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Nov. 26, 2010

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes |  Photo Gallery 

TEXAS COACHES
Head Coach Mack Brown
On the swing in momentum at the end of the first half: I felt like we should have been ahead 14-0 at the half. That's what was so disappointing. We had the ball at the nine yard line going in. We fumble it, then they have an 80-yard run about three plays later. That's a 14-point exchange. It's right at the end of the half. We could have taken the ball in at half with a 14-point lead and been in great shape with a lot of momentum.

We came back to start the third quarter - it was a disaster for the offense to give up two turnovers the first two series. I was proud of the guys that they kept playing. They didn't give up. They didn't let up as tough as this year has been and as many bad things that happened to them during the game. Then we had a fair catch we didn't catch that rolled down to the one [yard line]. They had the wind in the third quarter and that was a big factor. Then we get the turnover and come back and score. Then we kick off and didn't kick the ball well. It was in the middle. It was supposed to be on the left side. They run it back to the 50. The next play they break a one play touchdown. They had two big runs that really hurt us.

I thought we were inconsistent offensively. We obviously had a chance to win the game at the end there and didn't and gave up some big plays on defense. That's kind of the theme of the year. I'm proud of the guys. I'm proud that they played hard. I'm proud that they didn't give up. I'm proud of the crowd that they hung in with us. It's been a hard year on the crowd, too. I thought everybody tried tonight and tried hard and just didn't get it done at the end.

On his thoughts about the season: I think [it's] just disappointing. You can say a lot of words. It's not our standard at all. It was obvious tonight that our players are as good as theirs. I think it goes back on coaches. It's not talent. We had our chances to win the game. People have said it's talent. It's not.

On how long it will take him to get over this season: I think I'll try to wait until Monday. If not, there's a lot of evaluation that has to be done on players and coaches and staff. I have a lot of work to do here. There's no timeframe on it, no timetable. I thought we'd be going to a bowl, so I thought it would wait until after the bowl game. Now it obviously looks like we're not. I'll get started on it Monday.

On what he told the team in the locker room: I told them that I was proud of the seniors because they could have laid down and quit. There weren't many of them, but they kept fighting. After Iowa State, we were kind of all over the place, and guys didn't play very hard in that game. That was a critical week. The seniors stepped up. From that point on they played really well. I was proud of them. They won 50 games for the five-year seniors. They won 40 games for the four-year seniors. It's the best academic group that we've had. Not one kid has gotten in any trouble all year. Off the field they've been great. I felt like that the rest of us - coaches and younger players - let the seniors down, really, that we didn't help them get to the standard that Texas is used to.

On his evaluation process of the coaches: They'll go recruiting - some of them tomorrow. I don't know when I'll get to meet with them because recruiting is priority right now. I'll meet with each one of them. I'll meet with each staff member. I'll probably go meet with all the players. I don't know if I'll be able to do that individually until the first of the year. Then whatever decisions will be made, I'll make them. I'm very luck that [Athletic Director] DeLoss [Dodds] and [University President] Bill Powers trust me to do the things that I need to do to fix things.

On moving on from this season: What you can do, you can head two ways with a negative year: you can lay down and feel sorry for yourself or you can go back to work and learn from it and make everything better. Hopefully that's what will happen. We'll tighten everything up.

On the emotional reaction to this season: I thought we'd come out of the national championship game okay. It seemed like there was a hangover. I said from the first scrimmage of the year that I didn't see what I wanted, and at Rice I walked out of there mad. There were some things that were flawed. That's what I've got to figure out - what we missed. That's the coaches' job. That's my job. Why didn't they play with emotion early? Why didn't we play better? Why didn't we score points like we had? Why did we give up too many big plays on defense? Why was our kicking game inconsistent when we had really good players, and I thought it would be the best we'd ever had? Those are the things that are puzzling and will be on my shoulders to look at.

On what he's learned from this season: I've learned I don't like losing. It's been 20 years since I haven't been to a bowl.

On if the team would accept a bowl invitation at 5-7: I think it's something that none of us have ever even heard of or thought of. I think it would be up to DeLoss [Dodds] and Bill Powers. If it did arise and they called me next week and said, "If you want to go, we can go." I think that what I would do is ask the players to vote. I wouldn't want to go and have them not want to go.

On if he feels like he needs to make changes to the staff: What I will do is take my time and evaluate the coaches and the staff and each player and everything that we're doing. At that time I'll be able to make the conscious decision on what's best for the program.

Final statement to the media: Thank you all. You've been great. You all helped me through a tough year. I know it's your job to analyze. I haven't read or watched everything you've said, but whatever you've said was fair. You've treated me with a lot of class and a lot of professionalism. I appreciate that. I know sometimes you don't think that I do, but I do. Thank you all.

Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis
On the turnovers: They are costly. We all know how important turnovers are, and we started the second half with two and put our defense in a bind. We had to fight uphill from there. Turnovers and explosive plays are the key to any ballgame.

On the importance of scoring points: Obviously, we did not score. The most important thing for an offense to do has nothing to do with rushing or passing or anything else. It is to score points. We fell far below what we have become accustomed to in scoring points. That is the most disappointing thing is, we did not score enough points offensively.

On building a program: The thing that Coach Brown has done for 13 years is try and build a program, not a team. I think our program has a solid foundation. This was obviously a disappointing season, and some of these things are correctable. They are things that we will begin immediately trying to get corrected as we head into the offseason.

On Texas A&M DE Von Miller: Von Miller is an outstanding player. He has a great first step. Most of the night we tried to chip with a back or slide to him, but he is a great player. When you have players like that they are going to make some plays.

Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp
On the two big runs by A&M RB Cyrus Gray:  The first one we overran the play. We got cut out of the backside in the middle of our defense. That happened too many times this year. We didn't leverage it right coming out of the top end. The ball cut back, and we over pursued it with two guys run blocking the point. The second touchdown was a draw, and we were in the three down look and we felt good about our run box and we took the bait on the draw set by the offensive line. [They] ran up the field and opened up a huge hole.

On if allowing big plays this season is frustrating:  What's frustrating is losing. That certainly contributed to it.
  
On if the safeties being close to the line during big runs is part of the game plan: No, we're trying to stop the run. We're trying to outnumber the box. In order to do that, you tighten the safeties alignment and leverage the ball the correct way and don't get cut out of the backside.  There are a lot of things going into playing a run other than just one alignment. It's not one thing, I wouldn't say. We've just got to play better.

TEXAS PLAYERS
LB Emmanuel Acho
On what is going through his mind: I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed for the seniors, I'm extremely disappointed for my brother. But you take it and move on.

On how to move on: First, you have to get over the disappointment. Then you start back grinding and make sure everybody gets healthy, and we just have to get back on it.

On never being in this situation before: I think it has been acknowledged. Everybody knows that and that is a good thing, because everybody knows it is not acceptable around here. So we will make sure to get it fixed and make sure it doesn't happen next year.

DE Sam Acho
On the game tonight: It just came down to one play. That was the difference in this game. It came down to one play. They made one more play than us. You have to give them credit.

On learning from this season: We are still giving glory to God in the good times and the bad times, no matter what happens. This is a time where we learn as people and as individuals and as football players what we can do and could have done to do better, and that is what we will do moving forward.

On how to win: I have learned that it takes a team to win, and Garrett can attest to that. It does not just take a couple of individuals to win games. It takes a team to win games. I know moving forward to next season that these guys are going to do that and come together as a team because that is the only way that you can win. There is a fine line between winning and losing, like Coach Brown says, and all it takes is a team to win. That is all that matters. That is all that you need.

On the season: It was definitely an emotional season with the ups and downs, big wins, and some disappointing losses. This is obviously one that we would have loved to have had, and we fought hard for it all four quarters from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately, it did not turn out our way, but I know that everything happens for a reason. Things are looking up for this program and this University because there is no question that next year these guys are going to come out with a fire and a passion from day one. There is no doubt about that in my mind with leaders like Garrett Gilbert, Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho, and Aaron Williams coming back. There is no doubt in my mind that they are going to come back with a fire and a passion that Texas has never seen before.

DB Carrington Byndom
On this season: Texas always has a high expectation of winning. This season was a little disappointing with the way it finished, and the way we went out.

On his punt block: On three previous punts, they let me through the release off the outside and [special teams coach Duane Akina] just called block, and I decided to go get it.

S Blake Gideon
On the game: We knew it was going to be a tough game. They have a great team, and they've shown that all year. Their record reflects it. So we knew it was going to be a battle. A workman's night. They were never going to stop no matter what kind of lead we got, and we weren't going to stop no matter what kid of lead they got. The conversations at halftime [involved] a few minor adjustments but really just keep doing what we were doing and keep making plays and keep fighting.

On how the team will turn things around: Well, we're going to start with the offseason on Monday morning, hopefully. That's what I'm voting for because I can't stand the taste in my mouth right now. That's what I'm voting for, and that's what I hope we do. So it's going to start with a good workweek at 6 a.m. on Monday morning.

On how he felt about this season: This game - this whole season, really - I just feel bad for the seniors. We always talk about that, how for no other reason, let's do it for the seniors. These guys have been here for four, five years and definitely put in their share of work, and they deserve to have a winning season and they deserve better than this. That's just disappointing that we let them down in that end, but it's something that obviously with the Texas tradition that we're trying to uphold [that] we can't let happen again next year.

