Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State - Iowa State Quotes
October 14, 2000 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 14, 2000
OSU Coach Bob Simmons
"I thought we had a great effort. I thought that down the stretch we weren't very smart with some of the things that happened in the ball game - especially when with 1:24 on the 40-yard line. I don't know where that flag came from, but he called celebration. The next play we ended up throwing an interception. It (the celebration flag) didn't seal it because the game was tied at that point. But it took away the great field position that I thought we had. I thought our next step was to just move it into field goal range.
"I thought that Aso (Pogi) was good. I thought Aso made great decisions and gave us the chance to move the football. I thought he got us in the right place. I thought he got us in the right checks. He's going to be a very good quarterback. Our kids responded to him. It was one of those games that we really had to stay in. I really felt that we could have won it.
"The effort was positive. I thought that our effort was great and that is positive. But the bottom line is putting the game together, finishing it off and winning the ball game. Obviously this particular game, we put ourselves in the position to do that. I thought that defensively we played a little sporadic, but at times I thought that it had to do with Iowa State's good offense. I thought our defense did a good job of keeping them out of the end zone.
"This football team is very tired of what is going on. The whole thing is that we are the ones who can do something about it. Obviously tonight we could have done a lot about it.
"I really thought Tatum Bell came in and showed exceptional quickness. I think we have two good tailbacks in Tatum and in Reggie White."
Oklahoma State Players
Zac Warner
On the loss
"We had a few breakdowns. We had them third and long, and they broke out for
a first-down scramble. That hurt us, and then we got beat at the end for the
touchdown. It just hurts. It's not a good feeling."
On Iowa State's offense
"They played great. Their zone plays were working for them. They really hurt
us with them."
On the disappointment
"We thought we should have won tonight. We just had a couple of plays at
the end that really cost us big, and we ended up losing the game."
Aso Pogi
On his own performance
"It doesn't matter to me how I play or how anybody else plays. What matters
is that we get wins, and we didn't get that done tonight. I'll take
responsibility for that. We've got to come back and work harder and get
ready. We can take this off week and make it a positive and just get some
things corrected."
On OSU's offensive performance
"I'd give credit to the offensive line, as well as the receivers and backs.
They picked up all the checks. They did a great job of getting themselves
open and making big plays."
On how he felt about starting
"I've always thought if you're prepared mentally and physically, you have no
butterflies or nervousness. I didn't really have any nervousness. It just
got away from us, and we've just got to come back and work harder."
Iowa State Coach Dan McCarney
On the game
"First of all, congratulations to Coach Simmons and his coaching staff. It's
a shame anybody had to lose that game. It was one of the most exciting
college football games I have been a part of, and it was two classy programs
trying to make a move from the second division to the first division."
On Iowa State
"I am really proud of our football team and staff. We had a lot of mistakes,
but we also had a lot of huge plays. When it comes down to the fourth
quarter, we told our players there will be a lot of close games in the Big
12, and whoever wins the quarter has a good chance to win the game."
On the slant pattern to Danielson
"Great throw, great protection, outstanding play. Those are the kind of
plays you need to make if you want to turn a program around. Those are the
kind of plays that need to be made when it is all out on the line."
On Carl Gomez
"Outstanding courage and focus. He said he wanted to play and told me, 'I
will get it done.' Every kick he made, he said, 'Just get it close -- I will
get it done.' Everyone knows that confidence is an important aspect in the
kicking game."
On the kicking game
"I promise you, the first field goal Saturday, Carl will be taking the field
based on his performance. We need Mike for kickoffs, and he has to be ready.
But Carl came through for us tonight."
On Wagner
"Outstanding job. He really came through for us tonight. We have said all
along that we had depth at running back, and we feel that we have four
starters back there. Haywood practiced all week but felt that he couldn't
play tonight, so we decided to start Wagner. He is a big-time running back
and looked like it today."
On slipping away
"I felt disappointed when we were missing the field goals, but I didn't feel
like we were slipping away."
Iowa State Kicker Carl Gomez
On Taking Over the Kicking Duties
"This is the best feeling in the whole world. I haven't kicked since high
school, but you just have to go out and block everything out. I focused
between kicks and felt like I was going to have a wonderful game."
"You have to go out and take it one kick at a time. If you go out and think about past kicks, you won't be successful."
On The Victory
"Right now, we are 5-1 and we have to take it one game at a time. Today, all
the seniors and everybody put it all out there. We have been in so many of
these in the last couple of years and lost. This is what we needed to boost
our confidence."
