Oklahoma State University Athletics
Monday Football Press Conference
October 04, 1999 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 4, 1999
Coach Bob Simmons
On his reaction to Texas Tech beating Texas A&M
"I watched the game, and I thought that Tech played an outstanding ball
game. I thought that their kids were pumped to play that game. I thought
that their kids made the plays when necessary. They ran the football. They
made plays when it counted. They kept it close. The defense did a good job,
and they came out with a victory."
On using the fact the OSU has not beaten Texas Tech since 1988 as motivation
"It's a team that we have to beat. It's a game that you have to point to and
say that if you want to win this conference and be consistent, you have to
win that game."
On gaining an advantage over Texas A&M with a win over Texas Tech
"All of those things enter into your thinking. Number one, we need a
victory. We're back at home and obviously, if we win this game, we're still
in the mix of things based on the losses happening throughout the
conference."
On what he gained from watching the film from the Nebraska game
"I got more from watching the second half than I did from the first. The one
thing that I really thought I saw was a little more execution, more
protection, kids being sound, kids making plays, the types of things that we
really wanted to do in the first half. At halftime, we talked about coming
out and being a little bit better at executing and trying to stay with the
game plan. I liked that way that we threw the ball. That was encouraging.
Those are things that I've taken away from that."
On the offensive line's performance
"I thought for the most part that the offensive line didn't give up too many
sacks. I think that we had one turnover and that was the fumble. We did have
some success running the football. I thought that in the second half we were
better offensively."
On believing that one team had the other team's number
"I don't believe that. Obviously, what I believe in is how you play. I
believe in execution of the game. Does it play on your psyche? Well, if you
go into the game thinking that, then yes. As a head coach, I have to look at
how you play the game and how you execute the game on both sides of the
ball. I really feel if you can do that, then you give yourself a chance to
win any ballgame."
On how much Texas Tech has lost without Ricky Williams "Based on Saturday, not much. He (Sammy Morris) is an explosive back with a lot of power and they do a lot of things with him. He gives them a whole different dimension."
On Texas Tech's defense against Texas A&M
"(Texas A&M) had opportunities to win the game. Texas Tech plays an
eight-man front. They were very aggressive. Texas A&M had the ball down on
the goal line and if you punch one in, it's a whole different ball game.
Tech's kids played with a lot of fire and kept them out."
On Tony Lindsey's status
"He's still rehabbing. He's a little bit better. We'll know during the
course of the week if there is going to be any change or not."
On the off week before the Kansas State game being encouraging for Lindsey
"It is. Based on the healing process, I don't know how far it would go, but
I think that every week that he's off, if he can get better and that leg can
get better and he feels confident in it, maybe he can come back."
On the quarterback situation being the same
"At this point in time, it is unless something changes during the course of
the week, Both young men will play in the ballgame."
On Tiger's ability to scramble
"The opponents do (respect his ability to scramble). Obviously, when you get
a kid like him, and Ben (Bowling) has that same ability, it gives you
another weapon in the backfield."
On loosening the reins offensively
"We've talked about that. I still don't think that you can overburden (the
quarterbacks) so much. I think that there are some things that we can do and
obviously, be a little more flexible in what we ask them to do."
On the team's emotional status
"I haven't met with them, but when you go into a game like this,
emotionally, our kids are ready to play. The thing that happens is when we
give up 21 points really quickly, you hope your team bounces back from that.
Winning takes care of that, but what this team has got to realize is that we
have to do the correct things to win. Those are things that you talk about a
coach. Does it play into their psyche? I think that it plays into any team's
psyche. We just flat out have to execute better and get things done the way
we want to as a football team. That will help the emotional side of the
football team."
On being panicked
"There is no reason to panic. We lost to two good football teams. Obviously,
we would have liked to have played better. I still have a lot of confidence
in this football team and one thing that they have to understand is that
there in no panic in me, there is no panic in my staff, and there should not
be any panic in this team. The reality of it is that if you play better and
execute better, you'll have a chance to win. I'm hoping that they understand
that and that the seniors understand that and see it for face value, and as
we get into this part of our schedule, become a better football team. That's
what I have to get done. That's what my coaches have to get done."
On whether he listens to criticism about him
"That's the nature of this profession. You're good, you're bad, you're going
to be under media scrutiny. Everybody has an opinion, and so I have to
listen to what's best for me and that's to do what I think is right for this
program."
On coming home
"It feels good. It still boils down to one thing. Whether we're home or on
the road, you use it to your advantage. We still have to play like a good
football team and that's what I have to get across to this team."
