2015 Spring Game Quotes

April 11, 2015 | Football

By: Athletics Communications

Head coach Bob Stoops
Opening statement:
“I thought that the guys did a good job overall. Always please no one was injured; I think a year ago we lost Geneo Grissom with a knee injury in this game. It's always scares you as a coach. I thought we managed it well. We got right around 100 plays, which is a normal long scrimmage for us. So you get some good work in game type conditions without risking too much injury. I thought overall (in regard to) fundamentals guys played pretty well, didn't have foolish bad penalties and really manage the game pretty well.

“(We) probably had a few too many turnovers, not probably, did, offensively. But again all those guys will learn from it. Overall both sides of the ball, assignments and discipline in assignment, both of those things were pretty good. So again I'm pleased with it. Some of the guys you wanted to see play better that I talked about all spring that have made some progress. Young guys in the secondary, two freshman in particular – Steven Parker's had a great, great spring. He's playing like a senior. And Jordan Thomas has really improved in a strong way in the last couple three weeks. Tay Evans has really done well at the linebacker (position). He's a big strong guy. He's got the size of a Jordan Evans, a bigger guy that's really rangy in there.

“Up front, D.J. Ward, Charles Walker-who has really come on even though he wasn't out there today- (are playing well). And then offensively all those guys I think overall are doing a nice job. Our receiving group overall I thought through the spring has really improved. Guys like Josiah St. John and the O-line has made good improvement along with Derrick Farniok, Kenyon Frison has really come on, Jamal Danley. Devante Bond had a huge spring. I'm not sure how many chances he had today, but he really looked impressive through the spring.”

On quarterback play during spring game being indicative of their spring season performances:
“No, they've had a nice spring again in their reads and what they're doing with the ball. We didn't show everything out there today. We were a little bit conservative with what they were doing, but I've been pleased with them. (Today) I think they were definitely putting some balls up that when it's practice it's no big deal and 'oh it's an interception', but when you're in game-type conditions it's a bigger deal. They'll learn from it. This isn't indicative of what I've seen all spring, I've been pleased with what they've been doing all spring.”

On the secondary giving up big plays:
“Yeah on this style of offense there's some plays are going to be had by the offense. (The defense) came up with their share to combat it and even the offense made some that were tightly contested and that's going to happen too. I know Jeffery (Mead) had a big catch or a couple of them with people all over him. Again there's guys that have made progress in the area we've needed them to.”

On the linebackers' spring:
“They've made good progress. We're thin there. Dom(inique Alexander) hasn't been out there all spring, but he'll be back. I've already brought up Tay (Evans). He's been impressive and gets better and better you can tell the more comfortable he becomes with all of his assignments.”

On TE Mark Andrews' spring:
“Yeah he's been consistent all season on making plays. He's a hard matchup. He's bigger than you want him to be for DBs; he's quicker and more elusive than you want him to be with linebackers on him. He's got great hands-great route runner. He can come in and block you. He does a lot of really good things. He's a really good player for us.”

On whether they showed all of the offense today:
“No, it's just we didn't need to beat anybody today. Why are you going to go out and show everything you're going to do when we've got Akron here the first game and then Tennessee immediately right after. So what are we going to do today so that you'll write positively for a couple of weeks? In the end, that wasn't our purpose. Our purpose was to do some basic fundamental things and worry about our tempo and other wrinkles we may or may not have for when it really matters and that's next year.”

On WR Jeffery Mead:
“He's been stepping forward all year. He's been getting more and more comfortable, more and more aggressive, playing harder, and he's a big person to deal with. He's made one-handers a bunch (of times), even last year. He's got great range. Jeffery continues to get better.”

On the receivers:
“I've been saying that I think our receiver group is going to be better than anticipated. Dede (Westbrook)'s a big-play guy for sure. When you've got Sterling (Shepard) out there playing 75 percent of the game. He's going to make a difference. People forget that he didn't play the last six or seven games of the year. He was averaging 130 or 140 yards a game that's significant. And then all of the other guys are coming on. We've already talked about Jeffery (Mead), Michiah (Quick) is not even out there, he's going to be even better. I've already brought up Dede. There's a bunch of those guys that made good improvement. And in this offense, the way (the coaches) teach and the disciplines of it allows a lot of guys to play and they have production. Nick (Basquine) does a really good job. G-Bo (Grant Bothun) does a really good job.”

On the players having blue numbers on jersey during the spring game:
“A few people I think. I probably didn't even play them. In all honesty, if Joe (Mixon) was playing today Samaje (Perine) probably wouldn't have played at all. We would've had more guys to rotate in there. So it just depends on a situation. Again, I'm not interested in seeing DeMarco (Murray) after I've seen him a couples of years or Sterling (Shepard) come back as a senior and something happen to him in a game that really doesn't matter. I'm not interested in seeing that. It's really pretty easy (to get blue numbers on jerseys), they stencil it on their pretty fast. In all honesty, to deal with Samaje you've gotta go low and I don't want people going at his knees all day unless it's a game, like I said to the Touchdown Club, then he's liable to hurt somebody on the other side, too.”

On RB Joe Mixon:
“Joe's similar to Samaje and Alex (Ross). He's big, he's fast, he's got great hands. He's very similar in how he runs to Samaje in some ways.”

On the safeties:
“I thought really overall they played well. When you play 100 snaps or 90 snaps, you're not going to win every one of them. I thought overall, they did a really good job. I've been saying in, it's natural the more guys on the field the fewer mistakes they have, the fewer mental errors they have, the more comfortable and sure they become in where they need to be. And making plays has steadily gotten better. I said earlier, Steven Parker's really been special all spring. And when we play him in the nickel spot it gets a lot of opportunity to make plays. Again, the place where Roy Williams played so well, it gets a lot of options and (Steven's) handled it really well. He's made a lot of plays during the spring.”

On kickers Nick Hodgson and Austin Seibert:
“Nick's really good, I said it to the Touchdown Club, I may have said it to some of you, I think through 12 practices and today-it was a little unfair the last one I made him kick (during the spring game)-we've probably kicked 8 or 10 live every day through the practices this spring. We've had some windy and pretty tough days too. So I'm elated with what he's done. We love that Austin Seibert coming in is really special. It gives you great comfort knowing here's a guy that's hit them really well. I think he has such a big leg—the field goal—he doesn't have to worry about cranking anything. He can just take his normal easy swing. He's got great distance. The field goal from 47 (yards) was three-quarters the way up the upright.”

On quarterbacks' performances during spring season:
“(Justice Hansen and Cody Thomas) are getting better. They've had a lot of snaps and they continue to in this offense make the right reads. (Justice and Cody) don't force the ball and go with what they're given. Those guys have done a good job on making those kind of decisions and they're getting better at it. Sure (it's a possibility that the young quarterbacks have a chance to start). These guys have had a really good spring. Baker (Mayfield) and Trevor (Knight) have had a lot of really good games and days. We were a little bit conservative on everything we did today, but they made some throws and they're putting it up and giving their guy a chance. It did work out. I guess it's kind of easy to do that when it's a scrimmage and no one is in the stadium or we're you're at practice and nobody's here. It becomes a little more obvious today that) you can't do that. You gotta be a little smarter with the football in some cases. They've had a really good spring.”

On if spring season is a good indicator of team preparedness for fall:
“Sure. Not because of today, but because of 11 other practices. Those guys are making progress. We've still got two full-pad long practices coming up next week. These guys will learn from this and put it on the field here this week. It's a long time before we play a game. I feel like these guys will continue to grow in what we're asking them to do and they're doing it well.”

On if spring game is indicative of what players will play in fall and what schemes will be run during season:
“I think what you'll notice that's different that's hard to gauge in a spring game is once everybody's off the sideline that's held out or that's heard or whatever—sick, hurt, held out, 'dah-da-dah-da-dah'—and you include 25 freshmen or other guys that come in, and now have a role, your two deep changes significantly. You're starting group even changes significantly when the main guys are out there 75 percent of the snaps you just saw. And you may have saw them 40 percent today. That's what changes in the spring. There's a lot of guys you saw that got around out there that aren't going to be out there next year. Some may be out there 25 percent that maybe were out there 60 percent today. It all changes when you're working with your subgroups once you get back in the summer. There's a fair amount we're doing offensively that wasn't out there today. But we've been working it and will continue to. I will say what I'm so pleased about and what Lincoln (Riley) brings and what the guys are doing offensively is there isn't throwing away and there isn't adding. They are consistently disciplined on this is what we do and they do it over and over and over again and they improve on it every day. I believe we will continue to make strides with what we're asking them to do.”

