OU Football: Week 12 Notebook

The Oklahoma Sooners return to action this Saturday against Iowa State, looking to rebound from last Thursday's loss on the road to Baylor. Coach Bob Stoops and players met with the media Monday to discuss the loss and this week's game. Here are some news and notes from the press conference.

• Center Gabe Ikard said it was very frustrating to watch the Baylor tape and see all the little things that went wrong on offense during the game. Ikard called it the most frustrating offensive performance since he's been at OU.

• Ikard said the Bears slanted differently up front on the defensive line than the Sooners were anticipated. That, combined with Baylor stacking the box, contributed to a poor showing from the Oklahoma run game.

• Ikard said the loss of Trey Millard was tough, but said the Sooners still should have done a better job blocking the personnel Baylor threw at them.

• Saturday will be Senior Day for 17 Oklahoma players, including Ikard. Ikard said it will be a very special day for him as he looks back at his career in Norman and all the Sooners have accomplished during his time here.

• OU coach Bob Stoops said Aaron Ripkowski played a great game in place of Millard, but also said tight end Brannon Green was OK taking on a more prominent role.

• Stoops said he would not make any wholesale changes to the offense and switch quarterbacks again. When asked if Kendal Thompson would see the field, Stoops said probably not and acknowledged that Thompson has had a hard time overcoming missing so much practice time in the summer when he was out with a broken foot. He did say it was possible for the Sooners to continue using Trevor Knight to run the football at times.

• Overall, Stoops refused to talk about a lot of things related to the offense in public, such as play-calling, grading his quarterbacks or saying what conclusions he has come to about the offense.

• Stoops acknowledged he has always spent more time during the week with the defensive coaches and players since he is a defensive coach. He said he offers input and ideas to the offensive staff during the week, but it is up to them to take it or leave it when it comes to constructing the final game plan.

• The Sooners left Waco with a lot of injuries Thursday night. Stoops said he wasn't sure on most of them, but did say Julian Wilson looked the most likely to play against Iowa State. If Aaron Colvin is out at cornerback, Stoops said Cortez Johnson and Stanvon Taylor would get the reps opposite Zach Sanchez. Stoops added defensive lineman Charles Tapper would be suspended for the first half of Saturday's game after throwing a punch in the fourth quarter against Baylor. The decision was from the Big 12 and Stoops said the Sooners did not appeal.

• Stoops added the defense played well against the Bears, but weren't smart enough in the first half, when a couple of offsides penalties gave Baylor second chances to convert third downs.

• Stoops had a lot of good things to say about the senior class, calling them a fun group to coach and a group that had solid character.

• When asked if the most frustrating part of the offense's performance is the fact the unit is a veteran-laden group, Stoops said simply that inconsistency is frustrating.