The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
10.09.2013 | Football
Head coach Mack Brown met with the media Wednesday afternoon
Prior to Wednesday afternoon's practice, head coach Mack Brown met with the media. Below are quotes from the availability.
Texas head coach Mack Brown
Opening statement: Practice has been good this week so far. We had a little bit of change in our dates and our times with the Thursday night game. We were able to work on OU on Friday and as coaches go out and recruit on Friday night. We actually met Saturday morning and practiced Saturday morning. We gave the guys off Saturday afternoon. They actually went to the coach's houses and ate on Saturday night and watched the Oklahoma-TCU game and talked about strategy and game plan at that time. Guys know the urgency. They know we didn't start well like we wanted to and they know that OU is a team being talked about as a contender for the national championship. We've got our hands full but we're excited about the challenge and with the way they've been practicing I expect them to play well.
On the team's focus: They've been focused and that's the biggest thing to look at; whether they've been sharp in practice, if they're handling the game plan well and if they have confidence in the game plan. Today is a big day for that. You do some things on Monday and you do some things on Tuesday and then you throw them out there and clean everything up on Wednesday. Today you should start to see exactly what you hope to see on Saturday.
On how important preparation is against OU: Coach Royal always said that you have to be careful not to play this game on Tuesday. In some years I think we have. I have not felt that this week. I think they know that it's a long week and a very important game. They know that they don't need to be ready to play on Tuesday. I thought we had a good practice yesterday, but it wasn't like they were ready to play yesterday.
On RB Jalen Overstreet and QB Tyrone Swoopes getting backup QB reps in practice: They are. We're looking at both of them and we obviously haven't felt that either one of them had earned the right to go in the game yet or we would have put them in there. We've told them both that. We've said that David Ash will not travel, we won't be with the team, he won't dress out, so, one of those two guys is one play away from playing in the OU game this weekend. We've seen them both pick it up this week. We have packages for both of them and we will just have to wait and see.
On who would come in first if Case McCoy were to come out: I think it depends on today, tomorrow and Friday's meetings. Practice is really important to see how they respond.
On if Oklahoma looks vulnerable on offense: They don't now because (Oklahoma QB) Blake Bell is playing so well. You go back and look at the last two games and he's been so accurate in his passing. Everybody knew he could run and when he gets turned up field he's very, very difficult to tackle but he's just been such a prolific passer these past two weeks that that makes him tougher because they've got great speed at wide receiver.
On if they have to prepare for OU possibly using QB Trevor Knight: Yes, you do but they're going to do a lot of the same things because Blake Bell can run. He runs the option, the quarterback draw, the quarterback power, so, you didn't see a lot of differences in what the two were doing structurally or by game plan when they came in.
On using up-tempo offense or ball control to slow down: They're just so quick. They can all run. They're smaller at linebacker than they've been; they're about 220 to 225 pounds and all of them can fly. They're still pressing and doing a great job. They've got maybe the two best corners we've seen all year. They pressure your outside guys and make it more difficult. They're going to stack the box and make it hard to run and force you to beat man-to-man coverage outside. We'll just have to see where we go with it. The biggest thing that has happened the last two years is they've run the ball and we haven't, they've forced turnovers and we haven't. We're minus-6 in the turnover ratio within the last two years and you just can't do that. That's usually because a team is more physical than you are and that's what they've been.
On how he's approached this game since his first time as a coach: I don't think that we've changed it very much. It's been an important game every year. I think we won it four out of five years and nobody was asking me how we prepared for it. When you lose it three years in a row, everybody asks, "Why don't you prepare like they do?" They've done a great job. Bob Stoops is a great coach and they've got a great program. It's been a game for years that weird things can happen. Momentum changes because of the uniqueness of the game but everybody on our team, our staff and our players, know how important playing Oklahoma is.
On how important it is to start quickly: When you go back and study it, the second quarter has been a killer. That's when we've been out of the game. The first quarter hasn't been as bad as the second. I think it's a long game with momentum changes and you can't get too high or too low but we do need to do a better job of getting after it early.
