MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 22, 2018) - West Virginia University associate head coach/defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and select members of the West Virginia University football team met with the media on Monday, Oct. 22, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On what he wanted to accomplish in practice during the bye week
A lot of it is about just getting back to the basics and the fundamentals and technique. It’s a great opportunity to get back, and start working on some timing issues, working on little things that we thought about over the course of the past six or seven weeks. We fell off a little bit. This gave us more time to focus back there. We’re getting back to continuity, and we’ll get back to coaching that again. That’s what bye weeks are for. You can get a lot of the younger guys reps, as well, and you have a couple extra days of preparation for Baylor. A lot of it was just about getting back to the basics and fundamentals. It lets us try to get back on track with things.
On how redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier can progress after the Iowa State loss
The conversations I had with Will after the game and after we watched the game multiple times together – those were more about him. He’s such a competitor. He was trying to get a spark for us at times. Give Iowa State credit. They did a really good job with tackling, and you saw that Will extended it a little bit and tried to make a play downfield. Those guys were running and playing, I thought, a little harder than we were, and they were tackling well. They were tackling him at his legs a few times when we thought that we should have gotten rid of the ball. That just puts us in tough situations, especially with a team that emphasizes dropping eight. They’re going to keep everything in front. The more you play behind the chains, the harder it’s going to be to get those first downs. We had a lot of conversations about it, and I think he has a good feeling and understanding that, in certain situations, I have to get rid of the ball and live until the next play.
On if the offense experienced a total breakdown against Iowa State
There were breakdowns, and we can never be on the same page. That’s why it’s such an ultimate team game, where everybody has to be on the same page. The protection has to be clean, the separation you’re making has to be clean, the routes have to be clean, the route running has to be spaced out correctly and there’s a lot of timing, too. I thought against Iowa State, it was more of a perfect storm. There were times that we would get open, and the protection would break down. There were times when we weren’t open, (redshirt senior quarterback) Will (Grier) had all the time in the world back there and he would extend play and would take a negative play at that point. There was a lot instances where people weren’t on the same page. Sitting down with Dana (Holgorsen) about it, we all just decided that we needed to sit down, get back to the fundamentals and timing, work with the little things again, make sure we’re clean with that and make sure it doesn’t happen moving forward. There’s a lot that went into it. You can’t sit there and point the finger at just one thing. There were a lot of issues that went on, and we knew that when we sat down. For this game moving forward, it’s about how you respond, and I think these kids are eager to get out there and play versus Baylor.
On fine-tuning the offense’s timing throughout the season
There’s a fine line you get into with how much you’re running these kids and with what you are practicing. We’ve been pretty decent with passing this year. You had one letdown in the Iowa State game, and there were multiple factors with that. But it was good just to reevaluate everything and get back to the basics of what we do and make sure that we’re crisp moving forward.
On what needs to be done to regain the timing that was lost in the Iowa State game
You do more open-field, routes-on-air stuff. You break it up. You split up into certain groups, and we were working full-field concepts where the quarterbacks have to take their drops, go through their progressions and make sure they’re hitting these guys out of their breaks. For receivers, they’re making sure that they’re spatially aware of what’s going on and making sure that they’re hitting their depths. Some of the issues we had versus Iowa State were in that we weren’t hitting the depths where we needed to be with our route running, and I thought that kind of threw the timing off on stuff. So, we went back to more of the basics of making sure we’re doing the little things right, making sure we get to the right depths and making sure that we are going through our progressions and that the timing matches up correctly. On top of that, you have a lot of pass emphasis drills when you have the full team. They’re showing different blitzes and dropping eight where the quarterback has to recognize hots and recognize where we can get to our fourth and fifth progression.
On if he is concerned with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier’s confidence following his performance against Iowa State
I don’t think so. I think it’s more about how we can do moving forward, how we can respond to this, and how we can fix it. I think Will is doing a really good job, in terms of his energy, his body language and how he’s been practicing these last few days. I think these kids are more anxious to get out there on a national TV game, with a lot of eyes on them. They’re ready to get back on track, put this game behind them and move forward.
