The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
BYU quotes
09.10.2011 | Football
Sept. 10, 2011
TEXAS
HEAD COACH Mack Brown
Opening statement: First, I'd like to give Brigham Young credit for the way they fought. They had the same game they had last week, and they beat Ole Miss in the last seconds of the fourth quarter last week. At halftime we hadn't crossed midfield. We had the ball for 26 plays. I think we were 1-7 on third downs, and they totally dominated the game. They were out there even taking the ball 97 yards for a touchdown against our defense. And this is the same place we were last [year] at halftime against UCLA. We were down 13-3 and didn't respond well in the second half. The coaches were very positive. I was more positive than last year, and I thought the guys played as hard as they could, probably as well as they could the second half. I was disappointed with five minutes left that we didn't get the first down, but the last drive the defense hung in there and stopped them on consecutive downs. Then we were able to kill the clock at the end. So I'm very, very proud of this football team and proud of the fact that the offensive staff did whatever they had to do to win the game. We were kind of all over the place. We were ugly in the first half. They didn't get down. They just kept looking for something that might give us a break. And then when [QB] David Ash's options started working with [RB] D.J. Monroe, we stayed with that and stayed with it in the second half. Then [QB] Case [McCoy] came in and made some key plays. Big first down on fourth - it was [TE] D.J. Grant'spass from Case. Disappointed we didn't make fourth and one on this end. We thought we were running the ball well enough. We were sitting in a six-point ball game, so three didn't really help us. We felt we needed to roll the dice and get the seven, and if not they weren't moving the ball. The winds had changed, and we really felt like we could get the field position. And that's exactly what happened.
On if this game helped the team grow up:Yes, last year we grew up and matured. Grew up and matured. Grew up and matured. So we're not there yet, but the brick-by-brick mentality was sure there tonight. The toughness was there. We stopped their run, which was one thing we didn't know that we could do. They hit us with a lot of play-action pass and hurt us a lot early in the first half. Then we went man-coverage and stopped some of that the second half and put more pressure on [BYU QB Jake] Heaps. But I thought that the offensive staff and the offensive players kept hanging in there, trying to find ways to run the ball. We were able to do that and get the final possession and field position back in order. And we really stunk at the kicking game the first half, and theirs was really good and ours was not. In the second half I thought we dominated the kicking game as well.
On if co-offensive coordinators Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite spoke with him before making the QB changes:We talk about that all the time. We're just trying to make a first down. That's all it was. And we totally splurged. We're going to do whatever we have to do to win. [QB] David [Ash] had a limited package, so his line of plays kind of ran out fast. So we had to repeat them a lot. So we'll have to add to his package som,e but I thought Case did a good job when he came in.
On if Garrett Gilbert will be the starting QB again next week:We'll talk about that tomorrow. I'm just happy we won. The thing that we're trying to do, we said that we're not a great football team, but we are a football team that is 2-0. It's more like the NFL for us - we're probably even with every team that we play from here on out, or an underdog. So what we've got to do is just figure our games are going to be 17-16 if we win [or] 20-17. And that's what I thought we would have last year, and we didn't do them in that fashion. But we didn't panic tonight. We kept running the ball instead of throwing every ball when we got down by 13 [or] 10. I thought our coaches did a great job of sticking with what we're trying to do right now.
On RB Malcolm Brown: I thought Malcolm Brownreally stood out again on some runs, like the last run of the game. I mean he finished the game, and if not we're going to have to run it down to a minute-something and make a decision. Do you try to make a fourth down and make them go 80 yards, or do you try to kick a field goal and go up by four? Or take the risk of them blocking it and running it back for a touchdown and winning the game. So the fact that the offense finished the game on that play saved us some critical decisions at the end.
On QB Case McCoy:I thought he was very comfortable in the pocket. He's very accurate, and he obviously made the plays he had to to help us win the game.
On the crowd tonight:I thought our crowd was great tonight. I thought they were as good as I've ever seen them. They stayed, and they made a difference. UCLA last year we left early, they left early. I thought the whole thing stunk. I didn't like them. I didn't like me. I didn't like our team. I didn't like anything. Tonight, I thought the fans hung in there. They had some frustrating moments, but they paid for their tickets. They pay a lot for their tickets. I want them coming, and they can express their opinion. And if they boo me, like they were tonight, I don't care at all. I think that's fine. They can't get any part of me that hasn't been gotten.
