 
Player press conference quotes: Sept. 3
QB COLT McCOY On his feelings after Saturday: I was pretty frustrated Saturday night, but it's a win and that's the most important thing. There are a lot of teams that are 0-1 right now and trying to fix a lot of things. We're 1-0 and trying to fix a lot of things at the same time, but we looked at the positives on film and the positives during practice, and we're moving on. There are a lot of things we can correct, that we can fix, but that's behind us and everything is focused on TCU now. On offensive things that need to be fixed: Offensively, I think that we need to be more physical. We have to get after them more and convert when we're in the red zone. We had three downs inside the 5-yard line that we didn't punch it in. I thought we did really well on third down conversions. We were I think nine of fifteen and that's really good for us offensively. We practice on that all the time. We have got to do better starting off; we have got to make more yards. When I looked at the film I felt like we played a lot better than I had thought. I thought there were a lot of good things we did, there is just little things that we can fix. We make a block, we go from a five-yard run to a 50-yard run. Those things are easy to fix and we're going to have a good week of practice and get prepared for TCU. On being prepared for the game: I felt like we were really focused and prepared. We really started the game off strong. We came out firing and doing everything right and then a frustration level set in because we couldn't continue to do that and we have got to get out of that mentality. We have got to understand that everyone is going to do little things different, they're going to do some things to stop the run or stop the pass, and we have got to handle them and figure out –what they're going to do as an overall scheme. What their strategy is going to be against us and be able to fire right back and score points. I felt like Arkansas State came in and played very well, they never gave up, they kept fighting, and we just didn't convert on our opportunities. On if he knows any of the TCU players: I know a few of them. I know one of their secondary players, David Roach, he played at Alvin High when I was in high school. I played in the all-star game with a few of them. It will be fun. I think it's great for the state of Texas to be able to play against one another. They're a really good football team, they have a great defense, and they're going to be ready to play against us. I think it's really important for them, they're a ranked team and they're going to try to come in here and make a statement. We have got to handle what they bring in here. They're going to throw a lot of things at us, they're going to blitz us a lot, they're going to show some different coverages to try and confuse us, but like a said, we have to be prepared and ready for whatever. On the statement the team wants to make this Saturday: We definitely want to perform better than we did last Saturday and we're going to have to because TCU is a great football team. We're going to practice hard, we're going to change some things, correct some thing, figure out what we did wrong and fix them. On if he could have been a better leader: I felt like I didn't play in the second quarter at all. I felt like I made some poor decisions and poor reads and did a lot of things that didn't help our football team that I could have done that would have. Overall, I felt like there are so many things at each position and especially at mine that we can improve on. We don't point fingers, that's something that we don't do, we looked at the positives and that's all we're going to focus on. That's behind us, we're moving on, and we're looking forward to TCU. On feeling if he can make every play: I think that is hard, it's something as a second year guy you have so much more freedom than you did the first year, and you have to stay with the basics, stick with thing that got you to where you are. When you know the offense, it's easy to try and throw in some different routs that you think will work, and those things got me into some trouble during the first game. I have got to go back and understand what this offense is based on. Coach Davis and I are going to work really hard this week to figure that out. Nothing is wrong, everything is fine, but there are a lot things that I can do better that I didn't do on Saturday. On Tommy Blake: I'm sure he'll play against us. He's a great player, I met him this summer. He's a great guy and he seems like he's a good leader on his football team. He's going to come in here fired up and ready, they're whole defense will. They have another great defensive end on the other side. They seem like they play very well together, their secondary is well coached and that's going to be a challenge for us, but we're looking forward to it. WR NATE JONES On leading the receiving corps in catches on Saturday: In the offensive scheme and the plays that Coach [Greg] Davis called, some of them were designed for me and I was just stepping in and making the plays for Colt [McCoy] and trying to keep the offensive drives alive. On reviewing the Arkansas State game: When we went back and watched film, we made a couple of mistakes on certain drives. We stopped ourselves a lot and we have to continue to stay focused and continue to keep the drive going as long as possible so we can score. We just have to finish those drives and that's what we have to continue to work on. On if frustration set in the middle of the game: No, you can't get frustrated when things go wrong, you just have to think positive and continue to work. You just have to finish the drive, like I said. When you drive down the field 70 yards, you know you have to punch it in and if you don't, you're not going to be satisfied with that. And that's one thing we have to work on. On facing a tough TCU defense this Saturday: That's what we practice for. When practice starts tomorrow, that's what we have to start working on and start finishing when you get down into the red zone. We just have to learn how to punch it in. So the whole focus point is going to be finishing drives this week. They are a pretty good defense and a lot of their guys are from Texas, and they're going to have a great experience coming in here and playing against us. We just have to stay focused and continue to work on the offensive side of the ball, and everything that Coach Davis calls we just have to execute it. WR LIMAS SWEED Just by looking at them on film they have a lot of talented guys. One guy, Tommy Blake, is a good friend of mine and he is an extremely talented defensive end. You have to give those guys respect because those guys are going to come in here and give 100 percent and we have to give 100 percent back. On Nate Jones's game on Saturday: Without a doubt Nate is a great guy, and he has definitely put in a lot of hard work, and for him to come out and have a career high in catches is a great thing for him. On the TCU game being in the national spotlight: First of all, it's a big game in the aspect of just us getting to where we want to be at the end of the season. Obviously you want to come out and try to get a victory. But you know, it's a big thing for TCU to get into the national spotlight, and like I said, it's the same thing for us and it's a big game for, as well. For us to beat them would definitely put us