On how a team should respond in between games following a loss
I think about moving forward with the adversity part. We challenge them by saying, ‘Let’s see how mature this team really is.’ They got after us. That was a game that was a nightmare by a lot of accounts. It’s about how we fix this and how we respond. When we sat in here as a unit and we talked, it was more about how we can fix it instead of pointing the finger, and it was about, ‘Let’s get back to work.’ It’s just about getting back to the basics and getting back to that confidence that we had at the beginning of this year. I think this is a mature team, and moving forward, they will have answers, and they will respond by playing hard and playing with effort. That handles a lot of things. I thought Iowa State was flying around, and I thought they wanted it more. If we can get to that point where we can match it from an effort standpoint, from a physicality standpoint, it’s going to help us overcome a lot of things.
On if it’s more important for redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier to be a cerebral player or simply a football player
There is a fine line with it. You can’t give him too much. That was about going back to the basics and going back to coaching the fundamentals of each play we had. It’s about each concept. It’s understanding that check downs are good, or in these certain looks, this is where we need to go with the progression. It’s good reminders, because there’s a lot going on for Will back there. There’s a lot going on for any quarterback that’s in the game, especially when they’re getting hit. When things aren’t open, they start pressing a little bit, they’re trying to make plays. There’s not a lack of effort. It’s about I’m trying to do whatever I can, and sometimes, you can do too much. It’s more about playing within the system, taking what they give you and living until the next play. That’s the hardest thing to do. I had the same problems with Johnny Manziel, at times. You don’t want to handcuff how special they are and how they can extend plays. Throughout the course and flow of the game, if it’s not working, then we need to live until the next play and understand where it’s going from that standpoint. That’s difficult to do, and that’s a lot of pressure on a kid. He has a good understanding of what went wrong, and how he can prevent that moving forward.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On only preparing for one quarterback for the Baylor game
I don’t know. We’re not going to know how to act. This quarterback, he creates issues. Obviously, he’s a runner. He extends plays. He’s tough and can throw the ball. He’s a lot like the kid we faced a couple weeks ago.
On Baylor wide receiver Jalen Hurd
He and the (Denzel) Mims kid are both big kids. They can run, they’re athletic. If you leave them one-on-one, they’re going to hurt you. We have to do a good job of always knowing where they’re at. The one thing about it is you can’t just concentrate on them and try to double cover them, because their run game will get you. We have to do a good job of mixing up pressure, showing pressure when we’re not bringing it, dropping eight and getting hands on receivers early.
On coaching players to not leave their feet on a quarterback pump fake
Hell, I’m going to tell them something different, because that didn’t work, obviously, last week. I don’t know, it was bad.
On preparing for Baylor wide receiver Jalen Hurd to be used as a running back
A bunch. Coach (Matt) Rhule does a great job with. With his past, he wants to be a physical guy. He’s an o-line guy at heart. He coached it for a long time. They can get big and smash you when they put him back at tailback. They do a really good job with their package. They bring in an extra o-lineman or a tight end in number. They try to go big on you. They go tight end wing, with one wide-out, two backs and its old school football. It’s actually fun to watch.
On Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer’s style of play
I think he has a little more control of the offense right now with playing in the system. He does a really, really good job. They do a really good job of moving the sticks on third down. They’re one of the best teams in the country for doing that, and that’s all because of him. If you’re covering guys downfield, he’s going to take off on you. He will keep plays alive, and we have to be careful that we’re not coming off guys too early, because he can still throw it. But he’s dangerous.
On how he evaluates defensive linemen
I think the number one thing is, and we always talk about this. The number one thing is stopping the run with those guys. When we measure them for how productive they are, what we’re looking for is controlling the line of scrimmage first. Then, if they have the ability to get after the quarterback, we try to get them in one-on-one situations to get them on edges to create pressure. It’s a little more difficult for us with three down. So, we do some different things with our blitz packages to get more people than they can block at times. Then, also, we can bring four or five and try to get one-on-one matchups. I think the biggest thing for us is that we want the ball out quick when we pressure. I think teams know that we’re going to pressure. So, we don’t have a lot of opportunities. Quarterbacks don’t hold the ball as long.
