Sept. 30, 2002

MISSOURI COACH GARY PINKEL

On the impact a player like Brad Smith has on a team~ Any kind of impact player on offense or defense not just Brad Smith is just a great motivator for teammates. You know you've got a guy back there that can do things. I've heard people say that an offensive line will block better when they have a great running back. So, I think every position is a little like that when you have a great player.

On which players on OU's defense can cause problems~ I can give you names, but they are all All-American candidates. To name just one or two names would be a disservice to the rest of them. There is not a weakness that they have from a personnel standpoint. And, that's a tribute to Coach Stoops and the program and everything else that they are doing, and that's certainly a challenge for our office.

On whether or not Coach is eager to test out his offense on OU's defense~ Offense or defense, when you play a team of this caliber, perhaps the best team in our league, your going to find out a lot about our football team. Yeah, this is a great opportunity. Playing this type of personnel is going to tell us a lot about our football team.

On whether Coach has looked at how Alabama was able to score on the Sooners~ Well we break down all our film, and I'm sorry to say that there still are not many weaknesses. They're a great football team. But, that's part of the deal. That's the exciting thing about being here. That's the exciting thing about playing. We have a great opportunity to play a great team in Faurot Field in front of great fans. This is what its all about.

On how Justin Gage has developed this year~ A lot of it is preparation. Last year, like a lot of our players, they would watch video and it would be like watching a movie. We had to teach our players how to analyze video, look at personnel, and look at tendencies. And, he's one of the first ones to come in on Sunday to get video now because he wants to get that edge. He really studies the defensive backs he plays against and also the defenses. I certainly think that's been a huge difference in him. You can just see him in space and running routes and so on. You can see that he is just so much more comfortable. That's just through experience.

MISSOURI QUARTERBACK BRAD SMITH

On playing Oklahoma Saturday~ They've got a lot of fast players, smart football players, and good coaches. They're a great team, as we'll see on Saturday. We've just got to go out there and play with a lot of excitement and emotion, know our game plan, execute, and let the chips fall where they may.

On place kicker Mike Matheny's performance vs. Troy State~ It's great. Mike's been working so hard during practices and the off season, that it was good to see him kicking as well as he's capable of. To see him go out and perform well on the field was exciting for all of us.

On the Missouri offense playing its best game of the season~ We've gotten better throughout the year. We're still on our way to playing a "perfect" game. We've still got plenty of things we can work on and improve.

On wide receiver Sean Coffey's performance vs. Troy State~ It's great to have guys step up like that. That's what being a team is all about, knowing that when one guy goes down someone else can go ahead and fill in. It makes us even better as a team.