But here's the quick update injury situation for those who missed or left during Saturday's win at Texas Tech.
>TE Drake Dabney broke his fibula and is having season-ending surgery Monday.
>WR Monaray Baldwin (hamstring) still unclear for availability at Oklahoma.
>RB Sqwirl Williams (concussion) still unclear for availability at Oklahoma.
*****
Opening Statement
Dave Aranda
In reviewing the tape, there were a lot of positive things. The energy was really good from start to finish. There was edge on tape. Tech plays hard, they play inspired. For us to go out and play the way we did, I’m way proud of the team. There are so many examples of here’s something in practice, he’s a drill, here it is showing up in a team period, and here it is showing up in a game. We continue to build with that thought in mind, I think just really keeps us focused on a process and gets us better and better, which we’re going to need to be for this next one. I have a lot of respect for Coach Venables and his team we’re playing, the environment, and all of it. So we’re going to have to continue to grow and improve, so that we can put our best effort forward.
(Dillon Gabriel) He’s got a really live arm, and there’s great confidence in him. He’ll throw from one hash to the other sideline. He’s got great anticipation so that he throws when guys are open. He can beat you with his legs too if everything’s covered, and there’s nowhere to go with it, he can take off running. So you have to be really sound with your pass rush, and it helps to have vision on the ball with your coverage or vision on the quarterback rather. He makes it very difficult
(Drake Dabney) He broke his leg, so his fibula is broken. He’s having surgery today. We’re going to miss him. When I look at Drake, I think of just this year all the improvement he made and just his mindset toward work. He was progressing from here’s the second tight end to,here’s a guy who can block when Ben’s getting out on the routes, to here’s Drake, here’s your game plan, here’s your routes, here’s your matchups. He was looking forward to more of that.
(Biggest difference between Riley and Venables OU teams) I think right now with Coach Venables, they’re still trying to find themselves. You can say that about us too over here. There’s been improvement the past couple of weeks, they’re playing hard for him, and so you can see the inspired play. I think you can see kind of a defense that has found an identity and is playing toward it. Offensively, they really ran the ball well this last game, and I’m sure that helped them with their defense. So you’re seeing kind of a collective team emerging. I think the best way to answer that question is this Oklahoma team is becoming right now.
(Interceptions) There’s been a lot of work into it. From a players’ perspective, don’t practice afraid of making mistakes. Practice to make a play. Then when you practice to make a play, stay within this framework of technique, structure and scheme. That alone right there for a young player is the whole thing. Then while that’s going on, the coach is here’s drills to high point a ball, here’s drills to have vision and break, here’s drills to undercut a receiver and make a play on the ball. And so from the coaches perspective is to continue with those drills and find the good in it, and don’t always point out the bad, and build, build, build. So for all that to be happening and not a lot of, I guess produce is one way you can say it, it’s kind of a barren landscape where you’re just kind of tilling dirt, and then for all of a sudden for that to happen, I think it’s important for the coaches and players to know that it’s not all of a sudden, there’s been a lot of work into that, and to continue with that I think will give us a chance to do it again.
(How similar is this OU offense to what you saw from Jeff Lebby’s Ole Miss offense in last year’s Sugar Bowl) I think the tempo is familiar. I think there are less spread-out sets. At least here lately, there’s been more of a focus on the run game. There’s a fair amount of runs that you remember back from OU a year ago to two years ago kind of showing up. When you look at Ole Miss, there was some of that, but it was just more speed and balls on the perimeter. Where here lately . . . as was kind of highlighted before, I think some of it is just to help the overall team and the pace of play and the defense and that. So, there’s some (similarities), but not a lot.
(How much of a focal point has Richard Reese become, and could he be the anchor you lean on) He’s been a good focal point. Still don’t know about Sqwirl (Williams) yet, hoping that we can get Sqwirl back. You saw some positive things from Qualan (Jones). There’s physical runs, physical blocks. I think he’s coming on at a way-important time. So, I think there is going to be more running back-by-committee, just to help with that overall carry number. But, at the same time, just way proud of Richard and just his effort and his attitude, because there’s some goal-line runs in there where daylight is . . . you could quarter in that thing. And he found it, and found it in an aggressive manner. We way appreciate that.
(Six sacks, what did y’all do to put so much pressure on the QB) I think one positive thing leads to another thing. That’s a big part of it. That might be the biggest part, to be honest. But, I think overall there’s a plan and a feeling of, ‘Hey, we’re going to be aggressive.’ We’ve been trying to protect this and trying to protect that, and what else do we have to protect, and all this other stuff. And I think to be aggressive and maybe change up a look or two in the back end tighten things up, where in the past it’s been more of a zone presentation and covering guys that are covering guys. And then, along with that, implementing more man pressures and simulated pressures, I think all of that combined for the thought going into the game that we’re attacking these people. And I think once you have that thought, that frees you up in just your base third-down rush to attack, too.
