OKLAHOMA STATE POST-GAME QUOTES

RB KEITH TOLSON

On OSU's struggles on offense:
We struggled all over. Anytime you play a defense like that, and you turn the ball over, and you have mistakes with the snap, and you continue to put yourself in third-and-long, you won't be successful as an offense.

On the number of turnovers in the game:
We did things that I don't remember us ever doing, especially with the snaps. It could have been because it was pretty loud in there. A couple of times Zac was looking off and Ole Miss had guys simulating the snap. There are no excuses. We turned the ball over, and that is what happens (losing the game) when you turn the ball over.

On his touchdown pass:
That's my first touchdown pass in my college career. It's a play we worked on for a month. I'm glad we got the chance to use it.

On his pass looking more like a basketball shot:
The coaches didn't want me to focus too much on how to throw it. A couple of times in practice I've overthrown it and underthrown it. They wanted me to focus on throwing it like I was shooting a basketball.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR BILL YOUNG

On the overall play of the defense:
At times we really played outstanding. We weren't as consistent as we needed to be. We gave up some big plays.

On McCluster's long touchdown run:
(McCluster) made the big play. We were right there and just didn't make the play. They caught us in a blitz. I'd love to have that call back. Put that on me.

On if he thought his defense was more physical than in last year's bowl game:
I wasn't there last year, but after the game Coach Gundy addressed the team and that was one of the things he brought up, that we definitely were more physical. We didn't get beat in a physical aspect. They made some more plays than we did and they won the game and they certainly deserve it, but it wasn't a situation where they out-physicalled us.

On the play of defensive MVP Andre Sexton:
He has played outstanding every single game that I've seen him play. As coaches, we could not be more proud of him. (Linebacker coach) Glenn Spencer did a tremendous job of preparing him to play. He's done wonders for us. He was outstanding today. He was all over the place. He had great practice getting ready for the bowl, and we knew he was going to play well.

QB ZAC ROBINSON

On his interception in the end zone when he thought he had a free play:
In that situation our receivers usually run vertical and then stop. They picked in off, and I thought, "That's all right; we'll get the five yards and move on." I didn't even think they (the referees) wouldn't call the (expected) penalty. Then they called it a touchback, and then they reviewed it and upheld the call. I was so confident (it was a penalty) and (C Andrew) Lewis was so confident. Usually he makes good decisions in that situation when we do that play. We had some momentum at that point in the game and that play deflated us. After that, everyone was so frustrated that we didn't get the call. It took us awhile for us to comprehend that we weren't going to get the ball back and get the extra five yards.

On OSU's struggles on offense:
We put the ball on the ground. I had some bad throws. We had some drops. Overall as an offense we didn't execute. I think they are a good defense and you have to give them credit, but we always did something. We couldn't put together a good drive and get things going.

On the flow of the game:
It was a really weird game. Ole Miss was yelling some stuff up front, and Andrew (Lewis) was thinking it was "hut" and he was snapping it before we were ready for it. It was frustrating. It was a weird game. It was tough to do anything. It was one of those games that didn't go our way.

On what he told the teams after the turnovers:
I told them we've got to keep going and keep fighting. I thought we did that. We had a chance at the end, and then they made a good play and took it back to the house. I don't think any of us quit.

CB BRODRICK BROWN

On Dexter McCluster:
Wow. He's a speedy guy. He got his big run and his confidence was boosted. He's pretty good.

On creating the Ole Miss turnovers:
We executed our own schemes. We were moving around in the secondary, and they may have confused them some.

On being fired up after the goal line stand in the first half:
We were very fired up. That was our confidence boost right there. It was a good turnaround, stopping them on the goal line.

LB ANDRE SEXTON

On the entire season:
Losing always hurts. I think it will make the younger guys that much more hungry. I think the things we've done on defense this year will help us. We've stepped up to the challenge time after time. We rallied closer together after the adversity we faced this year. I think this is a great season for us. We got nine wins and to a Cotton Bowl that's going to be a BCS bowl game soon because it's such a great atmosphere.

On the mood in the defensive huddle as the OSU offensive turnovers piled up:
Our coaches told us at one point in the game that we might have to win this game 10-7 and that we need to go out there and score on defense. That's how we always approach it. No matter what they (the offense) do, we can only control our side of the ball. We were clicking on defense and we knew we might need a spark from special teams or from the defense to score. It didn't happen, but you can't look back and have any regrets because I know everyone on the defense laid it all on the line.

On being named the defensive MVP:
It's something I've always dreamed about. It was one of my goals. My mom brought it up to me before the game. I thought they gave (the award) to the defensive player on the team that won, so when they told me I won I was surprised. It's a great honor for the whole defense and everything we've accomplished. We've been so unselfish on defense. People were filling in the gaps and doing their assignments and not trying to do something different. We've made a lot of strides this year.

On OSU trying to go for the touchdown in the third quarter:
We thought we could stop them and get a safety if we didn't get the touchdown. They came out and uncharacteristically threw the ball. It switched up things a little bit for us, but we continued to get stop after stop. The big run we gave up is so not like us.

On Dexter McCluster:
He's a real fast guy. He's small and he's tough too. We were delivering a lot of hits on him and he kept bouncing back with a smile on his face. You've got to tip your cap to him. He's a great athlete. He has a cockiness to him that's a good cockiness. He believes in his ability and you have to respect him for that. We knew he was the guy we had to stop and he hurt us. He put us in a tough situation.