Sooners Mingle With Fans and Media Saturday

Sooners Mingle With Fans and Media Saturday

August 06, 2016 | Football

By: Wes Moody

NORMAN — The Oklahoma football team was up with the sun on Saturday. The Sooners hit the practice field at first light to beat temperatures forecasted to climb near 100 degrees.

Following practice, the Sooners took part in the annual Meet the Sooners Day. The free event gave OU fans a chance to interact with their favorite players and coaches. Those in attendance ages 14 and younger were able to get autographs.

At the conclusion of Meet the Sooners Day, coaches and players turned their attention to the media. They ran through a gauntlet of photo and video shoots before addressing reporters about the coming season. Watch and read the highlights below.

Video

Head Coach Bob Stoops

Opening comment:
“I feel like we've got a really solid football team coming off last year. Overall, we'll be further along offensively in our system. We lost the most players on our interior line, but I feel good about the young guys coming up in those positions. Bobby Evans, Ben Powers and Cody Ford have all looked really good in the spring and summer. At receiver, of course everyone asks about replacing Sterling (Shepard). You don't replace a guy like Sterling, but I do believe guys like Dede Westbrook will have an opportunity to make bigger plays. The overall group though will be a stronger unit than a year ago with the added experience. Mykel Jones, a young freshman, has really been showing up. I've loved seeing Jordan Smallwood coming up off that knee (injury) a year ago.

Defensively, we really feel good about what we're doing with our system. It will be a big chore replacing three of our four starting linebackers, but we're really excited about what we've seen from our guys. Tay Evans is a guy who's really been great this spring as someone who can really run. Obo (Ogbonnia Okoronkwo) has been really good at the jack position. We've got other guys like Will Johnson, Kapri Doucet and Caleb Kelly who are really athletic with a lot of power to them. We're just very pleased overall with the guys who we need to step up. In the secondary, Dakota Austin played great for us a year ago and has stepped up. Michiah Quick has really had a great couple of days and is showing up at the corner position. In the kicking game, Austin Seibert is even in better shape than he was a year ago. He's really looked good hitting the ball.”

On Mykel Jones:
“He's got explosiveness, speed, and quickness, and he has excellent hands.”

On leadership at wide receiver:
“Dede (Westbrook) is a great competitor and has a great ability to go get the football. Hopefully he can step up and have even more of those kind of plays this year.”

On having two marquee non-conference games:
“You don't worry about it until kickoff. We definitely have to get a lot of strong and physical work in against each other, but we've got to keep ourselves healthy and be at our best for game one. The schedule is challenging going to Houston right off the bat and then coming back home against Louisiana-Monroe and Ohio State. Two of those teams are top 12 or 13 teams in the country, and deservedly so. We'll have a sense of urgency to really push and get in a great rhythm ahead of game week.”

On Samaje Perine's success and potential for breaking the OU career rushing record:
“It sort of snuck up on everybody, and that's probably what Samaje would prefer. He's a low-key guy. It would be a great accomplishment if it could happen in our normal scheme of things. It's pretty special when you look at the history of running backs here at Oklahoma: Joe Washington, Steve Owens, Billy Vessels, Billy Sims and on down.”

On the new pieces on the offensive line and their communication:
“It's been okay so far – pretty good. Those guys will only get better. Jonathan Alvarez is an excellent player who has played a lot here already. He's a real natural at the center position – that's what he was recruited for. I don't think there's anyone better at getting it to come together than Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh. It all starts with Jonathan, and he's a really good player.”

On the competition at cornerback:
“They're doing well. I talked about it a little before but Dakota (Austin) has looked really good, along with Michiah (Quick), P.J. (Mbanasor) and Antoine Stephens. Our offense does a good job throwing it, so they have their battles. They'll get beat, then they'll make a play, so it's back-and-forth all the time and that's what you want.”

On being more physical than they were against Clemson:
“I don't think you can ever be physical enough. It's something that you're constantly pushing for. You balance it with going against each other and keeping your team healthy as well.”

On coaching guys off-the-field as well and bringing in speakers about issues:
“We've got someone scheduled virtually every team meeting, talking about all different parts of handling yourself out in the community and on the campus. You're constantly trying to educate and develop your players to understand the correct behavior and learn how to grow.”

On how the stadium construction is coming along:
“It's fantastic. I can't wait to get out there and get in the middle of it. They're really doing a great job. Hopefully, it will affect the noise in the stadium for us in a positive way as well.”

On having a quarterback like Baker Mayfield:
“A year ago at this time, we were still figuring out who our quarterback was going to be and we were in a relatively new system. Now, having Baker run it all last year, all spring and all summer, I don't think there's any question that he's much more comfortable in his role and decision-making. You're going with a guy who has experienced it in a lot of big venues. It's always a positive when you've got a veteran quarterback to start the year.”

