The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tracking the Longhorns: Saturday with the media
12.27.2014 | Football
Head coach Charlie Strong and some players met with the media to preview Monday’s AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.
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The last two days have been busy for the Longhorns who are getting ready to play in Monday's AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl in Houston.
After Friday afternoon's practice, the team attended the Rodeo Bowl with Arkansas at George Ranch Historical Park. Saturday featured a luncheon for both teams, a visit to DePelchin Children's Center and practice.
Following the luncheon, Texas head coach Charlie Strong and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, as well as players from both teams, met with the media.
Below are the Texas quotes.
Head coach Charlie Strong
Opening statement: We're really happy to be a part of this bowl game. We got down here Christmas Eve. The thing I wanted to do was just make sure Christmas Day that the whole team was together and able to give them a gift which they really enjoyed. The work has been going very well. We're playing an outstanding Arkansas team. I've said it before, I grew up at Arkansas so I had a chance to watch this rivalry from afar. When you think about it, everyone always talks about the 1969 game, but someone told me last night, I was talking to one of the former players and he said, 'the 1959 and '61 games were really good ones too, Coach.' No one there ever lets you forget about the rivalry. It's been great. I know this, I have a lot of respect for Brett and what he's done even when he was at Wisconsin. I know it's going to be a great matchup for us. A big stage for us on Monday Night. I'm just really excited about the matchup.
On the difficulty how tough it was to dismiss some players from his team: I think that anytime you walk into a program you never as a head football coach, or even as a coach period, want to dismiss any player because the thing you ought to do is you got to make sure young men develop and they go to school and come to school to get an education, and have a chance to play outstanding football. Sometimes, decisions have to be made. I tell the players all the time, the only thing I can do is just enforce the decision you just made. I'm just making sure this doesn't continue on within our program. That's why I always talk about our senior class. They've done a great job of being able to manage it. I know there was a lot of adversity in the beginning and so much was being said, but we have a team and the team believes in the coaching staff, which this team did. They believe in what you're doing is right, then those decision that you made, you get everyone in a circle together. That's what this team did. They were able to circle together and they didn't even talk about it. I think the media made a bigger deal about it than our players because our team was just going about their work and just wanting to have an outstanding team.
On having coached against Arkansas as a coordinator and cheering for them as a kid: Well, I think that when I was a coordinator, I was at the University of Florida and I was at South Carolina. I think we played Arkansas and I know the one year at South Carolina, we went to Little Rock and they beat us really good down there that night. When I was at UF, I was a coordinator so I didn't really think about it. Now, that you've become a head coach at the University of Texas, which was an old rival. I think one of our players said it, at some point you'd love to see that matchup come back because it was such a big rivalry game. You love to see those old rivalries continue on and at some point you'd like to see that happen.
On if any players will be ineligible for this game: No, we don't have any. All our guys are academically eligible.
On the importance of this game for the future of the program: Well, you look at, it's going to be a springboard. You'd like to go into the offseason in the right frame of mind and understand you can continue to work and just build off of that win. When you look at both of our programs, we're nowhere near where we want to be. We still know we have some work to do, but to win would be good.
On how he prepares for bowl games: We played on Thanksgiving night and we had some days where we kind of went out and just made sure we moved them around not knowing who we are going to play yet. The reason why we traveled on the 24th was because I didn't want to travel on Christmas Day, but I just wanted the whole team around on Christmas Day so we could be together and just get down here a day early. A lot of our players are from the state of Texas and a lot of them live in the Houston area so they had a chance to go home.
On what the team can accomplish during these practices and an update on WR Jaxon Shipley: Shipley will be able to play, but just thinking about what were able to do is its still fundamentals and technique. You still just go and prepare. You have a lot of practices. You look at it likes its preseason camp. You get prepared to go play that first game, but a lot of game have been played. I just like the overall work ethic of our guys and how hard it's been. They've been able to come out and just go to work. A lot of times at practices you look at those guys, I know from both sides they are sitting there and saying, 'we got to practice again tomorrow?' The history and playing the team that were playing gets their attention, so it's been very easy to get them going.
On the importance of seniors Quandre Diggs and Jordan Hicks to the team: When you take over a team, and you look at the players that they have, I was able to recruit Hicks when he was in Cincinnati and tried to get him to come to Florida. He ended up going to Texas on me and then I end up coming and being his head football coach. You look at Quandre, last year we had a conversation and we had a good sitdown. We talked about just what he wanted to go try and get accomplished. When you have two players like that, then you know you have a shoulder that you can lean on because whenever you take over a program you really don't know the guys. You try to find someone you can just go to and say this is what I need you to do for the team. I need this message to go within the team. I need you guys to carry this message for me. Those two players have been outstanding. It's been good they've played the way they've played this season. I'm so happy they've had the success that they've had.
Senior CB Quandre Diggs
On how ready he is to go play the game: I'm really ready. We're going to go to practice and we're going to work our tail off. Just get the opportunity to go out and play the game we love – that's what we want to do. That's all we want to do, play the game we love and just take advantage of this opportunity.
On if he thinks the other players are taking this game as seriously as he is: I think everybody is taking this serious. We got defeated in our last game so we come back and we got to have a chip on our shoulder and go out and be ready to play.
On if he thinks Coach Strong is the right person for the job: I think it was the right decision no doubt. He's a great man and he's done a lot for the university already. People believe in those core values and that's something I believe in.
Senior WR John Harris
On this being a good matchup between Texas and Arkansas: Yeah I agree. Totally it's going to be a good matchup. Two teams that are 6-6 that have struggled throughout the year. But they've got a really good defense, we've got a really good defense, the offenses are pretty comparable. I think it'll be fun to get out there, get the old rivalry started, just watch the fans get into it a little bit and get heated, and just make it a really good football game.
On if he thought Texas would go to this bowl game and what his reaction was: I figured we were going to this game but I didn't know who we were going to play. We didn't know if it was going to be LSU, Arkansas or [Texas] A&M. But we're excited to be a part of an old rivalry; we're just excited to get back on the field one last time and play a game.
On if he gets the same feeling playing Oklahoma and other Big 12 rivals as he does in this game: Oh yeah. You get the same type of feeling, especially in a rivalry game. Oklahoma, [Texas] Tech, A&M, I mean those are all big time games and Arkansas is an even bigger time game because at one point it was bigger than the A&M game. So it's going to be fun to be a part of and I can't wait for Monday night.
On if he's clicking with Tyrone Swoopes better than he has all season: Oh yeah, we're always clicking. When we get the ball in my hands and he's feeding me, it feels good, we get the offense going and get everyone else involved. Everything gets flowing and everything is going good.
On how much Jaxon Shipley being able to play takes pressure off him: It takes a lot of pressure off of all of us. Ship is Mr. Reliable for us; he makes all the big time catches and big time moments. So we'll need him definitely on third down and throughout the game.
On how important it is to get a win and go out on a winning note: I think it's a big note, especially for these young guys, and I think it's even bigger for Tyrone. Just to get momentum going into the offseason and you start off with a winning program, it just gets you in a jump start to next season. Last year we finished on a losing note and it wasn't a good taste in our mouth. We had to wait a whole year to get another win. So I think winning this game would be a good jump start for Coach Strong going into next year, especially with those recruits coming in.
Senior LB Jordan Hicks
On the team's preparation for the bowl game: These 15 practices have been tough to say the least. The coaching staff has not backed off on us at all. It's easy to fall into a trap as a player to say, 'why are doing these many days in a row or worried about your body.' But when you see guys coming out every single day ready to practice and ready to hit every single day over and over again, it's because of Arkansas. That's the type of game they play and everybody understands that. We know that if we don't come out to practice ready to play mentally and physically for the game they are going to bring, it's not going to be nice so I think it's been a really good set of practices for us. We're excited to get out there.
On the rivalry with Arkansas and if the coaches had to educate the players: We are kind of new school to all of this rivalry stuff with Arkansas. I've been here longer than most here and over the years you constantly see game clips of those rivalry games that were so intense. You hear stories and see people come back and tell stories like Coach [Vance] Bedford. It's little things like that that kind of grab your attention about this game.
On the emotion of his final week as a Longhorn player: It's crazy because this is actually the exact stadium I started my career in. My freshman year my very first game was here against Rice and this will be my last. It's kind of has that feeling that it's come full circle because it has been such a long journey and such a hard task to get through. It has been fun and I wouldn't change it for the world. I loved it and I wouldn't want to do it anywhere else but here and with these players.
On being recruited by Charlie Strong when he was at Florida and the having that previous relationship: It's tough because losing someone like Coach [Mack] Brown especially in my fifth year, I understood him, he understood me. Everybody knew Coach Brown. He was the godfather of Texas. He was the man and to have someone like Coach Strong just step in and to have ties with him. But at the same time if you don't have ties with Coach Strong the personality he brings is very contagious and he's done a great job getting on board and sharing that personality throughout this team and we've had a lot of fun. That's really been the big thing. The players are having fun with him. They love his style, his mentality and his value set. They really respect him as a coach.
On what he will take away from his time at Texas: A lot. It's hard to sit here and tell you one specific thing. I've learned a lot about myself. I've been through quite a bit and I've learned to persevere. You always know you are a strong person, but until you have been through it there is no way to tell. I've been through the test and I think a lot of these guys have. That's what is awesome about this team, that you get guys from all different backgrounds, all different types of adversities throughout their lives before they got here. And when you get here you get a whole bunch of guys together who want a common goal and that's to come together and win. You have a lot of fun doing it and you learn about the guys you're playing with and you get to know their story. That's what it's all about. It's about the family. It's about the friendships that you are going to have for the rest of your lives. I'm always going to come back and remember the times and tell stories about Coach Strong and all the trash he talked to us and all the crazy practices we went through and all the crazy runs and how hot it was outside. All those little things, that's what it's all about. Those are the memories I'll always have.
On the job Coach Strong has done this year with changes that were made: It's been an unbelievable experience. It really has. Coach Strong is a very strong-willed person and if you are not doing something to better your life, he'll let you know it. He's going to help you make sure that you are bettering your life. Him kicking people off the team, they made that decision themselves. He just had to enforce it. We all tried to help. At the end of the day, it was their decision. But under the circumstances, just the way he's handled himself and this team has been absolutely unbelievable.