On if pressuring in the backfield is enough for a defensive lineman to be graded positively
Yeah, we definitely grade them on that. We look for that, but you don’t want a guy that’s going to sit on the line of scrimmage either. We want guys that can run, rush the passer, put heat on and make the quarterback move his feet to maybe escape to a different window where we have other guys coming.
On his evaluation of the pass rush this season
I think we’re doing a good job. I think the biggest result of that is showing on TFLs. I think we’re still top five in the country in TFLs. A lot of that has to do with disruptive d-linemen right now, but some of it has to do with pressuring. Last week or however long ago – 10 days – at Iowa State, it was okay, not great. I thought their quarterback did a good job of staying in the pocket when we did bring pressure. He was taking hits and delivering the ball. But at certain points in that game, it wasn’t as good as its been. We weren’t affecting that quarterback, and if you’re not going to do that, then I’m not going to put our guys in coverage one-on-one against a 6’6” kid.
On recovering during the bye week
Last Tuesday, we had our first practice after the game. We gave them a couple days. We watched a lot of film on Sunday. Monday was their day off. On Tuesday, we brought them in. We thought we were really good then. On Wednesday, we had a really good, physical practice, and then, we hit the road recruiting for a couple of days. Last night, they had some pep in their step, and they looked fast.
On how Baylor has improved from a year ago
I think they’re a year better. I think their quarterback makes them go. Last year when we were coming into our game with them, (Zach) Smith was more of a pocket guy and couldn’t move. I think (Charlie) Brewer creates so many different things for them. Then, (Jalen) Hurd, after you add him into the mix, gives them a lot of production at wide-out. Then, he’ll come in and run the ball. But I think they’re bought in. They believe in what they do, how they do it and they stick with it. They’re still able to run the ball, and that’s what keeps people off balance.
On if Baylor still resembles how the program was on offense under Art Briles
No, it’s totally different.
On how to teach physical tackling under limitations in practice
If you look, I think we had 31 missed tackles in the game (against Iowa State) the other night, which is ridiculous. I don’t know if you could take the two games prior to that and have 31 totals. I think some of that was that we were on the ground too much. Why’s that? Was it wet grass? Was it that their backs were that good? Our guys couldn’t stay on their feet, we couldn’t get off blocks. That’s the one thing about it is that we had a lot of opportunities to make tackles one-on-one with running backs, and we didn’t. I don’t think it was as much about getting off blocks as much as it was that we were on the ground too much.
On week night games
I think if we fill the stadium up and it gets going and we give the fans something to cheer about, then I think it’ll be great. But the first thing is we have to fill it up. The second thing is we have to do our job and do our part. I love the primetime games at 7:00 and 7:30. It lets our kids be the focus of college football that night. I think that put us on the map in 2002, 2003. I think we were America’s team at that point. It seemed like we played every other Thursday.
On his fondest memory of playing on a week night
Virginia Tech (in 2002), Brian King’s interception. That was a Wednesday, too.
Redshirt Senior Quarterback Will Grier
On trying to be more efficient on the field and not doing too much
I think that I’m trying to extend plays and give us a spark. I think that in certain situations I have to get rid of the ball, and that’s the gray area being the playmaker and being the quarterback. If somebody gets open and I throw a 60-yard touchdown, then I don’t think anybody is going to tell me to throw the ball away. That’s part of playing this position, it falls on me. I’ve made corrections, and I’m going to do a better job of getting rid of the ball and keeping us from going backwards. That’s part of this game. Nobody is going to play perfect football, but we’ve made adjustments, and we’re going to be better moving forward.
On finding balance between throwing the ball away and waiting to make something happen
It’s a gray area. Like I said, you’re not always going to make the right decision. It’s going to fall down on me either way. So, I have to use my best judgement and try to make plays, but also, throw the ball away in certain situations. I have to be better moving forward.
On if he’s ever had a game as offensively frustrating as Iowa State
There are a lot of games that have been frustrating. I wasn’t necessarily frustrated Saturday. I had a good time playing the game. It was fun game and a cool atmosphere. They played us really hard and out-played us in a lot of areas, and that was frustrating. We have to be able to produce better. We have to move the chains, we have to score points. That was frustrating, but it’s over and done with. We’ve all moved on to Baylor.
