[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
ROB STONE: A lot of excitement in the air.
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
Big Noon energy.
REGGIE BUSH: Never gets old.
ROB STONE: We welcome you to Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain and the waving wheat picture smells sweet.
The power on the prairie.
(Laughter).
The '70s and the '80s dominated by Oklahoma and Nebraska today. They converge for the 87th time. Huskers in need of a win to get them back to national relevance. Sooners in the hunt for their eighth national title.
Nebraska has not beaten a top five team on the road since that man, Scott Frost, quarterbacked the Huskers past Washington in 1997. He's got an opportunity to do that again today.
Every game -- every day is game day with Wendy's breakfast, the official breakfast of the NCAA. Choose wisely. Choose Wendy's.
50 years ago these two programs met right here in Norman, in what would become the Game Of the Century. So much more on that meeting and 2020 version still to come.
They're not going to let us talk today.
BRADY QUINN: Love it. It's homecoming.
(Laughter).
Good to be home, Coach?
BOB STOOPS: I'm loving being home.
ROB STONE: I couldn't tell.
BOB STOOPS: This is the best.
ROB STONE: This is great. Bob Stoops, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Brady Quinn, I'm Rob Stone. Oklahoma, how are we doing this morning?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> Boomer, let's go!
ROB STONE: Hey, Coach.
REGGIE BUSH: We may have to do a show.
ROB STONE: Stand down, today. Coach Stoops has this under control.
Let's talk a little football for a moment. Big news, a major blow for seventh-ranked Texas A&M, their quarterback, Haynes King, out four to seven weeks, crack in his lower leg. And the sophomore, Zach Calzada, will take his place.
After falling to Arkansas last week a changed freshman Hudson Card has been to replaced as the Longhorns' starting quarterback. Casey Thompson gets his first start since 2017 when he was in high school.
And two games into the season USC fired Clay Helton after an uninspired home loss to Stanford. The Trojans begin the search for their fourth head coach since Pete Carroll's departure USC.
Interim head coach Donte Williams, in the blues to take on Washington State today in Pullman. That, the second game of our Fox doubleheader. Coverage begins 3:30 Eastern.
We'll start with USC. Coach, when you've done what you've done, people come calling for you and your services have you had any contact with anyone from USC?
BOB STOOPS: Here it is, I've only been on the set three times, and you guys, you're already getting rid of me. (Laughter).
BRADY QUINN: We don't want you to leave us we. Want to you stay here with us.
REGGIE BUSH: Don't do us like the last coach.
BOB STOOPS: I love too much working with you guys. What I'm doing, I love watching my son play. I've got another one coaching. So that's all I'm interested in doing right now.
[APPLAUSE]
MATT LEINART: Well said.
BOB STOOPS: But I'll tell you what that team needs. When I took over here in '99 we had had five straight losing seasons. Our players' self-imagine was in the tank.
USC's players gotta feel the same way. They know what the traditions are there. They're not living up to them. The first order of business is to build their self-esteem, their self-image, their confidence, their expectations.
ROB STONE: Let's check in with the Trojans. Matt, why was this the right move?
MATT LEINART: I love what Bob just said. The traditions are there. They're not living up to them. There's a sense of pride to play at USC. They've lost the sense of pride. Those colors, what you wear, that stadium, the alumni, the tradition, all of that. The name that's on your chest, they have to wear that with pride, go out there play like champions because they can be champions.
Two things that need to change, and I think will, is accountability. You create a championship culture with accountability. And Donte Williams has already come out this week and already started changing some of the things that's been going on from the way the players are dressing at practice. The little things matter.
So you change the accountability -- coaches, players, all hold each other accountable. That's what equals success.
And the second thing is just recruiting. They have to recruit Southern California. Pete Carroll owned Southern California. No coaches, Coach Stoops was not coming in through Southern California plucking away those players. We've seen too many great players from that area go to Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, because what do they want to do? They want to play nor national championships and go to NFL. That's not happening at USC. That needs to change.
REGGIE BUSH: You talked about recruiting. The last coach that USC had that was also the recruiting advantage himself was Pete Carroll. No other coach has been able to say that.
I want to take it a step further because I do believe there's a coach out there that can help restore USC to greatness. I believe Deion Sanders can be that person -- that can be that person. When you think about what he's done at Jackson State right now. Jackson State has the No. 55 recruiting class in the nation. They're one ahead of Kansas State, which has a significantly much larger budget than Jackson State does, but what does that tell you?
