Big 12 Players of the Week:
Offense - Oklahoma QB Landry Jones wsa 35 of 47 for a Sooner record 505 yards and five TDs in a 58-17 victory over Kansas State
Defense - Mizzou CB E.J. Gaines had 10 tackles and four pass break-ups, three in the fourth quarter, in a 38-31 upset win over Texas A&M
Special Teams - Texas K Justin Tukcer kicked a career-long 52-yard FG and was good on all five PATs in a 43-0 win over Kansas.
OKlahoma coach Bob Stoops is up next:
On Saturday's opponent, Texas A&M: "You look at all their losses and they were ahead in the fourth quarter in all of them..."
Stoops said RB Brennan Clay is back and healthy and will help replace Dominique Whaley, who the Sooners lost to the season with a broken ankle.
On West Virginia's move to the conference: "I don't have much thought on it. It's great and..I'm sure it will be another tough game to play."
On Aggies QB Ryan Tannehill and the A&M: "They've been potent all year. Very skilled group of people and they do a good job using them."
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy now up:
On keeping his team even-keeled while being ranked in the Top 3, Gundy said he knows his players are around it and aware of it with social media, but he tries to keep his team in a normal routine and focused with the same kind of practices every week.
Gundy said the recent uniform changes were Nike's move on making the Cowboys the "Oregon of this part of the country. We feel like it can help us in recruiting...people like it."
On playing K-State after the Sooners beat them down so badly last Saturday: "I think they'll prepare well and be ready for the game."
On paying players per the proposal made last week, Gundy said he was in favor of it.
On multi-year scholarships: "I don't understand why we are changing...from what works."
On giving up a large amount of points every week: "We never said we had all the answers on defense...We do give up some yards..but for the most part if you look at the defenses in our league, there are some D's that give up yards and points..."
Five Big 12 players have been named semifinalists for the Maxwell Award: OSU WR Justin Blackmon, OU WR Ryan Broyles, Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, OSU QB Brandon Weeden and OU QB Landry Jones
K-State LB Arthur Brown was the lone player from the conference to be named a Bednarik Award nominee for the nation's top LB.
Next up is Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville:
Tuberville said the Red Raiders have started different players every week on defense and did so during their bad loss to Iowa State.
On playing Texas on Saturday and his players getting up for the game: "There is a lot of carry-over between players. Anytime you have a rivalry game, coaches usually don't have to get involved."
On the Iowa State loss last Saturday: "We don't know how to handle success obviously."
Baylor coach Art Briles is up next:
On the loss to Okla State last Saturday: "We didn't help ourselves. You've got to score points and finish drives...You can't give them breathing room and we gave them a lot of fresh air."
On Robert Griffin III helping bring the Baylor program back: "I think the main thing it has provided is realistic hope. With him and what he has done we certainly have hope every time we step on the field."
Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman is up now:
On Oklahoma - the Aggies' opponent on Saturday, Sherman said he wished the Sooners still had the home winning streak still intact as the players would have something to shoot for. But he said his team is up for it and that playing in Norman presents a very big challenge.
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