Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Bob Stoops: Improved performance still not good enough

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops thought his team played better against Kansas State than it had the previous two weeks in a loss at TCU and a narrow win against Texas.

The Sooners missed fewer assignments defensively. Quarterback Trevor Knight completed 26 of 32 passes for a sparkling QBR of 90.5 (scale 0-to-100). Oklahoma also averaged 6.8 yards per play for its best statistical offensive output since Week 2 against Tulsa.

Stoops, however, said the performance that resulted in a 31-30 loss to the Wildcats was still not good enough.

"Nothing’s well enough when you lose by a point," Stoops said during his weekly news conference Monday. "We needed to be a play or two better on offense. A series or two better on defense. Or (a play better) on special teams. It all isn’t good enough when you lose."

Though Oklahoma generated 13 more first downs than the Wildcats and outgained them 533-to-385, the Sooners were ultimately doomed by several costly mistakes.

From his own goal line, Knight elected to throw on a run-pass option call. The ill-advised pass was picked off by Danzel McDaniel, who returned it three yards for a touchdown.

"Certain plays are tagged," Stoops said "If (Knight) gets a soft corner he has the option to throw the out. When the guy squeezed back down, you can’t throw it."

The Sooners had another ill-advised throwing decision, though it didn't come from Knight. Off a reverse/wide receiver pass, Durron Neal forced a throw into a coverage trying to hit Sterling Shepard for a touchdown. Instead, K-State’s Morgan Burns intercepted in the end zone for a touchback and thwarted the scoring opportunity.

"We didn’t have as many mental breakdowns, we executed our passing game in a really good way, we were much better on third-down conversions," Stoops said. "We were much better as far as missed assignments.

"But it doesn’t matter. I’d take the other in a minute. You can’t make the critical mistakes that change the game."

The Sooners also made critical mistakes elsewhere. Safety Ahmad Thomas whiffed trying to tackle quarterback Jake Waters on the opening play of the third quarter, resulting in a 53-yard run that set up a field goal. Earlier, Oklahoma turned fullback Glenn Gronkowski loose on a delayed pass play that led to a 62-yard touchdown, though Stoops implied he wasn’t pleased with the way the play was officiated.

"The guy (Gronkowski) running down the middle of the field, that’s a difficult play when (Waters) waits and waits and the center (B.J. Finney) is blocking the linebacker," said Stoops, who wanted officials to flag K-State for an illegal man downfield. Before that, Stoops was also upset that his fullback, Aaron Ripkowski, was ejected in the first quarter for targeting, and that on the same play, the Wildcats weren’t penalized for hitting Knight after he had hit ground diving.

"Those are tough plays to defend," Stoops said of the delayed pass, "in the way they’re allowed to play them."

Yet the biggest play that decided the outcome came on special teams. Senior Michael Hunnicutt, the school’s all-time leading scorer, missed two field goals, including a 19-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Hunnicutt also had an extra point blocked in the fourth.

"He just rushed the second (field goal). He hit a bad shot," Stoops said. "Michael has been as consistent and as good a player as we’ve had here. He’s been a big part of a lot of wins. He had a bad day and a couple of bad shots. It came at a bad time.

"We all respect him and think the world of him. And we’ll need (him) to win more games coming forward."

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