That tells you that Deion knows how to recruit. Now, let's just use this as an example. Deion Sanders is the head coach of USC. He walks into your house. He walks into your house and says, Matt, I want you to come play, be the starting quarterback at USC. What you going to say?
MATT LEINART: I'm going to weigh my options, just kidding.
ROB STONE: You're going to say yes.
BRADY QUINN: I'll be Matt's parents in this scenario. What makes you qualified? You've got nine total games at an FCS program as a head coach. What makes him qualified in your mind?
REGGIE BUSH: When you think of Deion Sanders.
BRADY QUINN: By the way, I love Prime.
REGGIE BUSH: And what he's been able to do, I've always prided, when I've worked with coaches that played the game, they actually played the game, those are the coaches where I played the best. Todd McNair was my running back coach at USC.
I give him a ton of credit for him helping me win the Heisman Trophy. He changed my mindset of taking me more towards an attacking style player. Right? So what I'm saying is for Deion Sanders. -- he's relatable, but also the players are going to trust him because he's done it. He's lived it.
BRADY QUINN: High level.
REGGIE BUSH: Been there before. So they can trust his eyes, they can trust what he's saying is true. To me, those are the kind of coaches that I want to play for, the ones who have been there before. They've been a part of a championship culture and they know what they're doing.
BRADY QUINN: I'm with you on that, I just think he has to get over the part of the coaching portion. No doubt he can recruit.
REGGIE BUSH: And he's head coach right now.
BRADY QUINN: I get that. Nine games though at a lower level. We'll see where it goes. Here's what I see, though, because first off as a Notre Dame alum I'd say what was wrong with Clay Helton? Keep him around a little more. They were enjoying him there in South Bend.
But in all seriousness, what I see what they've been missing is the big men up front. They've always had skill. Maybe not to your level, what you did, but I'm saying when you think about guys like Mike Patterson, Kenechi Udeze and Shaun Cody, all these big guys up front, they don't have that before. Players between 2001 and 2011 were drafted on the O line D.
REGGIE BUSH: How do you get those players?
BRADY QUINN: Pete Carroll did it.
REGGIE BUSH: Recruit.
BRADY QUINN: They haven't been able to get them or find them. That's one issue. And the last issue is development. Right now on current NFL rosters, USC is not in the top 20 of players on NFL rosters. They're behind teams like UCLA. I know you hate hearing that. Stanford. Iowa. They all have more players right now on rosters. It's not just about recruiting. It's the ability to develop those.
REGGIE BUSH: Starts with recruiting.
BRADY QUINN: Starts.
REGGIE BUSH: Starts with recruiting.
BRADY QUINN: They've got to develop, get them to the next level.
ROB STONE: In the interim, Donte is a magnificent recruiter. Keep your eye on him. Let's carry on this conversation as we bring in our insider Bruce Feldman. Sponsored by Allstate. One of the most sought-after jobs in the game. What are you hearing on the search at USC?
BRUCE FELDMAN: Obviously it's early in the process right now. A couple of guys I think who will emerge as legitimate candidates, I would start with James Franklin at Penn State. He worked wonders at Vanderbilt. Brady was just talking about the recruiting part of this. James Franklin really re-energized Penn State. They have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation right now.
Keep in mind he's got a really good job, but there's way more talent a two-hour drive from USC than there is from Happy Valley. Also, there's no Ohio State in the Pac-12 South.
The other guy I would say to keep an eye on is Iowa State's Matt Campbell. Look, he's got them a top 10 program. That's the highest they've ever been. But can he take Iowa State higher than it is right now? That's a big question. As Brady was talking about a minute ago about development, USC, that's been a huge issue with them. This guy shows he can develop players.
ROB STONE: Expect a lot of names and speculation over the next couple of months but don't expect any signatures until a little bit later.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
The Outtakes Bus Tour featuring Clay Travis in Gainesville today, the throw down between top-ranked Alabama and Florida. Clay goes one-on-one with the ol' ball coach, Steve Spurrier.
Is Michigan State back? We'll know more today. They're in South Florida. The 2-0 Spartans taking on No. 24, Miami and plenty more. Still to come from Norman, Oklahoma.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[COMMERCIAL]
ROB STONE: Indiana won three of the last five games against ranked opponents. They've got a top 10 team in Bloomington, 2-0 and eighth-ranked Cincinnati set to tee it up with Indiana.
