We did a great job of holding the ball and keeping their offense off the field. All those downs though where we're right by the goal line we would really like to have those points.”

On losing Aaron Ripkowski:
“He's a big part of our offense, but we had guys step up into that role and they did a pretty good job.”

Junior Receiver Sterling Shepard

On having two losses:
“It's not something you expect, having two losses. But we're just going to keep pushing and trying to get better. I've been telling guys that teams at OU in the past have experienced losses and come out at the end of the season alright. We just have to keep pushing.”

On having a good game:
“It's not the same. Getting a win and having a good game, you feel good about it, but losing and having a good game, it's like who cares what you really did because you didn't get the W. We're just going to strive to get better and take it week by week.”

On preparing for Kansas State:
“We knew they had a bye week and they had a little jump on us, so we knew this week we were going to have to prepare very well. We went into the week and we prepared well, but it's a matter of executing it out there on the field and I don't think we did a very good job of that today.”

Senior tight end Blake Bell

On the loss:
“Any time you lose a game, it's not what you want to do. Obviously we had a great game plan going in, and we just came up short.”

On leaving points on the field:
“It's just little things. Maybe a guy making a block, maybe a guy catching it. It could be anything, from any eleven guys. It just comes down to finishing. You can't blame it on one guy. Not one guy lost us that game, it was little bits and pieces of everything. We just came up short.”

On Michael Hunnicut:
“Hunnicut's a great kicker. He makes every single kick that I've ever seen him kick almost. It's ridiculous. You can't blame it on him. [Hunnicut's] the type of guy who's going to come bouncing back and be great and make field goals for us. You can't blame it on anybody, not Hunnicut. There's a lot of other people and plays that we could have made out there.”

On his 4th-quarter injury:
“When I went to cut that guy he kind of kneed me in the head. Just messed me up a little bit there, but I'll be fine. The docs will take a look, but I'll be good to go.”

On Trevor Knight's performance:
“Trev is a guy who's going to do that. He's going to come every day and be ready to play and get better. I knew he was going to come back like that and play well, but it's just one of those things were we just came up short. No matter if this guy or that guy had a great game, we all eleven have to find a way to win the game.”

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Trevor Knight

On the offense's performance:
“It was exciting for us. In the second half there we really came out and got the momentum back that we'd been looking for. Any time in the second half that we got stopped, I think it was on ourselves there. We really got going, and that's a positive coming out of this game going to the back stretch of the season.

“This game doesn't define us, and that was our message in the locker room. We're not a losing ballclub. There's no chance we're going to take that mentality. We're the University of Oklahoma and we're going to come back as strong as ever, and we're going to have to do it one game at a time. We've been in this position before. Everyone doubted us when we were in this position, and we ended up having that pretty incredible end of the year. So there's no way, shape or form that we're just completely down on this year. We've got several ballgames left to play and we're excited about the opportunity to play in them.”

On motivating the team now that the playoffs are unlikely:
“It's not about the end. It's about the next one. We're not going to get anywhere if we're focused on the end. Predictions, all that, goes out the door when you start playing ball. We've got two losses now, so we're fighting. We understand that. We've got to take it one game at a time still. Iowa State's next, and that's all we need to focus on right now.”

On the encouraging offensive production:
“We had a bunch of different guys getting open today. Sterling [Shepard] continued to make extremely big plays in the passing game. Durron [Neal] with the touchdown, and some big third down plays. Miciah Quick over the middle. Blake [Bell] had some great catches. So there are positives that you take out of a game like this. We had opportunities, and we could have won here or there. It's a collective group effort, and we just came up a little bit short again. Like I said, that doesn't define us and that's not who we are, but it is what it is today.”

Sophomore linebacker Jordan Evans

On Jake Waters:
“He made it extremely challenging. He's a great quarterback and he has the run-pass option as well. He conducts the offense very well, and he just did a great job today.”

On why the short pass is hard to defend:
“It's so hard because we know he can run, and that's our first priority. The fullback is a blocking guy who just slips right behind us, and the next thing you know he's gone.”

On giving up big plays:
“You've just got to know that you've got to limit those big plays. A lot of offenses thrive on those big plays, and if we're shutting things down back and forth it doesn't mean anything if you can't stop those big plays.”

On the team's mood:
“We're very disappointed. You never want to lose, especially at home. It's been so long since we've played at home, and we come and lose. But we've just got to move on from here. We're going to keep our heads up.”

On Michael Hunnicut:
“I haven't talked to him. I'm sure he hurts, but I'm not pointing fingers either. I had a lot of things where I can get better. I know everyone is looking at it. It comes down to the whole team. We're a team, not individuals.”

Sophomore cornerback Zack Sanchez:

On Jake Waters:
“[He makes it] extremely tough. Especially the way they use him. The guys up front have to be on their toes, and obviously on the back end we have to do the same. There's just so many things he can do, from the run to throwing the ball while he's on the run. He's just a really tough quarterback to scheme against.”

On moving to cover Lockett:
“[Julian Wilson] has a bum ankle, and it's kind of hard to cover a guy of his caliber when you have one good ankle, so I took over. The coverages we were in helped me out a lot, and we shut him down, but at the end of the day it's a loss.”

On whether the coaching staff discussed putting Sanchez on Lockett before the game:
“Not until the game started and we kind of saw where [Wilson's] ankle was and how it was affecting him. I mentioned it to Coach Mike [Stoops] and obviously he went with it.”

On the touchdown pass to fullback Gronkowski:
“I was on my man, and they did a good job of leaking those guys out. He was running free down the field, and I was doing my best to catch him. He hits the brakes and I got flying. Another tackle I should have made to save a touchdown. It's frustrating, just another big play that we gave up that we shouldn't have

Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder

On the being out gained:
“Well, maybe we just made fewer mistakes. Both teams are wishing they played a little better. Ourselves, and Bobby (Stoops) probably feels the same way. Those kind of numbers don't always—a perfect example is last week. Oklahoma is in the locker room with a lead and they have 28 yards total offense. Texas is behind in the locker room at halftime and they have 280 yards or whatever it was. Those numbers are not significant. Turnovers, those are significant. In all reality, that is the difference in the ball game. We get a turnover and get seven points out of it and we don't turn the ball over. The right numbers can tell you something, but not yardage.”

On the third down stop late in the fourth quarter:
“You just keep trucking as they say. We always say keeping sawing wood, keep rowing the boat. If you want to get where you are going you have to do that and we did.”

On the play call on third down late in fourth quarter:
“The one with two timeouts? Probably went through about five play calls. It was just a good throw and a good catch. We had the capacity with the timeouts to basically see how they were going to get lined up. I would have preferred that we didn't get out of bounds but we didn't really have any options.”

On it being nice to be on the winning side of a “weird kicking game”:
“Yes. Truly. And the youngster that missed the field goal, he will go another hundred years without missing another field goal. So we were just lucky. That happens. The other one—we deserved to block it. What I was concerned about was picking it up and running it back. We had a couple guys that didn't have the discipline to do that. They should understand that and they didn't. Oklahoma almost picked it up and ran it in.”

On Jake Waters being banged up:
“He is a tough young guy. When I asked Jake 'can you do this' he said 'I can do it coach'. I asked if there was anything we need to be restrictive of and he said 'I can do it all, if you want me to run it, tell me, if you want me to throw it, I'll throw it'.”