Stoops on Hail Mary...
I believe we've spent more time in two-a-days and every week than we ever have. That's what's ironic about it. We let a guy in behind us and the safety does a good job challenging it but the corner isn't in position.
We practiced it more this year than any other time and we need to do it more.
Stoops on how often they work on it...
We finish practice with it about every Tuesday and through two-a-days we finish practice with either a two-minute drill, two-point plays or a two-minute drill and a Hail Mary.
We do it a lot
Stoops on how they practice it...
What do you mean? Yeah, you throw it up there and you challenge it. Specifically you run the play.
Stoops on QB confidence and what it does for entire team...
Well, it sparks everybody when you see a guy playing so hard and making plays. You can help, it's infectious, it brings everybody alive when you can scramble around and make some plays like he does.
Stoops on how difficult it is to win without a really good QB...
It's tough. It's tougher and tougher. With the high tempo and teams that are scoring at a good rate, it's difficult to do without one.
Stoops on concern level with turnover ratio...
Our trend of fumbling the ball is poor. We have control of that game the other day. 1:23 to go in the second quarter and we're going to run out the clock at the half. We're up 31-10, we're in the redzone, we're going to either extend the lead to 34 or 38 without them having the chance to have the ball and we fumble it.
A week ago at Tennessee we had three different balls out on fumbles and we don't get any of them. We didn't get the fortune to fall on it for whatever reason. This week we tackled their guys 50 times in the game and they haven't fumbled the ball. They tackle us and we fumbled two of them. We've got to take care of the football, that's the biggest thing.
It's one thing you get a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage throwing it or deflected down field on a tough, competitive catch, and someone intercepts it, you can live with that.
When you have the football and you're running with the football and you get tackled, you've just got to finish with the football and you just get tackled like you do every other time, you've got to hold onto the football. There's no excuse to fumble it.
Stoops on whether offenses are just going to get 30 points a game now...
Depending on their style of play it can be. Everybody is a little different but with a really good quarterback and the spacing of things, it can be tough.
And I think you have to play a team game. For instance, I just gave the scenario of 1:23 in the second quarter. If we keep the ball and don't fumble it, and use the clock and add to the lead, they don't have an opportunity for 100 more yards at the end of the second quarter and two more touchdowns.
So you've got to stay on the field, you've got to do things on both side of the ball to eliminate those kind of things.That's what you call good team football. At times when one side or the other breaks down it doesn't work.
Stoops on whether he could play in this day and age...
No, I wouldn't have had a chance. I was pretty good running into people but covering the space out there in today's game, I'd have a hard time.
I believe we've spent more time in two-a-days and every week than we ever have. That's what's ironic about it. We let a guy in behind us and the safety does a good job challenging it but the corner isn't in position.
We practiced it more this year than any other time and we need to do it more.
Stoops on how often they work on it...
We finish practice with it about every Tuesday and through two-a-days we finish practice with either a two-minute drill, two-point plays or a two-minute drill and a Hail Mary.
We do it a lot
Stoops on how they practice it...
What do you mean? Yeah, you throw it up there and you challenge it. Specifically you run the play.
Stoops on QB confidence and what it does for entire team...
Well, it sparks everybody when you see a guy playing so hard and making plays. You can help, it's infectious, it brings everybody alive when you can scramble around and make some plays like he does.
Stoops on how difficult it is to win without a really good QB...
It's tough. It's tougher and tougher. With the high tempo and teams that are scoring at a good rate, it's difficult to do without one.
Stoops on concern level with turnover ratio...
Our trend of fumbling the ball is poor. We have control of that game the other day. 1:23 to go in the second quarter and we're going to run out the clock at the half. We're up 31-10, we're in the redzone, we're going to either extend the lead to 34 or 38 without them having the chance to have the ball and we fumble it.
A week ago at Tennessee we had three different balls out on fumbles and we don't get any of them. We didn't get the fortune to fall on it for whatever reason. This week we tackled their guys 50 times in the game and they haven't fumbled the ball. They tackle us and we fumbled two of them. We've got to take care of the football, that's the biggest thing.
It's one thing you get a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage throwing it or deflected down field on a tough, competitive catch, and someone intercepts it, you can live with that.
When you have the football and you're running with the football and you get tackled, you've just got to finish with the football and you just get tackled like you do every other time, you've got to hold onto the football. There's no excuse to fumble it.
Stoops on whether offenses are just going to get 30 points a game now...
Depending on their style of play it can be. Everybody is a little different but with a really good quarterback and the spacing of things, it can be tough.
And I think you have to play a team game. For instance, I just gave the scenario of 1:23 in the second quarter. If we keep the ball and don't fumble it, and use the clock and add to the lead, they don't have an opportunity for 100 more yards at the end of the second quarter and two more touchdowns.
So you've got to stay on the field, you've got to do things on both side of the ball to eliminate those kind of things.That's what you call good team football. At times when one side or the other breaks down it doesn't work.
Stoops on whether he could play in this day and age...
No, I wouldn't have had a chance. I was pretty good running into people but covering the space out there in today's game, I'd have a hard time.