(How have you seen Gabe Hall progress) These past couple weeks have probably been his best. I think there’s been a growth in him with just his practice habits and a growth in him in effort with which he plays. So, it’s really good to see the success that’s coming his way based upon his adoption of just great effort and really fine focus on details. I think that’s going to serve him well, serve us well here coming up, too.
(What Jackie Marshall brings) Physicality. I think he brings an edge to us. There was a quarterback run in there, and he was in coverage, he came out of it, and the quarterback kind of gave us a 1-2 (move), and Jackie stayed right with it and was able to make the tackle. So, I think he gives you some athleticism, too. One of the things I love the most is you see the growth in people off the field and you see how that drives the performance on the field. And Jackie’s a great example of that. You go back to this time last year, to where it is now, it’s way cool.
(What have you seen from OU over the past couple weeks to get them in a groove) Complementary football. The defense and offense play off of each other. O-line-wise, you see physicality. I think defensively, you see just great effort. I think they’re starting to find their groove, and like us, it’s within a simplified structure. They’re playing their best football right now.
(On Khalil Keith’s impact coming back) I love just Khalil’s story. It was difficult for him in summertime and all of it when he was having to make a decision on, do we try to play through it or do we do something about it? And to do something about it meant this late start for him. And just with this being it for him, a very difficult decision to make. And for him to go through all that, and then to do the work, so that when he came back, there wasn’t added work on top of it because of, we’re not in shape or the grades aren’t in order or this and that. He handled all of it, and that’s a way cool thing, because that speaks just to his maturity. So many people, so many hands in that, just in his career here. But yeah, there’s a physicality that comes with him, there’s a confidence that comes with him. And I think there’s a feeling of, we’re going to get this done, when he’s in there. And it’s not a dig at anyone else, I just think he brings that. And we’re thankful for it. He played well, I thought, on Saturday.
(On Kelsey Johnson, is he playing a bigger role now?)
Yeah, he does. Kelsey’ way aggressive. Film was way impressive. His film might be the most impressive of all the impressive performances that we had on Saturday, it might be Kelsey Johnson the most. I think he really got into some blocks and finished violently. So, thankful for that.
(One good thing leads to another on defense, how much was interceptions on back end as a result of push up front or vice versa?)
Yeah. No, I think a lot of it had to do (with that). I think that first series, or you could probably go the first two series, kind of told the story that really played out throughout the game. I think to start the game, you notice the quarterback’s holding on to the ball and he was expecting Tampa 2 and zone and seams and none of it was there. And he was holding on to it. There's changes that all took place in the back end (to) keep it tighter. And then on the other side of it, typically, the D-lineman are real thick on the offensive line and fighting through guys to squeeze off run gaps and all of it. And if it's a run, it's great. If it's a pass, you're kind of blocking yourself and so there's stunts that, if it’s a run, no stunt. If it's a pass set, it turns into a stunt. And we were getting pressure just based upon that.
And so, I think all of it is is good in the time and space that was last Saturday's game and now that that's on tape moving forward with that type of thinking and continue trying to push the envelope to be able to give our guys the best opportunity to play this aggressive is going to be key.
(On Monaray’s status/hamstring)
We're hoping that we get him back. I think it's a wait and see right now. He worked out some yesterday and he's working out again today. I think it looks promising. (We’ll) probably know more … Thursday's gonna be kind of the cut off for that.
(Media rights deal, what are your thoughts on the job Brett Yormark has done so far?)
Yeah. Well, I mean, very proud to be in this conference. And I mean, you just look at – just speaking for football – I mean, you look at a couple years ago with Iowa State, you look at last year with us and then we're still fighting in it now. But you look at for sure, TCU and Kansas State and everything. It just shows the depth of the conference.
And then I think just with the news that's coming out now it just makes a strong conference even stronger. And so, excited for the future and excited for him specifically, too.
(Are there a couple of guys who really stepped up as leaders in the last couple of weeks?)
I think that's continuing. I think we've had guys like Dylan Doyle and Blake Shapen, Connor Galvin, Jacob Gall, kind of been stalwarts … Bryson Jackson, But then, like Micah Mazzccua and Apu, Garmin Randolph. We've had some guys that have just really kind of been through it, in terms of the maturity thing and which we all go through it. But to come out on the other side, and to see that, “Hey, the off the field drives the on the field.” It's pretty neat. And so, I think that's happening right now.
