Oklahoma State University Athletics
Football Coach/Player Media Luncheon Quotes
September 18, 2000 | Cowboy Football
Sept. 18, 2000
Head Coach Bob Simmons
On the direction of his team this year
"Televising the game against Texas is positive. I think this weekend's game
will be somewhat of a measuring stick because Southern Miss is a top-25
team. They went to a bowl last year, and they play a tough non-conference
schedule. They have athletes on both sides of the football. They have one
of the top defenses in the country, so that's going to be a challenge."
On whether OSU has a better defense than Southern Miss
"I don't know the national rankings, but I like our defense. I'm going to
put them against one another. That's going to be my theme going into this
week. The advantage is that we have them here at home."
On Southern Miss's defense
"When you look at their defense, the front three are predominantly seniors.
I think that with that and their secondary they have enough seniors to
really make it a strong defense. Their asset is their speed and their
quickness. You can run a reverse and they can run you down before you even
get started. They play a multiple front kind of defense. They stem around
and jump a guy over here, and that makes it very difficult to really get
into a man-blocking scheme because it can really confuse the offensive line.
We have to be really smart about our pass protection as well as what we do
in the running game."
On what OSU has to do to be successful this weekend
"The bottom line is that the offense is executing. If we move the ball like
we did on Saturday and then got in the red zone and executed, that's what we
have to do. I sat there and watched film. I use the terms uninspired and
flat, but the major problem was a lack of execution. We have to be better
prepared to make sure that we can execute what we want to do."
On OSU needing to not turn the ball over
"I don't think that we can afford to have any turnovers at all. The other
side of that is that we have to create some opportunities by what our
defense does."
On the crowd at Lewis Field
"I like that (the sea of orange in the stands). We're going to need to see
that same sea of orange this Saturday. We really want the crowd to get into
this ball game. They will be very much a factor. Here's a team that has
played on the road and has played in big crowds, but we can make a statement
with our fans."
On opening up the offense
"There are some things that I think we have to do. I think that what Coach
(Del) Miller has done in the first two ball games is right on schedule in
terms of what he felt that we had to show. Our bottom line is to win this
ball game, and we are going to do what we have to do offensively to win the
ball game."
On his offense in the redzone against Southwest Texas:
"My biggest disappointment was the lack of execution in that area. Just from
the standpoint of No. 1 making the right decision and No. 2 the kind of
turnovers we had. We have young receivers and we had illegal procedure
penalties because we had two guys going in motion. The penalties showed a
lack of execution and discipline.
On the defense and the upcoming test against Southern Miss:
It's going to be a bigger challenge this week. They have one of the better
backs we are going to face in Nix as well as some talented, big receivers.
Our defensive backs are going to face the challenge of some really tall
receivers. This means our defensive front has really got to be a factor in
the pass rush as well as the run because we can't let them get their running
game going.
On his belief if the secondary improved from week one to week two:
I thought it did. One of the things we did as a staff is mix and match:
zone, man, zone blitzes. Southwest Texas first play of the game they threw
it deep and Cooper (Michael) was in good shape so I thought the mixture in
coverages helped us this last ballgame.
On good things he sees in the special teams:
What I see good is Seth Condley. He has done a good job and not missed a
field goal. He was the difference in the Tulsa game because he put points on
the board. In other areas, our punt coverage team is solid. Our return game
needs to improve, I have been spoiled since I have been used to having a guy
average 10-15 yards a return. Our kickoff team hasn't been tested but we are
constantly looking for ways to improve. Southern Miss can expose you in
these areas if your aren't prepared.
Defensive Lineman Zac Akin
On the Southern Miss defense:
"They want to hype up a defensive battle as much as we do. Whenever we
look at the defensive standings they are right there with us in the top ten
so we have a lot of respect for their defense. We saw their film last year
against Nebraska, they are pretty impressive, they have some big guys and
they run. I really like their defense."
On Southern Miss offense:
"I haven't seen a lot of film on them, but I know their quarterback is an
experienced player and I know Derrick Nix is a solid running back. I don't
know the names of their offensive line yet because I haven't seen a lot of
film on them, but I know they are a good team. They have good ball
control, they move it little by little. It is not a real powerful offense
but it is a good offense, and obviously they did well against Alabama, well
enough to win."
On Southern Miss's first two opponents (Tennessee and Alabama):
"They have played some good teams. Anytime you go to those two schools you
are going to a national powerhouse that everybody talks about competing for
a national championship. To come out of those two games, playing a tough
game in the first one and winning the second one going 1-1, they have to be
pleased where they are at right now."
On being an underdog
"I'm not really surprised. They are nationally ranked and we haven't played
a team that has been able to prove ourselves yet so that is probably
expected."
