Bedlam football is just four days away! Sooner head coach Bob Stoops met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to answer questions about the health of his team, the game plan for Saturday, and the opponent - the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
After a game in Lubbock that saw four starters go down with injuries the obvious first question was, how are they feeling and who is going to play on Saturday?
"The guys that are out of the game this week are Adron Tennell, DeMarco Murray and Alan Davis. Sam Bradford, we will have to continue to see. I am not going to detail it from hour to hour. It is going to be one of those factors as he goes through the week and if he has any reoccurring symptoms and if he feels well. That is something the doctors will assess. We feel confident regardless who is in there. If we execute with players around that position and move the ball like we are capable, then we can overcome those injuries."
"Auston (English) is going to do a little bit more. We will know more as he goes through the week and see if he can handle it."
"Auston (English) is going to do a little bit more. We will know more as he goes through the week and see if he can handle it."
The loss to Texas Tech robbed OU of a possible birth in the BCS championship game but it also caused the Sooners to fail in their first goal of the season which was to secure a Big 12 South championship. It makes you wonder just what the psychie of the team is after the upset loss?
"To me, it was too far to think about anything else. We had a great week of practice last week. The defense came in and started lights out. I think we were all ready, but we got in there and didn't execute like we are capable of. This week, there isn't anyone hanging their heads. We had a very spirited and good practice yesterday. We have some huge goals out there for us that are major goals for this program. With an in-state rival coming to our place, an opportunity to win the South and play for a Big 12 Championship are major issues. There is a lot left for us out there."
With a question mark at the quarterback position this week the Sooners will just want to use Chris Brown and Allen Patrick to pound away on the O-State defense, right? Wrong says coach Stoops! The goal, regardless the quarterback, is balance.
"We can't go out there and just run the football, regardless of our situation. I always believe in balance, to some degree. I think you sometimes stick to what is working for you. We are not going to just strictly run the football, so we are going to try and do both and be efficient that way."
What about on defense? The Cowboys may not have the "World's Most Dangerous Offense" but they are pretty good when they have the football.
"For me, it begins with rushing because you have to be great at stopping the run. As you are doing that, they have a lot of play-action that you have to adapt to and play it and cover them and not give them big plays."
Player Quotes
"That is the key. With DeMarco (Murray) out, that is a big part missing and we just have to step up. We have to take a lot of stress of Joey (Halzle). We have to create field for him and we can't put him in situations that they may try to overwhelm him. We all have to step up; Allen, Jacob, Mossis and me; we all have to. - Running back Chris Brown on the absence of DeMarco Murray
"They have a good defense. They have some guys flying around and guys on the other side (the defensive line) so we're going to have to take care of business." - Offensive Tackle Phil Loadholt on the OSU defense