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BIG 12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMEDecember 3, 2010Bob StoopsARLINGTON, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Coach Stoops. Coach, your thoughts about tomorrow's game? COACH STOOPS: Okay. We're, of course, as a team and program, really feel fortunate and excited to be in this position to compete for another Big 12 Championship. We're proud to represent Oklahoma in the south division; and playing another great tradition and program in Nebraska, with such a history in this game of competing for championships these two programs. Awful proud of Bo and his group of coaches, so many that I know that have had such an outstanding short career there, and to be back in this game again, we recognize it as a big challenge, of course. But exciting one and one we're really looking forward to being out here tomorrow night in this stadium and competing for another Big 12 Championship. So the team has had a great week of work, and we're really -- they'll be bussing down here shortly. They get in in the evening, and kind of our normal routine from here. Q. I asked Bo about this too, lot of familiarity there between you and he. It's almost like playing against Mike or somebody. Just your thoughts on facing a good friend or family member? COACH STOOPS: Yeah, it really is. It's kind of ironic to be in the OU-Nebraska, one of the last times that we're playing here for a championship and for, as I said to him, as my brother Ron and another great friend Jerry that are here are also close with Bo, that I said it's not bad for a couple of poor kids from the south side. Here we are playing for the Big 12 Championship with Oklahoma and Nebraska. So to quote one of our late buddies. So anyway, it's really pretty neat. The good part of it when you're in a game like this is one of you has to win, so one of you is going to have a championship. So that part of it, when you're playing in the championship game is good. Q. Could you just basically describe what you saw out of DeMarco in Thursday's practice? COACH STOOPS: He looked good. He went through the entire practice and was feeling good afterwards. So that's all a positive sign. So we anticipate him being prepared and ready to go. Q. Bo was asked about this being the last Big 12 game and just kind of ruminations on it, and he made the comment that he didn't think that this was going to be the last Big 12 game. That there were going to be future Big 12 Championship games. What are your thoughts on that the future of the championship game? COACH STOOPS: We'll see. Hopefully that is the case. It's hard to speculate on where things will move to and go. But if there are more, that will be great. If there aren't, that will be great too. So it will pretty much be great one way or the other. You know, it's funny because I've been asked that a lot. This game, and I'm saying this in a humble way, we've been fortunate to have been in this position several times looking at the National Championship picture and being in that game. So this game then is one that you're thinking what in the world are we playing this for when you look at some of these other conferences and they're not. They're in a National Championship right up are there, ready to play for it too. They're home sitting down, eating turkey, watching you. But other years when you're not in that picture, for instance, this year, it's incredibly exciting and it's a game that you're glad you have. So it's been a little bit of a double-edged sword that way, for us. Q. You talked about last year you were at home, Nebraska was here at this championship, you weren't playing for the championship. How much does experience come into factor in this game? COACH STOOPS: I don't know. Last year was last year. We've played a lot of games since then. It's not like we were -- we were in the three prior championships and won all three of them. So most of our guys have some experience in that situation as well. But I don't think it matters either way. The ones that we've had and the ones that they've had, this is new teams, different year. So you go play it again. Q. With the uncertainty of Nebraska's quarterback situation heading into this game, how do you prepare for that with three capable guys? COACH STOOPS: You take a little extra time and work on some of the stuff you've seen from Cody Green and Zac Lee. And we did that. A lot of it, some of it doesn't really matter. It's the same offense and a lot of the same plays. Other parts of it, particularly some of the passing game you work a little bit more and prepare for. That's what we've done, and hopefully we're ready for it. Q. Is there anything to, the tradition like Bo talked about the tradition of not only OU-Nebraska. He was asked, are you going to miss anything from the Big 12. Are you going to miss playing Nebraska from this point on in the season? COACH STOOPS: Sure. I can't -- yes and no. Again, yeah, sure you miss the tradition and the rivalry of it all. But also the other part of that is they're always a good football team, and you know, so that part of it may lighten your schedule a little bit. But we'll make up for it by going to Florida State next year and a few other ones in the future. It is exciting. I know Coach Osborne and Joe Castiglione are talking about some future meetings, which hopefully will be worked out. Q. Lot of talk about the past meetings of OU-Nebraska. Also a lot of talk about this being the last Big 12 Championship game. Internally do you talk about that at all or the significance of any of that, or is this all about the here and now? COACH STOOPS: It's all about the here and now. But I want my players aware of some of the past games. We've shown them some in two-a-days. We've shown them some early in the week in the '76 OU-Nebraska game. Today we showed them a little bit about the 2006 game in Kansas City. So they're aware of it. We talked about it in our Monday scout report how many times through the years this game had had decided the Big 8 Championship, and you want them to appreciate it. But in the end, there's no added pressure. In the end, it's just about this game. Let's be prepared to play well. Q. Your team seems to be on a little bit of a roll now. What are one or two areas you feel you made the biggest strides in with your team this year? COACH STOOPS: We are, in the last several weeks playing really consistently and confidently. I think a couple of the areas first would be mental mistakes, primarily defensively being aligned and in proper position. So much at a time some of the plays we had given up, not to take anything away, people take advantage of it when you're not disciplined to be doing what we're supposed to be doing. We've been very much better and very consistent about that in the last few weeks. Offensively I think two areas we've been, for the most part, balanced. We've been effective running the football and persistent running the football which has opened up a lot of big plays and passing for Landry Jones and his continued emergence as a special quarterback. Q. When you look at this Nebraska team, are you surprised with how quickly they've been able to kind of come back after the Callahan era under Bo? And would you consider this