SoonerScoop video: OU players post-practice (Sept. 25)
OU is 4-0 for the first time under head coach Brent Venables. The Sooners look for win No. 5 on Saturday against Iowa State.
The SoonerScoop crew was out in full force following Monday’s practice. Here is the best of the best from the players after Monday.
QB Dillon Gabriel
Surprised that Saturday the OU offense couldn’t find rhythm?
“Yea, every game’s different. Every play is a play within itself. Being able to stay present and find ways to create completions and then create positives. Doesn’t help when you get a negative on that second play. And then just shooting ourselves in the foot in a couple of things at different times in different moments. And so a lot of it is self-inflicted and things we’ve got to fix.”
RB Tawee Walker
How DeMarco Murray keep you guys locked in?
“It’s literally a competition every day. Literally, we don’t know who is going to start. He makes sure we know that we’re competing every day. There are four talented guys in this group. We compete with each other and make each other great every day. It’s great because during the season, people might let up a little bit and ease up, but we have to go hard every single day to compete.”
WR Nic Anderson
Biggest takeaway from Rodney dealing with injuries?
“I mean, I always heard from my parents that when those injuries happened, he was down, and the first couple of days were the hardest. Every time I saw him as a kid, he had his head up high. He was laughing, joking. He used comedy as one of the buffers. I never saw him in a bad mood, so I think that helped me growing up. When I went through it myself, just asking him for advice, he always said the same thing: Just find other ways to get better, and just keep your head high.”
OG Troy Everett
Adjusting from center to guard?
“The experience has been great. Overall, my performance, there’s some good. There’s some bad. I’m hard on myself so there’s a lot more bad in my opinion. I definitely need to get better. It was a great experience. Great crowd. First time going to like a true crazy environment like that. It was fun. I enjoyed it.”
LB Danny Stutsman
Where does your leadership mentality come from?
“God. I think I’m just made this way. I think at the end of this day it’s just a personality choice. If something needs to be said I want to be the guy that says it, and I’m not really afraid. I’ve got respect in the locker room and it just comes from being the same person every day.”
LB Kobie McKinzie
Why is OU tackling better?
“The mindset. The mindset. It’s all about the mindset. You have to physically want to punish people and you have to have that intent when you’re attacking people. If you don’t, it won’t, it’ll show, and you have to attack it that way and believe that no matter what, they’re gonna feel my tackle, no matter how you do it.”
