As you would expect, a lot of mentality talk. Let's get to it.
Alex Grinch
Billy Bowman
One of the bright spots, I really do. You get so wrapped up, obviously, in the (indiscernible), it’s the responsible thing to do. But first college football game, I thought he played extremely well. One-handed catch on the first play of the game. That’s what catches should look like. It should have to be perfect. Perfect throw, one-handed catch. Shouldn’t be easy at the catch point. But overall, I thought he tackled well. He’d like to have that interception, but just seeing a DB go attack the football, which I wish I would have saw more of over the course of the day, as a young guy in the program, I’ve seen a lot of guys play their first college snaps and look a whole lot less comfortable and less prepared than what Billy was. So I was pleased with his performance.
See this coming based off practice?
“In every individual case, you wish there was just one broad stroke and say it was this. But certainly that happens. You wish sometimes you could show the world Tuesday’s practice, or show ‘em Wednesday’s practice, and say, this is what we are. Doesn’t work like that. It’s game day is the only evaluator, the only tool the world gets to see you perform at as individual guys, and that’s collectively. So it is possible. I wish it wasn’t. Now, the flip side is, if you don’t execute something in practice, sure, it’s fun to all of a sudden get an interception in the game on similar plays. So that’s why you practice. I will say, a lot of the things we saw on Saturday we saw last week in practice. Both on the positive side and the negative side. That’s how this thing works. You either have preparation or you don’t. But you’ve got to look at it, too, and say OK, why is this. Is it because the lights came on? Is it because you’re fatigued? Is it because you didn’t train through fatigue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that obviously gave into fatigue on Saturday? Or did you simply go out there and lose focus? Or are you just poorly coached? So all those things we’ve got to analyze.
Shane Whitter? (ouch)
Shane Whitter’s status with this program has to get a whole lot better. He has to be more accountable, both on and off the football field.
***
David Ugwoegbu
What was the most concerning thing for the defense on Saturday? Is it fixable?
Nothing was too concerning for me. I just think that we didn’t play to the elite level that I know that we can play at and that I know we have played at before. It’s definitely fixable and I think we’ve already moved past that and that will definitely show up within the remainder of the season.
It was just, like I said, we didn’t play up to our standard. We have a very high standard that we set for ourselves. And when you’ve got such a high standard, that’s when you get disappointed. But if you set a low standard for yourself, you’re not ever gonna be upset about your performance or anything. So I just think we didn’t play up to our standard, but it’s definitely fixable and we’ve already started in that trend.
What’s the feeling of the team when you’re playing below your standards?
We’re coached greatly and we’re coached to keep our feelings out of our performance. So whether we’re playing great or we’re playing bad the mission of the defense is, I’m sure you guys have heard before, is 3-and-out and takeaways.
I don’t think we had necessarily felt disappointed with ourselves in the moment or felt bad. The mindset is just meet the standard. Continue doing what we need to do and execute. So that’s pretty much it.
Do you take offense when you’re asked why you played below par?
I personally don’t take any offense to it at all because it’s Oklahoma and the narrative here has been bad defense bad defense. We know what we’ve got and we know what we need to do to get where we’re trying to go, so like I said I don’t take offense to it because that’s been the narrative here for forever. We’re just trying to change it. It’s no surprise when people go back to thinking that oh, here comes Oklahoma’s defense not doing what we need to do. But I think we’ll open up some eyes throughout the rest of the season.
***
Kennedy Brooks (feature Friday)
What was it like to be out there?
I missed it, man. It was pretty fun being out there and playing the game I love, being out there playing with my teammates. It was good. I felt good. Obviously, we've got a lot to work on, but it's been fun being out there.
Are you a gamer?
I mean, yeah, I'm just that type of dude to go out there and do what I can for my teammates, no matter what it is. I'm focused on being a more complete back in everything I do. Just be out there and enjoy the moment, that's all.
Building OL chemistry?
I'm always together with them no matter what it is. We rep everything a lot. I'm always watching film and I'm listening to their calls and everything. I'm always locked in with them no matter what it is.
***
Robert Congel
How did you feel like you played Saturday?
I think it went pretty well for me. Obviously, you know, there's always room to improve. I still have some stuff to clean up so I think it went pretty well for me.
Biggest areas of growth since arriving at OU?
I think, from the jump, Coach Wylie and his whole staff—physically, I've never felt as strong and as fast as I've been feeling. Having Coach Bedenbaugh as a coach, he really helps with the mental aspect of the game as well as the technique stuff, but I feel like I've improved a lot. I've learned the game a lot more and that's really helped me out on the field.
When did you find out you'd start? How did you feel? Competition at C continue?