Last meeting between Oklahoma and Nebraska, the 2010 Big 12 Championship game, a 23-20 win by the Sooners.
They're a little bit fired up in Norman this morning. Four straight losing seasons for Nebraska, and it is year four under Scott Frost. It got off to a rough start, an uninspiring loss at Illinois.
Jenny Taft joins us now from inside the stadium. And since that loss, two straight wins for the Huskers. What's changed?
JENNY TAFT: Boy, Rob. Great to hear you. Great energy. I can hear it behind you guys. You brought it up; there's no denying that first loss of the season to Illinois, it was a gut punch to the team.
When we caught up with head coach Scott Frost yesterday, he said it was the team's response that was so telling. Guys were taking ownership of their mistakes, they were frustrated. This is a group that's been building on the culture.
And you mentioned it, they followed up with two straight wins. Wins create confidence, yes. Those wins were not against Oklahoma-caliber teams, but who cares right now? This is a group that feels good about the matchup. And according to quarterback Adrian Martinez, he said this rivalry means a lot to our fans and it means a lot to us as players. You dream about playing in these moments.
And he also told me expect a big day from he and newcomer receiver Samori Toure. The transfer in from Montana, coming back-to-back hundred yard receiving game. And his quote to me was my favorite: "Why can't Nebraska shock the world?" Matt.
MATT LEINART: Thanks. Last week we saw how Oregon was able to take down the Ohio State Buckeyes. C.J. Verdell ran over the Ohio State defense. That's why he's my power player of the week.
[MUSIC]
Just talk about the mood surrounding your team getting ready for that big game on the road against Ohio State.
CJ. VERDELL: To be honest, everybody was excited. Knew it was a great opportunity in front of us. And we pretty much just took that head on. Just wanted to embrace the challenge. Obviously we're coming in there as the underdogs people didn't really expect us to do as well as we did. So we came in there with a chip on our shoulders, it was the whole attitude throughout the whole week.
[MUSIC]
MATT LEINART: What makes this year's Oregon football team different than in years past?
CJ. VERDELL: I would say leadership, the guys at the forefront. Some of the other guys, including myself, we were really taking control of this thing and the whole unit, not just offense/defense but all of us coming together. We want to be a complete package on the field.
[MUSIC]
ROB STONE: Oregon's dynamic running back C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye. They've combined for six touchdowns nearly 400 yards. Ducks win over Fresno State and last week in Columbus against the Buckeyes.
Time now for a special edition of Quarterback and Forth. Matt and Brady are waking up with Wendy's, the official breakfast of the NCAA. Gents.
BRADY QUINN: We're awake over here. Are we awake?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Let's go. I was a little bit concerned it might be a little bit too early for some of the fans.
MATT LEINART: They showed up. They showed up. They showed up.
BRADY QUINN: Let's do a little bit Quarterback and Forth here. We saw Ohio State lose last week, Matt. Who is the best chance for the Big Ten to get into the playoff then? Is it still Ohio State, or is it Iowa, Penn State?
MATT LEINART: I like Ohio State and Penn State. Ohio State obviously they didn't look great last week defensively, had the loss. We've seen a lot of one loss teams get into the playoffs. The next four games they have is a stretch, but they can certainly fix those problems. Penn State is still a top 10 team. They're still undefeated. See what happens. How about you?
BRADY QUINN: I'll go with Iowa. Obviously they're the highest ranked Big Ten team at this point in time. They've been phenomenal. Only team that's beaten two ranked teams so far. Think about this, their defense, suffocating.
MATT LEINART: They're good.
BRADY QUINN: The last 24 games, they've held all their opponents to under 25 points. They're carrying that momentum from last year to this year with 2-0 start. And they don't play Ohio State. They play Penn State; that might decide it. Then it's just Wisconsin and Nebraska to end the season. Iowa has a good shot.
MATT LEINART: I like that. Second question: Alabama, biggest threat to the Crimson Tide this year?
BRADY QUINN: Gotta be Georgia. How do you stop Bama? It's got to be the defense. Up front, big boys like Jordan Davis, the way they played so far this year, have not allowed a touchdown yet on defense. And they've got the passing attack when JT Daniels gets back; our guy, Stetson Bennett -- (indiscernible) Georgia.
MATT LEINART: He did. I like the two other teams. I like Clemson and Oregon for the same reasons. You have to have a great defense to slow them down. You have to be able to win at the line of scrimmage. But you also have to have an offense that scores points. I think Clemson will get there. And we saw Oregon, how explosive they are offensively.