On QB Case McCoy embracing the challenge: He does. You look at Case's history and he moved the ball really well against the conference champion last year in a tough environment in Manhattan, Kansas, but had turnovers. He did the same thing in the Baylor game but had turnovers when RGIII was there his senior year. When he is taking care of the ball like he did at Kansas last year, he came in and went 6-of-8 and wins the game. In fact, he hasn't had a turnover this year. At Texas A&M he managed the game, no turnovers, then all of the sudden at the end of the game even scrambles for a big play to let us kick the field goal. All of those things are things that he is capable of, and that's the way he's got to play this weekend. He can't beat Oklahoma by himself. He's got to get the ball to the right guys and we've got to protect the ball. We can't have the turnovers that we've had. They've taken balls out of our arms and ran them back; they've slapped balls out of our hands and picked them up and ran them back for touchdowns. We cannot be in a position where we are sloppy with the ball and we also can't be in position where they can knock it out of our hands and run it back for a touchdown. We've got to take care of the football much better than we have.
On WR/RB Daje Johnson taking on a bigger role this weekend: We were cautious (last week) because we didn't know if he was 100 percent and he's had a good week. We feel like we'll be able to utilize him better this weekend. He was a big part of our plan against BYU and he got hurt on the third play. In fact, he went the wrong way and got hurt on the same play. We haven't seen him since, until last week when he was better. He and Mike Davis were both better, but neither one was 100 percent. We hope they'll be 100 percent for Saturday. The thing Daje gives you is the ability to score every time he touches it. He's got great speed. We will put him at punt return this week for the first time because we need to get more out of punt return than we're getting.
On outside distractions: It doesn't affect me at all. We're worried about what we can control, and what we can control is how we play and I'm overloaded with that. We're in our offices working hard and I was so proud last week. In a pressure situation last week, the coaches hung together and the players hung together and drove right now and scored with a lot of pressure on us. There is no giving up, no quitting in this coaching staff. They're all getting along and all doing great. Winning matters. That's it.
On OT Josh Cochran: We'll have to wait on Josh Cochran to see how he is at game time, but he's been out there working.
On OT Desmond Harrison: He continues to improve.
On defense growing with defensive coordinator Greg Robinson: I think it continues to improve each week. The biggest issue we've got right now is the linebackers playing consistently well. That's something that Greg has really gone back and worked on the fundamentals. Last week, we discussed it a little bit on Monday, we either got out of our pass-rush lane some or we ran by the quarterback and you can't do either. If that happens with (Oklahoma QB) Blake Bell, he can beat us up just like (Iowa State QB) Sam Richardson did. We did a better job in the second half. Sam only got out one time in the second half. He killed us in the first half on all those 3rd down situations. I thought Greg Robinson settled that down at halftime. He made some adjustments and it was much better second half. We've got to go into this game and play good defense from start to finish.
On stopping the run being the first priority: Yes and forcing turnovers. In this ball game, the team that runs the ball and the team that's won the turnover ratio has been the one that's won.
On having LB Dalton Santos and LB Steve Edmond in starting lineup: They're both experienced. They've both made really good plays. Dalton is just 150 percent all the time. This guy is lights out and never slows down and that's been one of his issues. Greg Robinson has got to slow him down a little bit because he's been so hyper and wants to get to the ball so badly that sometimes he gets too high and gets cut or overruns things. Steve has been a work in progress where he makes a great play and then he'll have an average play and Greg's seeing him come on. We hated that he didn't get to play in the first half of the game last week and I really hope that we can look at that rule when the season is over that a young man has to sit in the dressing room for half of the game. I'd like for him to be out on the field even if he doesn't play. But both of those guys need to play well because Oklahoma's got such great speed in their running backs.
On the ruling that had Steve Edmond sit out the first half and not be on the sideline: The Big 12 told us that was the rule. It was the NCAA's interpretation that he had to sit out. We were told that he could stretch with the team, he could be out there during the pregame, but during his time of suspension he had to be inside and could not be outside. I will give Iowa State credit. They actually gave him a place to sit and we didn't have him dress. We just told him to dress five minutes before the first half was over and then get ready to go for the second half because we didn't think he should sit in his uniform for the entire half inside.
On addressing the OU physicality: We've talked about that for a year so they know, they've heard it; these are smart kids. They can see the film.
On revisiting last year's game and the year before: Yes, what you do is you take things that you need to fix and you show them, turnovers more than anything else. You would take key plays, but teams are different years are different. You go back and study this game and we have won four of the last eight and you would have thought we have never won one. So we also talk to them about this history of this game and the streaks that have been caused. Coach Royal said it the best in 2004. I said, 'Coach when do you stop streaks?' He said, 'When you're good enough and you decide that you're tired of hearing about it.' I know that our players are tired of hearing about it and I hope that they will be good enough.
