Latest / Sooner or Later Sports / AUDIO: Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Temple Week Press Conference

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AUDIO: Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Temple Week Press Conference · Sooner or Later Sports

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: To win over Michigan. Now at the podium, all right,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: good morning.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Got to go on the road for the first time
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: with this team, looking forward to the challenge playing a
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: much different looking Temple team this week. Coached by a
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: coach Keeler, as I talked about after the game, became
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: one of the more successful coaches in the history of FCS,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: the only coach to win two national championships at two
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: different places.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They do a fantastic job.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Just really looking at the last several years their success,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: and certainly that's carried over their first couple of games,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: their ability to execute at a really high level offensively
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: and defensively, just giving up under ten points a game
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: on defense and averaging close to fifty points a game
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: on offense. They've done a remarkable job in a very
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: short window over the last several months since they got
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: on the campus, average great balance in their offense, averaging
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: two hundred and sixty yards rushing the game two hundred
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: and fifty five passing. They've passed for ten touchdowns and
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: rushed for three. They've outgained their two opponents by six
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: hundred yards.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: So regardless of who.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: Their opponents have, you know that they've played here, they've
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: completely gotten after them. Their third in the country and
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: pass efficiency seventy conversion rate on third downs and nine
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: out of nine in the red zone. They've spread the
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: ball around as they've you know, thrown the ball, and
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: they haven't allowed any points in the second half of
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: any of their first two ball games. So, you know,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: great opportunity for our guys to gain, go on the road,
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: be tested in an unfamiliar environment. We're gonna have to
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: play well on the road. It's an early morning kick,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: so everything. As I told the team yesterday, the schedule
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: for the week is you know, completely changed what they've
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: been comfortable with here these last couple of weeks, and
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: those things matter.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: So we got to do a great job.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: From a mental standpoint, got to get our work in
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: from a physical standpoint, but the mental standpoint, what that
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: looks like, Uh, the focus and the maturity to be
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: able to go on the road and you know, play
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: to our our ability.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: So look forward to that challenge and started off right
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: side there. Yeah Hawkins.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, plan for Michael in terms of when you want
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: to play in what in what situations.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: I know you probably like the red shirty, but that
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: you still have four games. Ye have sort of some
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: sort of broad plan for Michael.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you'd like to think that you can control that.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: We certainly could, but we might pigeonhole ourselves too, And
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: so uh, you know we're playing, we're preparing him every
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: single week like he's a guy that's got to go
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: in and take seventy or eighty snaps and uh, you know,
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: until our hands forced, you know, we we're not at
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: any liberty to be able to, hey, let's just get
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: him in for a few series here, and so trying
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: to be uh thinking both short term and long term.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: I would hate to you know, burn his year unnecessarily, So.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: You know, I think.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: The the course of the season will kind of uh
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: work itself out, but uh, we're gonna be very mindful
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: of not uh burning is his year, you know, uh
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: before we have to.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: Right breath.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: John's ability to run has become the forefront.
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: Quarterbacks run differently, summer, speedy, some wanna run over guys.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Looks like he's.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Got the vision of a running back. Really and I'm
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: sure you've seen.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: That against your defensive practice.
• 3:50
  Speaker 5: What kind of challenge does that present a difference when
• 3:53
  Speaker 5: you've got a quarterbacks.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: She's not just fast, not just the able to run
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: over guys, but it makes a movie.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, No, he's a real weapon, you know and running
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: the ball and uh he does to your point, he
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: has really good instincts as a runner, great lateral quickness
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: and the ability to change direction. He's an explosive runner
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: and a very efficient and I think he's he got
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: to do a good job of you know, not taking
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: you know, too many shots and that kind of goes
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: with the territory. He's built strong, and uh, he's really
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: you know, compact, and so he can absorb some big hits.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: But it's a real weapon and keeps defenses in a
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: really tough predicament because he can you know, throw the ball,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: you know, with great ability as well.
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: As John was telling after the other night that you
• 4:49
  Speaker 4: talk to the team about between three Texas, skame, how
• 4:53
  Speaker 4: didn't get over that got sort of what do you
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: do you feel like?
• 4:56
  Speaker 6: He wanted?