BRADY QUINN: Too hot up here.
MATT LEINART: I'm starting to drip. We're just letting it go.
ROB STONE: Keep it tight boys.
Ohio State's D, exposed again last week, courtesy of Oregon. Brady will break down the Buckeye issues and tell us if they can revive their national title hopes.
West Virginia has lost each of their last six meetings against top 15 opponents. And No. 15 Virginia Tech in Morgantown today. That one coming up at noon live on FS1.
Samori Toure transferred from Montana to Nebraska in January. The former FCS All-American now second in the Big Ten with 306 receiving yards this season.
And Matt and Brady are complaining about the heat. You know who is not complaining about the heat? These people in crimson and cream.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
[COMMERCIAL]
ROB STONE: "Big Noon Kickoff" sponsored by Allstate. Save like a champion with Allstate.
Spencer Rattler leads the Big 12 in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Those are numbers, Coach, we've gotten awfully used to seeing from him.
BOB STOOPS: I think he's just getting started. I think he'll continue to improve throughout the year.
ROB STONE: That's inside the stadium. This is the scene outside. It has been 11 years since Nebraska and Oklahoma last collided.
[MUSIC]
Bob, trust your people, get them going.
BOB STOOPS: Boomer! Boomer! Texas! Sucks!
That's how you do it.
REGGIE BUSH: They really disrespected Texas today. (Laughter).
ROB STONE: Hey, Texas, you don't lose last week, you don't get that kind of treatment here.
BOB STOOPS: They get it every week here. Every week.
ROB STONE: Even in January and February. Next week, Team "Big Noon Kickoff", we're in Chicago for Notre Dame and Wisconsin. But last Saturday we were in Columbus to see firsthand that Buckeye defense and their struggles that's carried over from last season. Ohio State they look to get back on track. They have Tulsa right there inside the Horseshoe live on FS1 3:30 Eastern.
The Buckeyes this week plummeted six spots down to No. 9 after that loss to Oregon. Ryan Day, the head coach said, we'll make structural changes on defense. But, Coach, how many changes can actually occur in this short window of time?
BOB STOOPS: In this short window of time, there's three practices through the week. Are you able to change that much in three days, in three practices? I commend them for trying. They need to try to get some diversity in their coverages and their blitzes. Be more aggressive. They've got speed all over the place. But they're far too predictable in what they've been doing. I talked about it last week. They play a one-high safety 90 percent of the time. You can't mix up coverages. It makes it too easy for quarterbacks.
BRADY QUINN: It's too easy for opposing teams. I think that's one of the disappointing things, the predictability of it. A lot of people ask, is it the personnel or scheme. It's always a little of both, right? It's a combination of things in football.
I think the thing that stands out to me they don't have Chase Young or Joey Bosa or Nick Bosa. Those guys aren't there anymore. But they have talent that's good enough. They've got to execute and be accountable how they played.
To me it comes down to a numbers count. They're predictable but they're predictable with the way they're handling things. Let's look at the tape last week against Oregon. There's not enough guys in the box to stop the run. It's no secret. Oregon runs a zone read. They're not going to block No. 9 Zach Harrison. They'll read him.
And Anthony Brown in this case, because he crosses down on C.J. Verdell, he's going to keep the ball and run into open space. The reason there's so much space; they've got a man advantage. There's two ball carriers, six blockers versus only seven defenders, you've got to pull the safety down into the box.
The same formation, same personnel formation by the defense, same coverage. Now the only difference in this case is now they have someone accountable for the quarterback. What do you do? You hand off to C.J. Verdell. And there's a gaping hole that goes for a big score, big touchdown. But the problem here, it's lack of execution but also the predictability you just talked about. It's the same look.
Now that second play was after they had time at halftime to make some adjustments to do something different. I think this week they will. They'll do some more two-high looks and mix up those fronts a little bit.
BOB STOOPS: They need to. And I think Coach Coombs has taken too much heat. There's a lot of coaches on that staff making a lot of money. And there's accountability to players. I saw their corner twice last week follow in on a crack block instead of falling off and setting to contain a play. That's basic football.
ROB STONE: The highest ranked team in the state of Ohio, No. 8 Cincinnati. They open up with a pair of 35-point wins over Miami of Ohio and Murray State, but business takes up today road trip Bloomington. Hoosiers won five straight in the series. What is it about the Bearcat defense leaning your way?
