Oklahoma State 28, Texas A&M 23: Postgame Notes
Nov 02, 2002 | Football
November 02, 2002
Postgame notes and quotes from Texas A&M's 28-23 loss at Oklahoma State Saturday:
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES
A&M's JOHNSON SETS RECEIVING RECORD --- With six catches for 107 yards against Oklahoma State, senior Bethel Johnson became A&M's all-time leader in receiving yards with 1,592 for his career. Johnson broke Tony Harrison's record of 1,576 set from 1990-93. Johnson is also nearing the school record for career receptions. Johnson ranks second with 106 career catches (Johnson passed tight end Rod Bernstine today) and trails only running back Keith Woodside, who gathered in 110 catches from 1983-87.
PORTER POSTS FIRST 100-YARD DAY --- Senior tight end Greg Porter, who came into the game as the Big 12's top receiving tight end, posted the first 100-yard receiving day of his career with nine catches for 154 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. Porter's previous career highs were six catches for 79 yards against Texas Tech earlier this season.
Porter's 154 receiving yards were the most-ever by a Texas A&M tight end, breaking former mark of 107 yards on six catches by Rich Siler against California in 1983.
FOR THE RECORD ---
- OSU's 28 first-half points were the most allowed by the Aggies since 1999 when Oklahoma took a 34-6 lead into halftime.
- Four current Aggie receivers have 100-yard receiving days to their credit - Jamaar Taylor (4), Bethel Johnson (3), Terrence Murphy (2) and Greg Porter (1).
- For the second straight week, a potential game-tying or winning drive was stopped by an interception in the endzone.
- OSU's 28-23 victory snapped A&M's six-game winning streak over the Cowboys.
- The Aggies had two turnovers, while the Cowboys were turnover-free
- The Aggies scored first for the eighth time in nine games this season
- OSU running back Tatum Bell's 64-yard touchdown run was the longest run allowed by the Aggies since 1995 when SMU's Donte Womack broke off a 68-yard TD run
- Junior Matt Douglas (White Oak, Texas) was the Aggies' 12th Man Kickoff Team representative against Oklahoma State
- Game captains were Andre Brooks, Billy Yates, Cody Scates and Sammy Davis.
OKLAHOMA STATE POSTGAME NOTES
- Oklahoma State snapped a six-game losing streak to Texas A&M dating back to the 1988 season. It is the first time the Cowboys have beaten the Aggies in Big 12 play. OSU is now 4-1 at Lewis Field in 2002 and 6-4 overall in the last 10 games.
- Tatum Bell's 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was a career long, besting his 60-yard scoring run against Oklahoma in the 2000 season. It was his second scoring run of 40 yards or more this season (45 yarder vs. Texas). Bell's three first-half touchdowns is a career high and marks the second time this season a Cowboy runner has scored thrice. Seymore Shaw scored three times against SMU.
- Bell (25 rushes, 143 yards) went over the century rushing mark for the second straight game. It is the first time in his career he has rushed for over 100 yards in back-to-back games and first time an OSU runner has done it since Reggie White did it twice in the 2000 season.
- John Lewis' 42-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the longest of his career. Four of his five career scoring grabs have been for 30 yards or more.
- Quarterback Josh Fields has now thrown a touchdown pass in 10 consecutive games dating back to last season. He has 14 touchdown passes this year, tied for fourth best in school history and most in a season since Mike Gundy threw 14 in 1989.
- Fields threw for over 200 yards for the fourth time in eight games this season and for the first time since throwing for 291 yards against UCLA.
- Chay Nease's second quarter interception was the first of his career.
- Vernon Grant's fourth quarter game clinching interception was the first of his career.
- The 28 points scored today is the most OSU has scored against Texas A&M since scoring 52 against the Aggies in 1988.
- Rashaun Woods (7 receptions, 79 yards) has now caught two or more passes in 26 straight games.
- Woods' season numbers are 64 receptions (3rd best single season) for 889 yards (5th best single season). His career numbers are 173 catches for 2,241 yards, both second all-time to Hart Lee Dykes (203 rec., 3,172 yards). His 889 receiving yards this season is the second best mark by a junior at OSU (Hart Lee Dykes had 978 in 1987).
OKLAHOMA STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
OSU COACH LES MILES
On the game: "The focus of the game was to play two quality Big 12 opponents back to back and win. It is what we set out to do. The coaches and the players did a great job focusing on the task at hand. We played a quality A&M team that, in my opinion, showed a lot of character and guts coming out at halftime being behind and regaining the momentum of the game to play a very competitive football game. When you play a good football team close and win, it is something you want to repeat. "
On the first half: "Everything we did in the first half worked. We got a little slower in the second half. In the first half, they threw the ball very well against our defense. Our defense worked hard late in the game and made the plays to win the game. It was still a sloppy game on our part. We have to correct the mistakes we made with the field goals. We have too good of a kicker not to hit on those on a regular basis."
On Vernon Grant: "Vernon Grant has come in and played, since the day he arrived, very competitive and impressive football. He stopped some first downs and receivers. But he got a penalty because he arrived at the same time the ball did. But at the end of the game, Vernon Grant continued to play and got the interception that won the ball game."