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well again it's not it didn't have as much
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: a text as we were seven and oh Texas happened
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: to be the last one, and again I got perspective.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Again.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: We lost the next two games by one score. We're
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: both on the road, and we turned the ball over
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: six times. Recipe, regardless of you know, of how the
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: rest of the team plays, you turn the ball over,
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: you're going to lose most of the time. And one
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: of them was a pick six on the first drive
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: of the game on the road at Kansas. And then
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: we lost our last our bowl game, you know, with
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: a first time starting quarterback. We turned the ball over
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: six times and gave up two more defensive touchdowns. So
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: I have that perspective that's not always indicative. But the
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: rest of the team didn't handle seven or oh well either.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: It's hard to overcome those mistakes, and against anybody that
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: has a pulse. So you know, it's there's a balance,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: you know, with all of it, and it's just handling success.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: It's staying hungry, staying motivated, staying detailed, staying committed to
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: a process us and how you play well. And I've
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: always felt like it's harder to manage a team that's
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: doing really well as opposed to a team that doesn't
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: think much of themselves. So this is kind of right
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: on Q from what we've tried to prepare, you know,
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: the team for and when you come out here and
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: you beat Michigan. Then everybody's gonna they don't want to
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: want to interview you. They're going to talk Heisman, They're
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: going to talk you know, best defense ever, all of
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: these things that come with that. You've got to be
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: able to block out the noise before. You got to
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: block it out now. And not an easy thing to
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: do because everybody, I think human nature is people enjoy
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: somebody saying nice things about them, and so doesn't help
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: us win, doesn't help us in our process. And how
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: we got to start completely over, learn new DNA and
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: you know, do the things that winning requires and success requires,
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: and has to go right back to work and to
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: focus on what's in front of us. And so, you know,
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: I do feel like it resonated. Well, the test of
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: time will tell mm.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: HM Specialty Shop. Where did you see from some of those.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we gotta you know, first of all,
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: on the roughing the punter and again just we we
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: showed him all of our drill work and immediately Doug
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: had pulled up you know Sammy with his drill work.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: We didn't do that in our drill work. You know,
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: you finish in front of the punter, you take it
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: off his foot. UH, if you're late, then you got
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: to buzz by to his outside and if you're if
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: you're right on time from an alignment standpoint, from UH,
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: you know, taking the edge of the of the shield,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: you know, trimming the fact, becoming nice and tight man,
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: and you gotta you finish in front of the uh punter.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: And so we just went back and really just kind
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: of intercut it and showed him, Look, you did it
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: right in practice, you gotta take it to game day
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: and UH. And then again Isaiah, you know he's been
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: he's been pretty good so far. And then just go
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: back to the basics of you know, catching the ball
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: and you know, getting people out of the way and
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: some of the communication things. We've got to be better there.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: Punter was fantastic. Our cover teams on kickoff and punt.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Team were elite.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: Protection was good on on a punt team and gave up.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Some leakage on our on our field goal.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: Bill pulled up the twenty fifteen playoff game against Georgian
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: double overtime where we had a field goal blocked that
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: kept this out of the National Championship, and he talked
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: the team through that yesterday and I'm real why it's
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: so important. The basics are what win for you. The
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: basics are also how you get beat. It's the little
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: things and never the big things. It's always the little things.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: And so it's.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Trimming the fat on the on the pump block with Sammy.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: It's doing the right things and the field goal protection,
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: you know, not putting two hands down on the inside gap.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: It's it's one on one. And so you just go
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: back over use these moments to teach. We're fortunate we
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: won the game having made a handful of those mistakes.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: But there's good and bad in all of it. And
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: you know now this, you know this is an opportunity
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: to get some things on film that you can coach
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: from and and show them how you lose a game,
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: you know, and when it matters most.
• 9:29
  Speaker 5: You ever go back to G's question about john ability
• 9:31
  Speaker 5: to run, wondering if you were going through office reportator
• 9:35
  Speaker 5: candidates and watching him and watch your how much did
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: it intrigue you, how much they did use.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Your quarterback run game John's ability.