REGGIE BUSH: Their opportunistic defense. Last week, they had five turnovers against Murray State. This obviously will be a different test for them going up against Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. will be a different style quarterback they've gone against.
But one thing I love about this defense is on top of the turnovers they get, it's just that they suffocate offenses. Last week they only gave up 150 yards passing. Give up no more than 15 points on their defense. This is going to be a long day for Michael Penix Jr., and for that Indiana offense. And ball security will have to be at a premium.
MATT LEINART: We saw Michael Penix struggle against a defense in week one, in Iowa. This is the same type. Cincinnati, they don't do a lot on defense but they're very good -- opposite of what Ohio State is doing. They play fundamentally sound, talk about the five takeaways they had last week.
Both opponents under 15 points, both under 150 passing yards a game. Indiana has struggled offensively with Ty Fryfogle on the outside. They have the players. This is a big game for Cincinnati. This game lost a little bit of luster because he with thought Indiana would be better at this point. But this is a Power Five opponent for Cincinnati, which will boost their resumé. They've got another big game coming up.
REGGIE BUSH: They do.
BRADY QUINN: It's coming up. We've got enough problems of our own.
ROB STONE: Thanks. Sneaky good game in South Florida. Miami hosting unbeaten Michigan State. Manny Diaz, 15-11 as the head coach for the Canes as he enters his third season against Sparty -- 2-0 and seeking their first 3-0 start since 2015.
Back here in Norman, last week Eric Gray versus Western Carolina, 10 touches, 94 scrimmage yards, one score.
BRADY QUINN: This will be the challenge for Nebraska's defense, don't allow Oklahoma to be two dimensional. Stop the run, see if you can limit some of the big plays and hang on.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE].
ROB STONE: The Dos Equis Ultimate College Football road trip with our own Charlotte Wilder. There they are. They're in Oklahoma. They've been here all week. (Indiscernible) Fox platforms. Check out all the behind-the-scenes fun in Norman.
Hey, fans, are you ready for legends in the house? We already got one. Let's make it two. Barry Switzer joins us next.
[COMMERCIAL]
ROB STONE: What a season last year for Tom Allen trying to carry it over here again in 2021. Upbeat and in the mood. Indiana has got top 10 Cincinnati in the house today at noon Eastern.
No. 15 Virginia Tech in West Virginia, Neal Brown wearing the appropriate colors for this one. His 'Neers at 1-1. The Hokies already a big win over North Carolina to open up their season. They sit at 2-0, No. 15 in the land.
And we welcome you back to Norman, Oklahoma. Stay away from that dude. Where is he? Where is security?
REGGIE BUSH: That's Jason right there.
ROB STONE: Security, find that duty.
REGGIE BUSH: That's Jason.
ROB STONE: It's getting close to Halloween. I want no part of that guy. Beautiful crowd this morning here in Norman, Oklahoma. Even you Nebraska people, thanks for showing up. Love all this big red. Love all this big red.
REGGIE BUSH: Are you doing it Matt? Matt's waving the flag. Are you going to plant it?
MATT LEINART: No, no. That's reserved for Columbus.
BRADY QUINN: Still an hour left.
ROB STONE: We're here because this is the 50th anniversary of the greatest game of the century, Oklahoma and Nebraska. So that got us thinking, well, let's break down the top 5 greatest games ever. You gentlemen have been involved in a few of those. Let's count down the best football, sponsored by the all new all electric 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ. We go to No. 5. Look away, Coach, put the visor down.
BOB STOOPS: Can I take a break?
ROB STONE: Fourth and 18, a little hook and ladder. We go to overtime. Statue of Liberty.
BRADY QUINN: That was the proposal.
ROB STONE: And the acceptance. No. 4, Matt, Reggie look away. '06 Rose Bowl. Reggie Bush.
REGGIE BUSH: There you go. Back on No. 5. There he is.
ROB STONE: Game winning streak. Double-digit fourth quarter lead. Here comes Vince Young, though.
REGGIE BUSH: Double digit fourth quarter lead, say that again.
ROB STONE: It was a double digit fourth quarter lead, Vince Young snuck in, denying the Trojans the national title.
Kick-6 from 2013, Nick Saban, let's go for a 57-yard field goal with one second left in the game. Think Nick wants this one back?
REGGIE BUSH: Maybe, maybe. That was amazing.
ROB STONE: Chris Davis, 100 yards, game-winning touchdown.
