The Football Brainiacs

Coach Josh Heupel

– Said the success in the run game wasn’t anything magical. It was just executing at a high level. Said that the explosive plays came because they were able to get into the second level untouched and that allow the backs to make a move and get into the next level as opposed to making that move early and ONLY getting into the second level.

– Said that they still can’t seem to start fast and he said that there isn’t anything you can do but work hard in practice and hope that the light comes on for the kids. Said that it’s going to be even more important for that light to come on in the K. State game.

– Wouldn’t say anything about the QB. Wouldn’t even answer if Blake Bell practiced

– Something I found of interest is that in context of talking about how the weather might affect the game Josh said that to them it doesn’t matter…where it got interesting to me though was as he continued to talk he said…”I don’t care what the weather is…executing…being physical in the run game…play action pass hitting big shots that’s what we need to do”. (I just thought that was interesting because the idea of a physical run game and the deeper PA pass seems to be becoming part of his language as opposed to recent years when it was more about being efficient and “playing fast” – it might not be of interest to anyone else but it stood out to me as a bit of departure from the natural lingo of recent Oklahoma offenses)

– Said he is very confident in Trevor Knight and said he looked better than he did early in the season. Also said, “he (originally) won the job, not just because he can run the football but because we felt he could be an efficient passer and could be a great one before it’s all said and done. First couple ball games we were not efficient throwing the ball with him at the helm. A lot of that was him but it wasn’t all him. He came in and played pretty well the other day. Took care of the football…we expect him to go up there (Manhattan) and play well running the ball and throwing it”

– Said if Sterling is back it will definitely help and said that it was obvious that he was missing in the Baylor game. Forced some players to be shuffled around in positions that aren’t their normal spots. “Having him back…he is a guy that plays extremely physical, competitive…he’s reliable…quarterbacks have a trust factor with him.”

– When asked whether he would comfortable with either of the other two QBs (Kendal or Trevor) playing he said, “I’ve said it before, I really felt all those guys have an ability to play at a high level here. I think getting Kendal in the game gives him more of a comfort level. Just haven’t seen him under the lights in a lot situations.

– Talked about the Kendals drive and said that he did a good job of taking care of the football, being decisive, running and passing…said he expected that from him because of the way he’s practiced but said that it’s always good to see it after a young man has an injury

– Said that the pass to Colt was indeed Kendal’s primary read. But said the fact that he was able to quickly recognize it was there and get the ball out was impressive. Said that with quarterbacks “you never know what you’ve got until they’re in a live situation…in front of a crowd…getting hit in the mouth…verything we saw from Kendal, the way he’s handled himself…we believe he’s performed in a really good way…and that was a stamp on it.”

– Said that K. State doesn’t put a ton of pressure on people. They don’t bust they don’t give up big plays. They are well coached and they make you earn your yards/points.

– Said that the QBs on campus have a good relationship and while they compete with each other they still root for each other.

– On Alex Ross “Need him to continue to come on. He’s got all the physical attributes to be a REALLY good player here. We’re going to need him down the stretch but certainly in years to come” (note: I capitalized “really” because Josh was emphatic when he said “really”)

–  Said that Rip is a great FB but he continues to develop as an in line TE guy. Said Brannon is coming along as well.

Coach Jay Norvell

– Really praised Trevor and Kendal “gave us a spark…obviously played much better in the second half…and their execution was a big part of that…we were a different team in the second half” (His voice got really animated when talking about Kendal and Trevor; just had an air of excitement about him)

– Said that Kendal has practice well when he’s had the opportunities but said its just difficult to split the snaps three ways. This stood out to me: “Kendal is obviously getting more snaps…” (As in he is getting more snaps this week which would seem to imply that Blake isn’t practicing – injured)

– Said despite how few snaps Kendal gets he played well and said you have to give him credit for playing so well even without as many snaps as the other QBs

– Said that the cold won’t affect them. Said that wind is has a bigger effect than cold or even rain.

Jalen Saunders

– Said that the cold doesn’t effect him at all. Said that it doesn’t matter if its rain, sleet, snow, whatever…”we’ve got to go out and ball”

– Said that he played in some cold games when Fresno played Boise. But said that he told the younger guys that regardless of the weather/circumstances “have your mind right and don’t let the weather affect you”

– Said from here on out he wants to try to return a kick for a TD in every game. He said part of the reason he hasn’t had as many opportunities is because they haven’t been blocking up as well as they need to on ST (this was not said in a way that came off as condescending or disparaging in the least – said “we” and was really matter of fact so I don’t want to give y’all the impression that he was disparaging his teammates)

– Said that last year they had limited possessions (10 possessions) and said that they can’t afford to turn over the ball at K. State because you don’t get many opportunities.

– Said that Trevor is getting more confident in the pass game. But generally said that he could always throw. Said he was always good in practice but now he’s showing a little more of it on the field. Said he knows what’s expected of him

– Jalen actually said that even the players don’t know who the QB is going to be! I thought that was interesting. He said they just work extra hard and try to make sure they have a rhythm with every QB they have.

– Said that having Sterling being back helps everyone get back into their natural positions in addition to the various strengths that he has.

– Said that he felt like whoever plays QB is going to handle the pressure of the road game well.

General Note: Everyone seemed to be dancing around the QB questions being really careful about how they worded things. If I had to guess I’d say Trevor gets the start on Saturday if for no other reason than that Blake may simply be out of commission right now. But when Jalen said the players really don’t know who the QB is going to be, it came off as authentic.