On if the tenth anniversary of 9/11 holds any significance for him and his team:It really does. We asked our players to dedicate the game to someone in their family, or a close friend who is in the service community. Whether it's military, or whether it's a fireman that's been involved in our tragedies in Central Texas. A police officer, someone who serves us everyday, someone who was affected obviously by 9/11. And what was really interesting, when I was talking to the players about it on Thursday we actually pulled the video up of 9/11. And I haven't seen it since that day. It makes you cry. It gives you chills. It was awful to see that building disintegrate and fall like it did. It's just something that I didn't even really remember. And to ask our players where you were when it happened, what you remember, how has it changed you life? Our freshmen were in the third grade so that really scared me. I wish I hadn't asked them. In fact one said, "My mother called and said, 'You're in good hands. I'm going to leave you there [in school].'" The others laughed at him because his mom wouldn't come get him.
On how he knows that there is a higher level of confidence in his players now:I thought the momentum that we took over in the second half against a very confident football team in Brigham Young was the difference in this year and last year. This team wouldn't have won this game last year. And I thought that the off-season program, the brick-by-brick mentality, and the fact that they're pulling for each other [won it]. Last year we had some offense-defense stuff. I thought that one would get frustrated with the other. Tonight, it would have been very easy for the defense to get frustrated with the offense in the first half, and they didn't at all. And the offense hung in there and stayed on the field. In fact, I think we ended up with more yards than Brigham Young and more plays. But I think today has to give them a huge boost of confidence that we so really needed because it's such a young team.
On if he has talked to QB Garrett Gilbert: I didn't talk to anybody. Like I never talk to anybody. The thing tonight was about this team. It's not about a person. It's not about the fans. It's about winning a football game in Texas the hard way with a really young team against an older team. They came in here ready to play. That's what it's about. That's the story. It's nothing else other than we're 2-0 and the guys fought their guts out. And I was really proud of them. What a win. What a comeback win and what a great thing for this young team and this program as we start to put it back together.
CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS COACH Bryan Harsin
On coming back to win the game: We did a little of both. Obviously, that was one thing we emphasized with the turnovers. We weren't off to the start we wanted to have, and so we just needed to provide a spark. [QB] Case [McCoy] did a good job of doing that and [QB] David [Ash] did a great job of doing that. It was the fourth or fifth drive and everybody started picking it up just a little bit, and we got the momentum and got going.
On WR Jaxon Shipley's third down pass to David Ash: I think that was something we tried to set up. In that situation, I think we've run that a few times. [BYU] did a great job on third down. Their third down defense was very good. We needed to get some kind of spark there, and that was an opportunity that we felt would work in that situation.
On the quarterback rotation in the second half: Really it was by play. It wasn't every two plays it was going to be. It was by down and distance. It was by field position. I just told David and Case both to be on the sideline and just be on point because we were going to rotate them in and out. It could be every play. It could be every other play. David came in there, and I thought he did a fantastic job of running the ball and being physical. I think he got a lot of pops in there tonight. Those two guys, that's just part of that rotation of getting in and out for what David provides and what Case provides for us. And that was our rotation for the game.
On David Ash's decision making at quarterback: I don't know until I go look at the tape. The one thing in this type of a game, we wanted to make high-percentage decisions. What we talked about with David was if it doesn't feel right and it doesn't look right, don't do it. Keep the ball in your hands because we know that you're going to hang on to it. So we did that, and we ended up winning the game. I have to believe right now that David's decisions were great. We'll go back and analyze it, but like a running back, you don't want to second-guess a guy that's out there playing the game. He sees things out there on the field a little bit differently, and I thought he did a great job because he took some shots and hung on to the football. That's really what we all wanted to see, was for David to go out there and take some hits, and he did from their linebacking corps. And he held on to it, and it shows that he has some toughness in the run game and we were really proud of him.
On whether or not the quarterback rotation could work in the long term: It's something we're going to have to go back and look at. Can it work? Yes, we can make that work. We'll analyze the game. We'll analyze everybody's play. Garrett's, Case's and David's, and go back and see where we are this next week and get back to work from there.
On QB Garrett Gilbert: I have to look at the film of all of those guys, and that's the one thing. It's never as good as you think, and it's never as bad as you think. What were the decisions? I know one of them was a tipped ball, and that's been one of the things I know in the past that six or seven interceptions have been tipped balls. We have to eliminate that from the positions that are receiving it. You go back and analyze, and I thought just in the game that we needed a spark one way or another and that was really the main reason [for substituting for Gilbert.] Next week we'll look at the film and [see] if Garrett practices well. I think Garrett's a good quarterback, so we'll see what the film says and what practice says this next week.
