Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Oklahoma State 38, Oklahoma 35 Quotes
December 06, 2014 | Football
Head Coach Bob Stoops
Opening statement
“First, my congratulations to Oklahoma State. They played a really good, hard-fought football game and made some key plays down there in the fourth quarter to win the game. I'm proud of my players for the way they fought really all day. We had some episodes in the second half that I think really put them in position to win. We didn't give ourselves the best opportunity to win. The one fumble in the third quarter where we are down near the 20-yard line could have helped us separate a bit. Defensively, we had a couple of series there where we couldn't cover them and they just did one-on-one routes and we weren't in great position to handle them.
“They scored a touchdown quickly in that series to put them back in it. We answer back and we get down to the end of the game and Hill makes the huge return. I fault myself. Of course, in hindsight now, you don't kick it again and you put it on the 15. My thought process was to one step punt it. We have been doing it all year. You get it down there and hang it around the 10 or the five and you get a chance to eat up another eight or seconds. I thought we could cover 35 yards in a positive territory to where we pooch punted it. That didn't happen. We hit the ball, we always pooch it left, it went right, and you saw the rest of it. He made a great play. Credit him for that. At the end, we get backed up and miss a field goal.
“I thought, initially, we had Blake (Bell) open. Cody (Thomas) didn't see him so we lost a yard or two on the opening play of overtime and they pushed it down there and got an easy field goal.”
On the offense after RB Samaje Perine left the game
“We had a lot of poor series there, particularly in the third quarter, well, third and fourth, we had some poor three-and-outs. In the first half we executed better.”
On Perine's statua
“He has a sprained ankle. How severe, I'm not sure. I think he will be okay here soon.”
On if he was pleased with how they defended QB Mason Rudolph early
“I thought so early. I thought, a lot of third downs, they were only three of 11. I thought we did do a good job in a lot of instances. In some of the one-on-one positions they won. He threw some good balls in those situations.”
On if losing a game under these circumstances makes him take stock in anything
“You take stock any time you lose but in the end I am aware of where our stock is and I feel positive about what we can do.”
On executing in the passing game but the receivers not getting involved until late
“There wasn't a lot of great production there, definitely, for different reasons, receivers sometimes with the route running and getting open. You miss Sterling (Shepard) still. You have your best guy out there that is dangerous but is still unable to play it doesn't help either.”
On if they were doing anything different defensively in overtime
“No. We were in position and just got pushed off of the ball.”
On if they threw first in overtime to try and catch them off guard with a pass
“Yeah. I felt like it was there. I don't know how it looked from your view, but from our view he was three or four yards behind the guy covering him.”
On QB Cody Thomas' performance
“It seemed like he played okay. I think he did a pretty fair job.”
On if the Kansas State game is still lingering for K Michael Hunnicutt
“You know it may be. I don't know. It's difficult. I hate it for a guy who has had such an amazing career and for this year to finish how it did and some of those kicks and they way they went. It's just tough for him.”
On FB Aaron Ripkowski's performance
“Aaron, like always, was really a great player blocking. He caught the ball well out of the backfield running, he was physical and was getting the ball in the endzone. He is always going to compete to the end and he really did a great job.”
On if it felt like RB Keith Ford's long run was going to get them over the hump
“Well, it appears that way to everyone else who is actually playing. I've been in too many games where you're never over the hump. Obviously, now, other people see that. I knew it wasn't over the hump at all. They came back with a fairly quick scoring drive throwing the ball in a few of those one-on-one situations.”
On if it was an emotional drain after Perine left the game
“It hurts. When some of your better players aren't in there it changes you a little bit and you're not quite as effective.”
On Rudolph's performance
“I thought he played well.”
On the secondary's performance
“Not good enough. Like I said, they were three of 11 on third downs so a lot of what they did was pretty good but some instances it wasn't good enough.”
On if the pass rush was what he was hoping for
“Yeah. I thought our guys, for the most part, in those situations bothered him. We didn't have many sacks but we had our hands on him a lot. I thought it was pretty good.”
On what has changed this year after being so dominant at home in the past
“Well, go back through the games and you can figure out what some of the issues were right? You're missing field goals, you get a pick six, I've been through them all. You do those kinds of things and give up a punt return at the end of the game you give yourself more opportunities to lose.”
Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops
On overtime
“We were in an eight man front, which is usually good enough. We have been good all year at stopping the run. Today I thought that the run, while it wasn't huge amounts of numbers, they creased us a couple times. That got us a little bit out of whack. Then their play-action-pass became more prevalent. It has been our Achilles heel all year, our inability to match-up and stop people when we need to. I think the quarterback, Mason Rudolf, is special. He did a nice job managing and staying patient that allowed for the plays in the fourth quarter. I mean look in the last five minutes; we were up 14 with 5:00 minutes to go. I thought Zack's (Sanchez) interception iced the game but there is some crazy irony on how these games have gone in the last couple years.”
On thoughts over game
“I thought (Brandon) Shepard, for them, was outstanding. Again, he picked on us and that is the way this game is. That is where we have to get better. That is where we are struggling; to develop playmakers. This league will test you in a lot of ways. We just have not had a lot of answers and that has fallen on me, on our responsibility to get players to try and to get the best players we can into positions where they can make plays.”
On the declining the penalty
“No I did not talk to Bob (Stoops) on that. I did not even know where the ball was. It was on the fifteen. I don't know. It was probably one of those things that we should have brought back but that is just the way that our season has gone this year. We have been on the wrong end of some tight games. In the end, we just are not playing good enough. I thought we were better on third downs in this game but it just how the year has gone.”
Offensive Coordinator Josh Heupel
On if having more personnel in the game hurt or help the offense
“They're going to load the box in some of the four-minute situations and you have to try to find something to get you some angles to pick up some yards, and we obviously didn't do a good job of that. There was a four-minute situation where we ran the keep with Cody (Thomas) and the guy did a good job of playing his assignment.”
On how losing Samaje Perine effects the play calling
“It changes things. Obviously, Samaje Perine has done a tremendous job and has been a big catalyst to what we've been able to do offensively running the football. Does it change it? Yeah, a little bit. In overtime, we didn't execute some of the things that I called. We weren't good enough and that was my responsibility.”
On Oklahoma State's loaded box
“It was a loaded box but it was off of something we had been running throughout the course of the game, our play action pass off of it. We've got three options: we've got Blake (Bell) down the pipe, then there was a layer concept on the outside that we didn't get to so you're behind the chains and second down it's a run pass option and we don't complete it.”
On how Cody Thomas played
“Some positive things. In the second half, I thought there were just a couple of things. We were first and 10, we got a read concept off of a backer in our 12 personnel stuff and the ball ends up in the ground and you're second and 15. We're not executing well enough in our pass game to play from that. We're second and one the passer doesn't read it right. We don't pick it up. There are a lot of positives, too. At the end of the day, as a group offensively we're just disappointed because we're not ending up on the right side of things in these critical games.”
On the quarterback passing to the receivers being the problem
“We're not executing the way that we were earlier in the year. Obviously, our personnel is different and we're not executing the way you need to in order to win close football games.”
Fullback Aaron Ripkowski
On how tough it was when comparing his success to the teams
“You know I didn't really think too much about my own success. I just thought about how bad this is for all us seniors with this being our last game on this field. Nobody wants to go out like that.”
On what losing Samaje (Perine) did to the team
“We really can't stop and think about the momentum change. We just have to look at the next play and make sure we execute.”
On how tough it was on the team to come back and play in OT after how the fourth quarter ended
“We weren't worried about how many touchdowns we were up by, we were always just looking at playing the next play. I could see maybe a few of us thought we had the win. We were up by a few touchdowns, but that doesn't mean we stopped playing or anything, it's just one of those things that happened quick. They scored quick on us and before we knew it they were up.”
On how disappointing this game was for the seniors
“We seniors, just like everyone else, are heartbroken. But at the same time you don't always get what you want. It's a life lesson we can learn from and move on.”
Senior Kicker Michael Hunnicutt
On the loss
“It's really tough. It's all of our seniors' last game here and it's not how you want to go out at all. We thought we had them there at the end, but it just didn't work out.”
On the missed kick in overtime
“I just pulled it a little to the left. Was trying to come back and get it inside the left upright. It is what it is. One kick.”
“I just pulled it a little bit. Nothing super big wrong, just didn't hit it right.”
On his recent struggles
“It's just how football is. I think if I didn't make as many kicks as I have in my career, we wouldn't chalk it up to, 'Something's wrong with him,' or 'He's broken,' or whatever. Sometimes that's how football goes. It doesn't go your way.”
Sophomore Cornerback Zack Sanchez
On the loss
“I can't even really explain it right now. It hurts more than anything. Just for the seniors, I feel more hurt for them than for myself. It's disappointing and it hurts more than anything.”
On his fourth-quarter interception
“I feel like everybody got a sense that it was over. It just wasn't our night for whatever reason.”