• 9:41
  Speaker 6: And all that, and how that may opens up a
• 9:44
  Speaker 6: playbook for an office.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I again, I just think about think
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: about college football. You think about the NFL. Everybody does it,
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: so I don't think it's unique to Ben. And if
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: you if you have a guy back there that can't run,
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: then you don't force a square peg through a round circle.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: But you look at every really good offense and that's
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: what they're doing. So whether it's what they're doing at
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: you know, in Washington and the NFL, or they're with
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens or the knt
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: See Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles that just won the Super Bowl,
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: or you think about you know, just go down the
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: list of the last several national championships, or in college football,
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: or whether it's Cam Newton or it was you know,
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: Florida with team Tim Tebow. You know, I think those
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: are there's a formula. You're gonna play really good defenses
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: and so how do you how can you get a
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: plus one and have the you know, you know, the
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: the trump card if you will.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: So was that did I see that on film? Yeah?
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: I saw that.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: But I think I do think that most modern offenses
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: are doing it to some degree. And when you got
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: a capable of runner back there, you're willing to do that.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: There's always a risk involved, you know as well, and
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: you got to be prepared to live with that too.
• 11:15
  Speaker 5: Where I want to ask you about paid poll and
• 11:17
  Speaker 5: I know he dealt with some interests and lingering stuff
• 11:19
  Speaker 5: the first couple of years, but he played every tap.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Against Michigan's, like the consistencies there.
• 11:24
  Speaker 5: Just how important of these first couple of weeks been
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: for him, just having a baseline being out there to
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: do instance.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, starting in the summer, he was really started things up,
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: getting back into the flow of things. We kind of
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: shelved him the turf toe that he had or really
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: it's a very aggravating kind of injury that just it's
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: hard to go away unless you just completely get off
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: of it. And he really responded well. I think that
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: he recognizes he's had a great humility in a maturity
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: about him. Maybe more so it's always been humble, but
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: more so I think he showed up with more of
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: a purpose, like it all right, man, I'm running out
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: of time, and he felt really good for the first time.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: I think he'd be the first one to tell you.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: And the game has slowed down tremendously for Peyton and
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: he's more and more comfortable from a leadership and a
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: communications standpoint, He's able to see things from a different
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: lens just by going on year three and then I
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: think maybe also being injured the last couple of years,
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: just with some nagging he had an ankle, foot and
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: then the toe, I think has created a different sense
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: of purpose for him too. Yeah, Brandon heard all athlete
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: biggest recruiting weekends since you've been the.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: Head and coach here? What was that balancing guy though?
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Making sure you had the right product.
• 12:49
  Speaker 6: To go on field Saturday night, but also trying to
• 12:52
  Speaker 6: build the ball on relationship with all the.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Kids O company. Well, we have a really deep staff.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: I think our front off of staff recruiting staff led
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: by Joe Lee Ali and then our full time coaches
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: as well played a part in that are committed prospects
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: for the twenty twenty six class also played a part,
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: you know, and hosting and recruiting as well. They it's
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: the best asset that you have or your players you
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: know that are either committed or you know in the
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: locker room. And then our guys are just our guys,
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: our in our locker room, and they do a really
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: good job. You know, they care about Oklahoma. They care about,
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: you know, who comes into that locker room and they
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: know that we're going to continue to be successful in it.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: It's going to take all of us, and so they
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: do a wonderful job. So it was it was good.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: You know, I met with several guys before the game,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: and there's a there's a balance there. You know, nothing
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: is more important than winning, and so I thought, uh,
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: you know, several our coaches came over, they were here early,
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: you know, on on Saturday, Uh, while there was a
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: few of us that stayed back at the hotel with
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: the team doing walk throughs and meetings things like that,
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: and then uh, and then Sunday was pretty busy, you
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: know with uh several of the of the guys either
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: still here leaving, you know on Sunday kind of closing
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: that out.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Job Grayson a little.
