Sept. 12, 2008

BAYLOR (2-1) 45, WASHINGTON STATE (0-3) 17
FLOYD CASEY STADIUM • WACO, TEXAS
SEPT. 12, 2008 • ATTENDANCE: 25,595

BAYLOR HEAD COACH Art Briles

Opening Statement...
"I appreciate the fans that came out tonight. We felt like if we went out and played well and played to sneak out a victory that it would really help us in our preparation for next week. Now we are on pace to prepare for the next one."

On the importance of the win...
"Every win is important. It is like we told the players before the game in November we are add them up and we needed one to count on the right side of the column. And we got one, we got a win against a Pac-10 football team. We got to keep grinding, we got to keep getting better. And that is the thing I like about this football team. We are not satisfied and we certainly don't think we got all of the answers."

On the mood at halftime...
"We didn't feel comfortable. We felt like we had to come out of halftime and do something on the opening drive...If we took care of 30 minutes, we could have two wins in the book. And that is all we are fighting for. We don't care what they look like, sound like, or how they happen. We just want to win."

On Robert Griffin's performance...
"I am surprised it is a school record with all the great backs in school history. It is a accomplishment for him. Robert is a gifted athlete no doubt. He handles it in a very mature manner. That is the thing I am most proud of about him. He is a really, really good team player."

On the defense...
"I thought our defense did a great job of applying relentless pressure. They played with a lot of tenacity."

On the offensive line...
"I guys really dominated. If we win upfront on both sides of the football, we are going to be a good football team. So far this season they are playing pretty well. They are working cohesively together and they take a lot of pride in what they are doing...When they play well we are going to have a happy dressing room."

On causing turnovers and keeping WSU out of the endzone in the second half...
"I think that was big. Anytime you can win the turnover margin in a game I think you should come out with the win because obviously the turnovers and the field position work hand and hand together. The defense did a good job tonight taking the ball away and creating turnovers."

On the defense having a more complete game this week than last week...
"I think as a defense there were things here and there and some spots throughout the game that those guys got some big third downs on us. We have to help the defensive line get off the field because those guys have been working hard. I think we played a more complete game against a better team this week, and we just executed our game plan real well."

On making a statement against a BCS team...
"We scored 51 on Northwestern State, so not to go backwards, but we are putting up points. The defense is playing great, and everyone's on the same level, so as long as we keep it that way, we should get the same outcome."

On the impact of the defense making turnovers and giving the offense a short field to work with...
"You always want to be on the field being a player. When the defense gets you the ball in that good of field position, it makes you want to score. That gives you more drive and motivation because the endzone's closer."

On impact of win before going on first road game...
"It was a confidence boost. People were saying that to come out and beat Northwestern State wasn't a that great because they are not a good team, so we came out and beat Washington State who is a pretty legitimate team. We didn't just beat them, but we beat them pretty good. Going on the road for the first time for me isn't that big of a deal. It was definitely good to get a win and then go on the road."

On finding the holes...
"They tried to take me or Jay out of the game. They tried to do a little bit of both and neither of them worked. It was apart of our scheme, and it worked out really well for us."

On the game...
"We just had too many mistakes obviously. The mistakes that we make are so big and so compounding right now. The defense was not lined up correctly a lot of times and that is how (Baylor) got those big gains against us on offense. We had four turnovers that were critical to their zero."

On Baylor's team speed...
"(Robert Griffin) makes everybody look slow. We most likely lack a little bit of speed compared to Baylor, there is no question about that."

On the impact of the long travel day...
"No, I am not going to say that (the travel day caused the loss). We just got outplayed and we made too many mistakes. We don't give ourselves a chance. It was a combination of them outplaying us and compounding mistakes."

On simulating Robert Griffin's speed in practice...
"It was pretty hard because we cannot get that kind of look with the people in practice. When you play with a different speed during the game it makes it kind of difficult on us. We cannot use that as an excuse, however.

On Robert Griffin and Baylor's offense...
"(Robert Griffin) is an explosive player. He looks like a reciever playing quarterback. He has a cannon and David Gettis can get out there and run. They have a talented team and they will be alright this season."

On Washington State's offensive production...
" It was rough at times. I thought that we were moving the ball pretty well in the first half, but small mistakes, turning the ball over, we just cannot have that."