On whether he has ever been a part of a loss like this
“All the losses this year hurt, but this one at home, and it being Bedlam to a team that we shouldn't have lost to—it just adds more to it.”
On the team's struggles at home
“It just hasn't been our year this year. We don't know. It's just time to regroup and start prepping for the bowl game and ultimately next year.”
On whether the defense could have held Oklahoma State on an 85-yard drive
“Definitely. As a defense you always feel like you're going to get a stop, especially in a long distance like that. Like I said, it just hasn't been our year in that type of situation.”
Redshirt Senior Tackle Tyrus Thompson
On how the team was affected by injuries
“The next person's got to step up. I was one of those guys before, and I had to step up when I was younger. That's part of the game. Injuries are part of the game.”
On losing after rushing for over 300 yards as a team
“It's frustrating to lose, period. It wouldn't matter if we got five yards rushing or 10,000. A loss is a loss and a loss is going to be frustrating regardless.”
On not putting OSU away when given the opportunity
“We missed a lot of opportunities. I wish we could have got them. Hindsight's always 20/20. I just wish we were better. I wish we finished better.”
On losing running back Samaje Perine to injury in the second half
“I didn't take a hit psychologically. We roll our [running] backs, anyway, so—it would have been nice to have him, but like I said, injuries are part of the game and you've got to fight through those things.”
Sophomore Running Back Keith Ford
On losing running back Samaje Perine to injury in the second half
“Coach [Cale] Gundy always talks about that. That next guy has to replace him. That's just how the game is, and when one person goes down you have to fill in for him.”
On why he pulled up on his breakaway run in the fourth quarter
“Just cramping in the side. Something didn't feel right when I was running. Just cramping in the side, that's about it.”
On how the team feels after four losses
“There's nothing we really can do about it. It has passed. The only thing we can do is just get better every day and just keep working. The outcome of the game—we didn't expect this, but we've just got to move forward and we've just got to keep working.”
Freshman Safety Steven Parker
On if the loss was frustrating
“I would probably compare this loss to the first time I lost in the state championship game my sophomore year. It was challenging. It's definitely a hard loss. It kind of numbed everybody, but we'll bounce back. It was hard going out for the seniors like that, so I apologize to them and credit to OSU.”
On what the difference in the end was
“They were just making plays when we weren't. That's the big thing. We try to keep our head on a swivel and try to stay hot but it seems like we kind of cool down a little bit and we lost our edge.”
On if he thought the game was over after the interception from Zack Sanchez
“Right after that pick in all of our heads we're thinking that's ball game. But of course we don't go too far into that. We just keep on pushing and then things happened in the game. You can never say it's over until it's over.”
Senior Defensive End Chuka Ndulue
On the last minute of the game
“I mean with 45 seconds left when you punt the ball you hope the defense can go and you have a timeout. If you're a smart guy you'd figure the defense could hold them going down the field, but things don't go as planned.”
On what has happened this season
“It's just life. You guys try to predict the future. We have ups and downs. We're kids out here. A bunch of us are under 21. We're not perfect. We go to school and we play football, so it's hard to be perfect. We had a lot of high hopes coming into this season and it just didn't go as we planned.”
Senior Tight End Blake Bell
On Samaje Perine and Keith Ford
“It affects your offense. You talk about great runners for us. Samaje (Perine) is a guy who's going to make the first guy miss and Keith (Ford) is another guy who runs hard and breaks tackles. He busted off that long one there, so he did a great job, too. It comes down to just executing. Whoever you have in there doesn't matter. You have to find a way to do it.”
On the goal for this season
“That's not what we wanted. We want to win each game and we're not looking too far ahead. That was our whole goal this year, just one game at a time. We had some slip-ups in close games that we thought we should have won, and you can't get those back. It is what it is. This week was a tough one, too. We had them where we wanted them, but we just couldn't finish.”
On what has gone wrong in the losses this season
“You can't point at a certain person or anything. It's a team game. The one thing I would say is just finishing, whatever it is out there you have to finish it. Whether it's fourth and one and just everybody, the offensive line, the fullbacks and tailbacks, tight ends and receivers, we just have to figure out a way to get it done.”
Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Cody Thomas
On the passing game
“I thought we came out and had a really good start moving the ball pretty well. I think we scored on almost every drive in the first half. Down the stretch we made a few mistakes in the pass game and we'll get those fixed and corrected when we start practice again. We just didn't finish at the end.”
On Keith Ford and Samaje Perine
“When Samaje (Perine) went out Keith (Ford) stepped in and did a really good job and made a really big play for us there at the end. They did a great job running the ball.”
On if the win was frustrating
“It's pretty frustrating, but that's football. That's why you go out there. You get better and try to be on the right side of that fine line and it is a fine line out there between winning and losing, and today we were on the wrong side of it.”
On the ups and downs of games
“These games, especially rivals, are emotional rollercoasters. I just kept telling those guys on the sidelines to stay in it and they did a good job of that. We just didn't go out there and execute.”
On the message after the game in the locker room
“To keep our heads up and stay together. After a game like this there is a lot of negativity surrounding it, and as a team we need to stick together and stay positive. Our seniors did a great job. We leaned on them when we had to, and they made plays for us every day. We just have to stay positive. We still have a bowl game after this and we have to get ready for that.”
Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy
Opening statement
“Obviously that is a great win for our team. I am very proud of their competitiveness and willingness to come down and fight. We made some really good adjustments at halftime. I thought that Oklahoma's offense had a good scheme at times. They had us and then we made some halftime adjustments. Our coaches, in fact the first two plays of overtime, those adjustments were made at halftime. Larry Stephens rotated over on the motion on the pop-pass and made a play. Seth Jacobs caught the guys going down the middle on the play-action pass and laid out and knocked the ball away, which put us in a great position.”
“Offensively we competed. We were somewhat short-handed. I had concerns; in this game we played three sophomores and two freshmen or three freshmen and two sophomores in the game on the offensive line. I can't remember. They are all really young. (Chris) Grisbhy is the one veteran with three freshmen and a sophomore. With (Daniel) Koenig not playing I had concerns about just how much we could do in the game. Overall I thought they protected really well and I thought we made plays. The offensive scheme was excellent for the type of defense and the personnel we were facing today.”
“Then in special teams—we felt like the last two years we could have won the game if we would not have given up a punt return. We challenged our team to be really good in coverage units. They are very good on kickoff return and obviously they have a skilled player on punt return that can make plays. Our guys worked really hard. Robby continues to do a great job scheme wise on special teams. We got a break. We returned one in this game and Tyreek (Hill) was super. I know he had two good blocks there at the end. He either made two guys miss or split them, and when he got in the open-field everybody knew he was gone.”
“It was obviously a very exciting game. I'm happy for our seniors. It is an opportunity to stay together for a month or three weeks or whatever it is and play in a bowl game. I am happy for some of the players that are seniors that are injured, (Josh) Furman and Koenig, that get another opportunity to play now with another game. I especially had a soft place in my heart for Dez (Desmond Roland). He has had a very difficult month or five weeks with the loss of his mother. He has had a hard time, but he has pushed through. At the end we were able to put it in his hands and he was able to knock them back and push the pile and run it all the way down to basically a PAT to win the game. It was a great win. I thought our coaches stayed focused over the last few weeks. They ignored the outside world. They prepared the kids and worked hard. It was a good win for Oklahoma State. “
On Oklahoma electing to punt again after the penalty late in the fourth quarter
“I can't comment on his decisions. I was talking about offense at that time, and someone said they were going to punt again.”
On if the win today “knocks off” the disappointment of the rest of the season
“Disappointment is in the eye of the beholder. I have not been disappointed with our team. From what you said I think perception public wise out there—our staff and myself, we have understood the direction we are going. A win today makes everybody feel better. No questions about it. There are a lot of people that wear orange that would just as soon win this game and could lose them all. I don't necessarily believe that, I don't believe that is the best way, but I am certainly glad that they are happy. Whatever they need to do to continue to build this program.”
Oklahoma State Running Back Tyreek Hill
On his punt return for a touchdown
“It was a real exciting moment. I wouldn't have been able to do that without my teammates. I'm really thankful for those guys. They told me, 'Tyreek, we're going to block our tails off.' So I told them, 'I got you.' We did everything that we practiced, and it came out exactly how we practiced it.”
On his reaction when he learned he would get one more chance to return a punt
“I wasn't really surprised. I was kind of happy. All in all, I was just happy that it happened like that, and God played it out in our favor.”
On how he felt when he realized he was going to score
“At the time it didn't feel real. I was crying while I was running; tears of joy. I knew I had to make one (defender) miss. Once I made him miss, I knew I was gone. I'm just very thankful to my teammates for their hard work and their blocking. Without them I wouldn't have been able to score.”
On how he reacted to winning as an underdog
“It definitely is exciting to give the seniors a win in Bedlam. It was very exciting for those guys and made them happy. We gave it all we had.”
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