by @Alec_Busse
On how Will Howard as changed
I think it’s a materialization of his work, time, how he has broken his game down, attacked the process and how he has continued to improve. It’s him out on Friday morning before we leave to go to TCU getting a 30 minute throwing workout on his own. If there’s one of those, there’s 100. He’s developed true confidence. He’s always been an extremely intelligent player, so it’s been fun to watch him develop and watch him perform and do what we have always known he is capable of.
On starting QB
I think it is going to be about the same as it has been. Both have practiced this week. It will be a game-time decision this week and credit to both of them for how they prepare and I feel at complete peace with both of them.
On how much Martinez has practiced, and if he is a full participant
Yeah, he’s practiced well and is progressing well.
On 4th and 10 decision
We knew we were in that area of the field where there isn’t an easy answer. We knew we were going to go for it and knew we were out of field goal range, so we switched up the call a little bit. It worked out. Credit to Will and Kade [Warner] for making a heck of play.
On Will Howard’s understanding of the timing
I think it’s different for everybody. But it’s not as easy as the really good ones make it look. He made it look easy last week. I think, again, it’s a credit to all those guys. I think a big tell of last week is how we played up front. Because Will got the ball out of his hand, guys go open. It was a collective effort. But they locked them down up front and gave him time to push it downfield. Our receivers, QBs have worked hard to get on the same page, so it’s nice to realize that work.
On the offensive line vs. Oklahoma State
Outstanding. Outstanding. Every unit, we have improved as the season has gone, not that it has been perfect at any phase. But watching how that group is working together, improve, jell, it’s been really good.
On conversation last week about starting QB shortly before the game
It was a heck of a deal because it was one of those things that we wanted one of those guys, whoever it was going to be, to make sure that they were confident and in attack mode and ready to go. I think the selflessness of both those guys in that moment was off the chart. Understanding it was what’s best for the team and with that in both of their minds. Will going to Adrian, ‘Hey, don’t be thinking about me in this decision, it’s about whatever the team needs.’ And Adrian is thinking about whatever the team needs. I don’t think, like I said, it was amazing deal and a credit to both of their character.
On the running game loosening up
I think we are continuing to evolve in some areas. It’s given us some pretty good angles and everything go. I think the biggest thing last week was being able to sustain drives and be able to give ourselves more chances. We said it was going to be critical. We needed some fourth downs to get it done at times, but we were able to do it. All of a sudden we were able to get in more of a rhythm and get some more formations and see how they are lining up and see where we need to take it. It was a game of inches and we were able to find them easy and get it going.
On Texas’ defense
Talented group, obviously. They have great length across the board and they do a really good job staying instead and plugging movement and gaps. They’re secondary is physical. They’ll get their hands on you. It’s going to be a physical ballgame at all three levels. They do a good job schematically and they know where you are trying to attack and are going to go at them, so it’s going to be a challenge for us.
On Deuce Vaughn’s understanding of the offense
It’s off the chart. There was one play that we ended up throwing it to the tight end quickly, but he’s got a fake responsibility and a pass protection responsibility and he knew that interior pressure was coming probably before the ball was snapped. We get up in there and take that backer on head on, things like that. He understands the game, leveraging, angles and he’s one of the best football players I’ve ever been around – top to bottom.
On the WRs improvement
I think they’ve attacked the ball when it’s been in the air. They’ve had no choice. Phillip and the tight end do a great job of prying him open. But that’s a tough catch when you are running and you have to turn around and secure it going to the ground with a guy on you. Those are big plays and finishing catches, finishing plays. They’re always busting their butts in the run game and playing with effort in the blocking stuff. I think being on the same page with the QBs and knowing and understanding how to get open and finishing plays. It’s throwing and catching. It’s protecting. It’s having all three of those in sync.
On Hayden Gillium
He’s had to work and he’s earned everything that he’s received. It hasn’t been by accident. He’s a team guy, so many of our guys are. He has a tremendous work ethic and has made himself the player he is now. Watching that group, they’re so much fun to practice with. Every day you go out to practice field and they’re always smiling, joking around with each other or us. It’s a great group.
On Gillium’s role transition
Those were big shoes to fill, not only from a playing standpoint. But a leadership standpoint, continuity standpoint. I think he’s grown into that as the years have gone on. He’s done a fantastic job.
On using two quarterbacks
I mean, not really opposed to it. I think the biggest thing is making sure that we are still playing well offensively. I think that’s the first goal – we have to be moving the ball and scoring points. I don’t want to use two for 5-10 plays with Will’s current situation. That’s what we’ve done and tried to protect with him and his redshirt. At the end of the day, it’s the team’s success that is the most important.
On health determining who starts at QB and the gameplan
I don’t know if there is just one. It’s probably somewhere in the middle. We will take it as it comes.
On how he views the Oklahoma State game despite shutout
There’s still things we can improve on. We’re always in search of the perfect game and I don’t know if we’re ever going to find it. But I think guys played really hard and gave themselves a chance to be successful and they made plays. So proud of them, fun to watch.
On Duke playing on the DL
That’s something that we’ve always kind of had in the works. We can always use it as an extra rusher if we need to. He has an understanding of defensive end. Gradually, more and more we are trying to get him more and more rushes. That’s been clearer in conference play. We want him doing what he does best, and that is what he does best for sure.
On Daniel Green
He’s been practicing a little bit. He’s going to be day-to-day. Game time decision.
On Nick Allen
Nick was awesome. And we knew he was going to be. He just has total control of the game, total control of what he’s doing. Just vocal kid similar to Daniel Green in a lot of ways. I couldn’t’ be happier for him and how he’s filled in, not only there, but throughout the duration of the TCU game as well.
On Xavier Worthy and Big 12 WRs
I’d have a hard time getting a draft going with those guys. They’re all different, they’re all used differently. They’re all special in their own ways. Worthy’s deal is he’s just incredibly fast, just not nearly as big as the others, but tough to get your hands on him in space. The route concepts that they do with him are a little different than they would do with some of the others. I think he’s got a little bit more in his cache, so to speech, then maybe some of the other guys that are fade ball guys. He’s a special player.
On young players getting reps
Yeah, that was cool to get Krew Jackson some. Kew and guys like Krew, absolutely, Jake Clifton, I thought grew immensely throughout the week from the last Wednesday edition of moving him to MIKE backer as true freshman to be able to know, well, all three linebacker spots and make that change in the middle of the week. Then, go out there and do what he did was pretty incredible. VJ Payne played 25 snaps as a true freshman. Jacob Parrish played 30 snaps as a true freshman, somewhere in that ballpark. So, it was cool to get. Lot of those guys those reps. They’re all good.
On sideline interference flag
I’ll say, it was not me. I don’t know if I should incriminate somebody else. Somebody told me that it was me after the game. I promise, it wasn’t me. I obey coach and his guidelines.
On Texas’ running backs
Unbelievable one-two punch, especially when they are in the game together. I think Roshaun, what he did against us, as the game wore on, he wore us down. We didn’t get to see Bijan down there a year ago when we were down there, but his tape speaks for itself. I don’t know if there is a better tandem in the country. Both of them could be All-Americans anywhere they play. They present problems.
On the wildcat offense
I would think so, at some point. I don’t know if they are going to do it in the frequency that they did it last year. Last year, I think it was 16 snaps in the game that were in the Wildcat. I think they had a short week and a lot of other factors going into that as well. But I don’t know, I think that’s something they are capable of doing. Shoot, Roshaun even threw a couple passes in last year’s game. They have a lot of offense they can do out of that stuff. It would be hard to explain to Arch Manning and all those quarterbacks if you are going to be in Wildcat for 16 snaps a game. I don’t think that’s how they want to make their living. We will be ready to handle it.
On the importance of the secondary in stopping running game
With what we do, that’s what it’s going to come down to a lot of times. Our guys ability to come up from the third level and make those plays. They are part of that run fit and being abel to handle some of the RPO glances and things that they do and everybody does. That’s going to be the cat and mouse game is how we place our pieces and how we attack it.
On playing a team coming of of a bye
It’s a different deal. I was saying earlier that there are two things I don’t love, playing teams the first game of the season and I don’t like playing teams coming off of a bye, especially this late in the year, and especially Texas because I’m sure they have 150 analysts in their offices that are able to sort through a bunch of different things. I think the good and bad of that is sometimes when we come off of a bye, I thought we were in a good rhythm and we had that bye it wasn’t the opportune time for it. But not that we came back any worse. Sometimes it slows down that rhythm too temporarily. It is what it is. Everybody gets a week throughout the course of the year, and it just so long that it doesn’t happen every week, it’s going to happen every so often.
On Ekow Boye-Doe pass interference
I don’t know how you play that any better. When you are totally turned around, have somebody closed off and have your hands in the air ready to catch the ball and you get pulled to the ground and they call you for the flag, I take a little issue with that. I was really happy with the technique that the corners played with down the field. We didn’t come down with any of them, but they did what we thought they would do. They took 5-6 shots throughout the course of the game. It was important to stay on top of those and I thought we did. That was a big difference. That’s who Oklahoma State has beaten people, those chunk fade ball passes. We just didn’t allow them.
On Texas OL
The physicality is something higher than what we’ve seen here. There are pretty good o-lines in the league, but I would put them right up there. Some of those young kids they have are going to be tremendous, tremendous football players. I think philosophically, they want to knock you off the ball. They’re not a waddle and gather operation. Similar to us. We want to get movement at the point of attack and get that back started downhill, and make the cuts from there. That’s the same philosophy that they have. Schematically, different. Philosophically similar.
On Quinn Ewers
It was unfortunate that he missed a couple games. I would like to have a better gauge on that. Missing that time. His arm talent is incredible. With that extra time in the bye week will help him see pictures a bit cleaner. We have to do a good job of mixing ourselves up.
On simulating Bijan Robinson in practice
Ahh, no. I wish I had a great thing for you. We don’t. We tackle. We thud in practice and we do it probably as violently and often as anybody in the country. So I think we are ready for that. Can you simulate that? I don’t know if you can simulate that with a freshman tailback coming downhill. That’s the game. We’re going to have to be ready to take them on physically
