π Published on: 2024-12-26 17:28:11
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Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and Navy head coach Brian Newberry speak with the media Thursday morning ahead of the Armed Forces Bowl Game in Fort Worth.
π Channel: SoonerScoop
π Channel Country: United States
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π΅οΈββοΈ Transcript:
the media director here uh for the bowl game 22nd annual Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl 1104 Central official kick tomorrow uh this is the trophy here if you’ve read about it uh has parts of all six uh branches of military uh inside of it so that’s in the DNA all the parts that are inside were produced by loed Martin uh so if you want shots of that later or have questions we do have led uh Martin Representatives as well they’re happy to uh talk about the trophy and and the game itself so uh with that being said we’ll uh start with Coach vbl just an opening comment and then we’ll open it up for questions all right well good morning and uh Merry Christmas happy holidays I just want to um thank uh the locki Martin Armed Forces Bowl for uh having us the hospitality here at the Omni Hotel has been uh fantastic had a great um week very short week of of work practiced at the Burleson um Centennial High School just down the road so appreciate uh their staff for hosting us and making things really smooth for us uh thankful for our players um uh their focus the work that they’ve put in here this week and the leadership that we have on this team thankful for we got a couple of our players here today Troy Evert and Kobe McKenzie uh two really good players on offense and defense for us and the things that they represent as well got 56 uh scholarship players that are available to play in this game and uh 12 on offense and 12 on defense will be freshman U really what I love about this group of guys is the Improvement that they’ve made throughout the year with the opportunity they’ve been given I’m excited to see Mike Hawkins come back close to home uh Fort Worth is not considered Dallas I’ve been told but I kind of put it all together there it’s within Arms Reach but uh going to be cool to see to have uh Mike back here in front of his friends and family got several Texans here like Navy also I’d like to just congratulate uh coach Newberry and uh the Navy football team for an outstanding year they’re a lot of fun to watch uh you know the win that they had against Army I know on a lot of levels that was a huge win uh but you know love the passion and the toughness that they play with the discipline their ability to execute they’ve got some of the best players in college football on their team the quarterback uh is number one rated I believe running quarterback in the country and um and so really excited about the matchup and the challenge uh that they’ll present for us I also like to thank Armed Forces Bowl brand Scott Monty the whole crew um Hospitality has been phenomenal accommodations have been phenomenal I want to thank coach Barett at Kel high school for letting us use their outstanding facility uh we’re we’re super excited uh to be here I ran to Brandt the summer uh at our our conference meetings and um had a good conversation with him and was hopeful that we may have an opportunity to play in this bowl obviously love everything that it represents put in the spotlight on our men and women um in our military and to be a part of that is is really special for us we’re ecstatic to be here um you know be back in Texas to be in for the great City of Fort Worth we’ve got 30 players on our roster from Texas uh so this is great recruiting grounds uh for us as I know it is for Oklahoma um as well and to be playing uh in this bowl game uh against a story program like Oklahoma is a phenomenal um opportunity and obviously a huge huge challenge for us but I have a tremendous amount of respect for for coach of venables and his staff and the job they’ve done um I’ve Got Deep Roots in the state of Oklahoma I grew up a big big time Sooners fan you know we’ve been playing the Boomer Sooners song at practice and that gives me chill bumps every time I hear it and I don’t want to hear it a bunch on Friday uh but I but I love it and uh I always root for the Sooners uh Friday obviously be an exception but I couldn’t be more excited about being here and um looking forward to the game on Friday it’s going to be a great challenge for us uh but but a wonderful opportunity uh as well uh have our two captains is here with us Dava fana and Colin Ramos uh two outstanding young men that represent everything that the naval academy and our football program are all about so U merry Christmas happy holidays excited to be here can’t wait looking forward to Friday all right thank you we have uh Lauren on this side and Grant on this side to uh pass out mics let me just click button here so uh just raise your hand and we’ll get you going hold on once all right Bailey with the Tulsa World Bren I want to ask you with Coach Arbuckle working with the team during these practice sessions how much is that going to help and are you already seeing an impact with him with the players with the offense uh just in this limited amount of time yes it’s been here for for a couple of weeks he’s been able to run the Indie uh drills um I think probably the most important piece of this transitionally speaking is his ability to start to develop the relationships um understand uh you know what his quarterback uh can do and where we got to get better um certainly he’s been able to evaluate those types of things working with him but uh I think probably his biggest impact is developing the relationships you know before we get in into uh 2025 Brent uh George sters scoop.com since we last talked to you guys uh you signed quite a few guys in the transfer portal just wanted to ask you about John mattier the quarterback what’s he bring to the table for you guys what was that recruitment process like and just how much does it help that he knows