>TE Drake Dabney broke his fibula and is having season-ending surgery Monday.
>WR Monaray Baldwin (hamstring) still unclear for availability at Oklahoma.
>RB Sqwirl Williams (concussion) still unclear for availability at Oklahoma.
*****
Opening Statement
Dave Aranda
In reviewing the tape, there were a lot of positive things. The energy was really good from start to finish. There was edge on tape. Tech plays hard, they play inspired. For us to go out and play the way we did, I’m way proud of the team. There are so many examples of here’s something in practice, he’s a drill, here it is showing up in a team period, and here it is showing up in a game. We continue to build with that thought in mind, I think just really keeps us focused on a process and gets us better and better, which we’re going to need to be for this next one. I have a lot of respect for Coach Venables and his team we’re playing, the environment, and all of it. So we’re going to have to continue to grow and improve, so that we can put our best effort forward.
(Dillon Gabriel) He’s got a really live arm, and there’s great confidence in him. He’ll throw from one hash to the other sideline. He’s got great anticipation so that he throws when guys are open. He can beat you with his legs too if everything’s covered, and there’s nowhere to go with it, he can take off running. So you have to be really sound with your pass rush, and it helps to have vision on the ball with your coverage or vision on the quarterback rather. He makes it very difficult
(Drake Dabney) He broke his leg, so his fibula is broken. He’s having surgery today. We’re going to miss him. When I look at Drake, I think of just this year all the improvement he made and just his mindset toward work. He was progressing from here’s the second tight end to,here’s a guy who can block when Ben’s getting out on the routes, to here’s Drake, here’s your game plan, here’s your routes, here’s your matchups. He was looking forward to more of that.
(Biggest difference between Riley and Venables OU teams) I think right now with Coach Venables, they’re still trying to find themselves. You can say that about us too over here. There’s been improvement the past couple of weeks, they’re playing hard for him, and so you can see the inspired play. I think you can see kind of a defense that has found an identity and is playing toward it. Offensively, they really ran the ball well this last game, and I’m sure that helped them with their defense. So you’re seeing kind of a collective team emerging. I think the best way to answer that question is this Oklahoma team is becoming right now.
(Interceptions) There’s been a lot of work into it. From a players’ perspective, don’t practice afraid of making mistakes. Practice to make a play. Then when you practice to make a play, stay within this framework of technique, structure and scheme. That alone right there for a young player is the whole thing. Then while that’s going on, the coach is here’s drills to high point a ball, here’s drills to have vision and break, here’s drills to undercut a receiver and make a play on the ball. And so from the coaches perspective is to continue with those drills and find the good in it, and don’t always point out the bad, and build, build, build. So for all that to be happening and not a lot of, I guess produce is one way you can say it, it’s kind of a barren landscape where you’re just kind of tilling dirt, and then for all of a sudden for that to happen, I think it’s important for the coaches and players to know that it’s not all of a sudden, there’s been a lot of work into that, and to continue with that I think will give us a chance to do it again.
(How similar is this OU offense to what you saw from Jeff Lebby’s Ole Miss offense in last year’s Sugar Bowl) I think the tempo is familiar. I think there are less spread-out sets. At least here lately, there’s been more of a focus on the run game. There’s a fair amount of runs that you remember back from OU a year ago to two years ago kind of showing up. When you look at Ole Miss, there was some of that, but it was just more speed and balls on the perimeter. Where here lately . . . as was kind of highlighted before, I think some of it is just to help the overall team and the pace of play and the defense and that. So, there’s some (similarities), but not a lot.
(How much of a focal point has Richard Reese become, and could he be the anchor you lean on) He’s been a good focal point. Still don’t know about Sqwirl (Williams) yet, hoping that we can get Sqwirl back. You saw some positive things from Qualan (Jones). There’s physical runs, physical blocks. I think he’s coming on at a way-important time. So, I think there is going to be more running back-by-committee, just to help with that overall carry number. But, at the same time, just way proud of Richard and just his effort and his attitude, because there’s some goal-line runs in there where daylight is . . . you could quarter in that thing. And he found it, and found it in an aggressive manner. We way appreciate that.
(Six sacks, what did y’all do to put so much pressure on the QB) I think one positive thing leads to another thing. That’s a big part of it. That might be the biggest part, to be honest. But, I think overall there’s a plan and a feeling of, ‘Hey, we’re going to be aggressive.’ We’ve been trying to protect this and trying to protect that, and what else do we have to protect, and all this other stuff. And I think to be aggressive and maybe change up a look or two in the back end tighten things up, where in the past it’s been more of a zone presentation and covering guys that are covering guys. And then, along with that, implementing more man pressures and simulated pressures, I think all of that combined for the thought going into the game that we’re attacking these people. And I think once you have that thought, that frees you up in just your base third-down rush to attack, too.