On if continued quarterback competition hurts the team:
“I know another receiver that's hurt us. We've had quarterback battles all the way and I don't mean to sound like a, I'm not being a…but we've had pretty good quarterback play when you look at our 16 years here. We've had a lot of quality quarterbacks that have won championships, that have won awards, and on and on and on. Normally, we've done it that way. But, I'm not opposed to, if somebody is a clear-cut guy, then we'd probably say so. That's not the case and there's so many practices to come. I think it's received in the locker room a lot better to be 'that guy' and that leader when they've known the guys earned it.”

On defensive coordinator Mike Stoops calling from the booth:
“We've done it in our scrimmages that we've had leading up to today. What I've really liked about it is he sees the substitutions as fast as anybody when they're in 11, 10, 21 (personnel), whatever it is. So it allows him to already be processing what he wants to put on the field. I think it's been positive for sure that way in him knowing the substitutions as fast as anybody up there does, as opposed to having to have it relayed to him and then deciding whether he wants to run, a personnel or coverage or call he wants to go with. So it's been pretty good in our days leading up to this. We kind of the entire spring on both sides of the ball, what we've done is, every team period, we go in the stadium and they may not go all the way to the box, but they're up in the stands with headphones and all our communication (equipment). Both sides of the ball, we've worked it and it's been positive that way.”

On if calling the new offense an “air-raid” ala Mike Leach is appropriate:
“I don't use those terms. I don't know who did. You can use it, I don't care. Totally up to you. We don't do that. I don't know where you're going with the question I guess. Are you trying to give it a name? What does (Samaje) Perine have to do with it? There's a lot of guys that call themselves (air-raid) that run the football really well. Dana Holgorsen's one of them. I don't know. You're getting mad at me I just don't know what to say. I don't know what to say about it. I don't have a name for it. And sure with our running backs we want to hurt you running the ball too, so if that's what you're asking then 'yeah.' We're all very aware of the quality of guys we have running the ball and we want to be sure that's a big part of what we do.”

On if the office atmosphere is different with the new coaching hires:
“To a degree. I can go sit in 10 other coaches' rooms and they'd all be similar-talking about technique, talking about this scheme or 'if we adjusted do this' it's a little different. So in a lot of ways it's all similar.”

On if receiver Sterling Shepard is 100 percent healthy:
“Yes. We wouldn't have had him play even a quarter if we didn't feel that. I just don't want to take a chance and him get caught in the grass wrong. I just don't feel in particular a senior when they come back I don't generally put them in there much.”

On RB Daniel Brooks:
“He's doing a really good job. Our coaches really like him. He has such explosiveness and speed. He's running on our track team as well. He has his place. Our guys will continue to use him.”

On opportunities for more receivers to make plays in new offense:
“I think this offense uses more receivers. This offense spaces the field more where a lot of guys can have an impact not just a couple. These guys are now getting older and getting more disciplined in what they're doing. So we're a little better as I've said, and I think we're going to continue to get better than people think at that position.”

On if Lincoln Riley is the reason TE Mark Andrews is getting more opportunity this spring season:
“We all knew we all liked Mark from watching him on scout team last year, watching him through winter conditioning-running and all. And then you look at his size. It wasn't just Lincoln (Riley), all of the offensive coaches, myself, everyone likes what you see, when you see a guy that big that catches so well and is so athletic, you start to think of all the different things that you can do with him. (Mark) will have a big piece in what we're doing. Mark's about 6-4, he's 236.”

On what he calls the offense:
“Oklahoma's offense. Oklahoma's offense. (When Kentucky used it while I was at Florida) I hated seeing them, too.”

Offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley
Opening statement:
“Hopefully we don't throw it to them (defense) as much as we did today. We were very, very basic. Honestly in the last fifteen practices we have put less stock in this one compared to the other fifteen. There are a lot of things working against you, as far as playing guys. As you know Samaje Perine was in a blue jersey and I figured out pretty quickly if I kept handing it to him we were going to lose yards. You know, we wanted to keep it simple. This is obviously a little different for me in that this is the first spring game that I have ever had that has been nationally televised. Normally you did not have to worry about that and you could go out there and just run your offense.