On if it was nice to have a week off
Absolutely. That’s what bye weeks are for. I feel good. I think a lot of guys had a chance to get some extra treatment and get healthy, so we should be fresh moving forward.
Senior Wide Receiver Gary Jennings Jr.
On working to get timing back together with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
All throughout the bye week, that’s what we did. We tried to revamp some things and work on some things that needed some fine tuning.
On the different emotions following the loss at Iowa State
It’s been over since we watched that film. So, we’re on to Baylor now.
On what he sees from Baylor
They’re a very athletic group, and we have to bring our A game in the Big 12 every single week.
On difference about night games
Night games in Morgantown are always special. Our fans always bring their A game and so will we.
Redshirt Senior Safety Dravon Askew-Henry
On challenges presented by Baylor’s wide receivers
They have pretty good receivers that have pretty nice size. I feel like if we just do our job and get our technique right, we’ll get the job done.
On the turnover miner’s helmet
Yeah, we’re pretty hyped for that. We’re ready to make a play just so that we can put the hat on now. I feel like that’s going to have the players ready to play and come to compete.
On if it was frustrating to have a week off after the Iowa State game
It’s frustrating because it’s long until you get to play football again, but we were able to get some good work in so we could be ready for this Thursday.
On Baylor’s talent
They’re a good football team. They look way better than last year’s Baylor football team. We have to come ready to play, because I know they will.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker David Long Jr.
On if defensive statistics from the Iowa State game were ridiculous
I would use that word. We have definitely experienced it before, a few times last season especially. This is a hiccup that we have to fix down the road.
On if the bye week was frustrating
Yeah, because we couldn’t get right back out there to prove or show our improvement on what we messed up on last game. We just worked on the things that we could on film and practiced the techniques that we needed to in practice. We’re continuing to do that leading up to Thursday.
On if Baylor’s style makes them trickier to play than other teams
I wouldn’t stay it’s trickier. I think there’s just more to be accountable for. We’ve been going through the season. We faced them last year. We did pretty well up towards the end of the game, and they started to make some big plays. That just comes with experience. We have a lot of guys on defense who are just ready to take on their role and just get better. That’s what we’ve been doing in the film room throughout the week and continuing to do it until Thursday.
On Baylor sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer’s comeback in the game last year
He definitely did. He’s a nice player. That’s what we’ve been talking about through the bye week. He definitely can make some plays on his feet, and that’s just something that we have to be aware of.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Jake Spavital
On what he wanted to accomplish in practice during the bye week
A lot of it is about just getting back to the basics and the fundamentals and technique. It’s a great opportunity to get back, and start working on some timing issues, working on little things that we thought about over the course of the past six or seven weeks. We fell off a little bit. This gave us more time to focus back there. We’re getting back to continuity, and we’ll get back to coaching that again. That’s what bye weeks are for. You can get a lot of the younger guys reps, as well, and you have a couple extra days of preparation for Baylor. A lot of it was just about getting back to the basics and fundamentals. It lets us try to get back on track with things.
On how redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier can progress after the Iowa State loss
The conversations I had with Will after the game and after we watched the game multiple times together – those were more about him. He’s such a competitor. He was trying to get a spark for us at times. Give Iowa State credit. They did a really good job with tackling, and you saw that Will extended it a little bit and tried to make a play downfield. Those guys were running and playing, I thought, a little harder than we were, and they were tackling well. They were tackling him at his legs a few times when we thought that we should have gotten rid of the ball. That just puts us in tough situations, especially with a team that emphasizes dropping eight. They’re going to keep everything in front. The more you play behind the chains, the harder it’s going to be to get those first downs. We had a lot of conversations about it, and I think he has a good feeling and understanding that, in certain situations, I have to get rid of the ball and live until the next play.