QB Garrett Gilbert
On learning from this season:  At this point, it's tough to look back on the entire year. [After] facing the universities that we, as a team faced, I think it's got to be something that motivates us as a team going into spring. No one in that locker room wants to feel what we're feeling right now. It's about learning from the mistakes we made and moving forward.

On his thoughts from this game:  I'm very proud of the offense, and you've got to give credit to Texas A&M. They did a great job. They had a lot of movement in their defense. They did a great job executing and mixing up coverages and things like that. We were able to make some things happen to start off in the second half, but interceptions and fumbles - those kinds of things - they just kill you.

On what we thought about the last interception of the game:  It was a play we ran more than a few times that night. I think, at one point, I had hit all three options on it, and James [Kirkendoll] happened to pop open. He ran a great route at the marker, found his way open and you've got to give credit to the tackle that tipped the ball. He made a good play, obviously. It's a tough play.

OL David Snow
On this season's frustrations: It is hard to summarize it. It is a lot of pain and a lot of agony. You expect to win all the time, and when you are faced with the hardship of losing, it is very difficult. There is no way to just summarize it, except just pain and agony.

On letting opportunities slip away: I really feel bad for the seniors that we couldn't get it done for them. This opens up a new chapter, and this is not going to happen again. We're going to work in the off-season, and we're going to get this corrected.

LB Keenan Robinson
On not playing in the postseason: Yeah, it is unique. I've never been there.

On Texas A&M RB Cyrus Gray: He's a great runner, and they had a good game plan.

On how to make sure next year doesn't end this way: I don't know. Go back and fix stuff in the offseason. I'm not sure, but I'm sure the coaches will figure it out.

On looking ahead to improve the team: I'm not looking ahead. We'll figure it out when the time comes. [I'm] just going to finish the school year up strong, and I'm pretty sure we'll be starting the offseason program sometime in December. So when that happens, that's when we'll figure out what we need to do and not let it happen again.

RB Fozzy Whittaker
On how tough it is to end the season like this: It is real tough for everyone. We really don't know what to do with ourselves. It is one of those things that you don't see coming, and you just have to prepare for next year a lot better than we did this year.

On Coach Brown's off-season evaluation: It is just going to be a lot of players playing harder and making sure they're fighting harder and fighting for the extra yards. And fighting in the weight room and the offseason in training and preparation. And I am sure the coaches will be doing the same.

On if the team is mad about the season: We are upset. It is one of those things that you just never see it coming, and you don't want to see it come to this, especially the seniors last game. You always want them to go out on top and lay it out on the line for them.

TEXAS A&M
Head Coach Mike Sherman
Thoughts on the game: I thought it was a great football game on both sides. They gave us everything we could handle. We are very fortunate to have won the game the way we did.

On the win: Our players showed tremendous resiliency. The punt block threw off our momentum. We came in at halftime and discussed what we needed to do and handled the second half very well. We forced some turnovers, and jumped on the lead in the third quarter.

On the wind factor: It may have been a factor in the kicking and the passing game, but it wasn't the reason why we performed poorly early on. We just weren't sharp today.

On RB Cyrus Gray's performance: Fortunately for us, he was on top of his game today. He really picked up the momentum. I can't say enough about him. It is fun to watch him because he does things he has never done before each time he steps out on the field. He has tremendous humility and respect for his teammates in spite of his own tremendous talents.

On the rivalry of the game: This game had nothing to do with Texas. I have tremendous respect for them. They are an excellent football program. This win was about maintaining our progression and continuing to win. Coming off the Nebraska game, we weren't focused on beating the Texas Longhorns, we were focused on being the best football team that we could be.

RB Cyrus Gray
On his night against Texas: It was a good performance, but I give credit to the offensive line.

On what it feels like to win at Texas: It is a great feeling. Last time I played here we came out with a loss. We were hungry and we wanted to win.

DE Von Miller
On his personal performance tonight: I have not thought about the stats, but I feel like this is a good game for all of us. This has to be one of the most memorable games. We have had a lot of good games, and this just adds to the memory book.

On this being the best win of the season: We have had a lot of big wins this season, and I just like to think that this just adds to it. It definitely was memorable, and I will always remember this game.

QB Ryan Tannehill
On Texas A&M being relevant again: You don't want to be irrelevant. We have had some tough seasons the last couple of years, and it kind of puts you out of things. We have been focused on winning the whole time and this year we were able to turn it around, and this is exciting for our program.

On the fumble at the end: It was a great snap and everything went good, but I guess I just had some sweat on my thumb, and when I stuck it out the ball slipped straight out and my heart dropped. All I could think was [to] just get on the ball.