The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
08.05.2013 | Football
David Ash and Mason Walters visited with the media after the Monday's practice
Photo Gallery
The Football team held its first practice of the preseason Monday evening. Junior quarterback David Ash and senior offensive guard Mason Walters met with the media at the conclusion.
Junior Quarterback David Ash
On his thoughts about the first practice: Â
I thought it was a pretty good day. Obviously, the work in the summer has paid off. I thought the young guys and young wide receivers were up to speed. I was pleased with that. They worked really hard this summer and I was proud to see how they played. I thought the offensive line was in shape. I think we are ahead of where we were at the end of the spring, so it was a good summer. We just have to keep working and get better everyday.
On any plays that stood out today: Â
I'll have to go back and watch it on film. You kind of have a feeling of what happened in practice and then you watch it on film and it's usually never as good as you thought it was, but it's usually not quite as bad as you thought it was, either. We'll watch the film and see what it says there.
On sophomore wide receiver Marcus Johnson: Â
Marcus has been making huge strides from where he was in the spring. I'm really excited just because with the nature of the offense and what we're doing now, he will have to be a big part of it. (He'll need to) make plays for us and have to be able to understand that when some of our primary receivers are covered or doubled, he's going to be the guy that gets the ball. I think he's doing a good job of getting prepared for that.
On young receivers getting more experience in the preseason: Â
There is a silver lining to it. Obviously, we want Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley out there getting work, but there is a silver lining that we are going to develop some depth with these young wide-outs. They're going to get some experience now and there's no doubt that it'll pay off because you never know what's going to happen in the season and who is going to have to step up. This is more experience for everyone and it's going to help us out.
On what running back Jalen Overstreet adds to the offense: Â
He's playing running back and I think we have a stable of running backs, and when you put him in there as a utility guy and quarterback that knows a large part of the offense, he's going to be a guy that you can do some different stuff with. I think he's going to do well and I'm looking forward to seeing how he does because he's a very talented athlete.
On the offensive tempo: Â
Right now, I think we are polishing things. Today we weren't going as fast. I think you'll see us steadily get faster throughout camp. You don't want to start off so fast that you can't get any faster and then you kind of slow down. Like we say, you want to keep quality and have quality plays and then speed them up and get better and better.
On offensive lineman Desmond Harrison: Â
We're excited for Desmond to be here. He had a great career at the junior college level. He's a big guy and he's been picking up on things quickly. I think he can be a great player here.
On how he felt today: Â
I felt great. I was excited about what we were doing and I have been excited all summer to go out there and finally kick it off. We've been waiting for this all summer and it's here. It's a one-time opportunity and I look forward to making the most out of it.
On knowing he's starting in the fall: Â
It removes a lot of distractions. You can concentrate on the ball, your feet, accuracy and coverages. You don't have to worry about any other stuff.
On what they'll work on in the 26 days until the season starts: Â
We're going to keep working everyday. You're going to blink and we'll be walking through the tunnel and you guys will be on the sidelines doing whatever you guys do. If you blink, it'll be here.
On having so many starters back this season: Â
As a team I think we are extremely experienced, defensively and offensively. The defense went through some hard times last year, but that's going to make them better. There will continue to be adverse situations, but you have to be prepared to accept that. It's how you handle those adverse situations that will really build a team, build their legacy and write their story.
On the tight ends: Â
I'm excited about that position and what they are going to be doing. They are going to have to be able to do everything. We need a tight end to do this and a tight end to do that. We need some of them to be very versatile and we will need some of them to do it all.
On being more confident this season: Â
I think it just comes naturally. You would expect a 10-year-old to be more confident than a 5-year-old. In college you expect older quarterbacks to be more confident than a freshman. That's just kind of the cycle of things. That's where I am and hopefully it just keeps going up.
Senior Offensive Guard Mason Walters
On the leadership of the 2013 Longhorns:
I really think we had such a great summer. As leaders we sat down and defined our goals and what we want to do as a team. We're an older team, so we have a lot of guys that have been here and know what we want. We've seen it before; we've been in a similar offense for three years. That's coming along and then being able to help the younger guys progress as well. Hopefully it will be quicker for them and won't be as steep of a learning curve going into camp this year.
On the biggest changes in junior quarterback David Ash:
I've seen it for years, but it's just a process you go through. The quarterback position, I haven't played it, but just from the outside looking in, it's [about] maturing and he's staying on track with that. He's a great athlete, great quarterback, great mind, good kid, and we're seeing him just come into his own. He's stepping up, he's leading and he's as natural as anybody else. That progression is continuing to come right along and it's paying off.
On what has made Ash the leader:
I would say trial by fire. He's been through the ropes with this team; he's been there along with us the whole time. He's been going through the same thing that everyone else has at different positions, but he's the quarterback so he's very visible. You're just going to see that maturing process a lot more than you do with other positions, and he's doing a great job.
On the organization of the summer workouts:
It's got to be collective because there are so many different positions and different things like kinks in the offense, working out with your position group, getting with receivers and the defense doing the same thing. When it's team organization, [senior quarterback] David [Ash] always made sure that everybody got the message. Other guys per position were doing that, but David made sure there wasn't any miscommunication and no one was falling through the gaps.
On starting positions being insecure for veteran players and the 'no job is safe' policy:
I think three years ago we had about seven guys (on the offensive line) going into the spring on scholarship. It was a tough season; we all got a lot of experience in practice but now we've got a new element to it. You don't know; daily a position can change and you could be second or third string really quick. The guys we have here now really want to play. We have a lot of bodies, really talented new guys. I love it. I think that goes for everybody. We want to be as good as possible and to get to that level you have to have somebody pushing you as good as possible. I wouldn't want my job to be safe. I never will. That's just the way I am, just the way the offensive line is and the attitude we have.
On junior transfer offensive lineman Desmond Harrison:
He's a big guy, he's very athletic. You got to see his feet today. He's a hard working guy. He's coming in and helping us and pushing everyone right along as well.
On the experience of the offensive line:
As an offensive line, there are five of us, but we work as a single unit. The togetherness is big, and I think that does help out with the guys that have been around for a while. At the same time, [offensive line coach Stacy] Searels has definitely made it clear that he's going to play the five best.