On keys to the game
"I think our offense not turning the ball over is one of the huge keys and
that is what they thrive on. They don't have long sustaining drives. They
get the ball on a turnover and they score on defense more than anybody in
the country the past two years. we just have to control the ball and get
field position and play really good defense."
On the goals against Southwest Texas
"It was very important getting a shutout, because there were some question
marks with the Tulsa game as far as with the secondary and how many yards we
gave up."
On what the defense needs to do against Southern Miss
"Anything like getting a turnover or a good special teams play to give our
offense a short field. And if we can keep them from doing that to us and do
it to them as well. Anything to give our offense an upper hand."
On the defensive game plan against Southern Miss
"This a huge game, our biggest game to date and I know Coach Cassity likes
to throw in a lot of wrinkles. Hopefully he can come up with a game plan
that will shut them down."
On the advantages of them playing their first two opponents
"I think it's been a team advantage for us. I know our offense hasn't been
tested and they have had to pull out all the stops. So we have seen a lot
of film on them and they haven't seen a lot of film on us."
On respecting Southern Miss:
"We have to respect them because they are nationally ranked. I know our
defense respects them as well as their defense because they are nationally
ranked. They have athletes who run around and make things happen. They may
not be the most talented team, but they make the plays and get things done."
On being tested against Southern Miss:
"This is our measuring stick. This is a huge game for us against a
nationally ranked team coming into our house. This is it if we want to
establish ourselves as a team to be reckoned with. We have to make a
statement right here. Going into Big 12 play 3-0 would be huge for us."
On filling the stadium
"It will be real important. Crowd noise is huge for us on defense. Just to
see all of the orange there, it's just a real boost for your team to get
everyone excited and lift your team to a whole new level."
On homefield advantage
"I think the crowd can give us an edge. I've been to alot of places, and our
crowds are really loud. I like the way our crowd gets into it, they do as
much as they can. I'm not a big believer in the home team having a huge
advantage. I'm a big believer in the noise level against the offense. It is
just noise level that they are going to have to deal with."
On the importance of the defensive line
"We have to be physical. I know they are a real physical team. If they
practice against that defense all the time, then I know they are a physical
team up front without even seeing film. It is going to be on us (defensive
line) to get pressure on (Jeff) Kelly so he can't throw good balls to his
receivers. And, it's going to be on us to shut down (Derrick) Nix and make
them a one dimensional team.
On whether week one and two performances will be enough to beat Southern
Miss
"Probably not. We have got to improve every week, I mean, they have played
two defenses that are just as good as ours. We have to continue to improve
and continue to get better and make adjustments and just stop people."
On the D-line rotation
"I think one guy who has taken a lot upon himself is Kevin Williams. I think
against Tulsa he played 67 snaps and he played 30 of them at defensive end
and the remainder at defensive tackle. Just the mental aspect of having to
know all of the tackle calls and the end calls is a huge thing. For him to
just know both positions, it says a lot of him as a player mentally and he's
done well. He's been a really good mover for us. We have a good rotation
going and everything is going well up front."
Offensive Lineman Bryan Phillips
On the preparing for the Southern Mississippi defense
"I think we got a pretty good look this week with Southwest Texas. I really
haven't got to see any film, we will watch a lot of film today. The best
thing we can do is practice, practice, practice."
On the defense
"I think this week we will be facing the best two defensive tackles out of
the whole year. I am really going to have to focus hard this week."
On proving how good the offensive line is
"Definitely, definitely. Southern Miss is a very good team and if we don't
come out ready they are going to get after us. I think we do have a lot of
things we need to prove this week, but we are prepared to do it."
On Southwest Texas
"I don't think we were into it emotionally against Southwest Texas, but
we're definitely going to be ready to go against Southern Miss."
On opening up the OSU offense
"I'm real excited. When we open up our offense, it's going to be an exciting
thing. You all are going to be really, really happy to see what we have got
in store for Southern Miss. But until then ..."
On the toughness of the Southern Miss defense
"We have got to have a running game going. I wouldn't mind running the ball
12 plays in a row on the first drive to show them who we are. I think we
have a darn good offensive line and showed ourselves against Tulsa. With
(Jeff) Machado, (Josh) Lind, (Kyle) Eaton and all of those guys, we are
really good. We could be one of the top offensives lines in the country. We
are trying our hardest to get Reggie (White) a rushing record or something
this year. "
On how much of the offensive playbook has been run
"I think we've run more than 10 or 15 plays the past two games. We've got
quite a bit more, I'm not sure how many, but we've got quite a bit more
plays than that."
On the game plan
"Overall we are going to start out with our running game. We are definitely
going to open it up a lot more with our passing game than we have so far
this year."
On being the underdog
"I love being the underdog. I love being underestimated that makes it all
the better. I wouldn't mind be underdogs all year long."