I kind of had an idea the week going into the game that I was going to get the start. That was an awesome moment for me to get out there and go play in front of the palace. You dream about that kind of stuff. I think the competition was really tough. Raym's a fantastic player. I think it will keep going moving forward but it'll be up to the coaches. All I can control is how I perform.
***
Austin Stogner
Officially back?
Yeah it was awesome. It was great to be back out there. It was a long time coming, a long road. I'm just grateful. Thank God I'm able to be out there again and play the ball I want to play.
First game with Finley?
It's been great. He's a great coach. He's played the position so he kind of knows the ins and outs. He's a very detail-oriented guy making those adjustments, seeing what happens. He sees stuff on the field that maybe sometimes I don't see. He's letting me know that and we talk about it. We made some good in-game adjustments.
All three TEs/H-Backs on field at once?
Oh yeah. The big boy package. We like all three of us going out there and lining up. It's a ton of fun. We run out there and Tyrese, the right tackle, is yelling like, 'Big three!' It's fun to get us all out there. It's fun to play with those guys. I hope we get into a little bit more of that.
Playing four quarters?
It starts in practice. We need to finish well in practice and make sure we're finishing on all the plays. If you do it in practice, if you play hard all the plays - Coach Finley always preaches to us - if you run, do the extra stuff, then you won't get tired. You won't play football and get tired again. That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to do the extra stuff and make extra runs. That's big and that will just lead to us staying locked in throughout the game and playing all four quarters.
***
Isaiah Thomas
Defensive performance?
I think the biggest thing that stood out was the inconsistency. How we started off shaky, then ramped up quickly and showed what we’re capable but in the end, didn’t finish the way we wanted to. I say that just comes from effort, not from not knowing What our jobs are, but just simply effort, including myself, I play a role in that as well. I have to do a better job of that, and this week that has been heavily emphasized. One thing I can say is you don’t want to be at your peak in Week 1 in the season, so I’m glad we got this out of the way and can improve on that.
Regaining intensity after letdown?
We have to create our own energy because when there are roller coasters, the energy can go down. Fans go as we go. If we’re playing slow, then fans aren’t going to be as into it, so we have to create our own energy. That comes from the leaders and then trickles down to the young guys. I think it starts with the older guys and the guys on the field being that example and creating that energy and showing everybody that it was just one drive, one possession, one play. It doesn’t determine the outcome, so we just have to be consistent in that.
Rotation? Grimes?
I don’t think it was bad because Grinch told us we’re rotating so we can get the best out of everybody, not so we can get a rest and get off the field. That speaks volumes on the amount of people who played. I think it’s a great way to approach it. But he wanted to try something and see how it turned out and every week we’ll adjust. That’s how the rotation went.
As far as Reggie Grimes, it was fun to see him play at the potential he is expected to play at. It’s just week 1, so he’s just scratching the surface. Seeing him get that strip-sack and being in the backfield and playing consistent and getting those reps – he has a very bright future for him.
How can you come out flat when there are so few games?
When it comes to the energy levels like I said you can’t really base it on who you are playing and stuff like that. Like I said you could feel that vibe coming into halftime and going out on the field we’re used to the stadium being packed out 90,000 you know every single home game. We knew with the schedule shift that the crowd wasn’t gonna be packed and stuff so we knew what to expect but not everybody knew what to expect because not everybody’s played in that stadium before. So you know you can kind of sense it. As an older guy you can see the younger guys trying to be, you know, evaluating what’s going on around them instead of creating their own energy and stuff than opposed to if we play Bedlam here and it’s 90,000 and it’s a close game everyone is riled up and ready to go despite what the outcome may be.
So yeah that’s just something we’ve got to harp on and emphasize and show them how important it is because the little details could end up being a big thing and stuff like that. I take ownership in that as well with trying to lead them and show them the way as well.
***
Key Lawrence
Isaiah Thomas?
I tell him all the time I have so much high expectations for him, probably even more than what he thinks that I have. So I told him, right, immediately after the (play) that’s a big-time deal, especially him being a captain on this team. I think they he knows the whole team, the whole defense, pretty much, the whole team as well. They have a very high standard for him because of the level he plays, the energy, the motor. The way he plays by himself. So, I think he's a good player as well.
Your performance, team’s performance?
Yeah, so honestly, I don't want to — I don't really like speaking too much about myself. I'm not able to evaluate myself. I feel like that’s up to my coaches after the outcome of the game. But, pretty much, I’d say overall, if I was to evaluate myself, I think I did pretty good. But anyway, I think that my team, I think we do got to come up next game with more energy, just start it carrying over from practices we have, the explosive plays that we have in practice and keep that mental focus and dialed in. We can't just overlooked our opponents, we just got to keep putting our foot on the gas and keep going.