''After meeting with Coach Stoops we decided that it being year one of this offense that we wanted it to be more vanilla then we would have been otherwise. We wanted to keep some things under the belt. I am very confident, scheme wise, of where we are headed. We have made a lot of strides. One thing we do here in practice, that is a little different for me, is we get so many more team reps then I have ever been a part of. I think just last Wednesday we had 75 team reps, which is like a scrimmage. We have been going into the stadium. We have been putting on the headsets and really getting a lot of good game simulation. Our guys have performed well enough that going into this we could rest the guys we needed to rest, be very vanilla and get a look at some of the younger guys. I think we got all that done.”

On what he liked about the quarterbacks:
“Bits and pieces. As a group, for the first time this season, I think they tried to make too much happen. They got in front of a crowd; there were some very, very simple reads that we just missed. That is the only thing I can attribute it to, right now, without seeing the film. I think they just all went out there wanting to make big plays. We got off to really good starts on the drives. Getting the drives started was not a problem. Getting the ball moving was not a problem but we forced balls and the defense did a great job of making our guys pay for it. It will be a great learning experience.

“Like I said, you can obviously attribute it to the situation; to the crowd. In team periods, up to this point, I do not think we have thrown four interceptions this entire spring. It was a great learning experience for us and it is about trusting and learning in the offense. It is something we can learn from and carry into the fall.”

On WR Nick Basquine battling for time:
“He is going to have every opportunity to; just like any other receiver in this program. There are a lot of open positions at receiver. He has done some good things. Nick got nicked up, no pun intended, about halfway through the spring. He was really having a good spring and he has been a little limited the second half of the spring but he has skills. He is not just a walk-on that is here to be a space or to be a filler. He has skills and this offense has a great history of walk-ons coming in and making a big impact for us. I think Nick could be one of those guys.”

On QB Baker Mayfield:
“Again, I think they all did (made mistakes). Other then Justice Hansen, they all took a little too many risks. Baker has had a good spring. He is sharp. Baker is not a guy who is afraid to take chances and that is the Catch 22 in this offense. You cannot be scared but at the same time they have to calculated and smart. I love the aggressiveness of Baker and I do not want to pull on the reigns. I think he did a lot of good things today and I am pleased with the group. I was able to settle them down at the half and they were able to come out at the half and we played a lot more in control; a lot more in rhythm. Baker was one of those. He has had a very strong spring.”

On teaching patience:
“It is a challenge and that is probably one of the good things spring games are good for. You can get in front of a crowd and have to do that. It is difficult because everyone wants to score fast. When you are repping four guys, like we are doing, they all want to stand out. You have to resist that temptation and you have to play with in yourself, play with in your offense and trust that will be enough.”

On the wide receiver corps:
“We have really had some guys come on. Cale Gundy and Dennis Simmons have done a great job with that group. Those are two bulldog coaches and that is exactly what that receiver group needed in my opinion. They have pushed those guys and in the first part of spring, it was rough for those guys. The guys have really come on. Jeffrey Mead was obviously a stand out for us today but throughout the spring K.J. Young, Dallis Todd have made a lot of plays. Mark Andrews has made a lot of plays. We have a lot of talent there and that is a position through recruiting that we have to upgrade.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops
On how he feels about coming into this year:
“Today is a good day for us coaches, and for the players. You know a lot of the big play mistakes we made a year ago had nothing to do with talent, but with missed assignments responsibility, and execution. We as a team feel like we have a lot of really talented players, but days like this are all about building continuity.”

On how he views the move coaching from the press box:
“I can see more of the field being up in the press box. Being able to see the alignments, not just the position I coach, but all eleven players is key. You get a much greater sense of anticipating what's going to happen before it happens. Formation recognition is such a big deal for coaches, and I just have to make sure we have the best eleven guys out there at all times.”

On the advantage of coaching in the press box:
“It lets you think more in between series. Setting up, and getting more diversification with your formations with more time to think helps. My job is to just communicate to the coaches down on the field, and tell them what I see.”

