Nov. 15, 2005

Head Coach Guy Morriss

On the end of the season:

"For me personally, I'd like to go back after the Iowa State game and start over. I like playing games. I think with the schedule you're on since the first of August and through this weekend, all of a sudden it stops and for me, you kind of feel lost for awhile until you get adjusted to not playing. I enjoy game days and preparations during the week. And I know I'll miss it."

On Oklahoma State's must-win situation for bowl eligibility:

"I think we can play spoilers. If we can't go to a bowl, let's make sure they don't get to go to a bowl either. As far as I'm concerned, I think it would be significant for us to end up with five wins. I think it's important to our club; I think it's really important to our seniors, and we've already talked to them about that. It would be the best record since '94, I think. But it would be the best since we've been in the Big 12. It would be our second conference win which is something we haven't done yet. It's just another one of those firsts that we can achieve. I look at it like it's our job and it's the only game we're going to play this week. We need to go win it. Let's finish this season on a good note, and the only way to do that is to go win."

On closing the season with a win:

"That's what we're hungry for. If we can close on a win, I think everybody feels better about the season. I think we'll still be disappointed but it gives you that positive feeling going into the off-season. It would be great to win this game."

On last week's play against Missouri:

"I guess you could call it tight, but we didn't really play loose and relaxed like I thought that we would and have in the past. That was kind of frustrating for us because we had a good week of work and we were loose all week. We went up there and had a good practice the night before and seemed to be very focused. But then we came out and didn't start the game with much emotion. It was disappointing. I guess you call it flat; I don't know how to describe it. But it was not the look that we are used to seeing. Whether it was the added pressure of a must-win, I thought we would handle that better."

On the early Iowa State win:

"They're of a Big 12 caliber tight team. We went up there on the road and did come out of there with a win. I guess you'd have to say that was our best win this year, best game we've played."

On Oklahoma State:

"They're playing really hard. They came after Texas Tech pretty quick using a lot of the same stuff Bill [Bradley] put in there. They're gaining confidence and playing better. They're going to play hard; I can guarantee that. They really run to the football. We have to make sure we are ready to play and match their intensity."

On Oklahoma State's record, 4-5:

"I think it is what it is. I think that they are getting better, but if you go back earlier in the year, they just didn't have it together. They got beat up pretty early in the season but they are getting better. They have four wins and are looking to finish strong with a bowl game. They played Texas and scared them the first half. Then Texas woke up and flexed their muscles to win that game. Then they had a bye and I think they benefited greatly from Coach Bradley and our defensive plan against Texas Tech; they had two weeks to implement it. That certainly doesn't hurt you when you're playing that mouse-trap they have out there at Texas Tech with their offense. I'm more concerned about us than anything. We have to get our kids ready to play."

On the senior game plan:

"We told the seniors Sunday to come ready to play 60 minutes. I think it's important to us as a football program, if we can get this win; we are going to play our seniors every snap if we have to. I think they breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that; they might have thought we were going to let them start and play a few plays and then start building for next year. I'm not interested in next year right now. I'm interested in finishing this season. We desperately need to get this win. And I told them they better be ready to play, be good leaders, get these younger guys up, and make sure we all show up Saturday.

On senior leaders:

"I think that Colin [Allred] comes to mind as a great leader and Mo [Maurice] Lane. Each one of them in their own kind of way has contributed. You know you really like the guys who can be vocal and then back it up; Colin has done that. Jamaal Harper has done that this year. He has played well and is as consistent as anybody on defense. Jamaal doesn't necessarily say a lot all the time but you need those guys too who lead by example. Michael Gary has done a good job trying to be a good leader. In their own kind of way, they have all contributed to the leadership role. To this point, it's the best class. That's something we've preached to them about since we walked in the door. They've heard it now for three seasons and did a good job with it."

"We've struggle here lately but every week they seem to get us back up. To their credit, they're working at it, at least."

On the program's progress this year:

"I guess last time we talked about, we were at the midpoint of the curve. I don't think we've turned that curve yet really. I'll have to look back at it again, maybe with a clearer head, after the season's over and assess where we're at. I thought we've made some significant progress from the defensive side. That's what we set out to do when we got here. We knew we had to build the defense first.

"It's coming along offensively, and we know we've had some problems. That's something I'm anxious to look at, evaluate, and see where we are. Figure out exactly what happened and how we can fix it. I thought we'd be better offensively than we have been. I've got to figure out why and I won't know that for awhile."

"This offensive team has kind of been a mystery. It was good to see Shawn [Bell] go in the game. It seemed like things picked up and we played with a lot more energy. Maybe there will be some carry over from last week to this game. We certainly hope so. As an offensive staff, we'll simplify some things and just try to give them enough weapons to win the ball game, stuff that we know we can execute pretty well and we feel confident about. We'll just turn them loose and let them to play. Hopefully they'll play with that same energy we finished the game with last week."

Offensive Coordinator Brent Pease

On Missouri:

"Going into the game, we thought we could really establish some things up front as far as our running game goes, and we really didn't get it done. That set us off balance in doing what we wanted to do. We just couldn't get anything based and they kept us off balance up front. They really gained control of the line of scrimmage.

"At that time in the second half we had to change our tempo, and that's when we went to Shawn [Bell]. We went to what was best for him and let him throw the ball down the field to get us into a rhythm. That's when we really got moving. In the first five drives, he put us down in the red zone and we scored on a few of those. Making the change at that time got us in a different flow and gave us a chance to come back in the game. If we could have scored once we got down there a couple more times, with some of the passes we were close on, we could have turned the game around and probably had it in our favor at some point in time."

On Oklahoma State:

"If you start from game one to where they are right now, they are getting a lot more confident with what they are doing with their scheme. They are continuing to add some pressure into it and really trying to change up the looks on the quarterback. They're going to be more of a zone based team. They are experienced, with six or seven seniors that we've seen since our first year.

"Their confidence is building as the weeks go on. They did a good job against Texas Tech, and I think they stole some of their scheme against Texas Tech from what our defense did against them. They're objective is to confuse the quarterback and keep him guessing a lot and keep the linemen guessing also regarding where the rush is coming from. We are going to have to be good as setting an edge on our pressure. Size-wise they aren't great but I think our match up will be equal to what our kids can handle."

Defensive Coordinator Bill Bradley

On Missouri:

"After viewing the tape, it's another one of those game where we played extremely well most of the areas except for the two quarterback runs. That's where they got us, along with missed tackles. On tackles for losses, we had six. That was the most disappointing thing and we are going to address that and do some more tackling drills. In particular this year, the strength of the Oklahoma State Cowboys team is their rushing. That's what we're going to have to get corrected because that's what will beat us. Other than the two quarterback runs, they had one drive on us in the game. It's a little bit disappointing because I feel like defensively, we had a chance to close the game out and we didn't get it done again. We're going to get that corrected and move forward."

On Oklahoma State:

"It's a new week and we're playing the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They kind of rubbed it in on us last year when we played up there. I think our guys are going to remember that and hopefully get fired up for this week. Not hopefully, they better get fired up and they will. The strength of their team is the quarterback again; he's the only that makes them go. In the last game against Texas Tech, [Bobby] Reid had a fumble in the end zone and Texas Tech recovered it. So he did not come in the last few series of the game so they brought [Al] Peña back in, and he's actually the one who took them down the field a couple of times and used up the clock with the running game. And they ended up beating Texas Tech."

"Our main objective is the make them throw. And if the quarterback takes the game into his own hands, we have to stop the run. This kind of run won't be as much with the quarterback as it will with their running scheme. So our priority is to get started today on getting people in the right gaps and wrapping up when we tackle."