Alex Grinch
Billy Bowman
One of the bright spots, I really do. You get so wrapped up, obviously, in the (indiscernible), it’s the responsible thing to do. But first college football game, I thought he played extremely well. One-handed catch on the first play of the game. That’s what catches should look like. It should have to be perfect. Perfect throw, one-handed catch. Shouldn’t be easy at the catch point. But overall, I thought he tackled well. He’d like to have that interception, but just seeing a DB go attack the football, which I wish I would have saw more of over the course of the day, as a young guy in the program, I’ve seen a lot of guys play their first college snaps and look a whole lot less comfortable and less prepared than what Billy was. So I was pleased with his performance.
See this coming based off practice?
“In every individual case, you wish there was just one broad stroke and say it was this. But certainly that happens. You wish sometimes you could show the world Tuesday’s practice, or show ‘em Wednesday’s practice, and say, this is what we are. Doesn’t work like that. It’s game day is the only evaluator, the only tool the world gets to see you perform at as individual guys, and that’s collectively. So it is possible. I wish it wasn’t. Now, the flip side is, if you don’t execute something in practice, sure, it’s fun to all of a sudden get an interception in the game on similar plays. So that’s why you practice. I will say, a lot of the things we saw on Saturday we saw last week in practice. Both on the positive side and the negative side. That’s how this thing works. You either have preparation or you don’t. But you’ve got to look at it, too, and say OK, why is this. Is it because the lights came on? Is it because you’re fatigued? Is it because you didn’t train through fatigue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that obviously gave into fatigue on Saturday? Or did you simply go out there and lose focus? Or are you just poorly coached? So all those things we’ve got to analyze.
Shane Whitter? (ouch)
Shane Whitter’s status with this program has to get a whole lot better. He has to be more accountable, both on and off the football field.
***
David Ugwoegbu
What was the most concerning thing for the defense on Saturday? Is it fixable?
Nothing was too concerning for me. I just think that we didn’t play to the elite level that I know that we can play at and that I know we have played at before. It’s definitely fixable and I think we’ve already moved past that and that will definitely show up within the remainder of the season.
It was just, like I said, we didn’t play up to our standard. We have a very high standard that we set for ourselves. And when you’ve got such a high standard, that’s when you get disappointed. But if you set a low standard for yourself, you’re not ever gonna be upset about your performance or anything. So I just think we didn’t play up to our standard, but it’s definitely fixable and we’ve already started in that trend.
What’s the feeling of the team when you’re playing below your standards?
We’re coached greatly and we’re coached to keep our feelings out of our performance. So whether we’re playing great or we’re playing bad the mission of the defense is, I’m sure you guys have heard before, is 3-and-out and takeaways.
I don’t think we had necessarily felt disappointed with ourselves in the moment or felt bad. The mindset is just meet the standard. Continue doing what we need to do and execute. So that’s pretty much it.
Do you take offense when you’re asked why you played below par?
I personally don’t take any offense to it at all because it’s Oklahoma and the narrative here has been bad defense bad defense. We know what we’ve got and we know what we need to do to get where we’re trying to go, so like I said I don’t take offense to it because that’s been the narrative here for forever. We’re just trying to change it. It’s no surprise when people go back to thinking that oh, here comes Oklahoma’s defense not doing what we need to do. But I think we’ll open up some eyes throughout the rest of the season.
***
Kennedy Brooks (feature Friday)
What was it like to be out there?
I missed it, man. It was pretty fun being out there and playing the game I love, being out there playing with my teammates. It was good. I felt good. Obviously, we've got a lot to work on, but it's been fun being out there.
Are you a gamer?
I mean, yeah, I'm just that type of dude to go out there and do what I can for my teammates, no matter what it is. I'm focused on being a more complete back in everything I do. Just be out there and enjoy the moment, that's all.
Building OL chemistry?
I'm always together with them no matter what it is. We rep everything a lot. I'm always watching film and I'm listening to their calls and everything. I'm always locked in with them no matter what it is.
***
Robert Congel
How did you feel like you played Saturday?
I think it went pretty well for me. Obviously, you know, there's always room to improve. I still have some stuff to clean up so I think it went pretty well for me.
Biggest areas of growth since arriving at OU?
I think, from the jump, Coach Wylie and his whole staff—physically, I've never felt as strong and as fast as I've been feeling. Having Coach Bedenbaugh as a coach, he really helps with the mental aspect of the game as well as the technique stuff, but I feel like I've improved a lot. I've learned the game a lot more and that's really helped me out on the field.
When did you find out you'd start? How did you feel? Competition at C continue?
