FEDEX ORANGE BOWL: OKLAHOMA v FLORIDA STATE

December 31, 2000

Bob Stoops

COACH STOOPS: Some people sort of asked if that was planned or I had some grand plan to do it. It had nothing to do with it. To me, it is just very genuine, and genuine in that I respect our past and embrace it. I think when you have the tradition and history that we have, that needs to be put out there. It needs to continually be recognized, and those great players and coaches, not only just Coach Switzer, even his assistants, are welcomed in and around our practices constantly because they have earned their way and they have been part of building that great tradition. So it is just very natural and genuine on our part, and we are strong enough personalities and confident people that we don't feel at all intimidated or overshadowed by it. We feel that we're good enough at what we'll do, we'll be able to stand on our own, too.

COACH STOOPS: Well, I bumped into not only Coach Switzer, but some assistant coaches, other players, and whenever I do, I always let them know: "We'd love to see you, come by whenever you want, stop by practice, stop by the office and know that you're always welcome there," and they realize that. I think the reason that so many are is because they genuinely feel that it is genuine and we do want them around.

COACH STOOPS: No, I wish we had picked it up a little better last year. In some of the games we made some mental errors, really, throughout the season, that hurt us. So, we had hoped to pick up everything a year ago, but then in reality, our players did a nice job a year ago. Just this year was just much more consistent because of the extra time and the extra learning, and, you know, we do run a complicated system that can take a little while, but our players really have a handle on it now.

COACH STOOPS: Sure. Decision-making. Players understanding where they are supposed to be, how they are supposed to react. Once you have a stronger feel that way, you can play more aggressive and more confident, and that makes you a better defensive player.

COACH STOOPS: He has been a big factor in our success, as well. He is as good as they come. You look at his track record, starting off in Nebraska and then to Notre Dame and Florida, all places that he has won National Championships at; and then two years here, we're competing for a National Championship. So he has been a big factor in our eyes, and our players are stronger, faster and in better condition than they were two years ago when we walked in, by a long shot.

COACH STOOPS: Was there a concern -- in our first workout, we could have had 20 guys that could not make it through warm-up, let alone complete it. So there was a major concern.

COACH STOOPS: Oh, we just have -- you know, everything changes, and our defense has evolved even from what we did at Florida to a point. And offensively, there's a slight flavor of some Florida plays here and there, but the premises and the basics of our offense really comes from the University of Kentucky, that's our system, but we have a little flare of Florida in some of the things we do.

COACH STOOPS: If anything I would take, if I could get Jeff on Curtis back, if I could get Mike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony back, I'd take all of them: Jacquez Green, Fred Taylor -- I could go on and on, Peterson, the linebacker, to go with the great ones we have. But you take a lot of how you prepare and how you went into the game, and you -- you take, you know, you practice plans, your daily schedules. You understand the philosophy that Florida State plays with and the schemes that they have and what you need to do to have a chance to beat them.

COACH STOOPS: What has to happen for us to be successful Wednesday night: Offensively, we need to protect against their front four; and our receivers need to beat their coverage, tight ends, receivers, backs, need to find holes. Josh needs to deliver the ball. And if that happens, we need to be able to run the ball, as well. We have all year and it has helped us. And then more than anything, take care of the ball. Not be foolish and be responsible with the ball. Defensively, it all starts with Travis Minor. You must stop him or you're in for a long day, and then from there, you've got to tackle and limit their receivers with yards after catches and tackle well and close the ball and sort of contain their passing game and try to eliminate big plays, and then give pressure to Weinke.

COACH STOOPS: They are an excellent team. You are not in the National Championship if you are not a very good team, and that probably goes for us, too.

COACH STOOPS: We just had our entire year on the line in the Big 12 Championship game, playing the team for the second straight time in their backyard. And they are 10-1 if they had not played us two times this year, a very good Kansas State team. So we have had it all out there already just a few weeks ago. Our players handled it in a great way. There was not anybody uptight. We went after it. I expect the same thing in this game. We'll go after it. We'll be confident, but understand that we need to play well, and we'll go out there and let it all go; you can bet on it.

COACH STOOPS: I always thought he has been a great back. He has got tremendous speed. He's got great vision. He catches the ball and runs with it well. He's an excellent all-around player.

COACH STOOPS: Well, because any time defense plays well, they are able to stop the running game; or, at least, you know, strongly discourage it, take it away. When you do that, you've got a great opportunity to win, and that's usually the case with most teams, and I know it always is with us.

COACH STOOPS: Well, they are going to talk about the Heisman Trophy winner. And with us they talk about Josh, Heisman Trophy candidate, been a major part of our offense; and Travis Minor is a major part of theirs. So we are very aware of him and respectful, as well, of their other big-play guys. But on defense, if you cannot stop the running game, you are in for a long game.

COACH STOOPS: Probably because people have seen Florida State in here three years now in a row, and they have not seen us in here for the last three years. Probably a lot of those people haven't seen us play or are not as aware of us as they are aware of Florida State. But I believe to this point, 11 of 15 underdogs have won the games already in the Bowl games, so those odds-makers do not always know.

