Weekly Press Conference - Oct. 10
10/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head Coach, Guy Morriss
On jumping to a 2-0 conference record:
"We've managed to get two conference wins in a row. I think our kids should have gained some confidence. That's an issue we probably talk about too much. We have a confident group of football players now and if that doesn't strengthen their belief in themselves, in the guy next to them, in the coaches, in the schemes then I guess we won't ever convince them. When we went back out there for the third overtime, I don't think anybody really believed we were going to lose that game. Nobody panicked during the whole game, not at any point did I see somebody drop his head or have a defeated attitude. That was really good to see.
"We kicked a field goal and as the defense was taking the field, we told the guys that a turnover wins this sucker. Low and behold, that little redshirt linebacker [Joe Pawelek] makes the play of the day. I felt like the guys knew somebody was going to come with a play to win the game, and they did it. They might not have done that two years ago."
On the legendary Miracle on the
"That was a different era. We have to have a great week at work and go down there and let it all hang out. Then see what happens. That's how we are going to approach it."
On the seniors' pregame speech:
"We told the seniors to talk to the team before the
"It's all a part of the process. You recruit better players, plugging them in and forcing them into the position to take ownership, be accountable and responsible. That's what you shoot for when you're trying to build a program."
On the team's building confidence:
"It's huge. If you don't think you can win, you're probably not going to. How deep does it go? I don't know yet. We'll find out Saturday. I hope we go down there and really play hard and get after them. If we're going to go down, let's go with guns blazing, swinging for the fences, all those clichés. Let's leave it all on the field, that kind of stuff.
"It's night and day. I think our kids are learning how to win and are expecting to win. Even with the setbacks we had earlier, we were still right there in those games. I think the kids can see had we taken advantage of those opportunities we had and not taken those three losses, we could easily be sitting here bowl eligible today. And I think that's where some of the confidence comes from."
On Anthony Arline and Joe Pawelek:
"They are right on different ends of the spectrum. Anthony is a senior and Joe's a freshman. Both are making plays and they are both the kind of guys you need a program in order to win. They know how to work, how to study. I think they are committed to what the defense is trying to get done. Those are two kids you don't ever have to worry about, on the field or off the field. Anywhere, they are going to represent this program and university with class. They are just great role models for some of these younger kids and happen to be pretty good football players, too. "
On closing the gap between
"I think you have to have better talent and you do that by recruiting which we think we're making progress there. I don't know how much better [
On the defense's ability to force turnovers:
"Anytime you're forcing a turnover, it stunts the drive and puts the ball back in our hands. It gives us an extra opportunity we may not have gotten to do our thing on offense. But most of the time, I think those turnovers can be very psychologically damaging to the opponent's offense. Plus, it's a wasted opportunity for them. Our kids hear it every day from the coaches. They have done a good job of being conscious of it. It's paying off for us."
On becoming bowl eligible:
I think it's healthy for the kids to talk about it. We like for them to talk about bowl games. I think in the past they have been a little afraid to talk about something that wasn't a reality. But I think in their minds they honestly believe we're going bowling this year. To me, anytime we're thinking positively like that, it's good for your club. Certainly we try to temper everything with a dose of reality. But as far as I'm concerned, it's good for them to talk that way."
On working and building Baylor's running game:
"When you switch offenses, you have the mental part and then also the physical side of it. We emphasized the passing game and that's where we've spent most of our time. But we understand the importance of the running game. We want to have a good running game; we just have to keep working it. A lot of our run game comes out of a two-point stance and that takes some time to adjust to. The fact that we have a guy like [Travis] Farst who is 6'7" and a bunch of tall guys who have long arms and make great pass protectors, it's hard sometimes to get down under linemen who are in a three-point stance. That's kind of where we're struggling right now, getting leverage enough to get the push that we need. It's something we work on everyday and we'll keep working on it until it gets done.
"[Against
On Paul Mosely:
"Paul's pretty quiet. I think he's said about six words to me over his three and half years. But I'll say this about Paul, everyday he comes through that gate with a big smile on his face. Good, bad, or indifferent, whatever kind of day he has, he comes out here with a great attitude and a smile. He enjoys practicing and the game of football. That shows. He was like a wild man last week. He knocked three people down on one play, a pass play. I watched him some and he was in the huddle really firing people up. It kind of surprised me but it was good to see because he was getting some emotion out that we hadn't seen before.