(How have you seen Gabe Hall progress) These past couple weeks have probably been his best. I think there’s been a growth in him with just his practice habits and a growth in him in effort with which he plays. So, it’s really good to see the success that’s coming his way based upon his adoption of just great effort and really fine focus on details. I think that’s going to serve him well, serve us well here coming up, too.
(What Jackie Marshall brings) Physicality. I think he brings an edge to us. There was a quarterback run in there, and he was in coverage, he came out of it, and the quarterback kind of gave us a 1-2 (move), and Jackie stayed right with it and was able to make the tackle. So, I think he gives you some athleticism, too. One of the things I love the most is you see the growth in people off the field and you see how that drives the performance on the field. And Jackie’s a great example of that. You go back to this time last year, to where it is now, it’s way cool.
(What have you seen from OU over the past couple weeks to get them in a groove) Complementary football. The defense and offense play off of each other. O-line-wise, you see physicality. I think defensively, you see just great effort. I think they’re starting to find their groove, and like us, it’s within a simplified structure. They’re playing their best football right now.
(On Khalil Keith’s impact coming back) I love just Khalil’s story. It was difficult for him in summertime and all of it when he was having to make a decision on, do we try to play through it or do we do something about it? And to do something about it meant this late start for him. And just with this being it for him, a very difficult decision to make. And for him to go through all that, and then to do the work, so that when he came back, there wasn’t added work on top of it because of, we’re not in shape or the grades aren’t in order or this and that. He handled all of it, and that’s a way cool thing, because that speaks just to his maturity. So many people, so many hands in that, just in his career here. But yeah, there’s a physicality that comes with him, there’s a confidence that comes with him. And I think there’s a feeling of, we’re going to get this done, when he’s in there. And it’s not a dig at anyone else, I just think he brings that. And we’re thankful for it. He played well, I thought, on Saturday.
(On Kelsey Johnson, is he playing a bigger role now?)
Yeah, he does. Kelsey’ way aggressive. Film was way impressive. His film might be the most impressive of all the impressive performances that we had on Saturday, it might be Kelsey Johnson the most. I think he really got into some blocks and finished violently. So, thankful for that.
(One good thing leads to another on defense, how much was interceptions on back end as a result of push up front or vice versa?)
Yeah. No, I think a lot of it had to do (with that). I think that first series, or you could probably go the first two series, kind of told the story that really played out throughout the game. I think to start the game, you notice the quarterback’s holding on to the ball and he was expecting Tampa 2 and zone and seams and none of it was there. And he was holding on to it. There's changes that all took place in the back end (to) keep it tighter. And then on the other side of it, typically, the D-lineman are real thick on the offensive line and fighting through guys to squeeze off run gaps and all of it. And if it's a run, it's great. If it's a pass, you're kind of blocking yourself and so there's stunts that, if it’s a run, no stunt. If it's a pass set, it turns into a stunt. And we were getting pressure just based upon that.
And so, I think all of it is is good in the time and space that was last Saturday's game and now that that's on tape moving forward with that type of thinking and continue trying to push the envelope to be able to give our guys the best opportunity to play this aggressive is going to be key.
(On Monaray’s status/hamstring)
We're hoping that we get him back. I think it's a wait and see right now. He worked out some yesterday and he's working out again today. I think it looks promising. (We’ll) probably know more … Thursday's gonna be kind of the cut off for that.
(Media rights deal, what are your thoughts on the job Brett Yormark has done so far?)
Yeah. Well, I mean, very proud to be in this conference. And I mean, you just look at – just speaking for football – I mean, you look at a couple years ago with Iowa State, you look at last year with us and then we're still fighting in it now. But you look at for sure, TCU and Kansas State and everything. It just shows the depth of the conference.
And then I think just with the news that's coming out now it just makes a strong conference even stronger. And so, excited for the future and excited for him specifically, too.
(Are there a couple of guys who really stepped up as leaders in the last couple of weeks?)
I think that's continuing. I think we've had guys like Dylan Doyle and Blake Shapen, Connor Galvin, Jacob Gall, kind of been stalwarts … Bryson Jackson, But then, like Micah Mazzccua and Apu, Garmin Randolph. We've had some guys that have just really kind of been through it, in terms of the maturity thing and which we all go through it. But to come out on the other side, and to see that, “Hey, the off the field drives the on the field.” It's pretty neat. And so, I think that's happening right now.
Last edited:
