Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Football Media Luncheon Quotes
April 07, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Head Coach Les Miles
On how he felt about the game after watching film
"I really felt that we had a team that was going to go down there and fight. Their effort was strong. That was not going to be initial in the way I looked at this game. The initial was going to be whether we won or lost. We knew we were going to move the football and we knew we were going to play good defense against them and we felt comfortable about our kicking game.The question we really had was whether we won or lost. The keys to that are obvious.Trying to eliminate those before we took the field was something the coaching staff tried to prepare our team for and how to win that game. I think the staff did a good job displaying the key criteria that would have to take place for them to win, and on Saturday we were not quite ready for it."
On the importance of taking care of the ball
"We used examples before our game even started. The most obvious was the North Carolina example against Oklahoma. We gave three to them on offense and one on special teams. A penalty nullified one they were going to give to us and a penalty nullified a forty or fifty yard gain. So if we can avoid what are obvious pitfalls, then we will win. The one thing our team seems to be comfortable in is their effort and their want to fight, which to me is the first thing you have to have to develop winning. Now there has to be some smart plays. If we start playing smart we will still have a darn good season."
On his team after the first game
"I think this team is going to be a good football team. I will be disappointed if it did anything, but fired them up to win. I think they were fully convinced in their heart that they were going to win the game. I think they saw some good things after they reviewed the game and saw obvious examples of how they played. It has to bolster some confidence, and I think they did that."
On Louisiana Tech
"They are a very athletic team. On offense they throw it every snap and their defense is sound and solid in the secondary. It is interesting because this is going to be a heck of a football game. This is a very good football team that we are playing.It is good because if they were not a good team than our guys would not have the same desire to prepare well for this game. Louisiana Tech is dangerous and if we do not play them with everything we have it will be a dogfight."
On his first game at Lewis Field
"That will be a great enjoyment. There will be no jitters. I am home and playing in the right stadium."
On walking across campus before the game (starting from Hotel at OSU)
"The goals for accomplishing something from the walk are very small, but in my opinion significant. Our guys play football here as part of a great university, and I do not know how much time they spend on that part of campus (student union). So we decided to stay at the student union. The natural movement from the student union to the stadium would be to walk. To me it really magnifies the true motivation behind playing college football. You play for your school, you play for your classmates, you play for your professors, and you play for your family. That short walk between the student union and the stadium can embody all of those. I really felt like our players would be effected most sincerely by seeing people in their class, family, friends as they walk from the student union to the stadium. I think everybody knew why they were playing college ball, but the walk just makes that motivation standout."
Players
Jeff Machado
On how the loss helps with their confidence as a team
"I think it helps some ways with confidence. You come out of the game saying to yourself that you know you were in the game and you know you had the opportunity to win, but you gave it away. Any loss is bad, but you cannot ponder on it."
On his thoughts after seeing the film
"Looking at the film we graded out very well. You can always improve on some aspects. We missed some assignments on some situations, and those are things you just cant have. Those mistakes will be eliminated later in the season, but I think the effort was there. The offensive line feels good about their overall performance for this game."
On how the offense played
"I thought we moved the ball fairly well every time we were in there. It hurts a lot when you lose the ball, but when you look at the end of the game and you still have a chance to win after putting it on the ground four times. As a team you have to look at that and say we have the capability of winning the game. We know our defense is going to stop them and we know the offense can score points as long as we do not put the ball on the ground."
On putting this game behind them
"It is always tough to put a loss behind you, but you have to. If you keep thinking back to that game it is only going to hurt you."
Elbert Craig
On the game
"I believed we were going to win the game, and it really hurt that we lost. I still have a whole lot of confidence in this team, and we are going to get the job done this weekend."
On how the defense played
"I think we played alright. We have to create more turnovers. We turned the ball over four times, and we have to get some of those back. The defense has to create at least three turnovers to win a ball game."
On the secondary playing against Louisiana Tech
"This game is going to test us. They have thrown seventy-three passes in a game before so this will be a good test for the secondary."
On what they have to do different
"We have to show different looks. Jeff Kelley was a very smart quarterback we saw on Saturday. He made good decisions with the ball."
On winning
"That is our problem. We have to learn how to win. Hopefully this week will be better. We have to keep getting better each week, but we have to learn how to win the game."
On if this game is a must win
"I would not say that it is a must win, but we really need this game for our confidence. We need to just keep playing hard and good things will happen."
Kevin Williams
On playing at home
"I think everybody plays their best at home. There is nothing like playing in front of the home fans. Being Orange Peel weekend, there will be a lot of people in town. It is great to see all the orange and black in the stands and to play in front of the crowd."
On what it takes to win
"I do not think we need to learn how to win. We just need to cut down on a lot of mistakes, and then the winning will come."
On the defensive line
"We need to get a lot of rest this weekend, and be prepared to rush the passer because we will get a lot of opportunities."
On controlling the pass
"I think with the new scheme and the speed we have with the secondary that we can control the pass. We need to get a good rush from the front four without blitzing."
On the turnovers
"I think any team that turns the ball over four times will not win, but the defense needs to come to play and create turnovers because we did not have any."
