Lincoln Riley Kenneth Murray Ceedee Lamb Neville Gallimore

Big 12 Conference Football Championship Game: Oklahoma vs Baylor Saturday, December 7, 2019 not to go for it. What was the reasoning behind deciding to punt there and be not go for it? Lincoln Riley LINCOLN RILEY: It was close. I went back and forth in my mind a few times. I felt like in the second half we Kenneth Murray started to open up and move the ball well, so I was confident if it got to an overtime period we would have CeeDee Lamb a chance to score and how could you not be confident with the way our defense was playing. Neville Gallimore We did a great job, pinned them down in there, made it impossible for them to do anything but run clock off. Jalen Hurts Just confidence in our guys, both sides of the ball. Oklahoma Sooners Q. Lincoln, can you talk about how far your Oklahoma - 30, Baylor - 23 defense has come, the tenacious way they played, Tre Brown, wide receiver, instead of giving up a THE MODERATOR: We're going to start with touchdown you give up a field goal and Redmond, Oklahoma Sooners. Coach, would you like to make an who didn't play last week, comes up with huge opening statement. sacks. Talk about those. LINCOLN RILEY: That's our speed D. That's what we LINCOLN RILEY: Thank you. It was a great battle. I are. Coach (Alex) Grinch said it from day one, and think a lot of teams in our league have certainly that's spot on. We are an effort-based defense, and improved, certainly the one we played today has. Kind you got to see us make one of the key plays of the of fitting in the way it dame down, a heavy-hitting game on a great effort by Tre running them down, and game, very physical, a lot like the first game was, as far then the defensive line was relentless all day. That's as physicality. Just proud of our guys. These are hard the way you've got to play. Our guys have bought in, to win. We just brought up in our team meeting there, and we've done it early, and it's kind of time here in key we've got several fifth year seniors that are going to moments and games, and we've gotten better and leave here with five rings on their finger and the recall better as it's went on. majority of college football players leave and never have one true championship ring. It's been an I couldn't be happier with our defense, the way those awesome run. Today is about this group and this team. guys have played with so much new -- we knew it could We found a lot of ways to win football games. We be done here, and our guys believed it, our coaches certainly did it today. The defense was fantastic, like believed it, and we got a pretty good defense here. they've been the majority of this season, key stops, dominant on front, got constant pressure on whoever Q. Lincoln, you mentioned the guys that have been was playing quarterback as the day unfolded. Proud of a part of this team for a long time, Nick Basquine this team. These games are hard. You gotta appreciate talk about what he means to this team, and him them. A lot of credit to Matt Rhule, his staff, that team getting a touchdown on this stage for the first time over there we have a ton of respect for them, the way this year? they play. LINCOLN RILEY: He's got a well-documented journey here. He's symbolic of this team in a lot of ways. We've They have done a tremendous job, and it was difficult got guys in there that continue to fight, regardless of beating them twice. Trust me, each one of them was what happens. He's done that in his career and done hard, so very, very good football team over there that that for this team and he's been a great leader, deserves a lot of credit. teammate. I know Jalen (Hurts) had a lot of confidence in him and the big third down throw was a tremendous Q. Lincoln, it's 4th and 3, about the 47 or so, play by both those guys and fitting that Nick would have minute and a half left, whatever it was, you decided one of the touchdowns in this game. Rev #2 by #619 at 2019-12-07 22:44:00 GMT page 1 of 5 differences in the roads to get there? You played Q. Could you describe how you maybe adapted to everybody in this league, Baylor twice, SEC is a or rolled with their pressures that they were different animal. Can you compare the two roads? creating, their quarterback pressures in the first JALEN HURTS: There is a narrative out there that the half, how you guys were able to solve that? And a SEC is a different animal, but the Big 12 is tough. follow-up for Jalen, how did that pressure and the Baylor, they're a really good team, very physical team, changes that you guys had to adapt to, how did and I got a lot of respect for them. We're going to enjoy that affect what you were trying to do? it and, you know, just enjoy it. LINCOLN RILEY: We had a few things at half, couple of things schematically that we needed to do better. Q. Lincoln, your work is done but the weekend is far from over with the selection still to come. When They've got a couple pretty good defensive linemen the Committee looks at your resume what do you and they beat us in the first half and there were a hope they are being looking at most as it relates to couple of things I did first half that didn't put our guys in your team and what you've done this year? very good position, so we came in, we said, look this is LINCOLN RILEY: It's amazing how many times you what we're going to o to fix it. I've got to be better can get asked the same question different ways. I hope putting you in the right position, and then you guys they see the Big 12 Champions. They've got a job to gotta be better at winning your individual battles, and do, I get that. We've had a job to do as a team, which we did a much better job the second half. was continue to prove through the year, trust the things we could and ultimately win a Big 12 Championship. Q. Not unlike the first game this was a game that We've done that. We will see whatever road it takes us looked like you totally had it in control and here on but whichever one it is, we will be ready. they come there at the end. Was there anything that you had to tell the group in keeping from freaking Q. Jalen, congratulations on the win. With all the out there toward the end because of the way it challenges that you've overcame what does this changed? Was it just something that something win mean to you personally? discipline creates throughout the time with them? JALEN HURTS: This is not about me. Talk about me LINCOLN RILEY: I think that's fair to say. We've got a another time. How about these guys up here, two mentally tough football team. Just because you've been defensive leaders stepping in, playing well and getting mentally tough, doesn't mean you're going to in this it done for us. CeeDee Lamb coming back after moment. You still have to do it. We brought the guys up everybody thinks he's gone or something and, I mean, as we went to overtime I told them. This is fitting, the he's a dog. We got great players on this team, great way we started fall camp was red zone work, and three coaching. I'm blessed to be on my feet. I say it all the straight days of it, and it's fitting that start fall camp and time: I'm blessed to be with these guys. Coach Riley finish the regular season championship game with kind said it on senior night, or going to practice one of those of that overtime period. days, he said three years ago would you ever have thought your senior night would be at Oklahoma? If I They stuck to it, they absolutely stuck to it. So, you said that, you would have thought I was kidding. I said, know, we had to be mentally tough again and this yeah, I never -- I told Coach Grinch after this game, just group proved venues that it is. how crazy it is, if I would have ever thought as a true freshman, starting for Coach (Nick) Saban, winning an THE MODERATOR: My apologies, Jalen, I didn't give SEC Championship, going to a national championship you a chance to answer that. that I would be a Big 12 Champion with the Oklahoma Sooners in three years, I would think he was crazy too. JALEN HURTS: I was just listening to Coach. Winning But God works in mysterious ways, and I'm blessed to championships is hard, and winning is not easy.

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