The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
11.04.2014 | Football
Assistant head coach for offense/QB coach Shawn Watson and players met with the media
Longhorns Gameweek | Texas-West Virginia Preview | Tickets
Following Tuesday's practice assistant head coach for offense/quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson, senior running back Malcolm Brown and senior linebacker Jordan Hicks met with the media. The Longhorns, coming off a 34-13 win over Texas Tech in which the offense racked up a season-high 241 yards on the ground, are preparing to face No. 24/25 West Virginia. Below are quotes from the availability.
Assistant head coach for Offense/Quarterbacks Shawn Watson
On Tyrone Swoopes' play at Texas Tech: He played a really good game in terms of getting us in a lot of the right plays. He did a great job getting us in the right plays. He was good in his decision making. We had five drops in that game, so he was on target, also. He made some big throws. The throw to John [Harris] was an NFL type throw, and I thought overall he played well. He's played better, but he played well. He rebounded from a subpar performance for him and continued to show he's maturing and working.
On Johnathan Gray's burst at Texas Tech and if it was the best he's seen all season: On his touchdown run, he made a great move. Is it confidence now or is it strength or a combination of both? The touchdown run, the move he made on the safety to create the run, the finish of the run, was something you don't see a lot. He's just an outstanding athlete with instincts, and he's probably learning to trust and be confident in his rehab now.
On if Swoopes is still building: He's building. With quarterbacks, it's always a process, and some days it feels like you're starting all over. Other days, it feels like you're gaining on it. I've done this for right at about 20 years, and it is part of what you go through with a first year player and a guy who is learning the position. I feel like he is progressing, and we've got a lot of work to do – a lot of work to do. That's the humbling factor in that position and coaching that position, you're never done.
On letting Swoopes progress without overwhelming him: A little bit at a time. When I say a little bit at a time, you're always mindful. I've got a section in my position manual called 'rules to live by.' There are things that have happened to me and to my players over my career, and I always keep those things in front of them, because those are the things, ironically -- listen to Teddy [Bridgewater], he still tells me he still remembers rules to live by. He's still going through them at the next level, so those are part of the game. A lot of that has to do with management, keep them in tune to becoming a better manager because the really good quarterbacks, the great ones, are game managers. Along with that is obviously the decision making aspect. I think one of the things we're trying to work with Ty now is mechanics. When I say mechanics, I'm talking about footwork – that's one of the big areas he needs to improve on and become more consistent with, and then more consistent with his decision making and learn how to utilize all of the tools that we have available to him. He's still got a ways to go.
On if the offensive line played its best game vs Texas Tech: They played really well. I think you have to put into not only the O-line but the tight ends and the fullback and then our H, which is our lead, our adjuster that does the same work a fullback does for us. Those kids all played really well and the guys that really go sometimes unnoticed, or that we don't give enough credit for the explosive runs, are the receivers. They were very good down field. If we would've been a little bit better at some points we would've had even more explosive runs. We just didn't quite finish a block or weren't in position and a guy made a hit for might've been a 16 yard gain when it could've been all the way or 10 more yards or more explosive. But those guys did a great job in the perimeter run game, and the lead guys did a great job, and the line was charged up and got a really nice push.
On when he knew he had something special with John Harris: It started in spring ball. I'd even go back further than that, I think he showed his character and his heart during winter conditioning. That was the first glimmer of his commitment and the Hulk that might be out there. He started making plays in spring on a consistent basis. It's one thing to make plays, it's another thing to be consistent in making plays, and that's what he's done. That's the tale of a guy who's totally committed in what they're doing, and he's balling. He's playing really good football, and that started in spring ball and carried into spring training camp and, of course, has been part of our season.
On if they can be successful in a shootout: We better be ready to do that. When you get into those kind of things in the game the mindset is this: you do whatever it takes to win the football game. If it means that you have to throw it to do that, that's what I'm assuming you're asking about, getting into a throwing contest, you have to be ready to do it. You have to be ready to do it, and you have to be ready to do it if that's what it takes to win. I know we're a pretty humble group around here and that we know we've got a lot of work yet to do. We need to be cleaner in protection, we need to be more precise in our spacing of our route work, consistent in other words, and then the same things we just talked about with Ty. What we do around here is we just keep working.
On if he has the same expectations for Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray: We do. Their skillset is similar. Johnathan is a slasher, Malcolm can thump and slash. They're very detailed in their protection, and they're very detailed in their route-running. They both have a lot of similar characteristics. A different degree, but a lot like Chris Brown and Bobby Purify were when I was at Colorado. They're similar, but they're something different. Malcolm's something different is he can run the thump, and Johnathan can really slash. What we were talking about earlier, that was a slash cut. He created an explosive play by putting his foot in the dirt and cutting through the guy's weak shoulder, and then he was gone.
On if he considers who is in [Brown/Gray] when calling certain plays: Not really. I think Malcolm is a guy that on tough yardage plays, he would be your first draft choice just because of the thump I'm speaking of. He does a great job of running behind his pads. Johnathan would be a guy that you want to handle things that are more perimeter oriented. At the same time, T Rob [running backs coach Tommie Robinson] is invaluable to us with his NFL experience because, in the NFL, many of the guys that he's coached and been around have all had to, you have to, tie the running styles together in the run scheme. T Rob has done an excellent job of taking what was one strong suit - well, let me put it like this, the weaker part of his game and developing it. He's pretty adamant in practice about putting Johnathan in those short yardage situations and putting Malcolm in the perimeter run situations to help develop those instincts.