On Tatum Bell: "Tatum has obviously given us a great spark in the running game. He has great speed which is why it will be hard for people to catch him. I like the fact that he runs through tackles as hard as he does. I suspect he will continue to develop into a quality back. "
On goals: "This team wants to win games. They're not playing for 1988, they're playing for this football team's desire to be a good football team. They're coming every week. We look forward in the schedule to opportunities. When you win games you get ambitious. This football team has players on offense, defense, and special teams. They play to win. They're continuing to grow in confidence and ability."
OSU DEFENSIVE BACK VERNON GRANT
On responding to game: "By me being young, it was a great experience for me. They had a lot of confidence in me to play so I felt I had to pick up my stuff, since I was starting this week.
On starting role: "They count on me more and more since he (Darrent Williams) went out. I think that I picked it up and played well."
On A&M offense keying in on him: "They always pick on the little guy, but I feel that if I make plays, then they will stop. They kept coming at me, so I kept making plays."
On game saving interception: "He got outside of me, so I had to run and replace, so I got outside of him. Massey tipped it and I came under and made the play."
OSU RUNNING BACK TATUM BELL
On big play: "It was a run to the left and I saw the linebacker flowing hard, so I cut back underneath them, broke a couple of tackles and it was over from there."
On improving performance: "That was one of my goals coming into this year, and then I got hurt during two-a-days. I kept getting frustrated so I had to show the team that when I get hit I just have to keep my head straight. I wanted to prove to the coaches and my teammates that I can run inside instead of always jumping outside, and I think I am doing that."
QUARTERBACK JOSH FIELDS
On defensive performance: "They (Texas A&M) shut the offense down in the second half so the defense stepped up and they deserve the credit for the win.
On lack of second half offense: "They made some big adjustments, by switching coverages and slowing us down a little bit. We had a good run and pass mix in the first half. In the second half we had some bad field position and they started doubling up on Rashaun (Woods). They did a good job today and shut us down."
WIDE RECEIVER JOHN LEWIS
On strong start: "We were clicking. We came out with some plays that we always run and it was very effective against their defense. We tried to find their weaknesses with film and two weeks of preparation, that helped us out a lot."
On the week off: "It gives you a chance to get your legs back, feel fresh for the game and get some injured players back. "
On team momentum: "It feels real good, we just want to keep rolling and keep the success flowing. We want to try to win the rest of our ball games by taking it one game at a time."
TEXAS A&M POSTGAME NOTES
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH R.C. SLOCUM
On second half comeback: "I thought our team showed some great character to comeback and play in the second half. We shut their offense down and moved the ball, but we just came up short. I was pleased how we reacted, to comeback and make a ball game out of it."
On getting behind early in the game: "We got too deep too early. That touchdown right before the half was very critical. Before that we felt like were still within striking distance, but that touchdown put them up by 21 and really hurt us. I was pleased how our defense came out and responded, and our offense moved the ball very well. They put some points on the board but we just came up short in the end."
On half-time talk: "We talked at half-time and made some adjustments. They (OSU) had a couple of weeks to prepare for the game and threw a few wrinkles in their scheme, but the difference was us just executing what we had to do. Other than just a couple minor adjustments it was just a question of playing better, playing with more intensity and playing smarter."
On preparation for the Sooners: "It's tough, coming off a loss like this, but I think our team will respond. This is football, and every week when you play in a league like this, it is going to be tough. We have what might be the best team in the country coming in next week, so it will be a test for us to see how we respond. There should be some excitement there, getting to go back home and play them and I feel our team will have that."
On Jamaar Taylor going out: "We hated to be going down the stretch without Jamaar in the ball game, he is clearly a playmaker for us. The initial look we got from the trainers was a knee sprain, but we'll examine him more in the locker room."
TEXAS A&M DEFENSIVE BACK SAMMY DAVIS
On going to a bowl game: "That's our main focus right now, to get that one win and be eligible to go to bowl, that's our goal."
On the difference between the first and second half: "In the first half we were still trying to get used to the weather and their play, and once we came in at halftime the coaches made the adjustments and we were more comfortable, and we went out there in the second half and made plays."
TEXAS A&M DEFENSIVE LINEMAN TY WARREN
On how the team will rebound: "We just have to stay focused, the season isn't over yet, we've got three games left. We're still focused on trying to get to a bowl and winning out."
TEXAS A&M QUARTERBACK DUSTIN LONG
On the feeling of the second half: "We came at halftime knowing we had to come out and play a lot better. We came out kind of flat in the first half, and the team did a good job of playing well in the second half, we just didn't have enough to come back."
On the feeling of the team after this game: "Any time you go through a season like this you're disappointed because you want to go out there and win as much as you can, but right now we just have to take it week to week and try to win each game each week."
On the interception at the end of the game: "I thought we had a good chance when he (Bethel Johnson) jumped up. At first I thought he caught it, but he said the defender tipped it. The ball just didn't bounce our way."