REGGIE BUSH: To this day I still can't believe that play.
ROB STONE: Game-winning touchdown. Don't kick it, Coach.
Let's go to No. 2, '84 Orange Bowl, Miami up 7 in the fourth, unbeaten No. 1 Nebraska, fourth and eight, a minute to go. Turner Gill, Jeff Smith, touchdown. We got a one-point game. What are you doing, Coach?
BOB STOOPS: Going for 2.
ROB STONE: If you're Tom Osborne, you're going for two. Gill's pass broken up and Miami wins its first national title.
No. 1 game of the century, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma, Johnny Rodgers and that electric 72-yard punt return touchdown got the Huskers on the board first.
REGGIE BUSH: That was an illegal cutback right there.
ROB STONE: Johnny Rodgers was a bad man, back and forth. Jeff Kinney punching it in from two yards out, game-winning score. Nebraska wins it by four. They go on to win the national championship.
Speaking of countdowns, the count down has begun reserve your all electric 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ today. Reservations begin at 4:00 Eastern, 1:00 Pacific. Go to cadillac.com.
I don't know what the 2021 Barry Switzer runs on, but whatever it is, give me some of that juice. Barry Switzer, where are you?
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
You want some of coach's guns, don't you? [Gunshot]
REGGIE BUSH: He came with a cannon. Wow. He came with a cannon.
BARRY SWITZER: What was that?
ROB STONE: Come on, Barry, get over here. You know his nickname is The King. The King. Get over here, Coach.
REGGIE BUSH: Yeah, Coach.
ROB STONE: That's what I'm talking about.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
BARRY SWITZER: Matt, Reggie, good to see you all.
ROB STONE: Hey, man. Hold on I've got a gift for you.
BARRY SWITZER: Beat Nebraska.
BRADY QUINN: Looks good on you.
ROB STONE: Coach, you were the OC in '71 for that game. Tell me what this Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry meant to the college football world, what it meant to Oklahoma.
BARRY SWITZER: Our realistic goal was to win the national championship. What happened here before we felt like that was a great goal to have every year. But we knew we had to get the Orange Bowl. And the only way to get to the Orange Bowl is to beat Nebraska in the Big Eight Conference Championship.
BOB STOOPS: You were the O coordinator, play caller in that game. Any regrets, anything you would do over?
BARRY SWITZER: I surely would. You always second guess yourself, especially after a loss. I would have thrown the ball to Jonny Harrison about three, four more times and deep route flags, post.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE].
And I would have had -I would have had predetermined plays for Greg Pruitt to carry the ball. I would have put the ball in Greg Pruitt's hands 25 to 30 times a game. I started doing that with Joey Washington and Billy Sims and those guys.
When you run the option, you never know how many times a halfback will get the ball in his hands because they take it away from you. That's what I would have done.
BRADY QUINN: How many times would you have given the ball to Reggie Bush if you --
BARRY SWITZER: I don't know if Reggie could play for us. (Laughter).
REGGIE BUSH: Coach, listen, it ain't where you're from. It's what you're made of.
BARRY SWITZER: I've got a lot of kids out of California. But Reggie you have to block. You have to block.
REGGIE BUSH: I don't like blocking. Coach, I don't like blocking.
BARRY SWITZER: You gotta block.
REGGIE BUSH: Just give me the ball in my hands. Let me score the points for you.
BOB STOOPS: Coach, it's odd that we celebrate the game of the century here -- and we lost. But after that game you end up two years later becoming the head coach and in that four-year span, OU goes 43-2-1 with two -- '74, '75, back-to-back national championships.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
BARRY SWITZER: Good players, good players, good coaches makes good things happen. Hey, I heard you on the way out here, last night, especially -- I got a kick out of this. I hadn't thought about it -- Bob gets up here and he says I can't understand, we're celebrating a loss.
(Laughter).
50th anniversary of a loss. But anyway it's great to have Nebraska fans back. It's been a great week here. Great weather. Everything's perfect for the game. And if the Sooners will pull this off, we're on our way.
BOB STOOPS: Big one, we need it. I think Nebraska is better than everyone's giving them credit for.
BARRY SWITZER: I think so, too. We will find out more about ourselves too. We don't know who we are yet.
MATT LEINART: A little fun, too. This is royalty here, Oklahoma royalty. I've got a question for you, for both of you. We're going to dinner. There's a restaurant. There's one table open and both of you guys go in, who gets that table?