program to be back where they once were? COACH STOOPS: Sure. I mean, we played them in the 2006 Big 12 Championship game. So I don't know how far down they were. But Bo and his staff have done an awesome job of consistency and great, great defense and quality football. Each and every -- you know, these last couple of years they've been rock solid in every area. Heck, they're within a half a second a year ago from winning the Big 12 Championship. So they definitely have got Nebraska back in the elite programs of the country. Q. I assume you watched Mike last night and you lived through that emotional deal? COACH STOOPS: No, I can't. Q. You can't handle it emotionally? COACH STOOPS: Yeah, all of it. I'm saving my energy for tomorrow night. Q. All right. Turns out he lost to Arizona State? COACH STOOPS: I know what happened. Q. Okay. Well, my question is this: He missed the extra point or got a block there at the end of regulation. In overtime gets another one deflected and they lose. Not too many coaches particularly in overtime with a chance to win go for two. Before overtime we had coaches all the time going for two at the end of games to win. Have you ever thought about when you're going to go for two, when you're not? Are we not going to see much of that? Are we going to see coaches in overtime just keep extending the game? COACH STOOPS: Well, if you go for two and don't make it, you guys write all kinds of bad things about them. So you guys are intimidating all these guys from doing it. I have thought of it on multiple occasions. One for sure that I was seriously debating, I remember it well, was the 2003 National Championship and the Sugar Bowl playing LSU. We were on the drive late, and it was in my mind because it had been an uphill battle all game. They had the crowd. We felt at that time, I felt they were tired. We'd have them on the run. That was strongly, in my mind, thinking of going for two for those reasons that just to continue this out. I didn't feel we were on the better end of it. So to get three yards and have it over was, in my mind, in a very strong way. Not that I would have done it, but, believe me it was processing and it was possible. Q. Jonathan Nelson, how did Nelson come out of the game? Was it a concussion last weekend? Is he ready to go? COACH STOOPS: He's ready to go. He's practiced since Monday, and has been solid. And I never talk about any type of injuries if a guy's set to play. Just no matter what it is, I just don't think there is no sense in anyone targeting what his issues were. Q. We're seeing different kind of teams populate the Top 10 when you have an Oregon, Boise, TCU, Stanford, teams like that. Everyone's talked about parody. What do you think this is leading to? Is it a pattern or anything meaningful leading toward a playoff or anything else? COACH STOOPS: I think, and I've felt this for quite a number of years. There are more and more players out of high school that are quality, good, solid, excellent football players. And with the limits at that every school has, there are good players spread around the country everywhere. So there is the parody. It's not stopping. Then there's quality coaching, too. So in the end I think it's going to be this way. It's more and more difficult to just be the one or just the six or the eight or the ten teams that are always up there. Recruiting is an inexact science. It happens to everybody. So some teams may think they've got the elite classes, and you see some of these other programs that come up and, oops, three years later, no you didn't, these guys did. And that happens. So I don't see it going away for sure. I don't see a playoff happening any time soon. So I think you're just going to see more of this. Q. Last year Landry had probably his worst game in two years against Nebraska. But Bo said earlier looking at the tape, he looks like a totally different quarterback this year. You've mentioned that before. How much more confident are you with him going into tomorrow night's game is this? COACH STOOPS: It's not even comparable. But I think the big reason is not only Landry's mindset, his experience, and the confidence that he's played with here in the last, you know, this whole year. I think more than that it's also a year ago knowing that everybody wants to dump it all on him. He wasn't supported very well. Look at the penalties we had in that game. Look at our banged up offensive line that we didn't have. Look at the receivers and dropped balls. It goes on and on. I thought to finish the year like we did, I thought our offensive coaches did a marvelous job piecing it together. We play Oklahoma State the last game of the regular season. We have one lineman walk-on left to play, to go in. If anybody's hurt he's got to play all the positions. We move our third team tight end to right tackle to play that game the day of the game. So in the end, we were just hanging on. Not Landry's fault. In a lot of ways through all the different injuries and all, it was all we could do. He wasn't supported in a great way, but I still thought through the year he had a really good year for his situation. Q. Bo Pelini and the players of Nebraska have said throughout the year, kind of a Big 12 farewell tour with them leaving, it it's them against the world. Do you feel like the people's champ heading into this game with them leaving the conference, maybe the conference favorite to go there up and win? COACH STOOPS: I don't know. In the end maybe that's the case. I'll take it if that's the -- I'll take all the good vibrations I can get. But I'm not out there meaning out in the public, papers, reading, listening to news. I don't know if that's the case or not. I guess maybe I'm not the best one to ask that. I'm kind of in a cocoon, going to practice, getting ready for the game, so I'm not aware of it. But if that's the case, we'll take all the rooting and all the cheering from whoever wants to give it to us. Q. What have you thought about this tiebreaker system? It's benefited you guys a little bit the way you play obviously. But how much are you looking forward to the second part of it next year with the round robin that tiebreaker's going to take care of itself? COACH STOOPS: I've never had an opinion or cared about the tiebreaker as long as it was the same for everybody and you didn't change it in the last week of the year like some wanted to do some other years, all right. So it is what it is. Just tell me what it is when we start the season, and that's fine with me as long as it's fair to everybody. Truly, I could care less as long as we're all on the same rules. And I think playing everybody will be great. That will be good too to decide it that way. Q. What makes Nebraska's defense so good? COACH STOOPS: A number of things. They're coached well. They do a great job coaching. I know Bo has a hand in it. His brother Carl as coordinator and Mike Ekeler and those guys have done a great job. You see the discipline. They play physical. They've got excellent talent. When you look at their cover guys, you look at them up front with their toughness in their front four. So, all of it together they play an excellent scheme. They're well-schooled at it. End of FastScripts |
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