Big 12 coaches teleconference: Sooners, Stoops looking to rebound

For the first time all season, Oklahoma is not OK.

Coach Bob Stoops is confident the Sooners, knocked from No. 1 to No. 4 by an upset loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, will bounce back. But he recognizes that taking that first loss this late in the season carries extra sting.

“There are added mental difference when you’ve won for a long period of time,” Stoops said Monday on the Big 12 coaches teleconference. “Regardless of what anybody says, all the BCS talk, all the media attention, you have to deal with all of that.”

Stoops said Oklahoma players might have been unduly influenced by positive press during their 8-0 start.

“Dealing with the media is a different dynamic than it used to be,” Stoops said. “Our players are smart and know it doesn’t mean anything, but it can take some of the edge off.”

The Sooners (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) trail Texas (9-1, 5-1) in the South Division heading into Saturday’s game against Baylor.

“We didn’t walk out of that locker room with our tail between our legs,” Stoops said. “We also recognize we’ve got a lot in front of us, and it’ll be up to us how we go after it.

“We still believe we’re a much better team than a year ago and whether we can finish it, we’ll find out.”

Stoops pointed at secondary breakdowns as the primary reason the Sooners aren’t still unbeaten. On all four of Texas A&M freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal’s touchdown passes, he said the receivers were wide open.

“Can we play better? I think so,” Stoops said. “Bottom line is we didn’t. Why it happens, I don’t know.”

Baylor coach Kevin Steele certainly isn’t looking forward to seeing the Sooners this week.

“They don’t need motivating factors at Oklahoma,” Steele said. “They’re going to come and play championship-style football, regardless of what happened last week.”

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Go for two?: Knowing his defense was struggling, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel still never considered going for a two-point conversion and an instant verdict in Saturday’s 42-35 overtime loss to Colorado after the Tigers scored late to force the extra period.

He said he never will, either.

“Knowing we each have an equal opportunity in the overtime, I don’t know how we could miss the conversion and look my players in the eye,” Pinkel said. “I couldn’t do that. I’ll go in and have an equal chance to win the game, give my team a chance to win.”

Pinkel didn’t quibble with a perhaps controversial ruling that Darius Outlaw fumbled away the Tigers’ chance in overtime.

“You know what, I really thought that was close, I didn’t think it was one you could argue either way,” Pinkel said. “Trust me, if I felt without question that he did not have control I would say that, but I can’t say that.”

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Brown for Heisman: Colorado coach Gary Barnett said junior running back Chris Brown, the nation’s leading rusher with 1,617 yards, is deserving of the Heisman Trophy.

But he said he has virtually no chance of winning it because the national media seems to be preoccupied with quarterbacks and staying with preseason candidates.

“I don’t think it would do me much good to talk about Chris Brown,” Barnett said. “I think he’s the best running back in the country and he’s carrying us, but that isn’t what everybody thought would happen before the season.

“You never see a guy come out of nowhere to win the Heisman. It doesn’t sound like Chris has a chance.”

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Reggie’s time: Texas A&M’s McNeal will get his first start this week against Missouri and red-shirt freshman quarterback Brad Smith, after his sensational outing against Oklahoma.

“I’ve been trying to ease him along,” coach R.C. Slocum said. “I don’t think he’ll get carried away with this.

“Stepping up as a starter will be part of the growing experience.”