BOB STOOPS: The King. He's the King.
(Laughter).
MATT LEINART: The King. Or you might join together.
BARRY SWITZER: Let me tell you, Norman, Oklahoma, I walk around and I run into families and they come up to me. They want to ooh and ah and all that, and the little kids popping the bubble gum and looking at their phones, they look up at me, I look back down and I say "I'm the old Bob Stoops."
(Laughter).
Do it that way.
BOB STOOPS: I'm the old Lincoln Riley right now.
REGGIE BUSH: Question on a serious note. You've seen how far the game has changed. What do you like about this Oklahoma team right now?
BARRY SWITZER: Well, Lincoln Riley has got three guys starting in pro football. He's got two Heisman winners and a runner-up. He's got a guy competing for it right now. Lincoln Riley has the opportunity to recruit the top quarterbacks in the nation every year because he works with them every day, game plans, looks at film. Spends all his time with the quarterbacks. What quarterback wouldn't want to have that relationship with the head coach who calls the plays and runs the offense? I think he's got the perfect situation for any quarterback in the country. Offensively we'll always be good.
ROB STONE: Coach, we have a tweet. I know you must love Twitter and the Instagram and the Facebooks and all that stuff. For 2014, we've got this tweet, I'm being told there's a tweet. There it is. There it is. Barry Switzer on winning money in New Orleans, "I haven't carried this much money around with me since I recruited."
You were NIL before there was NIL. How much cash you got on you right now?
BRADY QUINN: It's not recruiting, is it?
BARRY SWITZER: I walked up to a bunch of writers, sportswriters, the guys from Oklahoma, all were in there. And I paid for their bill. I paid for the breakfast and all that. They all looked around. When I reached in pulled all this money out, paying the gal, they said, Coach, you ever carry that much -- that's when I had that line. I looked at her, that's -- they wrote it too.
ROB STONE: Only thing that would've made it better was if you came out with the fur coat. But I see the jewelry you've got here.
BARRY SWITZER: Too hot. That's the national championship. But I heard Reggie said that you get fur coats when you come to Oklahoma. Hey, when you go to Nebraska to play, you need that.
ROB STONE: Love it. On a good note. Oklahoma and Nebraska legends, Barry and Bob. Fans in Gainesville getting fired up, Gators, No. 1, another iconic coach. Steve Spurrier joins Clay Travis in -- we've got all kinds of coaches shots right now. Who is coming off the bus? Coach Harbaugh is coming off the bus. You see his record. Seventh season in Ann Arbor. They've got Northern Illinois and Mr. Mims, so many talented wideouts here in Oklahoma. See his numbers, six for 136.
MATT LEINART: Spencer Rattler, expect him to have a big game today.
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ROB STONE: Fox "Big Noon Kickoff" is sponsored by Wendy's, official breakfast of NCAA football.
Reggie, you look a lot cooler in that picture than you do right now. Scott Frost, some heat under the collar. Nebraska, year number four always an important year. The struggles have been a little bit more than he was anticipating. He's got a big test here in Norman. And here in Norman as the No. 3 Sooners set to host Nebraska 50 years after the game of the century.
Well, in Gainesville, Florida, The Swamp is stirring. 88,000 strong tonight. No. 1 Alabama in town. It's going to be just a third sell-out of the entire four-season Dan Mullen era, and the Outtake featuring the biggest game in the south. He's there in Gainesville, Florida still. And he's with an absolute legend this morning.
Good morning, Clay.
CLAY TRAVIS: Good morning, Rob. Looks like you guys got a great scene there in Oklahoma. Guy, you know a little bit, Coach Spurrier, Bob Stoops here on the set. I want to start here. Last time the Florida Gators had a No. 1 team come to The Swamp, you were the head coach, 1997. This guy was your defensive coordinator. Florida State Seminoles came to town. They didn't leave No. 1. What was it like and what has to happen for the Gators to pull off the upset today?
STEVE SPURRIER: You gotta play well, extremely well, coach well and hopefully sometimes the other team doesn't play all that great.
1997, Bobby was D coordinator and FSU came in No. 1 in the country. We actually had beat them in the Sugar Bowl in the same year but it was January 2nd, 1997. I don't know if anybody has ever beaten the No. 1 team in the nation twice in one year. But that's actually how it happened. But it was a game, went back and forth. Doug Johnson hit Quezy Green on a little curl and go. And Fred Taylor took off. And I think Dwayne Thomas intercepted. FSU had time to go. We picked one off. I took a knee to win the game.
