Pre-Bedlam Media Luncheon Comments

Nov. 20, 2000

OSU Coach Bob Simmons
On getting his team pumped up for this game
"Both of those things (the win this weekend and the game against OU) are correct. Obviously, Saturday was good for us. We needed to have a win like that and have the kids play well and create a few turnovers and build a little bit of confidence. With OU coming to town this Saturday, that's all our kids can think about. They're our in-state rival. They're number one in the country, and they are a good, solid football team. We're going to have our hands full, but I expect our preparation this week to be good."

On Aso Pogi's performance
"He's still young. I thought that he did an outstanding job. He didn't have far to run, but I thought for the most part he made good decisions. This was probably one of his better ball games. All it can do is help him gain a lot more confidence. I think it speaks well to the kind of quarterback that he will be in the future."

On having players that have beaten OU before
"I think one positive is that we have won that game before and there are guys on this football team that have done it. What I have to get across is how we won the game, in terms of how we played on both sides of the ball. That's how we have to play. We can't be a team that is very inconsistent and expect to beat a team like OU who is playing very well. I read in the paper where they were flat, but a flat football team playing that well has to have a lot of talent. For us to win, we have to play well and be successful and execute just like we did on Saturday."

On getting off to a fast start against OU like they did against Baylor
"If we can get that start, I'll take it. I don't think that OU will be as gracious as far as making those kind of mistakes. If we can start like that, and even if we don't, what we do have to do is stay in the ball game. We cannot give up big plays."

On getting to Josh Heupel
"Any time they are in a shotgun offense, if you can get to the quarterback, you are very fortunate. The only way to do that is to disguise coverage and have him throw the ball. He is pretty good at reading coverage and reading blitzes. You can blitz all day, and they have the type of scheme that allows them to throw the ball down the field. Their shotgun gives him the opportunity to read the coverage."

OSU PLAYERS

QB Aso Pogi
On playing this game to close out the season
"This is a good opportunity for our ball club. It is not every day that you get to play the number one team in the country. It is something we are looking forward to and we just want to respond. We just need to come out and play well."

On what this game means to the program
"This will speak volumes of the type of game we will play. This would send our coach out on a good note and it would be a big win for our seniors. It is just going to help build the program. It will help us get ready for next year. It will help us in all sorts of areas. This will be a good thing for us."

RT Josh Lind
On Pogi winning Big 12 offensive player of the week
"I am really happy for him. He is a redshirt freshman and has a lot of career left to play at Oklahoma State. I just hope it gets better for him."

On knowing they can beat Oklahoma after beating them in the past
"We know how to beat them. It is not like there is a certain technique to beating them. When it comes to a game of this magnitude, it's who shows up to play all four quarters. We could be number one and they could be three and seven like we are and they could come up and beat us. When we go there we are excited to play, and when they come here we are excited to play. It is whoever is ready mentally for this game."

DT Zac Akin
On having butterflies about playing the number one team in the country
"I would say we have a few butterflies. I would say there are more butterflies for them too, because they know it is bedlam and everyone tends to play above their head. We have had good teams, and they have had bad teams or vice versa. It is always a good game. It is always a close game and I look forward to that. I am ready to play."

On if they are going to get overlooked by Oklahoma
"I know they will not (overlook OSU). That is not really a question because I know they cannot over look us at this point. It is bedlam. It is how things are right now. Bedlam is always crazy. Whether the teams are completely unevenly matched or not, it is always a good game. I know they will not overlook us."

DE Zac Warner
On if the wins over OU have been his best memories at Oklahoma State
"I think it is a good memory, but I do not think they are the most valuable. I think every win is a good memory. They are obviously important after beating your in-state rival. We love beating those guys every year, but we have to do it consistently. We have to beat those guys year in and year out. We have been kind of inconsistent. We felt we should have gotten them the time we did not. We are really going to have to beat them year in and year out in order to say that those are the best memories."

On what makes a successful season
"It is hard to say that beating Oklahoma would make a successful season. There have been teams we did not beat that we should have this year. You cannot just take this game and say we are going to be three and seven every year, but we are going to beat OU and that makes a successful season. That is not what we want to do. We want to go to bowl games and championship games. We want to do the stuff we are watching them do. We have to play every game like we are playing Oklahoma. That is the only way that we are going to be a good team."

November 20, 2000 | Cowboy Football