Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners are heading to San Antonio for the Big 12 Championship game against the Missouri Tigers. Coach Stoops and a few players met with the media on Tuesday to talk about making another appearance in the conference championship game and their match-up against the Missouri Tigers.
This will be the second time the Tigers and Sooners have mixed it up this season so there will be some familiarity there giving an advantage, right? Not so says Bob Stoops.
"I don't know if it is an advantage for us or an advantage for them. That kind of plays itself out and in the end, you make your adjustments. You have some wrinkles, you change some of what you did and you have to play them again."
The Tigers have a Heisman Trophy candidate in Chase Daniel but is he better than Sam Bradford? Coach Stoops makes a great point in comparing the two quarterbacks.
"Sam has just been phenomenal and I think that Chase Daniel has just been fabulous. But if you look at Sam and compare him with Chase, he has thirty-three touchdowns and Sam has thirty-two. He has nine interceptions and Sam has seven. We average 44 points per game and with him (Daniel) at quarterback they average 42. I agree with Chase being a fabulous player, but Sam needs to be considered pretty darn good as well. Obviously, that is why I bring the comparison up. Sam has been phenomenal for us and he is just what you want."
Missouri has a reputation nationally because of their high powered offense but Coach Stoops says that their defense is pretty solid as well.
"They will zone blitz you like most everyone does. Strong and weak or field to boundary and then they will sit back and play two deep and then try and mix it up. They will twist around and try to confuse you a little bit, but overall I think they do a nice job. They are very disciplined and solid and they make you work to beat them."
OU is going for their fifth conference championship in six tries since the 2000 season. That kind of experience has to count for something but you have to keep it in perspective.
"It sure doesn't hurt, but in the end, you win each game on its own merit. In the end, each team is different and we have to win it this year with different guys than a year ago. Some of them were in it last year but it is still a different team."
Player Quotes
"We've put that game behind us and I'm pretty sure they've put that game behind themselves also. It's a whole new game and another four quarters for us to play. Beating them already this year doesn't make us feel like we're better than them. We know we have to come play Saturday, and that's what we'll do." - Cornerback Marcus Walker on playing Missouri for the second time this season
"Well, we already played them this year, and we pretty much know what they present. They pass the ball and spread it out, and do a good job of getting it out there. They have a good quarterback with good receivers and a good tight end that we need to be able to cover." - Linebacker Lewis Baker on Missouri's offense
"They do a lot of the same things; I mean we played them once already. They are the same team but they do some things a little better now than they did the first time. I would say they are better defensively." - Center Jon Cooper on how the Tigers will be different the second time around