• 14:25
  Speaker 6: I know you already talked about how great he was
• 14:27
  Speaker 6: and how special teams overall the just what do you
• 14:30
  Speaker 6: think of this his journey? He was playing soccer out
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: of his small school a few years ago and now
• 14:34
  Speaker 6: he's now he's delivering the big cakes for Okloma.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so between Cannick being a a quarterback and a
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: uh linebacker in his past and Owen Heinekee playing lacrosse
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: and Grayson being a soccer player. That's pretty cool. It's
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: a neat story. The moment wasn't too big for him. Uh,
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: had a fantastic week. Uh it's been a little sporadic
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: since he's been on campus, and I really felt like
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: if he was sporadic like he's been at times, it
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: might work out to our favor because it didn't make sense.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: You know, it's supposed to pin him in.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: The corner and that ball goes up to the other
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: numbers and never ended up working out that way on Saturday.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: But man, he was ready for the moment. He's got
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: a great disposition for him. He's really competitive, got a
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: lot of juice and energy and it was huge. You know,
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: all four of the punts that he pinted were huge
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: in that game just from a field position standpoint. Did
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: a fantastic job. So pretty cool, great testimony, you know,
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: for everybody to learn from. And being ready for your
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: opportunity despite maybe some discouragement, you know, with not having
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: the success or the opportunity that maybe you felt like
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: you you wanted, but you know, not losing your focus
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: and being ready and we had a Jacob Ulrick with
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: a slight hamstring issue, and so that punter is no
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: position we really want to mess with that.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: And Grayson did a great job. That's not your Brent
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: having a being the head coach.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: You can get tabs on everything.
• 16:11
  Speaker 6: How do you feel about your quarterback run at nineteen
• 16:13
  Speaker 6: times a game? And is that also something where you
• 16:16
  Speaker 6: know you run game with your running backs just.
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: Needs to be a little bit better too?
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah? No, again, how do I feel about it? I
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: thought he did great?
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: And again yet uh? Y, is that what you want
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: every single week from your quarterback?
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: Uh?
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: Probably not. I don't think that's good, you know, for
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: his health long term. But you're playing against really good people.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: You have to be willing to do that. And you
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: know what the byproduct of being willing to do that,
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: you know on first down, uh, let alone third or
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: fourth down, Uh, is that you're gonna attract more people
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: down into the box and create more opportunity of throwing
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: the ball. Uh. You know. So I don't necessarily think
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: it has as much to do with what you can
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: or can't do, you know, running the ball with the tailbacks,
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: but it makes things a little more difficult and challenging,
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: you know, for the defense and again been on a
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: whole pack of a lot of really explosive offenses that
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: had the ability to run with the tailback and still
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: were committed to running with the quarterback too. It's just
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: a it creates a whole other set of problems.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I would you talk about how the jitching on
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: the tight end. But was there a learning curve for
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: him over the spring and summer. Yeah, no doubt.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: He had a lot to learn, and I think that's
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: why he was in the building every day. He studied
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: certainly what systematically we're doing in this system and what
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: he needed to learn and how he could get better mentally.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: But he also studied you know, the best tight ends
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: in college and the NFL too.
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: Uh.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: He'd be the best to ask about, you know what
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: all the end the details of what that looked like.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: But he and he'd be the first one to tell you.
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: You know, he's still learning and still improving, and I
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: think just all week one to week two just made
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: some incremental improvement. And I guess there's a stat here
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: he's he's doing pretty good just two games in. But
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: it's like leading the SEC and let me maybe second
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: in the country and receptions and yards or whatever.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: So with that total offense.
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: So he's been doing pretty good and got a long
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: ways to go, and nobody's in and out he badgies
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: for him yet, but he's been doing really good and
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: it's come from a lot of hard work. He's a
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: very talented athlete now, but his best qualities are just
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: his sure will and believe in, belief in himself. And
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: he's a you know, a good weapon. You know, went
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: the ball in his hands. He's got good quickness, he's
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: got good speed. He's got good natural strength as well,
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: and always finds a way to fall forward.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: It was were following up on that.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: Who are some guys from your past who have paid
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: the transition from one's other ball to another, who have
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: had success?
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I look at a guy like me, just thinking
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: about guys here at Oklahoma at Jamal Brown that was
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: the number one d tackle in the country and played
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: it on defense probably like Stone.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: Did you know under one hundred snaps as a true freshman.
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: He was big and strong, but it was a little stiff,
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: had a hard time bending and uh he moved over
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: after his freshman year and one little Lombardi and two
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: time All American first round draft pick Andre Wolfolk went
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: from receiver to corner and became a first round corner.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: Isaiah Simmons recruiting he was out of high school.
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: He was a high school receiver and we moved to
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: safety and then ended up moving to linebacker and he
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: ended up winning the Budkiss Award. A lot of people
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: recruited Dusty the war Check as an offensive guard, and uh,
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: he played a little bit of both in high school,
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: and it doesn't really constitute moving. Derek Straight was a
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: high school quarterback, played no defense, and he ended up
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: winning the Thorpe Award after a red shirt his freshman year.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: But I'm sure there are several other guys. Dan Cody
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: was a quarterback and a kicker. Uh, played a little
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: bit of a linebacker stand up linebacker and ended up
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: winning the Ted Hendricks Award, and that's the best defensive
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: ending in college. But so anyway, there's a few guys.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: I'm sure our own roster's probably got a few more.