COACH STOOPS: No. That's what I was speaking of when you're in a National Championship for the third straight year; it's a reputation and well deserved. But again, we feel good about the road we have taken to get here. I don't think anyone will dispute that.

COACH STOOPS: Well, I like the way we match up with our team and we -- you know, we feel good about our speed. We feel good about the way we can throw the ball and run the ball. We feel good about the way we tackle and played defense all year. You know, hopefully, that will be the case.

COACH STOOPS: Sure. You look a year ago, we had an opportunity in every game to win. We led in every game. Just were not good enough yet to complete those games and finish them off and win them. And we recognized coming into this year, we would be a much better team than we were a year ago; that we ought to be able to finish these games off. We recognized with the schedule that we were going to play the No. 10 team in the country and then the No. 2 and No. 1 team in the country back-to-back weeks; that we have to pick up our level of play and play to our potential. Fortunately, we did. We've never seat a time able. It's just been to improve week-to-week, month-to-month and continue to push to be a better team.

COACH STOOPS: I don't know, since we have not played them yet. You'll have to ask me after.

COACH STOOPS: You can't tell on films. They are a very fast football team. One thing I like; we've never been described as slow. You'd have to agree with that, along with the fact that, you know, there's other teams in our league that are pretty decent. Nebraska is not a slow team. I don't think Texas is a slow team. I don't think Kansas State is a slow team, and we've managed to be in good shape with everybody else.

COACH STOOPS: Probably not just the Florida schools; any school that was in the National Championship. If you look at them, I can remember Washington back when they won it had great team speed -- but I think you look at just Florida schools, but anyone who was winning the Championship and you watched them play, you see a lot of speed.

COACH STOOPS: Well, to a point it does. We have a good understanding of their philosophies, and, you know, how they like to play and what you need to do to have a chance to beat them. It does to a point, but you still have to go out and play.

COACH STOOPS: I don't know. There's not a whole lot to compare there in that the offenses are quite different in their style and how they play. So that makes it difficult to compare the two.

COACH STOOPS: Sure. I can't speak for Chris. I am not in their huddles. I am not in their meetings, but I am sure he's a great leader for them. All I can speak to is Josh. He is a great leader for us. His calm, cool demeanor in all situations, and his competitiveness stand out, and our players respond to that and follow it.

COACH STOOPS: Feels great, being this is our 17th Orange Bowl, and we're already 11-5 in this game; it's special. There's no one else close to that, and hopefully, we can make it 12.

COACH STOOPS: Our linebackers have been very strong. Roger and Rocky Calmus and Torrance Marshall together have been an excellent group. Rocky Calmus and Torrance have gotten a lot of attention. Roger is a solid player, as well. And Torrance has played -- everyone anticipated Rocky being an exceptional player, but Torrance has played the entire season. It has been fantastic. Rocky has been a great player for us and will be a factor in this game.

COACH STOOPS: Just has great instincts and a feel for finding the football.

COACH STOOPS: Josh has made a lot of big plays for us this year. I think being at receiver -- and we found a place for him to isolate on and concentrate on, as opposed to playing running back and tight end. We moved him around everywhere, and we needed to a year ago because of lack of depth and other players ready to play. But this year, concentrating on receiver, he has played great improvements. And what happens often is there's a size mis-match lining up with him. He's such a big guy and physical that some defendants have a hard time matching up with him, and he runs good routes and catches the ball well.

COACH STOOPS: Quick.

COACH STOOPS: It does, but Curtis Fagan has had a lot of success with that. No one has ever described him as having size -- he's a skinny thing, but he can run. Josh is a factor. What I like more than anything this year is he's played more physical and in a tougher way and that's helped us.

COACH STOOPS: Well, they are not the only ones to have done that; so a lot of teams do that. We'll see. Just depends, again, if we can handle their front four and if we can beat some coverage and get the ball to people, then we'll have a chance to move the ball.

COACH STOOPS: Our players have handled it in a great way. We have had excellent practices. Our meetings have been good. Everybody has been on time. Everything has been smooth. What I like is our players, their demeanor is not -- nothing -- what I like is they realize this may be all well and good, but this isn't it. We need to win the football game, and I've sensed that and that's what you like. There isn't any of that, "Hey, we're just happy to be here" stuff. We want to win the game, and I can tell the way our players have acted that's definitely their attitude.

COACH STOOPS: Well, extremely positive and upbeat every day he walks in the office, you'd thought he just won the lottery and he's excited about the day, ready to go to work. He's an excellent coach. He's very good with relating and directing players. He has a great way of communicating with them and motivating them.

COACH STOOPS: Exactly. Like I said, positive, upbeat. Like I said, everything -- everything is good. Regardless of the situation, everything is okay, let's keep going. Young Steve has been a big factor in our success in developing those receivers that everybody said when we walked in we didn't have any. Now everyone says we have too many.