Linebacker Dwayne Levels
On moving ahead to the Texas Tech game
"We have to since this is game week. If we dwell on the past, that's just
going to affect us in preparation for this week. We have to look ahead to
Tech and put Nebraska behind us."
On Texas Tech's four-game winning streak over OSU
"I think it comes down to execution. Last year was an example. We have to
execute, that's the bottom line."
On the team's feeling after the Nebraska game
"We're disappointed because we know we can play better than that. We know
we're a better team both offensively and defensively. We're just
disappointed in the way we performed. It's just discipline on our part. I
wouldn't say 'busts,' but just execution overall."
On whether the Texas Tech game is a must-win contest for OSU
"I wouldn't say it's must-win, but at the same time, we determine our own
destiny from right here. We still have seven games left in the season, and
we just have to take it one game at a time. I don't want to say it's a
must-win situation, but we definitely would like to come out of here with a
win."
On results around the league
"It just goes to show the potential of the Big 12. It shows that we have
great teams in the Big 12, and every week, it's not written in stone who's
going to win and who's going to lose. It's a point of coming down and
executing and performing."
On Texas Tech's loss to North Texas followed by a victory over Texas A&M
"It just goes to show how unpredictable this game is. One week you can be on
top, the next week you're not."
On the defense's uphill battle the last two games
"We have to go in and step up. You're not going to be able to go out and
just shut somebody down every game. We have to hold our end of the stick,
just like the offense has to hold theirs. Sometimes we have to shoulder the
load, but I don't think of it as frustrating. We just have to go out and
perform."
On Texas Tech's offense
"They're very aggressive with the running game. Their starting running back,
Ricky Williams, is hurt. But Sammy Morris has stepped up, and he's playing
exceptionally well. So we just have to be prepared for him and get ready for
an aggressive running game."
On regaining the season's momentum
"I wouldn't say it's gone, but it's being tested right now. We have to find
some confidence and be consistent in our performance so we can take care of
business."
On Texas Tech 'having OSU's number'
"You could say that, but last year is behind us, the years before that are
behind us. Every year's different, so you just have to come out and be
ready."
On coming home after two weeks on the road
"We need it. We've been on the road for two weeks, and it's tough going on
to some sold-out places where we're playing for 40,000 or 80,000 people just
screaming. It's good to come back home and have some people screaming for
you instead of against you."
Senior wide receiver Terance Richardson
On his first reaction to Texas Tech defeating Texas A&M
"I was surprised. I really thought that Texas A&M had a good football team,
and I saw that Tech got beat by North Texas, so I was really surprised."
On respect for Tech now following last weekend's game
"I know they're going to come in here, off a win over Texas A&M, with a lot
of confidence. We're going to have to really be ready for that ball game."
On being a must-win ball game
"You want to win all ball games, but coming off two losses, we really need
this win to get our confidence back up so we can go ahead and have a good
season in the Big 12."
On being back at home
"I'm sure that it's going to feel great to come back home. Our fans give us
that boost that we really need."
On the team's confidence level
"We still think we're a good team. Our confidence level is kind of low right
now. If we come back this weekend and win against Texas Tech, it will build
our confidence right back up, though."
On the offensive production in the second half of the Nebraska game
"Coach Simmons really challenged us going into the second half. He said that
how we came out in the second half would show what kind of team we were, and
I think we really came out in the second half and showed what kind of team
we could be."
On changes in the offensive game plan
"Going into the ballgame, our game plan was to basically run down their
throat, although we practiced the other things that we ran throughout the
week too. Those were in the game plan."
On second-guessing the game plan against Nebraska
"We never second-guess the game plan. All we try to do it execute it. We all
know that we didn't execute it as well as we wanted to, but I believe that
if we would have executed the way that we know we can, we would have fared
better in this game."
On the offensive line and the quarterbacks
"Coach really challenged the offensive line through the off week and through
game preparation. I think they came out and played a pretty nice game. I
think that the quarterbacks are still young. They're going to have some
mistakes. As the season goes on, I think that they will get better and
better."
On the losses to Mississippi State and Nebraska as an end-of-the-world scenario
"We still have a long season to go. I think that there's only two other
teams in the Big 12 that are undefeated and that's Nebraska and Kansas
State. We're still in the race, and it's a long season."
On the Big 12 South being wide open
"I think it really is wide open. It's a tossup. It seems like anybody can
win the Big 12 South."
