What Shane Beamer said following loss to Oklahoma

"I made a change last week. ... Every week, we're continuing to look at how to be better, and every week I do that, and every week I will continue to do that and continue to evaluate that. What gives me hope? I see the way we practice during the week. What gives me hope? I see the number of guys that we had out today that I wasn't even sure was going to be able to play that fought their asses off to get back out there and get healthy and be able to play today. What gives me hope? I know the talent we have on our offense. What I just told our team, we're not playing up to our potential right now. I am not getting the most out of this team right now, offensively, defensively and special teams."

"We were better in regards to just going out there and being able to turn it loose. Only four penalties. One of those was on the punt team, so I thought they did a better job of just relaxing and going and playing. I told you guys all week. I mean, this isn't the ideal scenario for the new offensive line coach to be debuting when you're down three starters against that front seven. Nobody has run the ball against them. I thought we did some good things. As the game went on and we got worn down, it was a challenge. None of it was good enough today. Don't get me wrong. Nobody's sitting in there patting ourselves on the back because of what we did, but thought those guys got in there and competed and battled. That's what I'm proud of. We didn't even know if Gabe Brownlow-Dindy was going to be able to play today. We didn't know if Brandon Cisse was going to be able to play today. We didn't know if Monkell Goodwine was going to be able to play today. Vicari Swain breaks his finger in practice on Wednesday and has to have surgery on Wednesday night and is out there catching punts today. Markee Anderson, weren't sure he was going to be able to play. Our guys, they played their played their butts off and hurt for them because they're fighting. Proud of those guys, but we just weren't good enough in any area today."

"When people ask me, and you guys have asked me this before, and I'll tell you the same answer. What's the goal for this season? What's a successful season? To get the most out of this team. And right now, I'm not getting the most out of this team as the head football coach. It's back to work tomorrow to continue to see if we can maximize the ability and the potential on this year's team. So I see the way that our guys are competing. I see the way that our guys are working. We've got to get healthy. Give Oklahoma credit. They kicked our butts. The injuries that we had today was tough to begin with, down some guys, and then to have guys go out in the game, and our guys continue to fight. I got to be able to do more to help them as the head coach, and we as coaches got to continue to do more to help them. We got the right culture in our in our building, and that's what gives me hope."

"Passed up on the field goal because we were down there. I think it was the four yard line, maybe. I'm thinking that we had a call that we felt would be good on fourth down. I told Mike on first down you got four downs to get this. I knew I was going to go for it on fourth down regardless. One, wanted a touchdown. We had a nice drive going. I wanted to make a statement about that. Two, went for it knowing that if we don't get it, they're backed up and they are down there by the cockpit, our student section and it's loud down there and they are on the road and it's their first true road game this season in an SEC environment. I told Clayton that. Hey, we are going for it and if not, we have to go out there and put the ball down and we have them right where we want them. Backed up and let's go get a stop."

"The game plan all week was to be able to run the ball. Felt like we had some runs that would give us an opportunity to be successful and be efficient and stay ahead of the chains. Wanted to get the ball on the perimeter. The first play of the game was a jet sweep to Nyck Harbor. We came back later in the game and tried that. We wanted to be able to, not so much RPOs, but kind of RPOs where run the ball and if it's not there, you kick the ball out in space to receivers, which is what we were able to do. Got some quick game in there. We had some empty. We went empty on a tempo play early in the game to try and spread them out. I know it may not look like it but we're not sitting here trying to bang our head against the wall and run into a tight box every single time. We tried to do a lot of different things and give them credit, coach Venables is a great defensive coach, and they've got a great scheme. It's why I think Texas scored one touchdown against them last week, outside of a punt return and a couple field goals. It's why Michigan didn't score much on them, and Auburn didn't score on them. They are freaking good on defense. Having said that, we weren't good enough and we did not maximize the potential of this offense today, or defense or special teams, because we all had a hand in this one."

"We had a play, if you go back and look at it, which I'm sure you guys did. We had a play on into our boundary that's designed to catch the ball and get out of bounds. So we had a concept that we practice all the time that is a, we know that we need to catch the ball, get out of bounds, and that's what we had called. We ran something similar in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame a few years ago before the half. They did a good job of defending the sideline. Hindsight being 20/20, you throw that out of bounds or live to see another play. Brady was coming open from the back side. LaNorris dumped it off to him, which I have no problem with. And then we've got to be able to get out of bounds or get the first down. Then when we were short, we'd already told him, if anything is in bounds, we have to clock it. But then we have to know that if the clock is running down and we're not able to be able to clock it in time, we've got to make a call that says we just run a play and thought that once we got tackled, we'd be able to get up to the line of scrimmage and clock it in time. I thought we were going to be able to. I saw Brady get up and then go back down. You guys probably know better than I do. I don't know if they held him down or knocked him down. He told me they did. The officials said they didn't. It was just bodies trying to get back. Certainly, we need to get points in there. We practice two minute all the time, and had the right idea. We just didn't quite get it done right there. But again, after that, I went into the half feeling, you know what? We've played pretty good defense now the last couple series. We have moved the ball offensively. I think we scored the touchdown before or the series before, and then we had a two minute drive to move the ball down the field. So I liked where we were at the half, and that's what I told the team. Just weren't able to finish in the second half."

"Yeah, it was. But I had seen plenty of fourth and ones and fourth and twos and third and ones and third and twos from our offense at that point, and that's not me saying I don't have confidence in our offense on third or fourth down. We had something the first time that we punted earlier in the game where they kept their defense out on the field. That fake is designed for when they keep their defense out there. Everything we had seen on film study. We had the same fake in the game plan last week or last year against them because of how that corner typically plays into the boundary. Thought it would be an easy throw and catch and give them credit. They they dropped a defensive end. It was almost like a zone pressure. They dropped the defensive end into coverage on a on a fake punt, so give them credit for defending it. But yes, there was thought of it. Hindsight being 20/20. Yeah, Shane, you keep LaNorris Sellers and the offense out there if you're going to go for it. But felt like, based on what we had seen earlier in the game, when we when we punted, and they kept their defense out there. As soon as we punted, I said to Joe D on the headphones, hey, that fake is going to be here later in the game, let's be ready to get to it. They made a nice play on it. But again, I told Clayton. We do that, we can go out there and just get a stop on defense. Or at the worst, minimum, hold them to a field goal. It's still a two score game, and weren't able to do that."

Click here to read article