BIG 12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: OKLAHOMA VS IOWA STATE

December 19, 2020

Charlie Kolar

Iowa State Cyclones

Q. Charlie, can you explain the emotions kind of going through you right now?

CHARLIE KOLAR: Yeah, we lost. I'm pissed. That's about it.

Q. I mean, what's it say about the fight you guys showed tonight to get back in that game in the second half?

CHARLIE KOLAR: Yeah, I'm proud of this team, but we lost. I don't believe in moral victories. I don't believe in good losses. We lost. I wouldn't want to play for any other team or any other coaching staff, but we lost.

Q. Charlie, this might kind of go against the emotions you're feeling right now, but we just got done listening to Xavier [Hutchinson] saying the motto behind this team is never die easy. Kind of what's the message -- what's your feeling on that message? Obviously, it's a tough loss, but kind of based off that last question, what's the fight in this team not willing to die an easy death?

CHARLIE KOLAR: Yeah, he's right. We don't die easy. We fight to the last minute. Today it just wasn't quite enough. We lost.

Q. Charlie, when you guys are in a close game like that, I guess what do you focus on, and what might have been the difference today?

CHARLIE KOLAR: We've got to score more points than them. It doesn't matter how we get there. We've got to do it. It's not just the fourth quarter, it's all four quarters. Little things here and there. Got to be better for Brock [Purdy].

Yeah, I mean, we lost. I mean, it's hard to -- I haven't watched the film yet, so I can't speak on the details, but defense, offense, special teams, we just -- all of us just didn't do quite enough. So we'll come back. Hopefully, we'll get a Bowl game. I don't know how that works this year, but we'll get better and be ready for that game.

Q. You guys are moving the ball down the field on that last drive. Did it feel like you had wind in your sails that you're going to be able to put in the end zone?

CHARLIE KOLAR: Yeah, we believed in the last second we were going to win. Obviously, we didn't at the end. We had third and 11, and they made a play on the ball. Yeah, I mean, we're moving the ball. We had time left. We had time-out. Obviously, we had that belief. That's why we kept fighting. It just wasn't enough at the end.

Q. What can you say about Brock [Purdy] today? Some may look at the three interceptions, but what can you say about him?

CHARLIE KOLAR: He's a (expletive) warrior. I mean, you can say what you want about three picks, but he keeps fighting to the last second. I'll go to war with him any day of the week, any day of the year.

Just like him, like all of us, we've got to get better. Obviously, he didn't play his best game. None of us did. I don't care. I (expletive) love him. I'll keep playing with him any day.