Oklahoma State University Athletics
Monday Football Press Conference
November 15, 1999 | Cowboy Football
Nov. 15, 1999
Head Coach Bob Simmons
On Baylor
"They have good athletes. The thing about Baylor that you can't forget is over the last three or four years their classes have been ranked. So they are not without people. I think it's a team that got started very slow and never accomplished what they wanted to accomplish this season. They have always had good athletes. It's always a good team of athletes."
On Baylor having 'nothing to lose' in the game
"My focus is going to be the mentality of my football team and what we have to gain. That's all I can focus on - to have this team ready to play and understand the position that we're in and what we are trying to achieve. That's where I'm going to spend my time, not on Baylor, but on Oklahoma State."
On the special teams' play against Kansas
"Special teams were extraordinary, to say the least, in terms of the field position they gave us. Terance Richardson's performance was outstanding. As he'll tell you, I think the people up front that were involved helped him. It really gave us the boost we needed starting the second half in the right field position and our offense having short drives. We didn't have many plays in the second half offensively. I think we finished up with 66, and that's not a lot of plays. We had a short field to work with and that's good."
On scoring 45 points off of 235 yards of total offense
"A lot had to do with special teams, but the defense gave us great field position. They scored one touchdown, and we had one that went in from the one yard line. All of that played into the victory."
On having a scoring defense
"I think that our defense had been, for the most part, consistent. There have been some games where we've been out of position up front. That's one thing that we talked about, really getting back and getting turnovers and making things happen. It was good to see them get into that position to make things happen."
On keeping the team's focus on Baylor
"We can't afford to focus on Oklahoma. We have to take them one at a time. Five is important to us, and right now Baylor is the most important ball game."
On the play of the fullbacks against Kansas
"I thought both guys (Jeremy Halferty and Kevin Brown), based on what they were giving us up front, did an exceptional job of running the ball. I think Kevin Brown ran through a lot of people and so did Jeremy. They haven't touched the ball a lot, so when you talk about a tendency breaker, it really helped us in terms of keeping the drive alive and first downs. I thought both those guys did a good job."
On the defense against Kansas
"Our defense is a defense that really takes advantage of opportunities and will try to scheme you. Kevin Williams played an important part. The linebackers played an important part only because of what the guys up front did. That's something that we started off the season with in terms of making plays. It was good to see those guys go out and be in the right position to make plays and have fun doing it."
On what the Kansas win does for the team
"It helps. I think any time you're really trying to get the thing right, a win puts you in better spirits. For us, our goal was to really try and get that fourth win and then take the next one. It lightens the load, so to speak, because our objective was to really get that fourth win earlier in the season. It didn't come, but we got it, we're still in position. The door is still open to achieve that sixth victory. From a mental standpoint, it did help. You could tell after the game how the players felt in how they left the field. It was important for our seniors. It really should give us a lot of momentum going into this ball game."
On Baylor being at the bottom of the Big 12
"We can't take anything for grated. My primary focus has got to be our preparation and what we have to do to win the ball game, if we go in and execute the game plan. One thing that came to light in this last ball game is that we didn't have any turnovers. If we can do the kinds of things that we did this past ball game on a consistent level, that's going to help us win."
On Baylor performing this weekend like it did earlier this season
"Anytime you have athletes like they do and have recruited well, there's always the chance that could happen. That's going to have to do a lot with how we play. If they're in the ball game, then it's going to be like a dog fight for us. I think our players realize that. Our coaches realize that. As we look at what we want to try to achieve these upcoming weeks, this is a game we have to win."
On the Evan Howell's injury
"I think (Evan) Howell should be back. I have not seen him today, but he was in for treatment. We have not got the doctor's report back on him."
TE Garret Steggs
On the win over Kansas helping the morale of the team
"Throughout the season, we have had to reevaluate our goals. Of course, we haven't had the season that we would have liked to have had. That's just a little adversity that we have been faced with. We've reestablished some goals, and I think that the morale and the momentum that we gained off of this win is going to help us carry through these last two games."
On Marcellus Rivers playing on the line in the past few games
"On offense that's true. They try to split him out a little wider which does give the tight ends a chance to get a little more playing time. Our offensive coordinator (Ron Calcagni) is really good about getting different formations and personnel in the game and really opens it up for us."
On getting ready for the Baylor game
"I think we need to focus on carrying our excitement into this week of practice and really get prepared for Baylor and go down there and get a win and then do the same thing against OU. We need to practice really hard these next couple of weeks and finish up on a positive note."
On staying focused against Baylor
"I think we're going to have the right attitude. Our season really hasn't gone the way that we had hoped, and we're trying to establish something as a senior class and as a team these last couple of games. I think that we are going to be really focused, and we're going to have our eyes on what we need to get done."
On Baylor
"They are a Division I football team. They have just as many talented recruits as we do. They're very capable of winning that ball game. We have to realize that and respect that when we go down there and play on their home field. We have to get a good game plan and play hard and not look past them."
DT Chris Tyler
On returning home for the Baylor game
"I'm not real sure on their names, but there are a number of guys I see on their roster that I know I've played. I'm just glad to be going home. I haven't been home in a while, so I don't mind going down to Texas again."
On the win against Kansas
"I think it's a real big boost for us. All last week in practice, it was kind of hard to focus because we weren't real sure on things. Coach Simmons got us going on the right track, and we got our confidence back. The seniors helped us out too by showing some leadership. It was a big win for us."
On what Simmons said at halftime during the Kansas game
"He told us we were going to win. He didn't say anything special, he just said, 'We're going to win this game.' He looked us right in the eye and said, 'We're going to win.' That's pretty much all he said."
On playing defensive line
"Coach (Art) Walker concentrates on keeping their linemen off of our linebackers so they can roam because that's their job. There here to make tackles. Our job is to keep those offensive linemen off of them. There were times in the game where I was getting blocked and I was getting frustrated coming to the sidelines. Art was telling me, 'Come on, you're going to be all right. Keep your head to it.' The defensive line is a rough position to play. You have to have the mentality for it."
On the defensive line rotation
"I think that's the best thing to happen for us. It gives young guys a chance to play, plus it gives the older guys who are in there a little more time to rest and be ready for the next series. The rotation we have going on has been working pretty well for us. We've been keeping fresh guys in and taking the tired guys out. It works good."
On how Kansas lived up to expectations
"With the way they played Baylor and Nebraska, we thought you couldn't just overlook this team because of their record or because we beat them last year. We went into this game thinking they could beat us because of they way they played Nebraska and beat a team 71-14. I don't know who they were playing, but that shows you something. And they ran up 400 yards on Baylor, so that shows they have something going on."
On the Baylor game being as important as the Kansas game
"They're all important because if we lose one, we don't go anywhere and don't become bowl eligible. That's our goals - to go to a bowl and to win these last games, especially on the road because we've been having trouble on the road. So we need to show that we can win on the road."
