All-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy will be playing his last game as a an Oklahoma Sooner on Thursday before he sets out for an NFL journey, and even though the reality of his departure has already hit him he would like to go out a winner.
“It hit me a long time ago,” McCoy stated. “I am not looking for anything in the game, I just want to go out with a win (and) play hard my last game here.”
“But I just want to go out with a win, so I am not focusing on it being my last game. Once it’s over it’s over, you can’t get it back so I am just worried about getting a win.”
Last year the Sooners were in the National Championship Game and the eyes of the world were upon McCoy and his teammates in the crimson and cream. OU fell short of its title dream and that was a big reason why the big man spurned the NFL a year ago, because he wanted to come back and try to aid in another title run.
But the Sooners would not be blessed this season as star Jermaine Gresham went down with a season ending injury prior to the first game of the season and returning Heisman winning QB Sam Bradford would go down with an AC Joint injury that would ultimately cost him most of his season as well.
The Sooners would stumble through the year and finish the regular season 7-5 and well out of the BCS and Big 12 Championship picture, but McCoy is a proud Sooner and you will not catch him hanging his head.
“It is just another opportunity we have been blessed with,” McCoy said. “We had a lot of ups and downs, but we are not worried about that. We are focused on the now and the positive part of it and that is the opportunity to play another game and that is all we are looking at.”
McCoy and his teammates are taking a business like approach to the game and a win would likely move them up in to the Top 25 and drop No. 21 Stanford out of the rankings.
“It is always business with us. Nothing is light hearted. It is a game. There is just a bowl name on it. There is still a game that needs to be played and you want to win. So of course we are taking it seriously and it is not real lighthearted. It is a business trip and that is what we are focusing on.”
McCoy, who was a five-star recruit and an Army All-American coming out of high school, has been the quintessential Sooner and many youngsters throughout the state look up to him.
And he would like to remembered for his work ethic and his love for ‘Sooner Nation’.
“I want to just be known as a guy who gave it his all regardless of what happened he never stopped working hard and pushed through regardless of what he faced; all the adversity. He worked hard all the way until the end and he loved his school ad he gave everything he had for his school on and off of the field.”