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: But uh, those are guys that come to mind.
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: After you know, covered your long tip.
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: So I know you've never satisfied with defense, but what
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: do you think the defense after you gets what do
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: you think of that?
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: Well, I think they've.
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: You know, answered the challenge of the first two weeks
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: of the season, and that's it. Every opponent's a little
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: bit different, you know what. I've appreciated the volume of
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: work that this defense has committed to both what's required
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: and then what's not required. And as I've said many times,
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: what's required is never enough. And these guys have been
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: willing to do more than what's required over a long
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: period of time. And now the challenge of the season
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: is okay, you've had a little success, your willingness to
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: go right back at it and with the same passion,
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: with the same detail, with the same energy, with the
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: same hunger, with the same toughness. You know, if you
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: if you, if you don't, then you'll be one of
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: those you know, few teams because we're not good enough
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: just to just show up and not do what's required.
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: Most people aren't, and you'll get exposed quickly, you know.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: So, whether that's.
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: You saw it last weekend in college football, Army goes
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: into k State, South Florida goes into the swamp, you know,
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: Troy goes into you know, into Clemson, at sixteen to nothing,
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: and they Clemson ended up winning that game. Obviously, Arizona
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: State goes on the road, Mississippi State beats a playoff
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: team in Arizona State, and so this game's too hard.
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: I've appreciated the maturity and the leadership of our group.
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: They're saying all the right things, and I again I
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: so far, so good. You know, I think that they
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: are humble, they're driven, they're not satisfied. They got long
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: term vision of what you know, they want to accomplish.
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: And I think that they I don't think they have
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: their head in the sand. They value the success has
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: come from the work. The confidence that they have has
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: come from the work. And again, as I said, man,
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of guys and we have seven on
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: defense that this is year four, So they've been through
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: some pain. And when you've gone through what they've gone through,
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: I think, I don't think you'll walk the same. And
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: I think that they've grown and matured through you know.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: That process.
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: And so as I said, pain is the world's greatest adhesive.
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: It brings people together when you go through that together.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: And so I think the byproduct is playing together, playing
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: well together, compliment in each other and know that you know,
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: every week is going to present a new set of challenges.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: The style of play, the types of passes, the types
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: of runs, the philosophy on third down.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: You know, it's different this week.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: And so how do you you know, put together a
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: game plan that you execute at a high level. You know,
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: if we put it in the game plan, the expectation
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: is that we execute it at a very very high level.
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: And Uh, but to play this game at a high level,
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: you know, you have to emotionally and physically invest in
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: the week and it's a race against the clock.
• 24:23
  Speaker 4: Uh.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: There's a comfort level with Illinois State. There's a comfort
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: level to a certain degree with Michigan because you know,
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: we had an out of season, you know, to spend
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: a lot of time, you know on the first you know,
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: for a few opponent opponents, and then you're always working
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: on yourself. What you put on tape a year ago
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: that wasn't good. Professional courtesy is most people are going
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: to put it in the game plan if you you know,
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: show that you these are issues that you had a
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: year ago. And so we've worked relentlessly at anticipating that
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: and get better. You know, incrementally being better and all
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: the efficiencies, the fundamentals, the physicality, playing great team depots,
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: and so the challenge is going to be different every
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: single week. And like I said to start things, this
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: is going into going on the road.
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: Everything's new.
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: You don't have the same comfort of going right out
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: here to the Marriotte, you know, on Highway nine, being
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: two miles away and having everybody happy to see you.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: And so you know, it takes a different type of
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: mindset no matter you know what your opponent is or
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: where you got to go, it's just a little bit unfamiliar.
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: So we got to do a better job, you know
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: when it comes to those things too. But I know
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: again just watching the guys last night, you know, listening
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: to them in the team meeting, I think these guys
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: they do see that, and now we have to sustain that.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: But I love the guys playing with passion and energy
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: and you know, pointing and running when we guys are
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: making plays, men are running to their teammates.
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: You know, Uh, that's uh infectious too.
