Why Oklahoma WR Drake Stoops Says There's Still "A lot left to play for"

 After dropping two consecutive games, the Oklahoma Sooners are reeling. 

At least, that's what a portion of the team's fan base seems to believe. 

Following losses to the Kansas Jayhawks, who had not defeated OU since 1997, and rival Oklahoma State in the final Bedlam contest for the foreseeable future, Sooner Nation seems worried about the team's motivation level. 

Starting the season 7-0, Oklahoma seemed poised to make a conference championship and potentially a College Football Playoff run in Brent Venables' second year at the helm. 

The Sooners' CFP chances are done, and OU would need help to even reach the Big 12 Championship Game after dropping two conference matchups. 

Given the aforementioned circumstances, it is easy to see how some players could lose focus and start to lack the same natural motivation that the team had when it was still vying for a playoff spot. 

After practice on Monday, however, veteran wide receiver Drake Stoops assured the media that he is not giving up on the season.

"I come in here day in and day out, spend 10 hours up here every day, and for me, there's a lot left to play for," Stoops said. 

"I bust my tail year-round for this. For six years now. So I'm not really listening to what people say. I don't care if we're 0-8 right now, I'm playing ball because I love to play football. I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I love the University of Oklahoma. I got a lot of pride for this place. So I'm going to go hard every single day and do everything I possibly can to see us win."

Stoops is a leader in the Sooners' locker room, and will help some of the younger players on the team keep their mind right and their sights set on finishing the season on a high note. 

Against Oklahoma State, the Norman North product was named a team captain, putting on a memorable performance despite OU's heartbreaking loss. 

As an athlete who grew up around the program, it is easy to see why Stoops cared about the team prior to his arrival on campus. Now that he has given six years to the Sooners, he feels an even deeper connection and wants to end his career in a positive way. 

Stoops walked on to the Oklahoma football team in 2018, choosing OU over multiple Division I scholarship offers; including Memphis, Iowa, Ohio and others. This decision indicated that the son of legendary college football coach Bob Stoops has always had a love for Norman, since before he was even on the team.

This plays into Stoops' current sentiment of finishing out the year strong and not giving up on the team. The 5-foot-10 wideout is also backing up his statements on the field, as he has been the Sooners' leading receiver in the team's last two contests.

Against Kansas, he caught four passes for 76 yards, then followed that performance with a career-high 12 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown at OSU. 

With three regular-season contests and a bowl game left on the schedule, Stoops reiterated that the Sooners need to worry only about what they can control.

"There's a lot left to play for. And shoot, we may not control our whole destiny right now, but you never know," Stoops said. 

"College football is a crazy game. Who knows what could happen? I still feel that anything could happen. I'm not gonna make predictions or anything like that, but if we take care of our job and finish the last three games and finish at 10-2, that's a good, promising year. And who knows where we end up after that. But hopefully fate's on our side."

Stoops' positive attitude and hopeful mentality has earned the slot receiver plenty of praise from his teammates, including starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

“Drake is … he’s unreal, honestly. He’s always open. He’s a competitor. He’s my best friend," Gabriel said after practice on Monday. 

"Someone I am very close to with the connection and him as a player. I’m biased a little bit. But even my bias aside, I think his play speaks for itself. I think just the way he plays, it’s inspiring and it’s motivating and having a guy like him right by me is something I’m really grateful for.”

While odds are against OU reaching the conference championship in 2023, the Sooners are already ahead of where they were last year. A 7-2 record at this point in the season may not seem positive given how the team started the year, but Oklahoma was 5-4 through the first nine games of the 2022 season and has clearly made improvements in almost every facet.

While Venables' squad may not be ready to compete in the way OU fans had hoped after taking down Texas, the team seems to be heading in the right direction and could continue to build on what has already been a solid season by closing out the year with a handful of wins. 

For Stoops, the former walk-on pass catcher is a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top player in college football who started his career as a walk-on. 

With a team-leading and career-high 52 receptions (second in the Big 12) for 528 yards and six touchdowns so far this season, Stoops has a solid chance to take home the award, especially if he can close out the season with a few more impressive performances. If the former former Timberwolves standout does end up winning the Burlsworth Trophy, he would be the first Sooner to do so since Baker Mayfield won the award twice in 2015 and 2016. 

Oklahoma will have an opportunity to right the ship this weekend when the West Virginia Mountaineers come to town for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Fox.

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