Ben’s system well again excited about John I’m going try to keep this to uh to the game that’s in front of us right now uh but you know John’s a leader he’s experienced he’s got great armed Talent uh really good instincts and um you know he’ll make us better very traal with the Tulsa World um if you come to a bowl game with an eight and4 record you win your nine and4 you lose your eight and5 come to a bowl game with a six and six record if you win you have a winning season if you lose you have a losing season how big is this game just for the perception of winning season losing season I I don’t you know really look at it that way you know it’s the next game it’s the biggest game of the year uh it’s what’s right in front of us right now we put everything we got into to winning this game uh you know we have confidence through the work that we’ve put in and uh can it create some momentum maybe you could say that you know certainly have lost games the last game of the year and then have won it all the next year so uh but I do believe and you know another opportunity for again our young football team uh will pay you know huge dividends a different type of challenge uh as we’ve already talked about uh with the triple option and um but an opportunity for this team to continue to grow develop and get better both for this year uh finishing on a on a high note is really important for us internally and uh and and again going into our out of season program I think it would you know bode well Co coach Newbery Bo Carter with Sports Page Dallas talk a little bit about Baylor roots and also winning the last Southwest Conference for Baylor in 94 how’s that helped you with Texas recruiting I just think it’s helped with the familiarity with with the state and um I’ve had a lot of different jobs where I’ve I’ve been responsible for recruiting the state of Texas so know it very well obviously it’s phenomenal football coaches in the state of Texas it’s as good as it gets down here so it’s it’s good to have that background um yeah a great time at Baylor obviously grew up in in um in Oklahoma City went to Westmore high school and U grandparents lived in Waco so was pretty neat deal how that worked out and was part of Grant taff’s last recruiting class uh still keep in touch with Coach T phenomenal human being and and great experience there at Baylor and enjoyed my time Mason young with the tots of world uh Brent you’re going to have a lot of freshman receivers that are going to have an opportunity to have an impact on this game just what kind of growth have you seen from those guys in these bull prep practices well and again saw a lot from The Freshman all year I think we have 24 scholarship uh players available on offense and 12 of them are freshman and so whether the offensive lineman certainly the receivers uh at tight end certainly at quarterback uh and running back you just they’re they’re sprinkled at every position and watch these guys have grown up through their opportunity I’ve watched them fail and learn from bounce right back I’ve really appreciated some of our uh veterans on our team that have helped these guys grow up and understand what the standards are uh what the expectations are and how we do what we do I think is more important than what we do and uh you know so from that standpoint uh you know going into next year that’ll really uh be huge but the last couple of weeks you can see the the growth where these guys started the year um where they individually got their different op opportunities and where they are we spoke about this in post practice yesterday the growth where we were uh at the beginning of the year the middle of the year to where we’re at now I believe in the last five games we led the SEC in rushing um even some of those receivers had something to do with that as they blocking um as well uh but this is a group of guys that have really grown up and you know all their best football still in front of them on side Brent stick with those freshmen I know we talked about Devon Mitchell back in normal before he headed out but now he’s put together that full body of work of ball prep all that stuff he’s put himself in a position to make an impact tomorrow and how is he kind of taking this advantage or this opportunity with yeah he’s gotten better you know he’s put his head down he’s gone to work and he’s improved learning uh you know and knowing what to do uh you know to me there’s no excuse not to know what to do and uh the coach can’t want it more than the player wants it for himself and so he’s really plugged in put his head down he’s come to work every day uh you know he’s got he’s a devastating blocker um potentially and again he’s got great soft hands as well uh and Incredibly talented and uh Jake Roberts has done a really good job Kaden Helms has done a really good job of helping you know him and his growth and maturation over the last few weeks hey BR sorry I have to stand up can’t see you behind the laptop um John Hoover Sooners on SI two-part question for you about quarterbacks um one I know you want to stick to the game and all that for tomorrow tomor but I got to ask follow up on Mater the process of Landing him the excitement the moment all that stuff of him committing to Oklahoma and then from Hawkins perspective his whole thing about um I’m here I want I want to be here and he’s embracing that challenge I wonder if you could talk about that a little bit Yeah again I’ll keep it brief um just kind of on on task here but again John uh you know he grew up here in Dallas uh area and very familiar with Oklahoma certainly coach arbuck will coming uh there’s a a great familiarity and comfort for him uh but you know we’re incredibly thankful he you know chose to be a sooner it’s a very competitive space as everybody knows appreciate uh you know the coaching staff for you know what they were able to do and convincing him to come and just improving that room you know we had to really uh start over uh in that room and it’s in a much different space now than what it was