On the return of WR Marquise Goodwin: I thought he did a great job. He had a big kickoff return. We tried to give him the ball a couple of ways. He had a limited package because of his practice time and where he was. Seeing him out there, I think the biggest thing is going out there on the kickoff return and taking the shots that he did and hanging on to the ball. I think that was the biggest thing we wanted to make sure of, and he did a nice job with that. `Quise is a guy that when he comes in, amongst the team he has some leadership qualities, some maturity from the competitions that he's been in. That really helps us, and so just having him back is going to be good overall.
On the play of QB Case McCoy: I think he's practiced well. He does a nice job in the scrimmages and in the game-type environments that he's been in before tonight, and he has made plays. Tonight we were in a fourth-and-five situation, a pretty critical situation, and he scrambled out and found a guy and made the throw. He hit [WR Jaxon] Shipley on a big play as well. He has a feel out there when he gets under the lights and can make things happen, and he did tonight. I'm proud of how he played out there and knew what to do. It's not perfect either. There are still things we need to improve on with him, and we'll look at that on film and reevaluate going into this week.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/LINEBACKERS COACH Manny Diaz
On changes made in the second half: Well, you could tell by the second quarter that it turned more into a passing game. There was no question that that was the difference in [the game]. You look at 23-43 [rushing attempts per team], look at us 43 to 166 [net yards rushing per team]. We knew it was going to be who could impose whose will on the other team, and I feel like our offense did a great job on the ground and imposing their rows at the guys up front. What we knew was that was the first key, and I think our guys saw that once you make somebody one dimensional, think of all of things we can do to help with the pass. There are very few things we can do with the ground because we can only put so many guys close to the ball. We took it personal, and we were satisfied from how we played last week and that is personal and now we can start the season forming from our success.
On the play of CB Carrington Byndom: I was looking at third downs and they were 4-of-8, and we started off very poorly on third downs. They went long in the last six, and I had a problem with that. So, when Carrington tackled the wide receiver that was just a giant play. And that was probably the most disappointing thing in the first half was when we would stay in a drive and had a crucial point that could've punted the ball and could've gotten the ball to the offense. But we settled down and then we loved third down, and we relish the opportunity on the field. It was fun to watch our guys. In the fourth quarter, it's a big deal here to our strength staff that you could see how fast they were and it's a physical game. Our guys played a lot of snaps, and when I see [DE] Chris Whaley running the quarterback out of bounds the one time they ran a draw and it look like they found a hole, three guys suddenly came out of nowhere, and that doesn't happen by accident. And we are in really good shape.
LB Emmanuel Acho
On adjustments made at halftime: I think our guys felt like we had a lot of missed opportunities in the first half. I thought the BYU quarterback was a really good player. When we were playing zone, he was doing a good job finding some space in our zone. I thought (assistant head coach/defensive backs coach) Duane Akina did a real amazing job, and what they wanted to do is that they threw a lot of punch formations, a lot of cross routes, and he had the defense really well schooled and taking all that stuff up and scoring down. When we were able to play more man, all of our man-stress plays we were able to return back to a throwing game.
On the play of the defense in the first quarter: The shame in that was I feel like we were playing half court basically for the first three or four positions of the game. And then we finally got a feel, and that's what we are talking about and that is where we can score points for our offense by getting a 3rd and 9. They were running a lot of bootlegs which we knew [they would do] so we flipped the course of that drive, and then we were able to shut it down after that.
On adjustments made in the second half: We started changing up the coverage a little bit. We finally got a feel of what they were doing and where they were going to pass. It makes it a lot easier to stop the offense and to evaluate where they were going to pass. We adjusted well.
On the defense holding until the offense got on track: We came out and had a lot to prove. We went out there and attacked and not just necessarily to carry the team. We knew the offense would start taking advantage of the game. So I told David [Ash], when it was 16-10, that once we get the lead we will not give it back. So once we got the lead, the rest is history.
On the role of teamwork in tonight's win: This was a big team game. Lead changes and momentum swings, and we just all came together. It was good to see offense go to our help and us go to there help. This team has really grown together. I am just excited for the future and what it holds.
WR Jaxon Shipley
On his mindset as a freshman: One of the things Coach Brown tells us all the time is that age doesn't matter. If you don't have the mindset that you're a freshman, you're not a freshman. So that's how I go into it, just not worrying about age and just trying to make plays.