Video

Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops

On the challenge of having a new linebacker corps:
“We lack experience in those positions and I think that's the biggest disadvantage. I think we have outstanding players, but in just the last three days I've been surprised by their development and their ability to conceptually dissect what we're trying to do. We're trying to whittle down who we're going to give our primary repetitions to. They're all fighting for their place and that's good to have that competition. We'll see how it plays out these next three weeks.”

On the preparation ahead of Houston and Ohio State:
“I think we feel relatively good about our starting 11 and what we can do with those guys. We played all spring with them and having those players these first few days has helped. Finding out what style we want to play and kind of maneuver our way around. We're going to have to play some young guys if someone goes down but they'll be ready. I've been very pleased with their development in such a short amount of time.”

On his impression of Michiah Quick's transition from wide receiver to defensive back:
“I think he has a chance to be an outstanding player. I think he's really developed these last three days and he's done some nice things. He has to continually develop and push himself to get better. He needs to become a guy who can be put out there on an island and hold his own.”

On how much different coaching this year's defense is opposed to last year's:
“It's been a rough three days but it's been fun. When you work with really good players to me that's exciting. To develop a great young player, I don't think there's anything that coaches love more. I think we have some guys who can become some outstanding football players if they really concentrate and focus each day. We have four more weeks until we play Houston and we'll have taken a ton of reps. Our first group is solidified and now we need to get the same confidence in the guys behind them. That'll take some time, but we've really worked to get in a positive direction.”

On his opinion of Steven Parker coming into this season:
“I think he has to take that jump to the next level. I think he's been a really good and solid player for us across the board but he has the capabilities to become a dominant safety. We certainly expect him to take a jump in that direction. He has to be a playmaker for us; we ask him to do a lot of things. His greatest strength is that he's very diverse in what he can do. He has speed, hips, range, and those are all great qualities for a safety.”

On how he's seen his brother Bob evolve as the head coach on and off the field:
“He seems happier. I don't know if that's because of me or any of you. That was a joke. I think Bob is just happy with the direction of our players and what we're doing. He feels good about our players' attitudes, the work ethic of our team. We've had very few distractions and when you have a guy like Baker (Mayfield) I think that makes you feel good. You know every time I go to practice I kind of shake my head at what I see because he's so mind boggling. I think we're in a good position, we're getting stronger as we go forward and that's always a positive.”

Video

Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley

On the opportunity for the receivers with the graduation of Sterling Shepard:
“I think they sense that there will be more opportunities. We want to be a more well-rounded group. In a perfect world we don't have a guy that maybe we don't throw it to that high of a percentage of the time, but he won so much that it was hard not to. I think through the development of the offense, as we go through these years in recruiting, I think we are going to be a more well-rounded group and thus, hopefully, the thought is much tougher to defend.”

On Samaje Perine's success as he approaches the school rushing record:
“He's ran for a lot of yards. I'm a little surprised [about his success] because the history here is as good as it is anywhere for running backs in the history of the game. This guy has been so consistent and it's awesome to see a guy that is having this happen, and is so humble in the career that he has had up until this point. The fact that he still has a lot left is very special and to be able to share it back there with another great player like Joe [Mixon] and see those two work together is good when he has the opportunity to do that and to see good things happen to good people. He's a great example.”

On if they can create an offensive identity quicker this year:
“We better. We played better as we went on, but part of that was that it was year one and there was just a progression of it. I think we knew what our identity was the entire way we just weren't great at it yet. Kind of around mid-season we started playing better and got some confidence and were able to take it from there. There certainly is an expectation that we've got to play better, and I think that our guys have a strong understanding that if we don't then we'll be in trouble. We play, obviously, some really good teams here in the beginning and we've got to be very good very early.”

On quarterback Baker Mayfield's leadership role:
“How they [teammates] look at him is probably different. He's played a year with these guys now and he's established himself as a leader and someone that they're going to look to, especially when the leadership is needed he's been able to fill that. Before we had other guys filing that role and he hadn't played here yet. It's harder to do when you haven't played and made plays and earned that respect. He definitely carries a bigger voice now, and it's something he's done a good job with.”

On Joe Mixon's ability and outlook for the season:
“People better appreciate him because he is fantastic. He is a fantastic player, he is a great young man, and he is one of our most valuable flat-out players on the team because of the energy that he brings. He is with our young players, like with Abdul Adams, he's got his arm around Abdul all the time helping him out, teaching him whether it's something about offense or something about college in general, or helping him grow up. I think Joe will be a team captain here one day. He acts like one right now. He is obviously a really good football player, and we think that his best ball is definitely ahead of him.”

