Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Football Luncheon Quotes
October 08, 2001 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 8, 2001
Coach Miles
"I want to encourage everyone to come back to Stillwater this weekend. It will be a big weekend for OSU and we want to fill the stands in both Lewis Field and Gallagher-Iba. The basketball team is opening up their season with a practice session open to the public following the football game."
On rebounding from a draining loss
"The team has to naturally shift gears to the next task. We felt like we could have won the game. We played well enough to be ahead at different times and that is painful. There is no denying that fact. Our position is good because we have to look at the opponent that we are playing next. This week's opponent, Texas, gives us a reason to focus."
On the defense after the two touchdown lead
"I thought the defense was playing pretty well. We thought we would get them hemmed in before the half. We had some letdowns, obviously. When Missouri took the field after half-time, it appeared to me that they were capitalizing on the momentum that they had from their success at the end of the first half. And then we turned the ball over to add to their momentum. We gave their offense two possessions at the wrong time and they turned the opportunities into points. Suddenly we were two touchdowns behind, but to me the good news was the defense. The offense came back and scored and the defense made the stops so we could get back into the game."
On the defense against Texas
"Our defense will return to the play that has made them a good defense up to this point: intensity, effort, and hustle. If they do this we will have the opportunity to stop our opponents on a regular basis. We need to make some adjustments and after they are made we will have the same defense that we had prior to the Missouri lapse."
On the loss
"It was a very important game and a win would have put us in a more comfortable position to see our goals reached. It does not eliminate us from what we want to accomplish, but we have to win some games that other people would not have expected us to win at the start of the season. "
On matching up against Roy Williams
"They have a number of wide receivers, not just (Roy) Williams and we are going to have to change things up. We will have to come after Williams at times, put zone behind him, double cover him, disguise secondary coverage and give them false reads. It is a mixture that is going to give us opportunities in the game."
Oklahoma State Players
Elbert Craig
On the defensive emotion in the third quarter
"We came out after half time and played very flat. We did not have any intensity out there. You have to play four quarters, and to be the defense that we want to be we have to play all four quarters."
On stopping the Texas offense
"We had a lot of confidence in our ability before we saw Oklahoma shut down Texas. Seeing that game adds to our confidence even more. Oklahoma did a great job versus Texas."
On playing Texas after losing
"Great teams bounce back from losing. We have a great team and we have a lot of character, and this Saturday will show our character when we play a top team and bounce back this week."
On the game this coming Saturday
"This is going to be a game where we put everything together. We want to show everybody that we are a great team. We just want to go out and have fun this week."
On if Texas will have a let down
"Texas has been a great team. I think they are going to go into this week and prepare real hard. They are just going to bounce back and prepare for us."
Tatum Bell
On playing Texas, where he is from
"It is a big game personally for me. One of my teammates from high school is starting for them down there. He is the tackle that knocked Nate Hybl out of the game, Marcus Tubbs. I am looking forward to playing against him."
On the incentive of playing Texas
"I think they might overlook us like Kansas State did Colorado last week and put an upset on them. Plus I go into every game thinking I am going to win. My teammates think the same thing so I think I can pull it off."
On the Texas defense
"I think they are going to try to stop our running game and come after the quarterback. We will just have to prepare ourselves well and just go out and play the game."
On what they need to improve on
"We need to eliminate the mistakes. We need to cut down on the turnovers and all the costly penalties we make. We just need to play smart."
On losing the close games
"I think it comes down to the team that wants it the most. I guess Missouri wanted it more than we did because they made the big play blocking the field goal. It should not have even come down to overtime because we had the 14-6 lead at half-time."
Aso Pogi
On what needs to happen differently
"There is a lot that needs to happen. We cannot turn the ball over and expect to win. Coach Miles addressed those things and that is something we just cannot do and expect to win. We gave up fourteen points right there off of my mistake and Tatum Bell's mistake. We did not help our defense out by giving them a short field. We have to be more consistent on offense and not wait until the end of the game to start moving the ball. It was an exciting game that came down to the end. Things just did not go our way and now we have to improve our mistakes and continue to get better."
On if winning will lead to more victories
"We are going to play a lot of close games, and we will win a lot of those. There will be some close games that we will lose, and this was one of them. There has got to be a point where we start pulling these games out and take momentum from it."
On if Texas will experience a let down after losing
"Texas will have an edge on paper. They are nationally ranked, and I think they believe they have an edge over us as a football team, but I think that is the advantage for us. We have got to come back and show how good we are. That is the reason we play the games. Teams that are supposed to get beat end up pulling it off. We will take this last game and improve from our mistakes and go get after Texas."
On the Texas defense
"They are a great defense. I have been watching them and studying their film. They depend on their corners a lot. They will rush as many people as they can and their corners are good enough that they can handle man-to-man coverage. I have so much faith in our coaching staff that they will bring a great game plan."
On avoiding a losing streak
"We have to attack and we have to win a big football game. Texas is a great opportunity for us to turn this thing around. If we beat Texas than we will have a lot of momentum for the rest of the season. We have to win a big football game and we have to start with Texas."