On his pass to QB David Ash: I didn't know whether or not to take my gloves off. I didn't, and I ended throwing not a very good throw. I kind of had a noodle on that one, but that's okay. I played backup quarterback a little bit growing up, but really I haven't played a whole lot of quarterback. Thankfully, David was wide open, and we completed the ball.
On Coach Brown's halftime speech: Going into halftime, Coach Brown gave a great speech. One thing he told us was that we were in the same situation last year against UCLA, and it didn't go our way. He said that this year, since we were in the same situation it was going to be a whole different story, and we were going to come back and we were going to win. We had a lot of motivation going into the second half, and I think that showed as we gained momentum every drive. On that drive we scored on at the end, it was very big. I think Case did a great job and getting that victory for us. We're just looking forward to next week.
On his drive-extending catch in the fourth quarter: I don't remember what the play call was, but I just remember that Case was rolling out. I turned around, and I tried to get open. When he threw that ball I thought I'm not going to worry about my body here, I'm just going to go and make a play no matter what. Thankfully, I did, and it ended up being a very big play.
On the role of Case McCoy in the second half: When Case came in, I think, he played a real leadership role for us. He immediately came into the huddle and was pumping us up and telling us to trust him, and that he was going to lead us down and deliver a victory. I think there was just a lot of energy that he brought in. As you can tell he played a great game. He's a great leader for us.
RB D.J. Monroe
On playing with QB David Ash: Ash and I [together] is something that Coach [Bryan] Harsin put together, and I think it's real good and is going to work and help us out.
On switching quarterbacks: We work with all of them in practice so I feel like it was natural. They know my rhythm and I know theirs, so there was no confusion. We all felt like we were never going to lose this game. We protect our house. That's how we feel no matter who was at quarterback.
LB Keenan Robinson
On team's confidence after last season: After last year, there was definitely a lot of confusion, but this year we are all on the same page. We are all battling for the same prize and we are all pulling together as a team to win in all aspects of the game which will help us. If we win special teams, we win offense and we win defense than we have a better chance of winning.
CB Quandre Diggs
On third down plays in the second half: We had to step up our intensity in the second half. Today was a big game. We felt like we had to get it done. We had to win. The offense helped us and we helped out the offense, so it was a big team game. We are excited just to keep this winning streak going into next week.
QB Case McCoy
On being mentally prepared: I think the tough part with being the backup is that you have to prepare for every game, and there is always that chance you don't play. David [Ash] and I were both prepared, and Coach [Bryan] Harsin does a great job of getting us prepared.
On talking to the team in the huddle: That's two weeks in a row that we have not started off how we would like to start off, and I guarantee that is something that we practice on this week. That's one thing I had to tell them was to calm down. We have been playing this game since we were in seventh grade. Who cares if there is 100,000 people out there, just play your game and play hard and I promise you that whoever is driving the wheel right now will not change the game.
RB Malcolm Brown
On exceeding his expectations in the first two games: Definitely not. I have always had room to improve. The Lord blessed me with some talent, and I just have to work and grind everyday to just get better because you always have room to improve.
On his first down run to clinch the game: It was a little drop play. The offensive line did a great job of holding up. The coaches did a great job of calling that play, and we just converted. It was nothing really special. We just converted the play.
RB Cody Johnson
On the victory: This win was really big. It's a stepping stone of what we're trying to do this year, and we showed everybody that Texas is here to play for 10 or 12 more games.
On three quarterbacks playing: No matter who we put in the game, we expect the same thing. Garrett can play. Case can play. David can play. It didn't matter. Whoever is in, we know they won't miss a beat.
RB Fozzy Whittaker
On struggles at halftime: Last year we were in the same predicament in the UCLA game going into halftime down 13-3, and it was basically how were we going to respond to this type of adversity. The offense picked it up and the defense held together on their end, and we played a full four quarters of football. But we feel like we could perform better.
QB David Ash
On playing with three QB's: It was fun. It's a tempo change. Some changes the defenses think about. I enjoyed it. It helped out the team. I enjoyed doing it.
On his performance: I thought I did OK. The guys around me really battled hard and the O-line really stepped up. We were down by ten points going into halftime. Adversity can do two things: split you apart or pull you together. We pulled together tonight and pulled out a win.
OL Tray Allen
On the offensive line: We're coming together. It's still a work in progress. Its only game two, and we have a lot of games to go. We're laying brick-by-brick, that's our motto. Right now we're just laying the foundation, and we're going to keep working together and keep jelling together. It's going to be a process. We haven't reached our full potential yet, but we're going to keep working hard every week in practice and the weight room, and watch film to get better.