just a couple of weeks ago as we as we know hey Brent Jenny Carlson with the Oklahoma wanted to ask you about Michael uh specifically obviously this bull prep is hugely advantageous to to your you know first string quarterback I’m curious what you’ve seen out of him and then just getting another game under his belt how important that is for somebody at his stage in his career yeah no doubt you the more you play the better you get you know you go through the the good and the bad everything that you you got to go through in order to develop and uh Mike’s taking it like a pro he’s the same guy every day he’s a he’s a quiet leader but he’s Ultra consistent very competitive uh focused and locked in he’s got a a maturity about him that uh is is priceless and um he values uh practice reps you know what that uh the mindset that you got to have and what that means for you on game day and uh understands that you know you play the game well before the game happens and so so I I appreciate that mindset that he possesses and that bleeds over into you know the other guys around him as well and but the guys that some of the we do have some veterans that have really helped him and embraced him I think the defensive uh players as a as a group have also really helped his growth and maturation and his confidence uh along the way and then I think the staff has done a really nice job at uh at supporting Mike and helping him grow up Ryan AB Ryan abber from the Oklahoma uh Brent you touched on a little bit just the uh dynamics of uh you know being a part of this team and also turning the page a little bit uh toward toward the future how how have you seen that shift uh especially here in the transfer portal era you know how do you feel about it and uh how has that change just the the bowl experience well I mean obviously where we’re at today is different than where we started the season from a you know a roster standpoint you know we’re we’re like most people not named Navy uh I’m assuming I I I haven’t done any homework but I assume they don’t have any transfer portal uh uh issues or opt outs but uh tongue and cheek here and U and I’m not complaining I just the the calendar um is not conducive to keeping your team together from start to finish and uh and I don’t blame one player uh for guys that have chosen to go find another opportunity for whatever reason whether it’s a a processing uh mechanism or it’s you know just I got to go find a new home and I still want to play and or I want to go somewhere where maybe I can have more um opportunity uh maybe there’s more value uh whatever reason it is our system is set up in such a way that that’s what they’re forced to do so um you know I have no issues uh with that you just do the best that you can with what you what you have and uh and my focus is on the guys that are that are here we do have SE 67 scholarship players are still here 11 of them I believe it’s 11 of them uh you know are not available because of uh injuries or we have two uh Danny and Billy that are going to be with us but um they’ve chosen uh to move on to their professional careers and just very thank f for their All-American seasons and everything that they’ve invested in this program and helping us those two in particular rebuilding the defense that just a a sh a few short years ago uh you know we were playing well below the standard of of Defense here uh at the University of Oklahoma so really appreciate all the work and the commitment the leadership that they’ve invested to help us uh reestablish you know our defensive identity and certainly we’re not anywhere close Close to You Know The Vision that we have but boy have we turned it around in just a couple of years because of uh of many guys but those two guys you know in particular as well as a couple other guys in Woody Washington and Ethan DS in particular those guys that uh came in with Billy and Dany and are have played huge roles for us and uh improving on defense and again developing uh some high standards on that side of the ball uh but I’m just thankful for the guys that are still here continue to work and sacrificed and continue to believe in uh themselves and certainly one another uh to give us an opportunity to you know to finish the year you know on a on a high note and then again moving forward foundationally I guess have a tremendous Foundation of of both some veterans and uh you know a bunch of Youth I think we played uh over 8,000 reps as I think I talked about a few weeks ago with freshman and sophomore this year and that’ll pay huge dividends in a few portal additions that we’ve added my expectations those guys will come in here and uh make us better from the moment you know that they’ve said Boomer so we’re counting on that there’ll be a few more on offense um don’t have many needs we have uh tremendous retention on the defensive side of the ball and uh again the way it is now if if you’re uh in the past you could develop really good strong depth and uh you know you could hoard depth to some degree but everybody was doing it uh you know at their own level and now I think you know for for guys uh I think what they’re looking for from a both value um you know opportunity to be a starter and um you know moving forward to be able to pursue an NFL career I think some of those things I think we’re in an environment that uh really uh nurtures you know my opportunity as opposed to my opportunity along with the team and uh and I’m not again I’m not complaining but it’s harder than it’s ever build been to build team and uh but we’re as focused as we’ve ever been on on building team and a winner uh both and uh so again looking forward again I love where we’re at on defense what we have returning uh you know I think you know there’s a tremendous Foundation there along with some of the high school guys that uh We’ve signed and which is a huge part of our focus and then same thing on offense what we have returning the high school players that we signed just a a couple of weeks ago and then with the portal additions uh that we’ve