On what's working for West Virginia's defense as compared to last year: What you see in football is you see guys that have been around, they understand the scheme, and they've been coached. There are some veteran players that can show the younger players how to do it and what's expected. I did not see last year's tape, have no reference point with that, I just know that the thing they do a great job of is they have an excellent scheme that challenges an offense. At the same time, they do a great job at playing pursuit football. They have a team unit defense, and they're getting a lot of people to the football, and they're enthusiastic about getting there. You can see the character of the team has been developed. I'm sure in the process that I'm referring to that we're going through, at some point, someday, that will be us on offense. That's the process that we all talk about as coaches. They've got a group of guys that obviously understand what the coaches want, and they're experienced and have some good leadership.
Senior RB Malcolm Brown
On what enabled him to rush for 100 yards: It's really about we just got some push up front. I said it before, the offensive line was comfortable and I could see it throughout practice. It was real simple for them and it made it a whole lot easier for me. I definitely did catch a little rhythm and it just went from there.
On if it's the best he's seen the o-line play this year: One of the best. They definitely got some great push and those guys, they've been working hard week in and week out. I'm definitely proud of them.
On if he and Johnathan Gray's effort at Texas Tech is the 1-2 punch he's always envisioned: Oh yeah. We definitely did a great job on the offensive side of the ball. I felt like J-Gray caught a rhythm a bit, as well, so like I said, the offensive line really helped us out tremendously. It was definitely something we had fun with, me and J-Gray and I know those guys up front did, as well.
On what tight ends Geoff Swaim and Andrew Beck mean to the run game: A whole lot. Those guys have been grinding it out. They have a tough job. Those coaches expect a lot out of them, just like the rest of us, but those guys, they're running routes, they're pass blocking, they're run blocking, they're doing so many things, they're getting in the backfield with us a couple times. They're doing so many things with this offense and they're so important to this offense and they know that and they've been doing a great job handling it.
On if he focuses on getting up the field more this season: That's always been my style of running. I don't like to run sideways, it gets me tired a little bit, so I don't like to do that. That's just been my style of running. He's [Charlie Strong] definitely mentioned it. He wants us to run behind the pads all the time. I couldn't even tell you how many times he's said that phrase right there so he wants us to run behind the pads and get downhill. That's the way we're trying to go, we're going forward, so that's the way we need to run.
On how much Strong has been talking to the team about winning at home and how important it is: That's something he's preached on all season long. He doesn't like us losing home games. We could tell that from the start. He's always said that that's something this program needs to change. We need to take a little more pride in playing at home and just grinding these games out and winning at home in front of our own fans.
On if he respects what the offensive line has gone through: Oh yeah. I definitely got to respect that. In the beginning of the season, so many guys were jumping around, like you said. For these guys to adjust the way they did, from [Marcus] Hutch[ins] coming from defense back to offense and going into the tackle position and Taylor [Doyle] going from guard to center, Sed[rick Flowers] moving all over the place and Darius James moving all over the place. It's just a whole lot of stuff this offensive line went through, so it's definitely great to see them succeeding and I'm definitely proud of those guys, proud of those guys for adjusting the way they did.
Senior LB Jordan Hicks
On West Virginia's offense: They're definitely powerful, one of the top offenses in the country. We've got to be ready. They've got players everywhere. They've got two receivers that are really good, their running backs are really good, their quarterback makes good decisions. We got to get after them. We got to come out early and be ready to play.
On their play at home: It's tough because this is supposed to be our home, and you're always expected to defend your home. We haven't done a good job at that, at all. Whatever the case may be, I don't know. We stopped practicing on the home field. Coach Strong stopped practicing on the home field on Thursdays. He wants us to value that field, that turf. We've got to handle our business when people come in here. We got to take it personal. There's not really that personal aspect that they're trying to come in here and kick down the door and beat you. That's not the feeling that we have and that's the feeling we've got to get.
On is discipline is most important when playing spread offenses: Yeah that's the case with a lot of these teams in this conference because if you give up the big play, they can hit you like that. These offenses are very powerful and they've got a lot of playmakers all across the board. Discipline always needs to be there. Iowa State, we didn't play very disciplined and I don't know if you consider them a high-powered offense, like a West Virginia, or a Baylor, or an Oklahoma. Whether it's a team that you would consider high-powered or a team that you wouldn't, you got to play very disciplined defense and it's the Big 12. That's the case, week in and week out.
On how key it's been stopping teams in the red zone: Mindset is, they can drive the ball, but they can't score. If they get down there, six points is a killer. That loses you games. If you can hold them when they get in the red zone to a field goal, we'll be fine. You look at last week, we were able to get two field goals off of them and they missed a couple of field goals. That's huge. That's momentum. That's points, obviously, so it's big.
On how it good it feels to be playing a full season: I tell you what, I was thinking to myself the other day about how good I actually felt, body-wise, just how healthy I felt. I was surprised because I expected my body, after the past years, I expected going through those years being like, 'man I'm in November. I'd be beat up right now.' But I feel great. Like you said, I don't take it for granted at all. That's something I cherish every time I go out there, is my health and it's a blessing to be out there playing, feeling as good as I am. I'm just glad to be out there. It's been a long time since I've been playing in November.
On if West Virginia is like Baylor: Yeah I agree. They're very high-powered, as we've been saying this whole time. They've got a lot of explosive guys on the outside, on the perimeter. It's one of those games where if we don't play, they've got the potential to put up a lot of points. We've got to have that mindset going in there ready to defend this type of team. They're a good offense. They've got a very good offense and they've got a lot of our respect.