LB Jordan Hicks
On the defense: We played really well. We pulled together to stop the run and get after them in the pass game. We held them, and that's what we strive for. We practice those situations, and we went out there and executed.
WR Marquise Goodwin
On being back and playing: It's fun to be back. It was a little transition. I didn't really have time to really think about it, I just had to go out and do it. I just came from overseas Sunday, got back on the field Monday and was ready to go Saturday.
On the week being back: It's been different. It's been a little bit [tough] on my body, but my teammates have been uplifting me and helping me through it. I managed to make it out to the game and help my team get a win.
BYU
HEAD COACH BRONCO MENDENHALL
Opening statement: First of all, congratulations to Coach Brown.Their team fought hard. [The game was] really a tale of two different halves. Field position and time of possession were in our favor in half number one, with 16 points. And field position and time of possession in their favor the second half, for 17 points. Difference in the game is making critical plays at the right time, which leads to execution. I liked the way our team tried. I thought they played with very good effort. Our execution didn't hold at critical moments, so I've got to do a better job of helping them find the right execution and consistency at the critical times of the game.
On the missed opportunity of beating another BCS team on the road: We felt really good about our chances. We knew it would be a difficult game. In fact, our approach had been all week that if the game came right down to the end, our execution and consistency would be the difference. But in this particular case, Texas' defense played really well in the second half.
On whether BYU's offense was too conservative or if it was just a lack of execution: I think it was execution. We were in a hostile environment, but I don't think it was that we were too conservative. I just think Texas' defense out executed us. I give a lot of credit to The University of Texas' No. 14 [David Ash] they put in at quarterback. He played with a lot of heart and toughness, and I think it made a difference in helping them with time of possession.
On having to settle for field goals in the first half: You always want touchdowns instead of field goals, but field goals are better than no points. We had a [13]-3 lead at halftime, and I was hoping we could capitalize and even expand that, but that wasn't the case.
On BYU's inability to stop the zone read when Texas QB David Ash was in the game: I think it reflects coaching emphasis. Not a lot of preparation time was spent on practicing against the zone read because we did not think they would use it in such volume.
QB JAKE HEAPS
On coming so close to a win: Well, you know, you look at this game and the way that we were going in the first half and at different points during the game and you know everybody was feeling it and everybody was feeling confident. And you know what? It's tough to lose a game like this. Especially when we let someone come back and beat us. It's uncharacteristic of our football team. It's uncharacteristic of us individually. And you know the bottom line is we didn't execute when we needed to, and it's tough. It's tough that my interceptions came at an unfortunate time during the game, both of them. And we might be sitting here if that didn't happen with the 16-14 smile. So, it's tough, but we're hoping that this will help us grow as a football team.
On what broke down in the first quarter: Simple execution errors. I mean that's really the name of the game. We had screens set up and, gosh, we just missed one block and it would have been a touchdown. Stuff like that. Little things that kept us from getting in the end zone. So at the end of the day, we're excited that we played a great team. We played them well and we could have, and quite frankly should have, walked away with a win. But we didn't execute, and we don't have any time to waste. We have this plane ride and tomorrow, and then we have a big game against Utah at our place. I think this is going to make our team a lot closer and unite us. I don't think anything like this is going to happen again.
On missing touchdown opportunities: It's tough. It's really tough because you know you could have put six on the board, and you could have helped your football team out. But really you can't do anything but just go, "Okay, next drive. Next drive." And that's what we've got to have the mentality of. And I think our guys do have that. But we have to execute when we need to. We have to execute and [if] we do that, we'll be a great football team.
On the locker team at halftime: It was great. Coming into half time, everyone felt really good. We had some opportunities to get the ball in the end zone, and we didn't. It was tough with that interception that I had coming into that, but we forgot about it. We left it under the table, but it really came back and bit us at the end of the game. So for me, I'm just going to continue to work extremely hard and do the best that I can. It's tough, but these guys needed me and needed to count on me, and I won't let that happen again.
OL MATT REYNOLDS
On whether the better team won tonight: I think we have a great team. I think Texas obviously also has a great team. I think we both did a great job of playing our hardest. I think, like Jake [Heaps] said, it came down to execution at critical times. And when we needed to, we didn't execute the way that we typically do. It's just not us. Close games, that's where we're at our best, and we weren't there tonight.
On if depth was a factor: It's hard to say. All I know is that we played a really good team tonight, and I think that we're also a really good team. And at the critical times, they executed better than us.
