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Q&A with former OU Football Coach Barry Switzer

Former OU football coach Barry Switzer says the Sooners' past BCS failures have no impact on Thursday's game. STEPHEN HOLMAN/ Tulsa World
 
By MATT DOYLE, World sports writer
Published: 1/4/2009  3:05 AM
Last Modified: 1/4/2009  3:15 AM

 Barry Switzer knows all about national championship pressure. The former Oklahoma football coach led three Sooner teams to national titles.

He also laments losing three bowl games with national championship implications in his 16-year OU tenure.

Switzer has a good understanding of what OU coach Bob Stoops is experiencing in the days leading up to Thursday's BCS championship game against Florida.

Switzer serves as studio analyst for Fox Sports BCS television coverage. He participated in a teleconference last week to preview the OU-Florida matchup. Here are highlights of his question-and-answer session.

Q: Which quarterback would you rather have in this game, Sam Bradford or Tim Tebow?

A: Both are outstanding players. They are great players. Both are Heisman Trophy winners. But I've been a guy who wants his quarterback to be able to run the ball. That's just the philosophy of my offense and my playbook. If I were coaching, I'd probably want Tebow because of my playbook. But Oklahoma's playbook is a different playbook. Tebow probably could not perform as well using Oklahoma's playbook as Sam Bradford, and Bradford certainly would not run the option like Tebow does or run the running plays that Florida has in its scheme. It's hard to say which one you want because they are two different styles of offense.

Q: Does Florida have extra motivation because Tebow did not win the Heisman Trophy?

A: I'm sure there is some motivational or psychological edge because Tebow was not recognized again as the best player in college football and repeating as the Heisman winner. That's something the players and coaches will use. But at the same time, they (Florida) are the best football team Oklahoma has played this year. I think it's a home game for Florida. When you play in that state, in Miami, when you play Miami, Florida State or Florida, it's a home game for them.

Q: Is OU's and Bob Stoops' lack of success in recent Bowl Championship Series games a motivator for this game?

A: Anything that has to do with the past doesn't have a damn thing to do with this game. This is a different football team. This is a better team than they've taken to previous bowl games. Anytime you go to a BCS game, especially the championship game, you are playing teams good or better than you. The last two times Oklahoma has been in this situation, they played teams I believed were better than them. The game in the Orange Bowl a few years ago, definitely the best team was Southern California. I don't think the score should have been what it was, but Oklahoma made some dumb plays in the ballgame and it snowballed on them. LSU was a tight fit, but LSU was a good team and Oklahoma wasn't able to make the plays to win the game. About the Boise State and West Virginia games, people don't understand that West Virginia is a good football team and their quarterback had an outstanding game. In the Boise State game, Oklahoma was playing that game with a receiver at quarterback. If the guy had been a quarterback, he would have been a quarterback his whole life. There are reasons why they lost those games. But the main reason why they lost was the teams they played were better.

Q: Is this OU team better than the Sooner squads that played LSU and USC for the BCS title?

A: I think so. Oklahoma's best defensive team (under Bob Stoops) was the one that throttled Florida State to win the national championship. This defensive team is young at linebacker, young at safety and cornerbacks, but they are extremely talented. I believe this is a better football team. It starts at the quarterback. He's an exceptional performer. Florida does have an advantage in getting its game-breaker back in Percy Harvin and Oklahoma lost its in DeMarco Murray. Oklahoma also lost its rotation at defensive tackle with DeMarcus Granger being out. That hurts Oklahoma. But Oklahoma is a better team, in my opinion, than those two teams that played against USC and LSU.

Q: Is this OU offense the best college football offense of all time?

A: They've already lost one game to a team that was better than they were. Texas was the best team that day. Oklahoma is an outstanding football team. Their numbers statistically are great. They have played more games than teams in the past and therefore have put up more yardage, particularly in the passing department. They throw the ball extremely well. The quarterback is extremely accurate. They have tremendous receivers. But I believe Florida is a team that has as good or better talent. They just do it a different way because of Tebow's running ability.
By MATT DOYLE, World sports writer

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5 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
texasbill, (1/4/2009 9:04:56 AM)
come on coach. OKLAHOMA WILL SHOW UP. MY MONIE IS ON OKLAHOMA. SOONER FAN FOREVER! IT SOONER MAGIC TIME . JUST WATCH !
Report Comment
soonerdavid, (1/4/2009 12:33:50 PM)
never been a switzer fan and i'm a ou fan for thirty plus years.its time, we're due some sooner magic and if utah can roll over bama being a 10 point dog, then ou can do the same to the gators
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wsums2, Cincinnati (1/4/2009 4:04:25 PM)
Switzer is honest and calls it as he sees it. Still he is OU through and through and always will be. If you don't like him, your loss, he is the kind of person that will help anyone. He has a good heart.

I hope OU wins, Switzer is correct, every team is different. It's also who fights the hardest. This may be the best OU offensive team ever, just how bad do they want the grand prize? OU has the team that can win it all. Florida does as well, hope we want it more than they do.
Report Comment
Bullhead, Nicut (1/4/2009 10:24:27 PM)
I've always been a Barry fan.. until today. But I have to give him a break. He is getting on in years, lived a hard life. I think the neurons aren't hitting exactly right. But then, he doesn't want anyone, even Stoops, to be better than he was. So he has to try to be a little degrading to everyone else. It's okay, Barry, we hear ya.. *wink*wink*

BOOMER SOONER! GO! FIGHT! WIN! BIG RED!
Report Comment
wk, (1/5/2009 12:36:49 PM)
At least Barry's honest. Medium game Bob is about to take a good whippin!
 

 
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