On how the new up tempo offense effects the defense:
“It helps us. The speed that they go at helps our guys understand issues that may come up when an offense is going that fast. But it's not about how fast they go, rather the amount of people that are constantly coming in. Being able to track that, and finding the best eleven matchups we can on any given play is a challenge, but it's helping us.”

On how he views the secondary play thus far:
“I think this starting group has a chance to be very good. We still are making way to many mistakes, but we just need to communicate better and clean up some things. If we do that, I think this group is talented enough to be very formidable across the board.”

Jr. QB Baker Mayfield
On his performance today:
“Personally I feel like I have a lot of stuff to improve on. Decision making wise, this wasn't my best day, but it was a good experience. When I was able to get the ball in our receivers' hands, they made plays for me. Now, I just have to keep improving and finding ways to get them the ball.”

On how the crowd affected the team:
“Everyone is kind of jittery coming into games like this, and that's normal. We talked about settling in at halftime and came out much better. We just have to play like we do when there's nobody in the stadium and we'll be fine.”

On how he feels throwing the deep pass:
“I love taking my shots. When you have a one on one matchup, I feel you have to take it. There are times when I need to hold back, and it showed today. I turned the ball over and made some bad choices, but I'm still going to take my shots when I can.”

On how he feels with the starting quarterback job still being up for grabs:
“Today wasn't our best practice, but I wouldn't be surprised if the battle went on all the way through camp. All of us quarterbacks have to be prepared for that, and I'm sure we're all fine with that.”

RJr. QB Trevor Knight
On if what was seen today is anything similar to what will be seen in the fall:
“Yeah, absolutely. We ran our stuff today. Obviously, there are more wrinkles you can put in and that's with any offense. That's what you're going to see.”

On TE Mark Andrews:
“From day one, Mark was out there making big plays. Since he has been here, he has been that type of guy making big plays. He redshirted this past year and did a really good job on the scout team for us. This offense fits him perfectly. He is kind of an in between type of guy, he can put his hand down, he can split out, he can beat out coverage with his speed but he can also muscle guys around there on the inside. He's a multiple player that we're looking forward to using a lot.”

On if he has changed anything from being in another quarterback competition two years ago:
“It's the same attitude. It's the same attitude I have had since I was seven years old. My dad has always been the one to say that you're going to have to compete in whatever you do in life. That's a big lesson for me, because here I am going into my junior year still competing. That's what you want. You want to be able to go out and compete every day. That's why you come to a place like this. I've said that before. Honestly, it's a privilege to go out and wear these colors and compete each and every day.”

RSo. RB Daniel Brooks
On today's performance:
“I was pleased with our play. Other than the fumble, I thought I had a really good day. It was fun, still got a lot to clean up on with the new offense and everything, but I had fun out there.”

On if he made any major strides in the spring:
“Definitely. I was recovering from a knee injury all my freshman year and a little bit of my sophomore year, so it really was a stride today, I was happy with my performance.”

On showcasing himself with all of the other RB's in the mix:
“I was happy with my performance, but at the end of the day it's all about the team. I can't go out there and show my skills if the other ten men aren't doing their job, and vice-versa. It's only as good as the whole team, but I was happy with my performance and was glad I could show what I could do out there.”

On if he put himself in a position to compete for playing time:
“Definitely. I think it gives me a chance to work for that starting job. Samaje (Perine) didn't play a lot - based off the season he had last year there wasn't a lot he had to show out there. Of course Rodney (Anderson) being hurt and Joe's (Mixon) situation – yeah it helps - but there are still some guys that didn't get to show what they could do based off other circumstances.”

RFr. TE Mark Andrews
On feeling comfortable on the field:
“They use a lot of receivers and they like big bodied receivers and from day one I could see that I could get out on the field and be a force.”

Jr. S Hatari Byrd
On dropping an interception:
“It is all good. I know I will not be dropping any more.”

On the secondary:
“I feel like we all played pretty well. We were assignment ready. Everyone was on the same page and there was a lot of communication. That is the most important thing about our defense.”

So. WR Jeffery Mead
On being back on the field:
“It felt nice. It is much better than practicing every day. Yes it is still another practice, but you get have fun, run around and know you are going full speed and competing. It's nice to have breaks from practice. I liked it.”