On what he has seen so far from Geno Lewis:
“He is really mature. This is a guy that has traveled half way across the country to come here and have a great senior season, and he's really approached everything with a very professional mindset. It's been good for our guys to see, having again a little bit of a younger receiving corps in some areas, some new guys that we need to contribute, and he's been a great example. He has got really good ball skills. He has shown the ability to be able to move around at different positions while being here for a short time. His attitude has been fantastic.”

PLAYERS

Junior Center Jonathan Alvarez:

On how the first three practices have gone:
“As expected we are coming out really strong, really fast. There are still small things we need to work on, stuff that's easily fixed.”

On how he is handling his different role with the transition to center:
“Just taking it day by day. It's nothing really different, not thinking of myself as any higher, just trying to get my spot down to the best of my ability.”

On if he likes the challenge of opening the season against Houston:
“As an athlete in general it's always fun to have a challenge in front of you, but we're not really looking at it as anything. We are just trying to make ourselves better right now, thinking of it as a game that we have to play later.”

Sophomore Wide Receiver Mark Andrews:

On how Baker Mayfield has changed since this time last season:
“It's been different for him. He's been able to be more calm and relaxed, and he's able to do his thing and have everyone follow him.”

On how they will replace Sterling Shepard:
“I don't think anyone can replace a guy like Sterling Shepard. There are definitely a lot of opportunities with him being gone, though, and there's a lot of reps I'm able to take to get used to this offense.”

On how he's improved this offseason:
“Overall, I've gotten more mentally comfortable in my blocking game. I've gotten better at route running and just learning the schemes and knowing what to do.”

On Mykel Jones:
“Mykel is a really fast player. He kind of reminds me a little bit of Sterling Shepard. He's a really good player, and he should play well for us this year when he puts it all together.”

Sophomore Tackle Orlando Brown:

On how he feels heading into his second year starting:
“As far as feeling like a vet, I feel experienced but I'm not anywhere near where Daryl Williams or Tyrus Thompson were their freshman years. So I have a long way to go.”

On if preparation has changed because of facing Houston and Ohio State early:
“It's definitely more physical. We've really dedicated ourselves to being the most physical team in the country, and that's just how we're approaching it every day.”

On junior Samaje Perine approaching the OU career rushing record:
“It'd be great and something I'd be proud to be a part of, especially for Samaje, who's such a great teammate and person. I'm very proud of him either way, but that's a monumental goal considering all the guys that've come through here.”

Senior Defensive End Matt Dimon:

On his leadership as a veteran:
“I've been here four years now and I've played every year, and I definitely have the technical know-how to guide other guys along. Some of our freshmen, I've been able to give them a couple of pointers, what I've learned from other guys through the years. I've really seen them improve and I feel like it's improved my leadership.”

On how he has gotten better:
“I've put on 20 pounds which is what I thought I've been needing to do the whole time I've been here. Just putting on the weight has helped me a lot. I feel so much stronger this offseason and in fall camp so far, and I've maintained my speed through it.”

On if this can be the best defensive line since he's been here:
“I think we have a really good chance. I'd sound stupid saying we don't have a chance, but we just have to put it all together. The pieces are there but we have to mesh and jell and get that chemistry down that a great D-line has and play for each other. It's kind of there, but we have to put it all together.”

Senior Linebacker Jordan Evans:

On his thoughts about the linebacker unit:
“I understand where people come from because we lost the most guys on the defense, but I don't question my guys. They are here for a reason and I know they can play. I play next to them; I've seen them grow. A lot of these young guys have been stepping up and working hard during this camp and I know they will be ready by the first game.”

On the mental contributions of Tay Evans:
“Tay is a very smart football player. He came in as a freshman and we always knew he was smart and could pick it up pretty quickly. There are times out there where he will tell me something and it will kind of catch me off guard because he is above his years. He hasn't had the most experience but you would never be able to tell.”

On how the schedule changes the approach of August:
“We know what is at hand and what is in front of us. We know that we are starting off the season with some pretty great opponents, and it gives us a little more edge, a little more drive. We know we have to be ready. There is no building up to, we have to be ready game one. Things are a little more intense throughout the summer and in camp we are still thinking about it. At the end of the day we're still focused on us because we have to get ourselves right before anything else.”

Sophomore Linebacker Tay Evans:

On him and his brother, offensive lineman Bobby Evans, playing together:
“It's really exciting. This has been something we've been dreaming about since we were little. We've grown up Sooner fans. Since my dad played (basketball) here, we always watched the games on Saturdays. It's always been a dream of ours.”