I kind of had an idea the week going into the game that I was going to get the start. That was an awesome moment for me to get out there and go play in front of the palace. You dream about that kind of stuff. I think the competition was really tough. Raym's a fantastic player. I think it will keep going moving forward but it'll be up to the coaches. All I can control is how I perform.
***
Austin Stogner
Officially back?
Yeah it was awesome. It was great to be back out there. It was a long time coming, a long road. I'm just grateful. Thank God I'm able to be out there again and play the ball I want to play.
First game with Finley?
It's been great. He's a great coach. He's played the position so he kind of knows the ins and outs. He's a very detail-oriented guy making those adjustments, seeing what happens. He sees stuff on the field that maybe sometimes I don't see. He's letting me know that and we talk about it. We made some good in-game adjustments.
All three TEs/H-Backs on field at once?
Oh yeah. The big boy package. We like all three of us going out there and lining up. It's a ton of fun. We run out there and Tyrese, the right tackle, is yelling like, 'Big three!' It's fun to get us all out there. It's fun to play with those guys. I hope we get into a little bit more of that.
Playing four quarters?
It starts in practice. We need to finish well in practice and make sure we're finishing on all the plays. If you do it in practice, if you play hard all the plays - Coach Finley always preaches to us - if you run, do the extra stuff, then you won't get tired. You won't play football and get tired again. That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to do the extra stuff and make extra runs. That's big and that will just lead to us staying locked in throughout the game and playing all four quarters.
***
Isaiah Thomas
Defensive performance?
I think the biggest thing that stood out was the inconsistency. How we started off shaky, then ramped up quickly and showed what we’re capable but in the end, didn’t finish the way we wanted to. I say that just comes from effort, not from not knowing What our jobs are, but just simply effort, including myself, I play a role in that as well. I have to do a better job of that, and this week that has been heavily emphasized. One thing I can say is you don’t want to be at your peak in Week 1 in the season, so I’m glad we got this out of the way and can improve on that.
Regaining intensity after letdown?
We have to create our own energy because when there are roller coasters, the energy can go down. Fans go as we go. If we’re playing slow, then fans aren’t going to be as into it, so we have to create our own energy. That comes from the leaders and then trickles down to the young guys. I think it starts with the older guys and the guys on the field being that example and creating that energy and showing everybody that it was just one drive, one possession, one play. It doesn’t determine the outcome, so we just have to be consistent in that.
Rotation? Grimes?
I don’t think it was bad because Grinch told us we’re rotating so we can get the best out of everybody, not so we can get a rest and get off the field. That speaks volumes on the amount of people who played. I think it’s a great way to approach it. But he wanted to try something and see how it turned out and every week we’ll adjust. That’s how the rotation went.
As far as Reggie Grimes, it was fun to see him play at the potential he is expected to play at. It’s just week 1, so he’s just scratching the surface. Seeing him get that strip-sack and being in the backfield and playing consistent and getting those reps – he has a very bright future for him.
How can you come out flat when there are so few games?
When it comes to the energy levels like I said you can’t really base it on who you are playing and stuff like that. Like I said you could feel that vibe coming into halftime and going out on the field we’re used to the stadium being packed out 90,000 you know every single home game. We knew with the schedule shift that the crowd wasn’t gonna be packed and stuff so we knew what to expect but not everybody knew what to expect because not everybody’s played in that stadium before. So you know you can kind of sense it. As an older guy you can see the younger guys trying to be, you know, evaluating what’s going on around them instead of creating their own energy and stuff than opposed to if we play Bedlam here and it’s 90,000 and it’s a close game everyone is riled up and ready to go despite what the outcome may be.
So yeah that’s just something we’ve got to harp on and emphasize and show them how important it is because the little details could end up being a big thing and stuff like that. I take ownership in that as well with trying to lead them and show them the way as well.
***
Key Lawrence
Isaiah Thomas?
I tell him all the time I have so much high expectations for him, probably even more than what he thinks that I have. So I told him, right, immediately after the (play) that’s a big-time deal, especially him being a captain on this team. I think they he knows the whole team, the whole defense, pretty much, the whole team as well. They have a very high standard for him because of the level he plays, the energy, the motor. The way he plays by himself. So, I think he's a good player as well.
Your performance, team’s performance?
Yeah, so honestly, I don't want to — I don't really like speaking too much about myself. I'm not able to evaluate myself. I feel like that’s up to my coaches after the outcome of the game. But, pretty much, I’d say overall, if I was to evaluate myself, I think I did pretty good. But anyway, I think that my team, I think we do got to come up next game with more energy, just start it carrying over from practices we have, the explosive plays that we have in practice and keep that mental focus and dialed in. We can't just overlooked our opponents, we just got to keep putting our foot on the gas and keep going.