already announced and a couple more that we’re looking forward to in a couple of the uh additions in the in the kicking game you know to to build our team uh for next year really felt like we were uh taking care of the ball if we’re better there and just play consistently at quarterback good quarterback play if we get those two things uh those were the two areas that you know to me need the most Improvement and if we do those things and we’ll have an opportunity to compete at the very highest level uh in the SEC coach Newberry uh Brian es for both season radio two questions for you one is can you talk about this senior class uh who already know what their job is when they when they leave the academy who’ve been with you for four years and and what it’s like now for an opportunity to win 10 games and what that’ll mean for them and then secondly the fact that you’ve been on the road for what the last nine weeks or so how does that prep you for this bowl game sure thanks for the question starting to wonder why I was up here not just kidding I don’t mind coach Venable handing all these questions uh it’s a special class of men you know 24 guys and and um they’ve been through a lot you know um and they’ve they’ve stayed the course um they’ve fought through adversity uh they stayed with us they believed in what we’re doing they bought into what we’re doing and um you know we talk about deserving success all the time and it doesn’t mean that you always get it in the outcome uh these guys have have certainly done that and so it’s it’s rewarding for me uh to see those guys have success in the outcome on the field and obviously for us to win the cic it’s a most important goal in our program um have the opportunity to to play an Armed Forces Bowl and to get a 10th win there’s only been five other Navy teams that have had double digit wins in the history of the academy so um it’s an opportunity for our guys to to make a little history they talked a lot about leaving a legacy in the offseason it’s a senior class it’s got a ton of Pride um and they’ve done everything the right way and could be more excited about uh and pleased with the season we’ve had in large part because of those guys and the standard uh that they’ve set and left for the the younger guys and your second question I’m sorry last yeah no it’s it’s it’s a it’s interesting layout uh for the for the season um I think having those Road games being in some pretty hostile environments it was great experience for a football team and and hopefully it’ll it’ll pay off a little bit on fray from The Baltimore Sun and Capital Gazette newspapers just along the lines of what you just said obviously all the attention here at this press conferences on Oklahoma I’m probably the only uh reporter here that’s covering Navy and I’m guessing if it holds true with the game tomorrow the fans are going to be overwhelmingly Oklahoma does that just further the underdog B of Navy football for this game sure um now really really excited about this game it’s an incredible venue sounds like it’s a sellout crowd which is going to be great and I’m sure you know three4 of that crowd is going to be wearing red and uh but it’s going to be a great environment a hostile environment probably for us we’ll have some supporters there too I think we travel really well and so uh our players are ecstatic about the opportunity to play a program like Oklahoma uh one of the most storyed programs in college football just have the opportunity to be on the field with those guys is obviously a great challenge but obviously uh you know a great opportunity for us as well Joe masado with the Oklahoma uh Brian just you’ve coached and and played at different schools outside of the service acmy obviously can you just sort of give us an idea of what life is like for for your guys your players that may uh just be different than you know a college football player at places outside of the aies yeah it’s um tell you what the Naval Academy is a special place and um and they’ve always kind of been unicorns you know in college football uh even more so today there’s some things that were somewhat protected from we don’t have to worry about um you know coach Ben has talked about it a lot um not jealous of those those challenges that those guys face and so for us we’re still a a developmental program you know we’re going to guys come in as a freshman um you know the guys that we recruit that come to the Naval Academy uh it’s it’s it’s about more than just football uh which makes it special obviously there’s a special kind of young man that that um uh is admissible into the Naval Academy academically uh it’s got to be able to play division one football and and wants to and is willing to serve their country and that makes him unique and very different um we got great young men in our program uh I say it all the time time I feel like I’ve got maybe one of the best jobs in the country because of the type of young men that I get to coach every day uh and also to have the the honor and the privilege of uh developing or helping develop uh young men that are going to lead uh in our military and and serve our country is a great privilege uh and responsibility and uh yeah exceptional young men in our program Naval Academy is a special place there’s no doubt about that I wanted to ask you about uh torren Smith I I know he hasn’t played for you this year but having played with his dad in in high school and now coaching his son what’s that Dynamic kind of like for you yeah U pretty neat you know Brad Smith was a good friend of mine was a year younger than me at Westmore high school was a was a great offensive lineman at Tulsa um so torren got some good Bloodlines and uh excited to have him on on our football team Jesse K and ow you Insider Brent you you talked a lot about the the fresh especially on defense a lot of those freshman are in that secondary with Jaden and and Mike and Jeremiah some of those guys just especially without Billy and a couple of those Veterans for for this game just how important