On his brother, Bobby, tearing his ACL during his senior year of high school:
“It was really tough. I remember he was really upset because he thought he would lose his scholarship, but Coach Stoops told him not to worry about that and to just worry about getting better.”

On other players saying he's a smart football player:
“I just understand the play book a lot quicker than a lot of guys would. Just studying it and being a student of the game. And it's paying off now. Now I'm not doing a lot of thinking. It's become natural. I'm playing fast, I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm not thinking or being nervous, I'm just going.”

Junior Fullback Dimitri Flowers:

On his versatility and what he thinks he's best at:
“I definitely feel I'm better at the athletic side of it – the route running and the catching. Blocking is something I need to keep working on, and that's what I've been doing this offseason.”

On what else he's been doing in the offseason:
“I've gotten a little slimmer and tried to get my speed up to where it was last year.”

On the confidence level going into this year:
“Internally, we know that nothing we did last season matters. We're starting a new page, and with that being said, we can't talk about anything that we did last year. We're not 11-2 right now, we're 0-0. We know as an offense and as a defense that it starts all over and we have to start something new.”

Junior Defensive Back Will Johnson:

On the preparation for a big opening game like Houston:
“I think it was great that we had so much star-power on defense last year like Zack Sanchez, Charles Tapper and others. But because we don't have all the star power, it's brought us more together and taught us to be more as one group and rely on each other. We can't rely on Eric Striker to come off the edge and make a play for us. Everybody has to do their job, and it has made us tighter as a group.”

On the transition from a junior college last season to this year:
“Just coming in and giving it all I have, running as fast as I can, and learning everything on the fly. One thing I've learned in college is that it's hard to teach one guy everything when you have so many other guys immediately ready to go. I had to be patient but move swiftly and be hungry and ready to go.”

Senior Wide Receiver Geno Lewis:

On his transition after transferring:
“My main goal in anything is to earn everything I get. I didn't come in here expecting to start or to be given anything. Even though it's my last year, I don't want to be given anything. That's not my mentality, and that's not how my parents raised me. I'm going to fight for everything I'm going for and that's what I've done my whole life.”

On the offensive system:
“It was definitely an adjustment. Offensive-wise they made it pretty simple for me so I can play fast and make plays.”

On Baker Mayfield:
“He makes things easier. He has so much touch on the football and his accuracy is incredible. Where I expect the ball to be, he puts it there. He's awesome and has been having a great camp so far. I'm just excited and grateful for him to be my quarterback.”

On the departure of Sterling Shepherd:
“I never knew Sterling personally, but I've watched plenty of film on him. He's a great player and did a lot for OU, including being a huge part of the offense last year. I wish nothing but the best for him. But this is a new group, a new team and guys are going to go out and prove themselves. That should be everyone's mentality to get better every day and help the team."

Junior Quarterback Baker Mayfield:

On what has stood out to him in these first three practices:
“The competition has been great and I think that even the defense being younger, it's been good to get out there and compete against those guys. Them not having as much experience, but they are still competing with the offense, which I expect to be top-5 in the country if not the best, they've been competing with us very well. So it's been good to see that, for them come out with a little fire and ready to go.”

On if he challenges the wide receivers or if they take it personally:
“I challenge them a lot and the coaches do too. I think that they are sick and tired of hearing that our receivers aren't going to be any good because Sterling Shepard is gone, and they should absolutely take that personally. They are here playing receiver at Oklahoma for a reason. I trust them and they are playing well right now, so I think that they're only going to keep progressing as camp goes on.”

On how this offseason has compared to last offseason:
“I felt through the spring and camp now that I've been a lot more loose, not playing uptight. My work ethic has been the exact same, if not even harder. I've been pushing myself and I need those guys to see that. If they were to see me taking a day off or just saying that I've got it figured out then it wouldn't be good for the program. I've been working hard and that's how I expect the other guys to do it too.”

On if practices have been different knowing that they will be playing Houston in week one:
“Not only practice but kind of the summer workouts were a little bit different too because we realized we have to be ready from the get-go. Our first game is against a very good opponent and the front part of the season is very loaded up, so we have been preparing to be ready for the season in the very beginning. We can't have any rust to knock off; we have to go in already ready to play. That's how we are treating camp right now. We know who we have on Sept. 3, but at the same time it's about working on us and getting better as a team.”

Junior Linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo:

On if the linebackers have added motivation to surpass expectations this year:
“We definitely take it personally because we know what we can do. We're ready to show everyone. We're working hard in practice every single day so we're ready to play come the first game.”