And we had already lost a couple that year. But we went to a bowl game and finished top 5 in the nation. So it was a good year. We just did not win the SEC that year.
CLAY TRAVIS: How do you hit the right tone? Because everyone's super hyped, crowd out of control. Full house, wild, going to be hot. Over 90 degrees. Steamy. How do you make sure your team hits the right tone by kickoff?
STEVE SPURRIER: Prepare them the best you can. They know it's a huge game, big game. They also know it's not the end of the year for either team, not the final game of the season. This is a game against an SEC foe, but they're on the other side, the other division. The first goal of almost every team is win your division. If you do that you can play for the SEC Championship.
I heard Coach Switzer saying we've got to beat Nebraska if we want to win the Big Eight, go to the Orange Bowl and maybe play for the national. When I was coaching here, we had to beat Alabama, if we want to win the SEC and maybe go to the Sugar Bowl and play for it. And fortunately we beat them five of the first six times and we won the SEC all five of those times.
CLAY TRAVIS: You know how hard it is to keep a team No. 1. What has Nick Saban, for you, been able to do at Alabama the likes we've never really seen? And how long do you think he can keep it going?
STEVE SPURRIER: He's got awfully good players with a very good attitude. And they're comfortable at No. 1, obviously, as much as they've been there. So I don't think they really talk about, hey, we're No. 1, let's stay No. 1. You talk about what you've got to do to beat the other team. Preparation. Here's what we've got to do. Play the entire game until it's over. Play your assignment, all that kind of stuff. They'll be ready to play. And you don't catch Alabama off guard.
Those guys are overconfident? No, that's not Alabama. There's a reason they're the greatest team in history of college football, is that they do it year after year and do it the right way also.
CLAY TRAVIS: Bob Stoops has a question for you.
BOB STOOPS: Coach, Bobby here. How are you doing today?
STEVE SPURRIER: We were wondering if you put your staff together for the Southern Cal job yet.
CLAY TRAVIS: Did you hear that, Coach? He wants to know if you have your USC staff, are you going to put Matt and Reggie on that staff with you at USC?
BOB STOOPS: I would take Coach Spurrier to be my O coordinator if I was going to do it. But wondering, having worked with you on the sidelines, '96, '97, '98, all those games in The Swamp, I used to not be able to talk to my other defensive coaches right next to me; it was so loud. We have to put our headsets back on just to be able to communicate. Is The Swamp still that rowdy?
STEVE SPURRIER: Bobby, today it's going to be a special one. There's no question. This is probably the first complete sell-out. Well, maybe since Auburn was here two years ago. So it's going to be an all-time high, I think. It will be very similar to that FSU game back in '97. And I'm sure you remember the noise there.
BOB STOOPS: Oh, yeah.
STEVE SPURRIER: It's going to be a real loud one today.
CLAY TRAVIS: Coach Spurrier, this has been fantastic. Appreciate you making the time. Huge game down in Gainesville. Big one in Norman, too. Back to you, Rob.
ROB STONE: All right. Thank you. Just curious, Coach, how many people are allowed to call you Bobby?
MATT LEINART: I love it.
BOB STOOPS: Florida people and Iowa people all call me Bobby. So it's odd, it's not what you're used to. In fact, my wife said to me, after about a year on the job, she goes "When did you become Bob?"
(Laughter).
ROB STONE: What was it like working under Coach Spurrier when the offense was zipping through your defense during practices?
BOB STOOPS: He would go up and down the field. I couldn't force the punt during the first scrimmage. He yelled across the field at me, he said, Stoopsy, do you think we'll be able to force a punt this year?
ROB STONE: I love it. Great footnote there. After a one-year hiatus, No. 10 Penn State hosting No. 22 Auburn, why it has massive implications for both the SEC and the Big Ten next. Jadon Haselwood, first career multi-touchdown game last week. Former five-star recruit was the number one receiver in the class of 2019 -- a 6-3, big receiver that can stretch the field, one of the many weapons for this explosive offense.
Adrian Martinez again under center for Nebraska, leads the Big Ten, quarterback, seven total touchdowns this season, Brady.
BRADY QUINN: Biggest key, though, is no interceptions. Can't afford to give this Oklahoma offense additional possessions. He'll have to play clean today.
ROB STONE: Nebraska-Oklahoma, kickoff, noon eastern right here on Fox.
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FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports