The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tracking the Longhorns: Monday with the media
09.29.2014 | Football
Head coach Charlie Strong and players met with the media
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Coming off a 23-0 road win at Kansas, head coach Charlie Strong and members of the Texas football team met with the media to preview this Saturday's home game vs. Baylor. The Longhorns and Bears are scheduled to meet at 2:30 p.m. CT at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in a contest that will be televised regionally on ABC. Quotes from Strong, senior CB Quandre Diggs, senior WR John Harris, senior LB Jordan Hicks, senior DE Cedric Reed, sophomore QB Tyrone Swoopes and senior S Mykkele Thompson are below.
Head Coach Charlie Strong
Opening statement: Exciting win over Kansas, and yet you look at that game and just defensively when you pitch a shutout and it's a conference game, it's really big, and defensively we went out there and we had many opportunities. We stopped them three times on 4th down.
Then, offensively it's all about consistency. You look at the first half and I told them we left 17 points on the field, drove the ball down there the one time and then we fumbled on a quarterback center exchange. But just offensively we just have to continue to get better and we've just got to find a way to run the football. We know this: We know that it's going to have to come down to sometimes setting the run up by throwing the football, and that's what we're going to do if that's the way we're going to run the ball. But it's all about just developing that consistency on the offense.
Then you see the special teams getting the return yardage and watching [Jaxon] Shipley get open, and we had the two penalties there on the one big return, but just to see the positive yards and get the field flipped for our offense.
We know this: It's a big test this week. Really unbelievable football team, and I look at Baylor, and they're, what, the No. 6 ranked team in the country, No. 1 in offense, scoring offense and total offense, and they just generate points. It's almost like watching a video game. You watch a play and it's a touchdown there, and then the next time they come back up, hand the ball off, then they go score another touchdown. The quarterback is an unbelievable player, Heisman candidate. Coach Briles has done an unbelievable job with that program. So it's going to be a major test for us, and we're going to have to play well. We're going to have to play above our heads, going to have to play a step faster for us to go out and get it done.
On if running into eight- and nine-man fronts pretty strongly was a built in attitude or just who they are: Well, that's just who we are. You had to build that attitude, though, also, because you talk about an eight-nine-man front, we're going to load the box with teams also loading the box against us and not allowing us to run the ball. We know if we're going to stop the run, we've got to load it up, too.
On what a fair expectation for the young offensive line's growth going forward: Well, you'd like to think that each and every week they'd get better and better, and you're right, this is a young and inexperienced line. But also, we can take pressure off that line because just by throwing the football you can open up the run game because now you make people defend the pass and you make big plays in the passing game. That's why I always talk to our wide receivers about if you catch a 5-yard hitch or a 10 yard, any type of crossing route, let's try to turn it into a big play. Then, we can get the [line]backers to loosen up some and then we can pull the pressure off of the run game so now it can enable us to run the ball.
On how did it feel to win as the underdog and what their approach is for this week: Well, they're really good. I don't know what's the spread. [On a couple touchdowns] Oh, wow, they're something. (Laughter). They deserve every bit of it. But if you watch that team, it just amazes you to see how that team has developed over the last three or four years, and just this season with the quarterback and just the threats they have with the wide receiver position when you look outside at [KD] Cannon. And then on defense, [Bryce] Hager does a great job in the middle of just directing that defense where you have good strong leadership out of him. But they play so well, they play as a team, but that's just the build where he's built that team and he's built it together. That's probably why we're sitting where we are and that's where they are where they are right now with the No. 1 offense in the country.
On if he plays the underdog card: Well, I don't have a choice. I'm a 14 point underdog, 14 point spread right now. We're going to have to play really well. We're going to have to play really well to be in the ballgame.
On how does Baylor create so many explosive plays: Well, what they do is they win in the outside lanes, so they have those wide receivers, so if you watch, they'll run at a side play, they may get four or five yards; they run another play, they may get four or five. All of a sudden, safeties get overanxious trying to run up and stop the run, then there goes one up over their head. But the receiver is so fast, he can lay the ball out there, and the quarterback is once he gets where he needs to get to, three step [drop], five step, whatever it is, he's letting the ball go, and they have not given up a sack all year because he's releasing the ball, getting it out of his hands.
On any update on Desmond Harrison: There's no update. We're going to sit down and have a discussion not only with Desmond, with Daje [Johnson] this week, also, and just see where they are.
On if Shawn Watson thinks he is getting the most out of the offense or it's not acceptable: Well, it's what we have right now, and that's all we have. If you look at it, and I'll just say that probably one of our biggest losses was when we lost [Dominic] Espinosa in the middle because now you add a backup right there to the center position, which is a critical position. I always talk about just being an anchor down the middle. You lose him, then you lose your quarterback. So now you're coming up with a backup quarterback in [Tyrone] Swoopes and then you have a backup center in [Jake] Raulerson. Now you look outside where we were hoping we would have our strength, and right now you're taking [Kent] Perkins, you have to put him at tackle—which he's doing well—but that's not what he is. So it's what he has right now. He's getting the best out of it, and that's why I said, the wide receiver position is where you'd like to win more, but the running backs, you just can't get it really going for them because you have two really good running backs because up front you're not winning at the line of scrimmage.
On what makes Baylor different or distinctive as the up-tempo spread team and what problems do they present: Well, it's similar to that Oklahoma team. You're just looking at Oklahoma, you have [Sam] Bradford, you have Petty at quarterback, they had [Jermaine] Gresham, the tight end there, but then they had the outside receivers, which Baylor has right now. But what it is: When you're talking about up-tempo, they're on the ball so quickly, they're just running plays, and they score it so quick that even when you try to match what really happens a lot of times, when you try to match score for score, you can't match score for score. So when your offense goes out there, you then try to match them, and then you're off the field in a minute or two minutes. Then they come back out and they don't need the rest, now all of a sudden, they're back on the field, and boom, a run here, and it's a big chunk.
It's chunk yardage that is really a problem for the defenses. Now, we're going to give up some plays, but we have to line back up and get ready to go play again, where one chunk can't lead to another chunk, then boom, it's a touchdown. It's a 40-yard pass and there goes a 20, touchdown, then you come back next series and the same thing happens again. We're just going to have to line up. It's all about giving them different looks and being able to adjust off of what they give you and making sure that we don't let them get the run game and the pass game going because if you're allowed to run the football and throw the football, it's going to be a very long day out there.
On what the best quality of Bryce Petty is: Well, he's the leader of that team, and the thing he does, as I said earlier, he releases the ball and he hasn't taken any sacks, but he's just so heady, he knows exactly where to put it. It's amazing to watch them because you can watch the one side and the receivers do nothing. They'll run off the ball and stop, and they're working to the front side, and it's almost like, stop us, because the ball is coming over here, and we're just seeing if you're good enough to go cover us and stop us. Then he releases the ball out there and it's a big gain, whereas these two guys just kind of stand there, the next time it's their turn, so these guys, you rest this play, now we're going to throw it over here. It's not hard.
On if he reminds him of any quarterback he has seen in the past: You know, he kind of reminds me when I was at Florida. He kind of reminds me of Danny Wuerfful, just how smart he is, where he places the ball, doesn't make mistakes with the football, and just how he runs that offense. He kind of reminds me a lot of Danny.
On if their defense is being overshadowed by their offense and if the offense is able to keep the air out of the ball and keep Baylor off the field: Well, if you look at them defensively, I think they're ranked very high with sacks; they're playing very well on defense. I think that's been what their Achilles heel in the past was, that they haven't been able to match it, but they're matching it very well right now. They're playing pretty good defense. Then, with us being able to take the air out of the ball, it's all about will we get scoring opportunities. We're going to have to score with the football, too, because we know we're going to have to score some points. I think this team is averaging around 50 points a game, 600 yards of offense. We're going to have to generate some points in order to even stay in the game.
On if they can get into a track meet with Baylor at this point if they need to: No, we can't get into a track meet, and we know that as a staff. There's no way. We can't generate the points to get into a track meet with Baylor at all because like I said, we can't allow them to just take the ball and go drive and score within two minutes and then we come back over. I was watching, they were playing someone, I can't remember exactly the team, but you look at the scoreboard and Baylor scored and then they get the ball back, and only a minute and 10 seconds goes off the clock with the other offense, with the opposing team's offense, and then they go down there and they score again. I was like, oh, that's going to make for a really long day. You can see why they get the scores that they get on people, because you just can't match it.
On if it's the offense he wants to run or if it is what Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline wants to run: The offense, that's their offense, and it's everyone's offense, it's not just like it's Shawn's and Joe's and mine. We've all sat down, so the issue is not just what we're running, it's the personnel we have right now to run the offense that we're running.
On chunk yardage and how they are going to get to that: We're going to have to generate chunk yardage, and that's just got to come from can we protect the quarterback to get the ball released down the field or to get those big yardage plays and then can guys break tackles. Even with Baylor, they'll throw some up over your head, but you'll watch a wide receiver catch a ball and then all of a sudden he'll catch it outside and cut the ball back across the green. Now all of a sudden, he's off and running and nobody is going to run him down; that creates big chunk yardage for them, because it's not where they just run it back and throw the ball 80 yards down the field. It's nothing like that. It may be a 15-yard out cut, then all of a sudden a missed tackle, and then it's off and running, and not many people are catching him.
On if he feels like it is going to help them with the competition they have played: I don't think that comes into play at all, because still, at the end of the day, they're running their offense and their defense is playing well. It's all about just playing to your level of competition, where they're not playing down to their level of competition. You think about it, when they play a team, they're going to blow them out, and they don't care who they're playing.
On the things that didn't work on Saturday with the speed option, did he reevaluate that and go back to the drawing board: Well, what happened with the speed is it's all about getting it checked to the right side because you like to run it into pressure. One time we ran it away from the pressure, and then they're standing there with two guys to the outside, so you're not going to have success. If you run into the pressure, then if a guy takes a quarterback and he pitches it, he has a chance to go off and run it. You always have a chance to reevaluate it, look at it on tape, and see what we could have done better.
On if he thinks these types of offenses show tendencies that they can take advantage of: No, what you have to do is you're going to have to get lined up. Just make sure that you're lined up and not giving them anything because what happens a lot of times with these type of offenses, if they have success, you're going to see that same play again. If it's a 20 yarder, the next play you're going to get the same play. If you don't stop it, then you're going to get it again. It's about us just getting lined up on defense and not giving up those plays, making sure that, hey, guys, we have to be smart about how we play.
On if knowing Baylor hasn't had as much competition thus far will give them an advantage on Saturday: I hope it gives us a little hope. I don't know how much, you know 14 points. But no, it's just going to come down to we have to go play; we have to go play well. We know what we're playing against, so it's all about us playing well. I look at last year, and I think at halftime we go in and the score was 3-3, and then they throw a slant route, two slants for a touchdown, then we throw a pick six for a touchdown, and all of a sudden the game is over with. That's the type of plays we can't give up where it's a slant, a touchdown, another slant, a touchdown, and then we turn the ball over. You've got to just play smart football. It was almost like you like to say, hey, can we not turn it over, can we just make sure that we move the ball and just keep it away from them.
On the punt return instead of punt block and if he can see himself running the up-tempo offense: Well, the first one with the punt return question is that last week we had tried to block the punt and we ended up with two penalties. We thought that we could return the punts because of what they were doing. We felt like the middle of the field because with their punt protection, had they just covered to the outside and left the middle of the field wide open, so I said, we just walled them to the outside and get [Jaxon] Shipley down the middle then we're going to get big yardage there.
Then, when you talk about up-tempo, we mix it in some with our offense. We'll mix in some up-tempo. It's not that we're just forced into saying we're an up-tempo team because it just depends on what you have and everyone's philosophy.
On what kind of input NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was looking for: know you'd asked me that question on Saturday; I did not have a scheduled meeting with him at all. I know [NFL executive vice president of football operations] Troy Vincent, and I was in the office and Troy called me yesterday and said, "Are you in the office?" I said yeah. I didn't even know he was coming here. There was a lady that called from I think the Center for Violence Against Women. There's a lady in Florida that runs the center in Louisville, and she's the one that called me and told me he was going to come on that day and that would I have a chance, I think he may have spoken here Saturday night, and I said, "No, I have a game on Saturday, I don't think I'll be back from that game." They stopped by yesterday. It was just all about what we talked about; just trying to build a relationship with the college coaches, just talk about just dealing with young people, trying to make sure that we help them and learn all about character, and picking the right people. Then just how do we deal with some of the issues that we're dealing with right now on this level.
On what he saw at Kansas that can translate to help them at Baylor: Well, if you look at us on defense, we're going to have to get aligned on defense, and we've just got to make sure that we try not to give up the big play. Then, offensively we're going to have to move the ball. It's so important on offense that we have to win on first down. This is so we don't get behind the chains, so when we get into a third down situation—because they're so good on rushing the passer—I think they have 18 sacks, that we don't put that burden on our offensive line where they've got to lock the good outside rushers that they have. It's got to be a total team effort. We're going to have to play well on offense, we're going to have to play well on defense and special teams. This is one of those games where fundamentals and technique really come into play. It's just playing smart, being smart as a football team.
On if this is the kind of challenge that excited him when he took the job: Well, I didn't think I would have UCLA, then I would take Kansas, then Baylor, then Oklahoma the following week. I think I'm going to have the same questions next week. But no, it is. That's what this program is all about, and it's why you're here. We have a big time program ourselves.
On if the numbers Baylor puts up keeps him up at night: Well, it's going to keep us up at night trying to figure out a way to stop it. It is. It's a challenge. It's a challenge for our team, too, and our players; they know what Baylor is all about. They play them each and every year, but they understand just the focus; the preparation and focus has to be there this week.
On Teddy Bridgewater leading the Minnesota Vikings to victory and if he was proud of him: I didn't see much of it. I spoke to Teddy last night around 10:00, and he was very happy. He said, "Well, Coach, I've got to play on Thursday." I think they play, what, Green Bay on Thursday, so he says he's got to bounce back. But just to see him have the success he had, and I thought about last season when everybody kept saying he's dropping, he's dropping, he's dropping, but he's right where he wanted to be because he's one of those guys that likes to play that underdog role.
On how he feels like in state recruiting is going so far: Well, the thing about in state recruiting, there's a lot of players that have not made a decision yet. We're right where we need to be, it's just that we need to close out some guys, and that's going to happen a lot sooner than later. With the in state recruiting, we're just out there continuing to recruit, and we're going to recruit. We recruit each and every day, and that won't ever change because in order to change this program we have to get us some top players in here.
On the offensive philosophy he has as a head coach and what ideally the Charlie Strong offense looks like: Well, when you look at offense, you talk to any coach, probably the first thing you want to do is try to establish the run game. It's about getting the run game going. Then I always have an opportunity because it's going to enable me to throw the ball. Whatever it may be, because some coaches, they want to throw the ball to set up the run or they'll run the ball to set up the pass, and it just depends on what you have and what you're working with right now. I think back last year when Arkansas, when [Bret] Bielema took that job and everybody kept saying at Arkansas what he can do, and now you look at him this year and he's rushing the ball and Boston College is rushing the ball. It just depends on your players and the personnel, and not so much we could do what we were doing, but like I said, when you lose [Dominic] Espinosa, then you lose your starting quarterback in [David] Ash and Tyrone [Swoopes] is playing very well right now for the position that he's been placed in, and we're going to get better on offense. We're still four games into the season.
On what else he is telling the team to make them think they can get the job done this week: Well, I don't have to say too much because I think they have a lot of respect for Baylor and they play them each and every year. You look at some of our guys who's been here four or five years, they understand how important this game is and where it is. Like yesterday we had a chance to go out and just loosen up some, and you can just tell, when you play teams like the Baylor's, it's just a totally different vibe from the players. It's not as much joking around because they understand if you don't play well, you can get totally embarrassed out there, too.
On the rebuilt offensive line and how does he evaluate Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray when the holes aren't there: It's just so hard for those two right now because it's all about putting a body on someone and we're not always getting a body on someone. It's so tough to evaluate those two running backs. I know they may get frustrated at times by where we are right now, and that offensive line is going to have to continue to develop each and every game and just get better and better.
On now that more time has passed, has he seen senior leadership and things change in the locker room that he has wanted to see: Well, you go back to the UCLA game: they came out, it's all about guys playing hard. And that one burned, so when you get a game that really burned you like that one burned, then you can say they're really getting it now. Then to lose that one, then to go through another weekend, then to bounce back against Kansas and go shut them out, this is going to be a good one for us. Now we're coming back home where we were embarrassed the last time, and this will be a really good test for us.
On the outside linebacker position: When you're talking about the "fox" position, it's an outside linebacker, and it's a stand up guy that you can rush or you can drop him into pass coverage. (Caleb) Bluiett is an unbelievable athlete, and he's one of those guys who can actually rush when we need him to rush and then he can cover. What happens at that position is they try to get a one-on-one match up, and that's because we zone blitz a lot, so when we zone blitz we have to drop Bluiett into coverage. People are running wheel routes, and what I mean by a wheel route is a back is coming out of the backfield, so they're trying to get the one-on-one match-up, and he's doing a really good job of handling. It's kind of a hybrid position for guys that are really athletic and guys that can put their hand down and go rush the passer. Then they can stand up in coverage and drop, that's really what you're looking for. You look at Bluiett and Shiro [Davis] who are doing a really good job.
On how it hit him, personally, that Goodell wanted to talk to him about his core values: Well, it was big. Not that they'll try to make a big deal about it because it was more than being about our core values, we also talked about the character of athletes. I said to him that what is happening in the NFL is we're sending you some players of questionable character, and then you give them a lot of money. It's just like anything else, if you give somebody who has bad character a lot of money, that's just more of a situational problem. Now you have a guy with a lot of money, and he's not making the right decisions. We have to do a better job in college of preparing these young men and doing a better job with their character and just teaching them how to act. A lot of times when a young man knows that you care about him and he can trust you, then you'll get a lot of things accomplished. I said, you have to develop a relationship. It doesn't matter what level they are at, they're all still looking for discipline, and you have to discipline players. They're looking for it. When you have 95 percent that are doing it right and there's 5 percent that aren't, then they're looking at you like what are we going to do about it. If we're going to continue to let this happen, why are you going to say what you're going to do and you don't even do it?
On deep shots with Tyrone and how he has developed since he became QB and how that is going to slow down Baylor: We've got to throw the ball deep. One time he let one go, and I told Marcus [Johnson] to just run because he's going to outrun you. I said, Marcus thinks he can run. I said, no, just run because Tyrone is going to get the ball out there to you and just go get it. But any time it's there and we feel like we can go and that our receivers are fast enough to run and go get it, we're going to lay it out there. This also loosens up the DBs because a lot of them are sitting down on routes because we're not being a threat, but when we get the threat we're getting the ball down the field. They were there Saturday, it was just a matter of Tyrone staying in there. A lot of times a quarterback flushes when they don't need to flush. You may take a hit, but just stand in there and let it go.
On how impressed he has been with Jordan Hicks and how critical he is: He is unbelievable. He has had an unbelievable year, and he's so critical. Now, with Jordan, I can look to him because he's going to get the defense lined up, and he's making plays for us. But the thing about him is that he's playing so hard. I mean, I look at Saturday, he came running out of the game, and I asked what was wrong. He said he thought he felt something. I said, "Oh, man, come on. You cannot sit out. You have to get to the trainer right away because you have to play." He wants to do well, and he's playing at that level, also. I think he may have been [Big 12]Defensive Player of the Week, which is an honor that he really deserved because it's just so fun to watch him right now.
On the TE position and how it will help your run game with Greg Daniels back: The tight end position is critical because we play with a lot of tight ends, and we do use the tight end to try to cut. People bring us so much pressure off the edge, that you put that tight end at that position so he can block the edge rushing and not allow them to come. You look at [M.J.] McFarland catching another ball, and Tyrone's great job on that with pressure coming right at him. He just threw the ball back in the end zone, and then [M.J.] comes down with the catch. But getting Greg Daniels back really helps us because now we have four tight ends that you can move around because we're in and out of different sets and just different personal groupings - just trying to mix it up on offense.
Senior CB Quandre Diggs
On if he looks forward to Baylor's passing attack like he did against UCLA: No doubt. It's not going to change, and it won't change while I'm here. That's just what the Big 12 is about. I've been in this conference for four years now, so I'm used to it.
On the biggest challenge for him this week: Just being disciplined with my eyes. I'm a guy that likes to go out and make plays, so I just have to be disciplined, continue to just do what I'm supposed to do and not try to do too much.
On the key to the first half last year in Waco, keeping that game as close as it was: Everybody doing their job. That's usually what playing great defense is about. We didn't miss many tackles the first half. We kept those guys in line. We just didn't come out with that same focus in the second half. We've got to continue to work on that.
On how much the guys think about the fact that they were 30 minutes away from winning the Big 12 Championship last year: You still think about it, but it's a new year and you've got to let those things go and just focus on this new task at hand.
On if the Kansas win helps the guys prepare for Baylor at all or if they're too different to compare them: I think getting the win against Kansas was more of a confidence booster. It seems like guys got confidence just knowing we can go out and play and have fun. They're two totally different teams, and these guys that we're going to go up against this week, they're supposed to be the best in the country. So we'll go out and see.
On the role Jordan Hicks plays on the defense: He plays a big role. He's a guy that you can look over on the field and you know he's going to do the right thing. He's in every play, and he's a leader for us, and we're just proud to have him this year. He's been a tremendous boost to the whole team. The energy that he brings each and every day, each and every game, we just want to go out and continue to have fun and just continue to have him around us.
On what it means to him to see what Jordan Hicks has went through these last few years with the season-ending injuries to come out as strong as he has: It was tough because me and Jordan, we've been good friends since I've been here. Just him going through those things, a guy that loves to compete and go out and just play the game the way he does, it's hard to see somebody, one of your brothers go out like that. You just pray each and every day that he can stay healthy and just continue to help us grind throughout the season.
On what makes Baylor QB Bryce Petty so successful and how is he different from other quarterbacks he's faced: He can make all the throws. Also, he's a great competitor. You can see it each and every game he goes out and plays. He competes. He wants to be the best. You can only respect a guy like that and just going out and just watching him on film, you know that he has that offense down. He can make each and every throw, and he knows exactly where his receivers are going to be.
On what it means for Charlie Strong to have a chance to meet Roger Goodell and what it means for the program as a whole to have someone that nationally prominent to be here: I think it's a boost for us because the NFL commissioner is coming down here to meet with our head coach to try to get some feedback on some of the things he's doing here. I haven't seen him meet with any other college programs. I can only think that would be a plus. Try to get some ideas of what Coach Strong is putting in. Those five core values are things that you grew up with your whole life, so it should be something that is instilled in every man, every person. I think that's a big plus, and I think guys should pay attention to that because Coach Strong is obviously doing the right things here.
Senior WR John Harris
On if it is a fair statement that they can't get into a track meet with Baylor or generate their offense: Scoring points; that's what it's going to take. Execution, you're just going to have to execute when you get down in the red zone and make plays on that defense. That's what it's all about. You've just got to make plays when you get the opportunity to make plays. That's how you generate points.
On if they can generate 40-45 points: I don't know. That's a tough question to answer. Anybody can generate 40 or 45 points, it just depends on how well you play that week. That's what it's going to be about. It's going to be about execution and just whenever you get in the red zone you've got to convert on those big plays and make those plays count.
On what he has been doing that has been working: Just going against those DBs every day in practice, that's a physical group right there. Quandre [Diggs] and [Duke] Thomas, those are some physical cornerbacks. I think that helps me a lot, playing against them in practice, and just trying to finish plays. I'm a big body guy, and that's just something that I take pride in.
On the deep ball and what it is going to take for this offense to get that offense: We showed a little bit of that this week. We took some shots down the field. You've just got to capitalize on that more. I mean, I think we're pretty sure we're going to open it up a lot more this week, same as we did against Kansas, but whenever we get the opportunity we've got to make those plays at wide receiver.
On what they were able to do against Kansas that will translate to Baylor: Just taking shots down the field and maybe get a little bit more respect, get those corners to back off a little bit and get in a rhythm more like we want to as an offense. We got going there in the first half, had two really good drives, and then just lost the fumble on the snap and didn't score. Stuff like that I think can help us a lot. Just finishing those drives with points on the board is key.
On if being an underdog helps motivate them: You've always got to feel like you have a chance. If you don't feel like that, then you've already defeated yourself. People have doubted us all year long, people doubted us last year. We're not worried about what anybody else says, we're just going to go out there and play football.
On Baylor's defense: We really haven't got into Baylor yet. We haven't really watched film on them yet. They play great defense. That offense helps them out a lot, too, scoring points. You've just got to stay on the field and keep that offense off the field. I think that's what it's going to be about. It's about getting first downs and keeping the drive alive to keep that Baylor offense off the field.
On being a senior and how satisfying it is with the success he is having: It's good for me. I've been here a long time and I've had little to no success, so having the success that I'm having right now is great. I just want to keep it going, try to help our team keep winning and try to move forward in the Big 12.
Senior LB Jordan Hicks
On if that was the best he's ever played in a single game or close to it: Yeah, I mean, so far. It was a great team win. I was just out there trying to do everything I could to get it. I played well, and the defense did, as well. It's not just me, but it's everybody.
On being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week: It meant a lot. It's a great honor, but just a lot of good football players in this conference, so to be recognized for my play this past week is definitely an honor.
On how much of a relief the win over Kansas was and how big it was for them: Yeah, it's definitely big. We understand the road that's ahead of us, so we had to get started somewhere. It was a tough two weeks, and we had to get this one under our belt and make sure that we came out and played well, and we did that and hopefully got the ball rolling for this coming week and for what we have for the rest of the season.
On how critical he is to the success of the defense right now: It's not just me. If you look at the film, if you look at the tape, Steve [Edmond] is out there calling, Malcom [Brown] is down there telling everybody what to do on the D-line, as well. It's not just me. I think we have a lot of guys that can step in and play well at the Will [linebacker] position. It's not just me at all.
On what the key to containing Baylor is: I think it's the same as every week. It's execution. We're going to go in with a great game plan, and if we can go out there and execute that game plan, we'll be fine. Everybody has to be on the same page. Everybody has to read their keys, from the D-line to the DBs and everywhere in between. You've got to make sure you're on point and reading everything, because if not they're going for a big play in an instant. We've all got to be on the same page.
On if Baylor's offense is like any others they have faced: Yeah, just their consistency with how good they've been over the past few years has been tremendous, and that's a tribute to them and their coaching staff and the players they have. They're a great offense definitely.
On having the challenge to slow down one of the top offenses in the country: It's a great opportunity for us. I think right now, [Baylor is] No. 7 in the country or something, one of the top teams in the country. Offense is up there, one of the top offenses. As a defense we see it as a challenge. They're going to come into our house and try and put points up on us. Definitely they're going to try and put points up on us without a doubt. We're going to take that into consideration this week and make sure that we're doing everything that we can to make sure that doesn't happen.
On if there is anything physically different about them: I think it's just how they execute. I keep coming back to that word, but they've done a great job executing their game plan and making sure that they're doing everything right. They've got players that can go for big, big plays in an instant, like I said, and if you mess up on defense, they're going to do that.
On how important it is for the front seven to put pressure on the offense: Yeah, I think that's a huge deal. If you keep [Baylor QB] Bryce Petty back there unprotected through the whole game, he's not going to feel any pressure. If their offensive line is doing that great of a job, he's back there just making every throw he can. We've got to make sure we don't let him get in a rhythm because once they get in a rhythm, they're stacking points on us. It's going to be huge for our front seven this game.
On how they are going to take what they learned last year with playing Baylor and translate it to this year: Well, first we've just got to make sure we play a full game. I feel like this past game we played pretty well as a whole throughout the entire game, but the first few games we didn't play very well in that second half, and in order for us to beat this team, we're going to have to play great defense and great offense throughout the entire game. I think that's probably the big thing.
On what it means to them that Robert Goodell wanted to talk to Coach Strong: Everybody respects Coach Strong, and I think that's evident. The values that he's brought in aren't really anything new, but he shows the ability to stand by them and not bend or fold just because a player is a good athlete or a good player. He shows the ability to stand by what he believes, and I think that's showing respect. He's shown respect not only in this locker room but across the country, and to have Roger Goodell in here is a pretty big deal.
On how tough Baylor's offense is going to be on him: Yeah, it's going to be tough. So far I haven't watched too much of them, but from what I know in the past and previous years, it's been tough. There's a lot of eye candy stuff, but they'll come down and hit you and run the ball right at you, and they've got big O-linemen that know how to block and get downhill on you, and their running backs are also very good. Everybody is going to have to be on point, and I think that's going to be the name of the game.
Senior DE Cedric Reed
On his role in making Baylor QB Bryce Petty uncomfortable: My role and the whole defensive line's role is to get him uncomfortable. Their offense is run through him; he's successful on offense. If we make him uncomfortable, I think we have a good chance of going in there and slowing down their offense.
On the challenge Baylor's offense will provide: It's a big challenge. I think the offense hasn't given up a sack. Bryce Petty hasn't let anybody sack him. He gets the ball out fast. If anybody gets close to him, I think he's throwing it out of bounds - he definitely doesn't take any hits. I think it's going to be a big challenge just for us to get after him. In our game plan, Coach Bedford will have a lot of blitzes dialed up for him just to make him uncomfortable, and I think that's the formula to win this game.
On Baylor's running game: With a team that's passing like them and then they come back and hit us probably with a draw or a little simple run, it's definitely hard trying to read all of that. Their o-linemen, they have wide stances, which is really hard to read because the gaps are so big. It's kind of like what [Texas] Tech used to do a long time ago. It's definitely difficult to read.
On Baylor defeating Texas last season and taking the Big 12 title: We don't really think about it that much; we don't really talk about it that much. We just say we were 30 minutes from having a Big 12 Championship and going to the Fiesta Bowl. That's all we do. We don't put a mark on it as Baylor or anything like that, but just to ourselves, we know that we were 30 minutes away from it. We have a chance to do the same.
On using last season's defeat as extra motivation: No extra motivation. The extra motivation is to get after the quarterback because he's had no sacks.
On pressure on the d-line to get to Petty: Every week there's a lot of pressure on us because we're the front line of the defense. But this week it's going to be extra - like I said, I just learned that they haven't given up any sacks, and I'm already ready to go play. It's confidence boosting to know that.
Senior S Mykkele Thompson
On if Baylor's successful receivers change the outlook this week: As a DB, we just have to bring our "A" game no matter who's out there. We can't let up because the personnel changes or anything.
On containing Baylor's spread attack: This game is all about technique and eye discipline, so we just have to make sure our eyes are in the right place and we're playing the right techniques on whoever we're guarding.
On whether the defense will seek more help offensively against Baylor: As a defensive player, we're just trying to keep them at a minimum of points, so we're not really asking for the offense to do more than what they've been doing because they're going to get their part done. Our thing is we just have to play like our backs are on the ropes from the get-go. That's what kind of game we want; that's the kind of game we have to act like we're playing.
On Baylor keeping Texas from the Big 12 title last season: That's something you never forget, so you just try throughout this week to work hard to make sure you have an opportunity to change that.
On what makes Bryce Petty successful: He's a smart quarterback. He has some great receivers and a great o-line. He's also a dual threat. He's pretty much a [jack] of many trades, I guess you can say.
On importance of Jordan Hicks' leadership: He's leading by example. He's making plays out there, and also he's a vocal leader. That's always something that you need in a defense. He's the heart and soul of the defense. He's in between the defensive line and the secondary, so somebody like that that makes plays and is able to back it up. That's something that we all look up to, and we respect that.
On respect for Hicks' comebacks from season-ending injuries: It just shows you his work ethic. He never gave up on us and never gave up on his dream. You can tell how important this game is to him, and it's really showing.
On importance of playing well for the home crowd: Any time we can get a fast start and get our crowd to buy into what we're doing and to feed off of us, it's always a good advantage. It's always hard playing on the road whenever you can't do anything about the crowd, and the crowd is really into the game.
