CaliBornSoonerBred
12/24/2008, 10:58 AM
I haven't seen anything posted from the interviews except Stoops' comments about the attitude of the team but the players really give some good interviews. I'll just give a link since it is kind of long and I'll put some excerpts in the thread.
http://soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122208aac.html
Coach Bob Stoops
On Oklahoma defense:
"We have been called a lot of things but slow is not one of them. We have matched well with people with speed and hopefully we will be able to do it this game. They do have excellent skill positions but you look at what they do, the bread and butter of what they do is the run game."
Jon Cooper
On what he is looking most forward to about going down to Miami:
"I am looking forward to the game. It is a business trip. I can't wait to get on the field and play. It has been too long already."
Lendy Holmes
On Florida quarterback Tim Tebow:
"It is not a great sight to see a quarterback get loose like that. We have to come out early and stop the run game, stop Tebow from running. We have to try and make him throw the ball, which he can do. But his comfort zone is running the ball."
Jeremy Beal
On the business approach the team is taking:
"It is a business trip. We're not going down there to have fun. We are going down there to try and win a Championship."
Nic Harris
On what is on the line for OU:
"There's a lot on the line and it's bigger than any of the players. It has a lot to do with the stigma that's been placed on OU in big games. We pretty much want to silence anybody who has had anything to say by coming out and taking care of it."
On the defense's preparation:
"Sooner Nation is hungry for that eighth National Championship. I'm going to do everything in my power on the defensive side of the ball to bring it back. I said it in the beginning of the season and I'm saying it now, whatever it is that we need to do on the defensive side of the ball to get this win, that's what we're going to do."
Gerald McCoy
On Florida:
"Florida is a great team. They've got a lot of ability, a lot of talent and they know the game. We've got a great task ahead of us. Florida is known for their speed, and that's because they have a lot of it on defense and offense. We're going to have to be at our best to beat a team like Florida. We give them a lot of respect, we know Florida is a great team, and we know that we do have a task ahead of us. I think we're preparing well enough and we should be good enough to finish this year."
On how OU will respond to Florida's Tim Tebow:
"Oklahoma defense always emphasizes stopping the run, so whether it's a quarterback or a running back we just have to prepare well for the run game. They have a great run game. Stopping it is going to be a task for us because they've been dominant in the run game all year, but that's what we emphasize, so I think we'll be ready."
Dominique Franks
On Percy Harvin being comparable to Jeremy Maclin:
"I really think he is. He is a homerun threat just like Jeremy Maclin. But Jeremy Maclin is not in the backfield as much as Percy Harvin. When they put him back there, it is for one reason and he going to get the ball."
On the defense stepping up:
"The muscle of the team is going to win. When we come up and tackle we have to punish those guys and make them not want to run the ball anymore. They think that our defense is not any good in the Big 12. They said they are going to come and hit us in the mouth and we are going to be able to sustain it. So we have to come in there with the attitude that no matter what they did we have to line up and make plays."
http://soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122208aac.html
Coach Bob Stoops
On Oklahoma defense:
"We have been called a lot of things but slow is not one of them. We have matched well with people with speed and hopefully we will be able to do it this game. They do have excellent skill positions but you look at what they do, the bread and butter of what they do is the run game."
Jon Cooper
On what he is looking most forward to about going down to Miami:
"I am looking forward to the game. It is a business trip. I can't wait to get on the field and play. It has been too long already."
Lendy Holmes
On Florida quarterback Tim Tebow:
"It is not a great sight to see a quarterback get loose like that. We have to come out early and stop the run game, stop Tebow from running. We have to try and make him throw the ball, which he can do. But his comfort zone is running the ball."
Jeremy Beal
On the business approach the team is taking:
"It is a business trip. We're not going down there to have fun. We are going down there to try and win a Championship."
Nic Harris
On what is on the line for OU:
"There's a lot on the line and it's bigger than any of the players. It has a lot to do with the stigma that's been placed on OU in big games. We pretty much want to silence anybody who has had anything to say by coming out and taking care of it."
On the defense's preparation:
"Sooner Nation is hungry for that eighth National Championship. I'm going to do everything in my power on the defensive side of the ball to bring it back. I said it in the beginning of the season and I'm saying it now, whatever it is that we need to do on the defensive side of the ball to get this win, that's what we're going to do."
Gerald McCoy
On Florida:
"Florida is a great team. They've got a lot of ability, a lot of talent and they know the game. We've got a great task ahead of us. Florida is known for their speed, and that's because they have a lot of it on defense and offense. We're going to have to be at our best to beat a team like Florida. We give them a lot of respect, we know Florida is a great team, and we know that we do have a task ahead of us. I think we're preparing well enough and we should be good enough to finish this year."
On how OU will respond to Florida's Tim Tebow:
"Oklahoma defense always emphasizes stopping the run, so whether it's a quarterback or a running back we just have to prepare well for the run game. They have a great run game. Stopping it is going to be a task for us because they've been dominant in the run game all year, but that's what we emphasize, so I think we'll be ready."
Dominique Franks
On Percy Harvin being comparable to Jeremy Maclin:
"I really think he is. He is a homerun threat just like Jeremy Maclin. But Jeremy Maclin is not in the backfield as much as Percy Harvin. When they put him back there, it is for one reason and he going to get the ball."
On the defense stepping up:
"The muscle of the team is going to win. When we come up and tackle we have to punish those guys and make them not want to run the ball anymore. They think that our defense is not any good in the Big 12. They said they are going to come and hit us in the mouth and we are going to be able to sustain it. So we have to come in there with the attitude that no matter what they did we have to line up and make plays."