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: But uh, coach, I wonder the kind of maybe vide
• 26:13
  Speaker 3: meat a little bit off of that and talking about
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: a specific aspect of your defense, and that's a sudden
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: changed situations where the defense hasn't come in after a mistake.
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: By the offense or special teams.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: You guys have four turnovers this season, and on the
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: series following those four turnovers, y'all are even up thirty
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: nine yards, one first down, six points points coming off
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: the field, goals and short field situation. Uh minus at
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: twenty three yard run first playing the first turnover, fourteen
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: lay sixteen yards, no first downs even after the referend done,
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: w gets issue and he gave up some yards build
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: up in the red zone.
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: Uh getting allot of these points. They missed a field goal.
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, teams can always respond well.
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: Too those situations. Why backs those situations?
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: You can rank you What does it mean to you?
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Uh?
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: It wasn't saying about your guys mentality that they consistently respond.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: And yeah, no, I think we have a bunch of
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: tough guys. I mean, you don't do the what you
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: just said have that type of result without having, you know,
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: great mental toughness. And so we got tough guys. Our
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: coaches a coach of players tough. We talk about you know,
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: the choppy waters, the head winds, the adversity of game
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: day people punching back. You know, you find truly about
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: a player, a unit, a staff, whoever, you know, in
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: moments where there's real challenge, not when everything's going great,
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: it's you know, and that's the challenge. We talk about
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: that every single day and try to create we try
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: to create a lot of pressure on the practice field
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: every single day. I believe that you can do that.
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: I think that's important that you do that. You push guys,
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: you know, to their limits. They have to be willing.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: The really good players take themselves to that uncomfortable space.
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: They they recognize the value of doing that and physically
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: and mentally pushing themselves. And so I think that's a
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: testament to you know, uh, you know, the heart and
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: soul of you know, these players to continually to do that.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: And the coaches that have you know, developed that trait
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: as well. I think you can recruit it and I
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: think you nurture it and uh and then you practice it,
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: you know often.
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: At you talked about oh and last week as are
• 28:33
  Speaker 3: as the determination to make an impression disa playing time.
• 28:38
  Speaker 3: That'd be fun on Saturday to watch some of that.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: Another truitional, hard work and determinations for that.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's I mean, that's to me what it's all about.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: And I think, you know, another byproduct of that is
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: some other guys that maybe have been fighting for an opportunity,
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: and I think it lends credibility for them to keep
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: keep swinging, keep working, keep being prepared.
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: It's great.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: Owen is a well respected he's a really good leader.
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: He's made the most of his opportunity. I think he's
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: shown that he's a really good athlete, got great instincts.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: He plays wide open, He's got tremendous endurance. He understands
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: how he fits into his role and everybody around him.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: That's why he plays aggressive because he knows I got
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: to come under that block because the safety's outside of me.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: So he can shoot his gun in a really fast,
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: explosive way, taking away you know, reducing pad surface and
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: things like that. He knows within the system, you know,
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: that's where I fit, and so he looks extra fast,
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: you know, and he looks like he knows what plays coming.
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: But I think that that's the confidence of knowing the
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: system and what everybody else is doing, not just his job.
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: And we meet as a back seven every single day
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: to try to get guys like him to play that fast,
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: so you don't it's not centered on just linebacker position
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: and what you're supposed to do. It's the why, it's
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: what everybody else around you is doing. And so collectively,
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: I think you're seeing more and more guys like going
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: that are playing in a flat in a fast, you know,
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: sure kind of way. And but really proud of him
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: not giving up on himself and not giving up on
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: his opportunity. As I said, I kept throwing him out
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: of a practice like literally, get the hell out, I
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: just told you, and shame on me. But but you know,
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: for give credit to him. He's the one that's put
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: all the work in and continue to keep showing up,
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: you know, even if he didn't have the same opportunity
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: that he's experiencing. You know, right now I can get
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: I'm sure discouraging for a lot of people. And you know,
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: his family support him, Uncle Corey has supported him.
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: And what a great.
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: Testament he's He's good soil, you know, he's good bamboo
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: and the law of the bamboo tree right that you
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: you know, you just keep water in the bamboo and eventually,
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: if you got the right soil, You got the right
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: stuff that I mean you you have the kind of
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: you know, moment that he's having right now.
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: All right, you got to thank you.