On how he has improved since the end of last season:
“My feet have improved. I am learning how to use my hand and other parts to get defenders off of me. I am also stronger and I have been putting on weight. I got here at 185 and then dropped down to 180. Now I am at 192. I dropped five pounds of fat and then put on five pounds of muscle so I stayed the same. Then I started to gain more weight once I dropped the fat. I don't have a set number I want to be at.”

On going out to compete for playing time:
“I feel like I am in a similar position as I was last year. I am kind of working for a spot. We will see how it goes. Every day you go out and practice and do the same things. We will see.”

On if there are more spots in the new offense:
“Yes. We have guys who are still playing receiver, but in different positions. It opens things up and gives more guys a chance to play.”

RFr. WR Nick Basquine
On competing to make catches:
“That is a point of emphasis in that meeting room. Make plays. That is what I am trying to do and when I have the opportunity I just want to make that play.

On his mentality in competing for playing time:
“I just know that since I am a walk-on I have to take every opportunity and execute it. I just need to keep making plays and my talent will show. There is no entitlement in this group. The best players will play so if I am one of those players I will be out there.”

On playing for Lincoln Riley:
“This is a great offense to play in. Everyone is going to get the ball and everyone is going to get their chance. Once Coach Riley got hired I was ecstatic.”

On how many WRs are needed in the new offense:
“My position is the Y (receiver). There is a big Y, which is the tight end, and a little Y, which is Sterling Shepard and me. Specific plays will have who they want. If there is a blocking play or a more inside there will be the big Y. The catch I made is where Shep (Sterling Shepard) would be and the other side is the big Y which is called the wing.”

On if he bring special skills to that position:
“I think I go after the ball and I have good ball skills. I am just trying to learn from him (Shepard) because he has done well in his career.”

RSo. QB Cody Thomas
On how he likes the new offense:
“I played in an offense like this in high school, spreading the ball out and throwing it a lot. I like what we've done. We've come a long way since the first day of spring. Today wasn't the only showcase we grade ourselves on, but it's another learning experience. We played pretty well and it's something to learn from.”

On giving up baseball to pursue the quarterback competition:
“It was really hard to give up baseball because it's a sport that I love, but I'm definitely confident that it was the right decision. I'm glad that I'm full-time football right now and I'm committing myself more than I ever have.”

RFr. QB Justice Hansen
On how he felt about his performance:
“I felt good. This offense is a little bit more simplified from what we had in the past so just getting out there and getting everything signaled and then just react.”

On how it felt to get on the field with the crowd:
“It was exciting for sure. We've been practicing and practices are exciting, we make them fun, but just getting all the energy from the crowd was good.”

On if the offense suits his style of play:
“I think it really does. It's a lot similar to what I ran in high school.”

RJr. CB Zach Sanchez
On how the defense performed:
“I think we did really well. We had four picks. It was good to see the young guys making plays – guys flying around. We can still improve a lot but I'm really proud of what we did today.”

On Hatari Byrd and Ahmad Thomas finishing plays:
“Definitely. That just comes with experience and being more comfortable in the way they play. I couldn't be more proud of the way those guys played today.”

On Jordan Thomas:
“That's something he's been working on – that's something we've been working with him on all spring – just being more confident in his craft and know that he's one of the best players on the field whenever he's out there. It obviously showed off today with his pick and he had a couple of more big plays for us. He's going to be a big player for us this year.”

On the importance of getting an interception over a pass breakup when DBs their hands on the ball:
“It's crucial. The offense can score at any time, especially these offenses and the way they move the ball so if we have the opportunity we've got to take advantage of it. It's something we work on every day. Coach (Tim) Kish has done a great job of working drills and things like that.”

RFr. LB Tay Evans
On playing in front of the crowd:
“It was all the same, just doing the same stuff as practice with a bigger crowd but it was really exciting. We haven't gotten to see that excitement for a while.”

On how he feels about his progress with the defense today:
“Defense played really well. Getting a lot of reps is giving me that chance to get experience. We've still got room to improve, as always.”

On how the defense played:
“I think we played pretty well. I think there are some plays that we could have done better, but overall we had a great day.”