in the national spotlight, as well. LB SCOTT DERRY On TCU being a tough team: Obviously everyone talks about their defense, and they have a great defense; they shutout Baylor last week. Their offense looks good too. I think they lost a good running back last year, but it's very apparent that they have good depth at that position as well. Their quarterback looked very good in their first game. And they do a lot of misdirection type of plays like Arkansas State ran, and are similar in that regard. They have a lot of team speed and that really looks good on film. On the game plan for TCU: We haven't really discussed our game plan yet, but that is something we will talk about tomorrow. Yesterday was just kind of a day to go back over and review the film and receive some criticisms on what we could've done better and what we did do well, the positives and negatives. On the character of the team after week one: I really saw a lot of selfless players in the fact that nobody really pointed fingers and everybody took it upon themselves to say, "Hey, we're not as good as we thought we were coming out of two-a-days, and everybody needs to get better." We can't point a finger and say, "This person and this person played bad." It's about the team coming together and getting better and progressing towards next week when we play TCU, a very good opponent. DT FRANK OKAM On the key to his success on Saturday: I feel like the rest of the defensive line. I feel like the nose tackles and the double teams they gained, the defensive ends they were getting up the field and leaving me in a lot of one-on-one situations. I feel like when you are in those situations, you have to try and take advantage of them. On what his cousin said after the game: I saw him after the game. He told me good game. He kept trying to tell me that it was closer than I thought. Overall they were happy for me. On what he has seen on film that needs to be changed for this week: I think when you watch the film, you can see that we didn't finish a lot of our tackles. We had some missed tackles that we need to sure up. In our assignments, there were definitely things in the option game that we need to work on our fundamentals and our techniques. I feel like they came out and did a little bit more option than we thought, but over the course of the game, we need to adjust better. On TCU: They are a good team. I think they do a lot of different things. They have an option game, they have a power running game, a select passing game, they do a play action pass and they do a little bit of everything. DT DEREK LOKEY On playing option defense: As a defensive tackle, that is the only position that doesn't really react to the option in any way. We get a block up front and we play that block. The things happen so fast in there that as the defensive tackle you don't really have a quarterback or pitch key or anything like that basically you play the block and tackle the first guy that comes in your gap. As a defensive tackle, it's not same type of a challenge. I would say the bigger challenge would be them springing to the ball and snapping it so fast. We have to get down and ready to go because they are coming off the ball quickly. That is the biggest challenge for the defensive tackles this week. On talking during the game: I don't feel like it is going to be something that is an issue. As the defensive line we talk a lot between ends and tackles on any play, any kind of stunt that we have, any blitz. So we talk a lot and communicate regardless of who it is. With trying to figure out between three of the starters or four of the starters we talk with them and make sure that everybody is on the same page before every play. On TCU blowing out Baylor: We are going to go out this week and focus and be very intense on our passes and make sure we're ready for this game. On TCU trying to get national attention and respect: That is a tough question as far as my opinion of TCU getting respect. A lot of people are saying that they want to beat us so that they get into the national spotlight. We are trying to win this game to get into the national spotlight. It is a challenge for both teams. It is a big game, like I said earlier, on both sides of the ball. We are both fighting for national prominence right now. It's not just them or us, it's both teams. S MARCUS GRIFFIN On how the defense played: I wouldn't say too much about the defense, I say you have to look back at their running back; their running back was pretty good. Also the second-team guy was just as good as the first-team guy. The quarterback did a heck of a job too playing football. On what makes TCU so good: If you look at them on tape, they have pretty good skill position players. They have two good quarterbacks and a good running back, as well. They have always been a pretty good team of the last couple of years; anytime they play a Big 12 team, they tend to do pretty good. On looking at them on film: We are going to try and look at last year's personnel and this year's personnel. You kind of have to put them together. They still have some of their plays from last year that they can still use this year. In the game against Baylor, I don't think they used too much of last year's offense, but you still have to study last year's stuff just as much as this year's. On how his responsibilities change with the option: It is all about studying game film and just remembering we are in between the first game and the second. I would say on the option, it is just about taking care of your assignment. You don't need to try to take care of anybody else's assignment, it is all about your one basic assignment. You take care of it, and your other teammates should take care of their assignment also. OT TONY HILLS On what makes Tommy Blake good: I think just his will. That is what makes any defensive lineman good – high motor, high driving, wanting to get to the quarterback. You just have to make sure on the offensive line that as much as they want to get to where they want to get, we want to keep them away from Colt so that he has enough time to do what he needs to do. On this being an in-state game: Right now the way I feel about it personally, is yes it is a big game, but don't try to put it over any other game because that is when you try to do too much. Games like this you just want to make sure you stay with your fundamentals and you take care of your business – don't try to do anything outside of what you have been doing to get you to this point. That is what we're going to do and that is what Coach will have us focus on this week. On what improvements can be made: That is the thing about the game. There are always things that you can improve on and after watching film. You know if there was a missed spot here or a missed catch here. Those are always things that you can make better. I think that is probably the most exciting thing, getting to go to practice and working hard to improve on things. On what he saw on film: It started from left to right. It would be a situation where we would be on rhythm and we will get into the five and then a guy might not have his head on the right side. It was just a whole bunch of things, missed cuts here and missed blocks. That is part of that going out and paying more attention to detail and staying focused and becoming more consistent. Like I said, those are things we can fix.
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