Nov. 1, 2014 Recap | Box Score | Notes | Baylor Photos
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12/12/13 BAYLOR (7-1, 4-1)? 60, NR/NR/NR KANSAS?(2-6, 0-5) 14
McLANE STADIUM ? WACO, TEXAS
NOV. 1, 2014 ? ATTENDANCE: 47,574
Baylor Head Coach Art Briles
Opening statement...
"I?really appreciate the crowd we had today and the weather was just unreal. It was a beautiful day for a college football game. It was just a great setting for our homecoming crowd and for our players. I?thought we played well; I liked our attitude and that was a thing we kind of worked on the last two weeks -- was just controlling us and earning respect for us. It wasn't about anybody else or anything else. It was about how we prepared and how we played. And we gave the effort that it really takes to be a dynamic football team. So, I thought we came out and played with a lot of passion, a lot of effort and a lot of energy.
On the defense...
"They were outstanding and that's the thing that we're feeling on the offensive side of the ball.?That's why the field goals were not panic situations, because we felt like we'd get a lot of possessions. I think we had eight possessions in the first half, I could be wrong, but I knew we had quite a few possessions. And we just felt like, you know, we'd just chip, chip, chip, and before too long we get a touchdown. And it helps the defenses force the three and out and get the ball back to us. We felt like we could be dominating upfront defensively. And those guys all played extremely well up there, and, you know, that's how you win."
On the last two weeks...
"Every week is different. We got caught in a situation a couple of weeks ago where the cloth was flying, and you know, today it was a little bit different. And I?think some of the game is determined by how the flow of the game is going from that standpoint."
On the emphasis on running game...
"I am pretty proud of that because Kansas is a pretty well-run defense. They have had a really good running defense all year. For us to be able to move them up front a little bit and create some space was really kind of comforting."
On Bryce Petty and Briles' disappointment with Petty's accuracy...
"Not one bit. I'll take seven completions and two touchdowns, like we had earlier in the year. To me it's all about production. I?mean, it's kind of determined by what people are doing on the other side of the ball. It's all based on looks on both sides of the ball."
On Petty's robotic responses...
"I?like it; I should do the same. I'm proud that his focus and his energy and his vision and his direction are right there right now. Because he understands that it's going to be a great college football game between two great college teams that are playing. So that's exactly where he needs to be."
Baylor RB Shock Linwood
On the success of the running game...
"We started out good in the first half, and our running game is pretty good. We came out strong and finished strong."
Baylor WR Cory Coleman
On coming back and winning after the loss against WVU...
"It's pretty good. I am just excited to be back and redeem myself after the loss."
On getting open against the Kansas defense...
"Like Coach Briles said, you just have to play fast and expect good things to happen and with the receivers. It's our job to get the ball and go win."
Baylor WR Clay Fuller
On today's win after the last loss...
"It's not like baseball, where you can just come back and play the next day and get over it. You have to wait a week. In this case, it was two weeks. So today was obviously a good win and next week is going to be a big week for us."
On going to Norman not having ever won there...
"We have to go up there together and it doesn't have to be pretty, but it's got to be ugly and we have to band together as a family and find a way to get a win."
Baylor DE Shawn Oakman
On the emotion during the game...
"There was emotion during the game before we even started. Just the fact that we had to come and play off a loss, off a loss that we felt as though we shouldn't have received. That was motivation for us."
On the pressure put on the quarterback today (specifically K.J. Smith) with Jamal Palmer out...
"He's a young guy and he's still got a lot to learn. He did his job well tonight and I'm proud of him."
Baylor DT Andrew Billings
On KU QB Michael Cummings...
"We wanted to rattle him and keep pressure on him at all times."
On the defensive performance tonight...
"It felt good. I felt that we really put some pieces together and we have some more pieces to put together before Norman. We have definitely put some big pieces together that we needed."
Baylor WR Levi Norwood
On getting a great touchdown tonight...
"It felt good. It was kind of a relief. It's been awhile since I scored so it definitely felt good. Scoring and being able to raise money with it was awesome."
On the offensive flow during the game...
"It felt good. Like you said, I wish those field goals were touchdowns, but we definitely picked up a lot from where we left off last week."
Kansas Head Coach Clint Bowen
Opening statement...
"It is not that hard to explain. We obviously thought we had a good plan, but we came out and they had a better plan. They were able to move the ball at an efficient rate up and down the field, and had us in situations where we needed stops and we could not get stops. Credit them because they have good players, a good plan, and they executed theirs better than we executed ours."
On giving Baylor a short field too much...
"We had a few of the turnovers, and that created a short field for them. That is obviously a difficult situation against an offense like that, no matter where you take over. One thing that was a positive was that we were able to go out and force a few field goals when they were down there. Bottom line is they were moving the ball and ready to go today."
On Eric Kiesau calling the plays...
"We were trying to open up some things and create a little more of an offensive identity that we are trying to move to. Eric has a little more experience running that type of offense with his experience at Washington in the past and what he has done as an offensive coordinator. Eric and John are going to continue to work closely together, and try to create more of a spark on offense."
On if it is fair to evaluate Eric's performance...
"No not right now. Coach [Phil] Bennett on the defensive side over there obviously got after them pretty well, and caused some problems. You could tell that we were struggling to block their front four. [Beau] Blackshear, [Andrew Billings], and [Shawn] Oakman are pretty good players and created a lot of problems for us."
On what is the most disappointing thing from a game like this...
"What gets you down is that we knew we were playing a really good football team and we had to come out and match that. We did not come out and do the things that you have to do. We did not protect the ball. Penalties. You cannot have penalties. You have to play and control the things that are in your control, and not let those things be a factor. We control whether we hold on to the football or do not hold on to the football. We control penalties and jumping offside. We did not control the things that we can control, and did not give ourselves a chance."
On if this hurt the Kansas progress...
"No not one bit. Every player in our locker room understands where we are at. We got beat by a good team today. They played better than us and beat us. That does not diminish anything that our players did. Our players work extremely hard, and prepare very well, and we came here and got beat. Our told our players we are going to go back to work tomorrow, and stick to our plan. We have a plan to work, continue to prepare, and continue to try and win football games. There is no doubt in their minds that we are on a path to improve Kansas football. We are 100 percent on board. We will put this behind, and get ready to go tomorrow."
Kansas DB Jacorey Shepherd
On this game being a possible step back...
"I think in different aspects of the game it could be seen as a step back. I feel like we did not come out there as mentally prepared as we were in practice this week. This game is over with and we can learn from it and move forward."
On the defense's mentality in the red zone...
"We just try to stop them to get a field goal. We try not give up the seven. We let them get that far down there, so the least we can do is stop them to get the three and not the seven."
Kansas WR Nick Harwell
On his first-quarter TD catch...
"It was a post-wheel. If the post took out the safety, then he will go back down to the wheel. It was a one-on-one matchup and I won."
On Eric Kiesau calling plays...
"He looks for the receivers a lot. He is a really enthusiastic person and a great motivator. I trust him a lot off the field; so on the field I trust what he calls."