On his increased role and playing time this year:
“It's been a long time coming so I'm ready to embrace all the responsibility this year. I feel like I'm older and wiser now by not making the same mistakes that I always did. I'm really just coming into my own now.”

On the importance of patience during his tenure at OU:
“Honestly I just sat and waited. I knew I was playing behind two great players in Devante (Bond) and (Eric) Striker. I couldn't be mad because they were better than me, but I was able to work alongside and learn a lot from both of them.”

Junior Safety Steven Parker:

On his own expectations heading into his third year:
“Usually I don't think about individual statistics, I just try and focus on the team. Of course individuals make up the team and then the team goes out and wins ball games. That's the goal this year is to just go out and win ball games. I know if I'm playing well and everybody on the defense is playing well then we should be able to prosper.”

On what he thinks when reflecting on the game winning play he made against TCU last season:
“I think it was just an instinctive play. I kind of refer to basketball whenever you trap someone at half court and they throw the ball over your head. They always tell you to not throw the ball because it's a trap and I feel like I just trapped the quarterback. I jumped up and knocked it down.”

On what it means to him that his grandfather played at OU:
“That's something that's very important to me. It's kind of like how we have that tradition of playing for the guys that came before us and that's special that my grandpa was one of those guys. I'm just trying to take on that legacy and family tradition and really just make him proud.”

Junior Running Back Samaje Perine:

On what he thinks about passing Billy Sims, Billy Vessels and Steve Owens on OU's career rushing list:
“I can't dream about that stuff, man. I'm just doing whatever I need to do to make the team better.”

On how dominant he and Joe Mixon could be:
“It remains to be seen. We could be very explosive or just be average. I'm hoping for very explosive.”

On picking up from where the team left off last season:
“We don't care what people say. We just try to put the focus on us and do what we have to do because we know we're going to have a big target on our back. We just have to keep the focus on us and things will fall into place.”

Senior Safety Ahmad Thomas:

On the defensive leadership:
“It's been a different type of leadership. (Eric) Striker's not out there yelling and he was a one-in-a-million type player so none of us can top that and his personality. The leadership can be the same though, too, because you still have us older guys teaching the new guys what's right and wrong, on and off the field.”

On any leadership surprises:
“There's no one that surprised me. You have that much leadership (last season) and you go through a season with players like that and you learn from guys like that. You start to step in when you didn't even know you could step in; you just get the motivation from guys like that.”

On individual leaders of position groups:
“The older guys are the individual defensive leaders in groups. At the same time, me, Charles (Walker), and Jordan (Evans) all came in the same class so we keep our groups together. When we lead one of our groups, we also lead the whole defense. It's cool to see how we all have jelled together. We have a new group of guys and they came together so fast. It's not just defensive backs hanging out or linebackers hanging out; we're all hanging together and it brings the defense together.”

On the difference between 2014 and 2016:
“The main difference is we don't listen to that stuff. We have to prove ourselves. What we did last year was all right. We came close but we didn't get to where we want to be. We're not satisfied with that. We don't like to listen to what anyone has to say. If we want to be No. 1, we have to play like that.”

Junior Defensive Tackle Charles Walker:

On how his approach to football changed:
“It hasn't changed… we have a goal; we have a mission. It's basically our whole class and most of those guys are leaving because they're seniors, actual seniors. You want to just make this year count and do all we can do for this year and play for each other. I'm not really worried about the future right now.”

On how excited he is to get the season started:
“I owe it to my team. I had no control over what happened [last season], but I know what I have to do to play my role, to get my job done and help out. Week one, week two, week three -- every game is a big game. I'm excited the same level for each game. I don't take any game lightly. I respect all the opponents. I don't care what they're record is or any of that. I'm just excited.”

Senior Receiver Dede Westbrook:

On how Baker Mayfield has changed:
“He's just determined. He's more determined than he was last year. Us getting as far as we did and not being able to pull it off at the end pretty much set the edge for all the guys in that locker room. We've all established determination to be better than we were last year.”

On what's been different this offseason for him:
“It's a big role. Last year, coming in I knew my role. I knew Sterling [Shepard] was going to be Sterling, but now that Sterling is gone, I have to step up and be that big target. Now it's a huge role. It's hard to replace Sterling, but I'll do my best.”

On having good running backs, like Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon:
“It helps a lot back there. When those guys are back there, it takes a lot of heat off us as receivers. When we're doing our job correctly, we take a lot of heat off them. We just complement one another.”

On Samaje Perine:
“He's a great player. He's probably the most unselfish person I've ever met in my life. Whenever there's a big play, he's easy to say 'He got it.' He's one of those players. Not only is he a great player on the field, but he's even better off the field."