is this game for some of those freshman in that secondary yeah again great opportunity uh across the board uh really at all three levels uh for freshman that are sprinkled in so uh the practices have been great you know I think uh because of uh a couple of the guys that are no longer uh here uh it’s created more of a sense of urgency uh required more attentiveness uh if you will and the details that go along uh with playing at a really high level and uh so uh no question that the the last few weeks and all the Reps that those guys have been able to get uh will pay again huge dividends not only for this this game but in particular you know moving forward to to next year but guys up front you know guys like uh you know Taylor Ju Danny AO in particular David Stone uh you know those guys James Nesta he’s been you know taking reps you know at uh at linebacker you know with the with the defense and where he’s been on a scout team you know all year so guys like that and uh and then again another couple of weeks for boganowski and Jadon Hardy uh who we you know we feel are going to be you know outstanding players or you look outside at uh Jeremiah Nukem and uh and Day Day those guys have really benefited uh from not just watching guys take reps uh at practice but actually going out and kind of living and dying in all the moments uh that the last couple of weeks you know have done for our guys hey hey Brent uh George St Sooners scoop.com again uh just want to ask you about Deion Burks I don’t think we’ve talked to you since he made his announcement that he’s coming back how how big of a boost was that especially at that position and then also just a quick followup have you heard from R Mason Thomas and his decision on if he might want to leave after this year uh yeah so yeah getting Dion back he’s you know when healthy he’s a a fantastic player and uh as we spoke about him throughout the last calendar year he’s one of the best competitors that we have on the team he’s got a very Dynamic skill set to play both outside and inside uh alike and just a great weapon for any offense to have and then uh R Mason again um I’ll let him talk to everybody whenever he wants to talk to everybody but I know he’s going to be lining up for us uh in in this game and uh look forward to that and uh in his leadership how he’s grown as a as a leader certainly his Improvement as a player uh you know really again proud of the leadership that he’s uh been able to exemplify uh for all of our players and his commitment you know from beginning to end um is as good as it gets yeah Brian Barry traml TOS the world um the college football calendar is getting condensed a lot of people want to take that second Saturday and start the playoff um that’s the date of course that Army Navy have been playing uh and it’s really turned out well for you guys how important is it that you’re able to if you’re able to keep that as sort of a showcase date for for your game uh unencumbered from a playoff yeah I think it’s incredibly important to maintain the Integrity of of that game and and when it’s played um at the time that it’s played um such a great opportunity to to focus um and put a spotlight you know on our men and women in armed forces and our military and uh I would hate to take away from that you know so love that they preserve the Integrity of that game this year and and hopefully we’ll be able to do that moving forward uh because I think it’s a really important football game for a lot of reasons Brian Chris mosy B season radio a lot has been made about Oklahoma’s depth chart and how things have changed different Personnel so how does that affect your preparation for this one not being able to look at certain individuals maybe as much as you would in other matchups yeah it’s um a little bit of a challenge a little bit uh precarious trying to go through the the two deep and kind of figure out you know who you’re who you’re playing against um you know I know that’s it’s a it’s a tough time transitionally for for coach of vbl and a lot of a lot of staffs um you know I I I wouldn’t say I have sympathy for it I guess I kind of do but I tell you what there you know I I don’t think we’ve got a player on our roster that had the Oklahoma offer you know coming out of high school and so uh I do know that they’ve had some time to prepare uh I know there’s a lot of talented players in the program here at Oklahoma and and and they’re going to be chopping at the bit something to prove and uh I think we’re going to see a hungry Oklahoma football team on Friday so it’s going to be a great challenge for us regardless yeah B Colton so with the Oklahoma and you touched on in a little bit earlier with Coach Arbuckle being here and being around the team when you and Jeff and and Ted got here a couple years ago you guys were you know observing for most of the almobile just how important was it for you to have him on the sideline during the game uh just building relationships like you said well again under the circumstances he’s done a a fantastic job of uh just getting right in the middle of it you know and uh bleeding into the the rest of the staff figuring out you know learning a new language not an easy thing uh it’s just coaching quarterbacks you know it’s just coaching Ball but there there is a you know some hurdles that he’s had to kind of get through in order to do an effective uh job for Mike and the rest of the offensive staff so I think it’s it’s it’s been great um for the for the staff from a cohesion standpoint and a chemistry standpoint uh getting to know uh one another for him to be able to observe and uh you know figure out you know all the moving parts that there are on that side of the ball both um playerwise and uh and as a from a staff standpoint as well um uh again same thing with if coach John’s had had finished out the year uh he you know all that experience the D day to day grind of getting ready for a game uh you wouldn’t be able to have that so that’s invaluable
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