On the 2008 come from behind game: We talk to them a whole lot about momentum and the momentum change in this game. This game goes in streaks but it also changes during the game more than any other game that I've been around. It is technically a home game for both teams and everybody is screaming on every play. You don't have an advantage by crowd. It goes back and forth and you have got to be able to handle those momentum swings.
On recruiting attendance and impact at this game: I've always felt like it's a huge game in recruiting in the fact that all of the state's top players usually go to the game. I do think a lot of them have an opinion of where they want to go before they get there because recruiting is so early now. I would also like to see a change in the NCAA rule that to me it is not fair to Oklahoma when they are the visiting team. None of their commitments can get tickets and I would like to see them allow at Georgia and Florida game and at the Texas/OU game, let both teams give tickets to their recruits because it's unfair to the early recruits that don't have a chance to go. We're not going to give Oklahoma commits tickets and same thing for last year, our last year guys. So if Notre Dame and Arizona State are playing in Dallas let both teams give tickets away. To me that is the best thing for the student athlete and in this game I would love to see that happen where both teams every year can give tickets to commitments. It's best in my estimation for all the kids to see the game and just because you commit early, you shouldn't be punished for that.
On the OU linebacker position without Cory Nelson: OU has great depth so when they put a guy in he is going to be fast. I hate it for Cory Nelson, I recruited him and he is a really good football player. Any time Jerrod Evans, Jordan Hicks, Cory Nelson loses their opportunity to play, especially in a game like this, it is really difficult for them and I hate that for Cory.
On OU special teams: They have got great speed. Bob [Stoops] has always done a great job of putting together good special teams, so they are always a factor. I'm really proud of what Nick Rose is becoming as a kick off guy. It was such a factor in the game the other night. When you go back to 2008 and we kickoff against Texas Tech they return it to the 40 yard line and a field goal ties us I believe. The other night the same thing with Iowa State, Nick Rose kicks it all the way out. The same thing with Anthony Fera. He wasn't healthy last year and we didn't see what we are seeing out of him this year. For him to put five balls inside the 15-yard line is a huge advantage for field position.
On OU being a favorite: Our guys are aware that we didn't start like we wanted to and that people are talking about [Oklahoma] being a championship contender for the National Championship so we should be the underdog. They have played much better than we've played in the five weeks and that is not any question. Our guys are smart. They sat there at the TCU game the other night and they watched every play so they know exactly what we are up against this Saturday.
On Quandre Diggs' health: He is ok. He has had a sore ankle all year. He has been kind of like Malcolm Brown in they both have been nursing sore ankles all year. They are well enough to play but not at full strength.
On Jackson Jeffcoat's play: Jackson has played great. He and Ced Reed didn't get the stats early that we needed because they were running the option so much and if you think about it the last two weeks they have finished the game with turnovers. They are really good football players and have got to be a factor on Saturday. We have a good pass rush.
On if anything about the Texas-OU game still shocks him: No it doesn't. I was so spoiled in 1984 when I was on the bus in Oklahoma and it was raining. We drove right down the middle of the fair grounds and I've never seen that many people screaming, shouting and shaking the bus. Since then we come in the back and we come around. We get there and there is great cheering but the first one was the most exciting for me. It was so unique and then in 1984 we had the number 1 and number 2, it was raining. Nobody left. Everybody sat there the entire game. People asked if Sainsbury caught that ball. I used to think he did, but now I don't.
On what this game means to you: This game is a game of tremendous pride for our fan base, our players, our coaches and it is not good to lose this game. I have been on both sides of it and there is a tremendous amount of pressure that comes with losing this ball game and I think it is one of the reasons there are so many streaks. I think that one of the teams usually has a little role because everybody brags on them for a year, while the other one gets beat up for the year. Give Oklahoma credit for the last one.
On the torch rally this evening: The message is always to be careful. It is very dangerous for our students going up and especially coming back. If you try to come back after the game it is just a mess. Number one if you are going I know I have had some friends that have lost their children coming back from this ball game and it is just something that we all have to be aware of. Secondly go out there have fun and help your team. Go out there early. There is nothing like it. That is why we have a pep rally for this one. Last year's pep rally for the Thanksgiving game wasn't quite as good and that's why we are making it the Tech one this year. We should make it good or otherwise not have it. Jackson Jeffcoat and Mason Walters will be our two speakers tonight.
