Bob Stoops isn’t having it with freshman Austin Kendall’s “ridiculous” comments towards Ohio State before Oklahoma’s crushing 45-24 loss to the Buckeyes.
In an interview on Sooners TV, Kendall, Oklahoma’s backup quarterback, made some bold statements, calling OSU’s defense “basic” and saying junior QB Baker Mayfield would light up the Buckeyes.
Yeah, that didn’t happen.
Now, Stoops is pissed. The longtime Sooners coach condemned Kendall’s comments.
“I don’t know what [Kendall] could’ve been watching, to be quite honest with you,” Stoops said Monday during his weekly news conference, reports ESPN. “He must not have watched any tape, if he had that to say.”
Stoops decided to limit media access to just older players, admitting Kendall and other Buckeyes rookies aren’t ready for the limelight.
“I’m not punishing anybody. I’m protecting my team,” Stoops said. “I don’t want information out there to other teams from guys that I can’t trust are going to say the right things. … It is ironic that it came from our people, if you can believe that. But they won’t be getting guys, either. I can only put people out there that are going to represent the program and say the right things.”
Limiting younger players media access may seem like an aggressive reactionary move, but like Stoops mentioned, he’s protecting Oklahoma from comments like Kendall’s. The freshman’s confidence overflowed and he said some dumb things. In turn, former Buckeyes QB Cardale Jones (and several other current and former Buckeyes) roasted the youngster on Twitter.
Ultimately, the Sooners were embarrassed by Ohio State, a loss made worse due to the QB’s foot-in-mouth proclamations. Kendall and Stoops both learned a big lesson.
[ESPN]
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