Russell Athletic Bowl Luncheon Quotes

Head Coach Bob Stoops
Russell Athletic Bowl Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right. At this time, we'll get started with Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops.

STOOPS: Okay. Thank you. I just want to really, you know, commend Russell Athletic. Everybody involved with the Russell Athletic Bowl ought to really be proud of, you know, the bowl game that they've put on and sponsored. It's been an incredible week. Could not have been better in regard to accommodations, practice fields. Everybody that's been, you know, been a part of taking care of our team here for the last four or five days has just been amazing. So, again, I just want to thank all of them for a great experience. Our players have really enjoyed the experience and it's been first class in every way. And, you know, again, everybody's gone out of their way to really make it special for us. So thank you.

I want to say I've been really pleased with our team, the way we've gone through meetings, practices, the way players have conducted themselves, you know, off the field; everything we've done. The players have really done a great job. We're excited to play a great football team in Clemson, a team that's really got excellent skill and to watch them, both sides of the ball, got great speed. Defensively they've got some really exceptional players, have really played well; offensively with some dynamic guys with receivers and running backs. So, it'll be a challenge, we understand that, but an exciting one, as well. And, again, I feel like our players have really done a great job through the week getting prepared for it. And so we're anxious to finally play here tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll open with Q and A. If you could please find one of our people with the microphone. We're going to try to get you guys a full transcript at the end. We'll start with the gentleman at the right here.

Q. James Ales, Sports Talk 1400 in Norman. Bob, Trevor obviously has had a lot of time off, but you thought you could get him back to speed and get him going. Have you been pleased with his progress, and how has he looked with workouts up to this point?

STOOPS: He's been excellent. He's taken every snap through all the practices. He's felt great, you know, through the practices and afterwards. So he's been back up to speed in the way he's playing. He's practiced really well. It's always a little different getting back in the game, but still, we have a lot of confidence that he'll play well with all the repetitions he's had here preparing.

Q. Coach, you've told the local guys this. I wish you could kind of expand for everyone and take us up to this point. But Samaje Perine, if you could kind of talk about the story of him, what your impressions, what you expected of him, if anything, and the fact that he's on the verge of being in the top five all-time single-season rushing, with his health now coming into this game.

STOOPS: He's a special player. I think it's fair to say Coach Gundy through the years has done an exceptional job recruiting. We're not recruiting a guy that we don't feel is going to be exceptional. So I find it a little surprising that everybody else is surprised how well he's played. You know, we wouldn't have recruited him if we didn't feel he could be special. And maybe we saw more from him as a high school player and Coach Gundy knew more about him than other people saw. You see a guy that's mature beyond his years, as far as his mental approach off the field. Everything that he does, he conducts himself like he's 23 years old and a senior, just the way he goes about his business and everything that he does; his schoolwork, everything off the field and he's beyond his years physically. You have a guy that walked in one of the strongest guys on the team, you know, 245 pounds, can run, is a great-conditioned guy, a guy that's exceptional in the weight room. So all of it transitioned into an exceptional year. But, again, I credit Coach Gundy who saw that in high school. He knew how big he was, how strong he was, how he worked. So it's just come to fruition in a great way for him and us here this year.

Q. Can you talk about his health?

STOOPS: He's been fine. He's practiced since we have been here. He didn't practice before we got to the bowl site here. But since we have been here, he's been running and, you know, practicing every day and looks good.

Q. Bob, since the regular season ended, what kind of feedback have you gotten from your administration or the people that matter, not the run-of-the-mill fans or media but the handful of people that matter. What kind of feedback have you gotten from them?

STOOPS: That they're in total support of everything that I've done here for the last 16 years, and that'll continue.

THE MODERATOR: Next question?

Q. Coach, Dana, Valencia Voice here in Orlando. Can you talk about the importance of playing in a bowl game going into the offseason, the momentum that it can carry?

STOOPS: It's always positive when it happens that way, but I answered the question the other day. For us who have to win again and prepare for another season, it lasts a couple weeks, win or lose, and you're on to a new year. You graduate players. You know, players leave, you know, for the draft or for -- you know, graduate and then you're on to another season. And you're working -- so when our players show up here in about three weeks from now, we're on to another whole new year and working towards next year. So, it's always a good thing. But in the end, it only lasts so long.

Q. Bob, Cole Stoudt back in South Carolina has been pretty much ridiculed, probably the most ridiculed quarterback in Clemson history. What have you seen on film that you think might give you trouble from him?

STOOPS: Well, he's a guy that can run it, doesn't run it as much maybe as the other guy, but still is capable of running it when the opportunities are there. I've seen him make a bunch of good throws and passes and win a lot of games. He's played a lot of football for them. So we've got great respect for him. I am a little probably more sentimental towards him. I'm a guy who grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and knew all about his dad, Cliff, and loved the way he played, not only Youngstown State but at Pittsburgh, and followed him forever. So, again, I think Cole's done a really good job when he's had his opportunities.

And I always think, too, much like our quarterbacks through the years, they have to be supported. It isn't always their fault. I think everybody always puts everything just on them, and guys around them have to perform well to support him and help him.

Q. WCSC in Charleston. I know that Brent Venables, you've been asked about quite a bit out in your area, but for us here in South Carolina, have you interacted with him at all, given a phone call, talked to him at all in the weeks leading up to it? And, also, why do you think, based on your knowledge of who Brent Venables is, their defense has been so successful?

STOOPS: Brent, we got a chance to connect last night at an event where both spouses were together. It was great to see he and Julie, his wife. I think we texted, ahead of game maybe a week or so when it was a lot of talk that we might be seeing each other, and we were both hoping that it wouldn't come that way. But, again, when you're in this profession as long as you are, you're bound to run into some people that you're close with that we've got to compete against. And truly it's special when you -- with Brent, we coached and competed together for 13 years at Oklahoma and now how many years ahead of that at Kansas State. I recruited him to go to Kansas State, so there's a long history there and a very close friendship with families and we have been through a lot together. So it's different. But, you know, once you get to playing, you forget who's over there and you just do your job. So it'll be different.

But, anyway, what was the other -- why he's done so well? Brent's a bright guy, works hard at it. You know, again, we still share, talk, you know, out of season or even during the season, share ideas and talk through some things. And so he's done a great job as far as motivating and, you know, in the way he teaches. And also, you know, you have to give credit to the players. There's a lot of really good talent there, too, that's experienced talent that's playing well when you watch their players.

Q. David Hill with TigerNet. Assuming you didn't get to watch Clemson much or at all during the season. When you finally turned on the game film, was there one thing that just jumped out at you that, 'hey, I didn't know that', or one player that maybe jumped out at you?

STOOPS: Well, you know, I don't know one thing, but the speed, offensively, you know. And then defensively, you could tell with the experience and the speed and the excellent play, defensively from a bunch of good players.

Q. Bob, they graduate Sammy Watkins, who's tearing up the NFL. They still have Williams and Scott at wide receiver. Can you talk about the matchup and trying to corral those three guys?

STOOPS: Yeah. That's what I was talking about, the speed. William, Scott, Gallman, all those guys, you've really got exceptional speed. And they do a lot of, of course, jet sweeps or a lot of plays where they're getting in the perimeter with those guys. So we've got to do a good job of containing them and guarding them downfield.

Q. Bob, you've have had sort of an up-and-down season. How much of that is just pulling a lot of young guys? Are you confident that they're going to get better or overmatched at that position? What's the status of your secondary for the future?

STOOPS: I do feel there's good players there. We have made some mistakes, and some of it is youth, you know, when you're playing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. Naturally, as you go through the years, better teams, you see a lot of juniors and seniors. And those guys are -- you know, I do have a lot of confidence that those guys continue to get better and improve because they are talented guys. And again, the better teams usually are more experienced and have more juniors and seniors, and we're working that way. Sometimes you cycle that way and you get caught, you know, young in some positions once in a while and they need a little time to catch up.

Q. Bob, following up on that, Matt Romar how is he feeling and will he be available?

STOOPS: I don't believe Matt's going to be able to play unless he's improved more today. I think it was put out there, all his imaging and x-rays were negative so he'll be fine. I don't believe he'll be good enough to play here tomorrow, but everything has checked out okay. He was walking around, doing everything yesterday, just sore, you know, in his neck. So, fortunately, he's doing well.

Q. Coach, given the close calls this season and a lot of stuff that went against you, you know, you didn't win a conference title and you're not in the playoff, is there a lot of emphasis on this game that you really need to feel like you need to win to give your guys who've had some tough times this year a boost going into spring, or do you not put that much pressure on this particular bowl game?

STOOPS: As opposed to any other game at Oklahoma?

Q. Based on the season you've had.

STOOPS: Everything is the same, Bob. You know that. Every game is important at Oklahoma, the first game to the last game. So it can't be much different. Yeah.

Q. Bob, can you talk a little bit about Sterling Shepard's lead up to the bowl game and after the first couple series, do you know how effective he can be?

STOOPS: We'll know early on. He's been practicing, but until you get out there and can open it up and go through game speed, we'll see. I can't tell you that. So we'll know once he gets out there.

Q. Coach, Shane White here, WFTV Orlando. Your connection to Florida, your name's been mentioned for that job God only knows how many times. But with your connection there when Coach Spurrier brings a team here, they kind of gravitate towards him because of that connection. Do you think the locals that come out, Gator Nation, will kind of pull for the Sooners this week?

STOOPS: Hopefully. You know, it would be great if any Gator fans are still out there that appreciate my part of being there cheer for us. That would be great. I'd take as many cheers as we can get. And I do. Listen, I've always -- I haven't been shy about expressing my fondness to and appreciation for my time there. Jeremy Foley is a great friend, you know. And a lot of people still in Gainesville are great friends of mine and I keep in touch with him. And, again, I've always been fortunate for my time there. It really helped me and developed me in a lot of different ways. And, again, Coach always -- still very close with Coach Spurrier and giving me that opportunity.

Q. Bob, since the bowl was announced, have you had a chance to talk about Switzer? And, if, so has he told about the disastrous --

STOOPS: I just found out on the way here. Darin was talking about being there, who's hosted us and been with us all week. And I didn't realize that was his last game. I didn't realize that. So that tells you how much I've been reading about it. And I haven't talked to Coach about it. I talked to Coach about a couple other things but haven't -- he never brought up that that was his last game and, again, haven't -- didn't realize it until on the way over here.

So, yeah, we were talking about they wanted to see the Sooners Schooner run on. That's what Darin was hoping to see. And he said he didn't get to see it very much. So I guess we only scored six points, I think. But that was a long time ago, though.

Q. Hey, Coach, just curious. We often hear coaches from teams that are fighting to get bowl eligible about the importance of the extra practice time that they'll get if they get to those six wins. What about for coaches of programs like yours that are a level above that? How much do you put in this game and how much of that time do you use for next season?

STOOPS: It's always great to get the extra time. We spent a lot of our early practices much like we do our spring ball, developing fundamentals, competing against each other, getting the seniors out, and developing, you know -- giving the other players more time. So it's always positive that way. As far as emphasis on the game, as I said earlier, every game is important to us. When you're at a place like Oklahoma, every game matters. So I don't know how to make one matter more than the other, I really don't. So it's not possible, really.

Q. So, Bob, you're still good friends with Spurrier and he was the last head coach to play against Clemson. Did he give you a scouting report?

STOOPS: No, he didn't. And, of course, he doesn't need to. We analyze every play of that game and every other game. And so, you know, no. He didn't have anything special to say about it.

Q. Are you going to wear the traditional whites or are you going to pull out the alternates tomorrow?

STOOPS: Traditional.