"I talked to the guys before
"I think sometimes the guys get so caught up in being cool that they don't want to let emotion out. They won't express their truly emotional sides to their teammates and we're trying to encourage them to do that. Whatever your style is, do it. Come to play and don't worry about what everybody else is going think."
Offensive Coordinator, Lee Hays
On
"Shawn [
"There were some good things done with the offensive line. The kids really played hard and made fewer mistakes but we still have to get better."
On the overtime fourth down conversion:
"Anytime you are fourth and seven and convert, it's got to give you a little bit of confidence. But I think that has to do with my hair loss issues and weight gain issues. And I hope the next time we're in that same situation, there won't be a panic. I thought the kids on the field handled it really well. The coaches standing behind me in the press box were a little more nervous than the kids were."
On Paul Mosely:
"He has been incredible. I cannot say enough about him as a person and a football player. Paul plays harder than anybody on the field. He is our leader on offense and he's always been quiet up until the Army game where he really stepped up and got after it challenging some of the guys. He has been a big part of this offense. The thing about Paul is he's not worried if he is going to get the ball or not. He just wants to win. And it's great when we can get him the ball because believe me, I like seeing him be successful."
On the challenges that the
"Left corner, right corner, free safety, strong safety, left end, left tackle, right tackle. Really just speed and how physical they are. They are not going to do a lot to disguise stuff. They can press you with their front four and stay back to play coverage or they can come up and just play man. Then it's pretty hard to shake them loose."
Defensive Coordinator, Bill Bradley
On
"I thought our defense grew up a little bit in this game especially finishing up the way they did. It was only fitting; you couldn't have scripted it any better for our guys. There was some pressure and it was a heck of a play by Joe [Pawelek]. Everybody did their assignments and it was a great ending to a great football game.
"I though
"We could do a little bit better getting into our gaps still. We are going to work on that and get the guys into the right gaps especially this week playing
"But as far as the game up there in
On
"We're going to have to be at our best, no question. They run the ball extremely well. They give [Colt] McCoy a little bit to do and he does it extremely well. We are going to have to play our best football without question to stay in the game. But we can and we will.
"We've got a couple of things that we are trying to hone in on that I think we can do to them. There are a couple of things I think that we can emphasize and to do that will disrupt them a little bit."
On the defense's improvement:
"From the beginning since there were such big question marks with all the young guys, I would say they are improving in every game and playing hard in every game. And for the most part, we have been in the right gaps and tackling extremely well. Of course the turnovers have been fantastic. Anytime you lead the nation in turnovers, you're doing something right. They are playing really hard.
"I would say they have improved, even with a half season to go, leaps and bounds. They're just playing hard. We could very easily be standing up there talking to you at 5-1, 6-0, or 4-2 as well."
Wide Receiver, Trent Shelton
On this week's game at
"I do not think we played our best game last week and we came out with a victory. The same kind of thing happened two weeks ago with
On getting the running game going:
"It is going to be a big boost. That is a credit to our offensive line. This week,
On the games with
"Honestly, last year they just flat beat us; but, two years ago we sort of beat ourselves. It was pretty close in the first half, but we shot ourselves in the foot. Against a team like that you cannot afford to have mistakes. They will cost you the ball game."
Quarterback, Shawn Bell
On Baylor's offense against
"I do not think they really have any weaknesses. They are extremely talented; but, we cannot control what they do, we can only control what we do. We just have to go out there and execute: stick to the game plan, limit mistakes, limit turnovers, and play hard and physical."
On
"Their front four is very talented. They have great team speed. When that outside linebacker or safety blitzes, they get to you very fast. We are going to have to focus on protecting and getting the ball out of my hands as quick as possible."
On the differences between the new offense opposed to other offenses he has run in the past:
"It is very similar to what I ran in high school, because we liked to throw the ball around a lot. That being said, the philosophy and terminology is different so that took some getting used to. All in all, it has been fun."
Linebacker, Joe Pawelek
On the
"Any time you can come out of a Big 12 game with a victory it is something to build on. It was really a total team effort. With the offense bailing the defense out part of the time, and the defense sealing the victory there in overtime. Everything seems to be clicking and we got things rolling in the right direction."
On playing for first place in the Big 12 South against Texas
"It is real exciting. Any time you come into a Big 12 program you want to be put in situation such as this. Getting to play against some of the top competition in the nation is going to be a lot of fun."