COACH STOOPS: There's danger in us next year, too. I mean, someone asked me that yesterday: "What if you don't go 12-0 next year?" I said, "I'll be as mad as the fans are." What are you going to do? Sure, those expectations are out there. There's no sense in telling people not to have them. The only thing we talked about when we took over is we wanted everyone to increase them and expect more. So sometimes you've got to be careful what you ask for.

COACH STOOPS: I don't think there's any question in time he will be a great head coach. He's got all of the leadership qualities you need and got a great mind, for the strategies and for the game, and a great way of leading his players. So I'm sure that will happen in time for him.

COACH STOOPS: He's on a tight watch, but Melissa seems to be doing well from all of Steve's reports. In fact, she was -- we were on the bus trying to find out the Dolphins game, and we couldn't get it on the bus yesterday in the last minute. So Steve was on the phone to the hospital with her and she was giving us the play-by-play. So she's doing well, and we continually pray that -- buy another week or two to help the baby's development.

COACH STOOPS: If Steve needs to go, we put him on a plane and get him back as fast as we can get him.

COACH STOOPS: Well, I don't know. I haven't -- it's hard for me to say. I guess if he's speaking about developing their program when he first started -- I'm not sure how he was relating.

COACH STOOPS: I guess. Again, I'm not in his meetings. I'm not with his team when he's doing all of that, so it's hard for me to say. But, you know, he seems to me -- I'll take that as a compliment and I appreciate the comment because he's had a great way of winning and motivating his team from year to year and establishing consistency in their level of play, which I greatly respect.

COACH STOOPS: I would hope so. And that's certainly one of Coach Bowden's , I'm sure, great attributes is he's been able to continually change with the time and relate to his players and motivate them still, and keep a staff together for such a long time, as well. Hopefully, I could, but I've got to be honest, I hope I'm not coaching at 71, but I love the fact that he is. And who knows, I may change soon. I'm sure that's what happened to Coach. He enjoys it and enjoys every day and is still extremely successful. So why not continue? He's in great health.

COACH STOOPS: I delegate a great deal to my assistants. I am aware and very aware of everything that's happening. But certainly, they have got flexibility to do what they feel necessary, but I'm constantly listening and paying attention to what they are doing.

COACH STOOPS: Well, he's a very instinctive, competitive player. He has a great knack for making big plays. He's always been a great leader for us in the way that he works.

COACH STOOPS: Sure. We've got to defensively stop the run game. It all starts with Travis Minor first, and from there, we've got to be able to tackle well and limit yards after the catch and try and take away big plays to the receivers and create turnovers. Offensively, we need to protect and get the ball out, beat some coverage and continually work the run game, and then get field position through special teams.

COACH STOOPS: Well, he's extremely accurate, strong arms. Makes good decisions. He does all of the things you look for in a great quarterback, and you see him getting them in and out of the right and wrong plays.

COACH STOOPS: What is ironic is I have always as a player and coach wanted to be in the Orange Bowl, play in the Orange Bowl, compete in the Orange Bowl. Got my opportunity in '98 when Florida was coming down here to play Syracuse in the Orange Bowl, and then I go and get the head coaching job at Oklahoma. So that threw that all off. I'm not playing -- so I had to go recruit; and being hired in December, I could not hang around and still do the game. And then it is ironic, here we are, two years later, back in the National Championship Game here and competing against Florida State.

COACH STOOPS: Oh, to a point. I have a familiarity with them, an idea of their philosophies and what they like to do and how they like to approach their game plan; and also, it helps you to a point, but the players still decide the game.

COACH STOOPS: I don't think so. You're different game-to-game, year-to-year and he has a different team than he did a year ago. You know, I like the fact that I've seen our team in four big games, major games this year. I like the fact that I've seen our team have the entire season on the line just three weeks ago in the Big 12 Championship Game, and our players handled it and competed well. So this is not a whole lot different.

COACH STOOPS: No. We've spoken quite a few times, but, you know, Coach, he has some ideas. He's not much on telling you a whole lot. He knows we'll have our own game plan of what we need to do, but he's been encouraging and feels good about it.

COACH STOOPS: I never bothered to speculate on any given number of wins or not, but we just want to continually push to be stronger and improve as a team from week-to-week, month-to-month, and it's just happened in a -- you know, in a quick way. I would have liked it to happen last year but it didn't. So you just keep working and pushing to get to this point, and now we need to finish it.

COACH STOOPS: Seth does a lot for us. Really, great pass protector, very tough player blocking and protecting the run game. He's a much better running back than people realize. Carries the ball well when he has his hands on it. On top of that, he's a dual captain for us: Special teams captain on top of being an offensive captain. So he's been a great leader and a great player for us.

COACH STOOPS: Coach Mangino has done an outstanding job leading our offense and continuing to develop our offense. You know, I think obviously, it's a big -- well, everybody said there's no way they will be able to continue and be a good team now that their offensive coordinator left, and he certainly has proved that not to be the case. And what I like is he has continually improved our offense. I like the fact that we are a better running team this year than we were a year ago, and that's helped us be more consistent as an offense, and it has helped us win more games. There's no reason you cannot throw the ball well and run it well and win that way.