On if the offense experienced a total breakdown against Iowa State
There were breakdowns, and we can never be on the same page. That’s why it’s such an ultimate team game, where everybody has to be on the same page. The protection has to be clean, the separation you’re making has to be clean, the routes have to be clean, the route running has to be spaced out correctly and there’s a lot of timing, too. I thought against Iowa State, it was more of a perfect storm. There were times that we would get open, and the protection would break down. There were times when we weren’t open, (redshirt senior quarterback) Will (Grier) had all the time in the world back there and he would extend play and would take a negative play at that point. There was a lot instances where people weren’t on the same page. Sitting down with Dana (Holgorsen) about it, we all just decided that we needed to sit down, get back to the fundamentals and timing, work with the little things again, make sure we’re clean with that and make sure it doesn’t happen moving forward. There’s a lot that went into it. You can’t sit there and point the finger at just one thing. There were a lot of issues that went on, and we knew that when we sat down. For this game moving forward, it’s about how you respond, and I think these kids are eager to get out there and play versus Baylor.
On fine-tuning the offense’s timing throughout the season
There’s a fine line you get into with how much you’re running these kids and with what you are practicing. We’ve been pretty decent with passing this year. You had one letdown in the Iowa State game, and there were multiple factors with that. But it was good just to reevaluate everything and get back to the basics of what we do and make sure that we’re crisp moving forward.
On what needs to be done to regain the timing that was lost in the Iowa State game
You do more open-field, routes-on-air stuff. You break it up. You split up into certain groups, and we were working full-field concepts where the quarterbacks have to take their drops, go through their progressions and make sure they’re hitting these guys out of their breaks. For receivers, they’re making sure that they’re spatially aware of what’s going on and making sure that they’re hitting their depths. Some of the issues we had versus Iowa State were in that we weren’t hitting the depths where we needed to be with our route running, and I thought that kind of threw the timing off on stuff. So, we went back to more of the basics of making sure we’re doing the little things right, making sure we get to the right depths and making sure that we are going through our progressions and that the timing matches up correctly. On top of that, you have a lot of pass emphasis drills when you have the full team. They’re showing different blitzes and dropping eight where the quarterback has to recognize hots and recognize where we can get to our fourth and fifth progression.
On if he is concerned with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier’s confidence following his performance against Iowa State
I don’t think so. I think it’s more about how we can do moving forward, how we can respond to this, and how we can fix it. I think Will is doing a really good job, in terms of his energy, his body language and how he’s been practicing these last few days. I think these kids are more anxious to get out there on a national TV game, with a lot of eyes on them. They’re ready to get back on track, put this game behind them and move forward.
On how a team should respond in between games following a loss
I think about moving forward with the adversity part. We challenge them by saying, ‘Let’s see how mature this team really is.’ They got after us. That was a game that was a nightmare by a lot of accounts. It’s about how we fix this and how we respond. When we sat in here as a unit and we talked, it was more about how we can fix it instead of pointing the finger, and it was about, ‘Let’s get back to work.’ It’s just about getting back to the basics and getting back to that confidence that we had at the beginning of this year. I think this is a mature team, and moving forward, they will have answers, and they will respond by playing hard and playing with effort. That handles a lot of things. I thought Iowa State was flying around, and I thought they wanted it more. If we can get to that point where we can match it from an effort standpoint, from a physicality standpoint, it’s going to help us overcome a lot of things.
On if it’s more important for redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier to be a cerebral player or simply a football player
There is a fine line with it. You can’t give him too much. That was about going back to the basics and going back to coaching the fundamentals of each play we had. It’s about each concept. It’s understanding that check downs are good, or in these certain looks, this is where we need to go with the progression. It’s good reminders, because there’s a lot going on for Will back there. There’s a lot going on for any quarterback that’s in the game, especially when they’re getting hit. When things aren’t open, they start pressing a little bit, they’re trying to make plays. There’s not a lack of effort. It’s about I’m trying to do whatever I can, and sometimes, you can do too much. It’s more about playing within the system, taking what they give you and living until the next play. That’s the hardest thing to do. I had the same problems with Johnny Manziel, at times. You don’t want to handcuff how special they are and how they can extend plays. Throughout the course and flow of the game, if it’s not working, then we need to live until the next play and understand where it’s going from that standpoint. That’s difficult to do, and that’s a lot of pressure on a kid. He has a good understanding of what went wrong, and how he can prevent that moving forward.
Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On only preparing for one quarterback for the Baylor game
I don’t know. We’re not going to know how to act. This quarterback, he creates issues. Obviously, he’s a runner. He extends plays. He’s tough and can throw the ball. He’s a lot like the kid we faced a couple weeks ago.
On Baylor wide receiver Jalen Hurd
He and the (Denzel) Mims kid are both big kids. They can run, they’re athletic. If you leave them one-on-one, they’re going to hurt you. We have to do a good job of always knowing where they’re at. The one thing about it is you can’t just concentrate on them and try to double cover them, because their run game will get you. We have to do a good job of mixing up pressure, showing pressure when we’re not bringing it, dropping eight and getting hands on receivers early.
On coaching players to not leave their feet on a quarterback pump fake
Hell, I’m going to tell them something different, because that didn’t work, obviously, last week. I don’t know, it was bad.
On preparing for Baylor wide receiver Jalen Hurd to be used as a running back
A bunch. Coach (Matt) Rhule does a great job with. With his past, he wants to be a physical guy. He’s an o-line guy at heart. He coached it for a long time. They can get big and smash you when they put him back at tailback. They do a really good job with their package. They bring in an extra o-lineman or a tight end in number. They try to go big on you. They go tight end wing, with one wide-out, two backs and its old school football. It’s actually fun to watch.
On Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer’s style of play
I think he has a little more control of the offense right now with playing in the system. He does a really, really good job. They do a really good job of moving the sticks on third down. They’re one of the best teams in the country for doing that, and that’s all because of him. If you’re covering guys downfield, he’s going to take off on you. He will keep plays alive, and we have to be careful that we’re not coming off guys too early, because he can still throw it. But he’s dangerous.
On how he evaluates defensive linemen
I think the number one thing is, and we always talk about this. The number one thing is stopping the run with those guys. When we measure them for how productive they are, what we’re looking for is controlling the line of scrimmage first. Then, if they have the ability to get after the quarterback, we try to get them in one-on-one situations to get them on edges to create pressure. It’s a little more difficult for us with three down. So, we do some different things with our blitz packages to get more people than they can block at times. Then, also, we can bring four or five and try to get one-on-one matchups. I think the biggest thing for us is that we want the ball out quick when we pressure. I think teams know that we’re going to pressure. So, we don’t have a lot of opportunities. Quarterbacks don’t hold the ball as long.
On if pressuring in the backfield is enough for a defensive lineman to be graded positively
Yeah, we definitely grade them on that. We look for that, but you don’t want a guy that’s going to sit on the line of scrimmage either. We want guys that can run, rush the passer, put heat on and make the quarterback move his feet to maybe escape to a different window where we have other guys coming.
On his evaluation of the pass rush this season
I think we’re doing a good job. I think the biggest result of that is showing on TFLs. I think we’re still top five in the country in TFLs. A lot of that has to do with disruptive d-linemen right now, but some of it has to do with pressuring. Last week or however long ago – 10 days – at Iowa State, it was okay, not great. I thought their quarterback did a good job of staying in the pocket when we did bring pressure. He was taking hits and delivering the ball. But at certain points in that game, it wasn’t as good as its been. We weren’t affecting that quarterback, and if you’re not going to do that, then I’m not going to put our guys in coverage one-on-one against a 6’6” kid.
On recovering during the bye week
Last Tuesday, we had our first practice after the game. We gave them a couple days. We watched a lot of film on Sunday. Monday was their day off. On Tuesday, we brought them in. We thought we were really good then. On Wednesday, we had a really good, physical practice, and then, we hit the road recruiting for a couple of days. Last night, they had some pep in their step, and they looked fast.
On how Baylor has improved from a year ago
I think they’re a year better. I think their quarterback makes them go. Last year when we were coming into our game with them, (Zach) Smith was more of a pocket guy and couldn’t move. I think (Charlie) Brewer creates so many different things for them. Then, (Jalen) Hurd, after you add him into the mix, gives them a lot of production at wide-out. Then, he’ll come in and run the ball. But I think they’re bought in. They believe in what they do, how they do it and they stick with it. They’re still able to run the ball, and that’s what keeps people off balance.
On if Baylor still resembles how the program was on offense under Art Briles
No, it’s totally different.
On how to teach physical tackling under limitations in practice
If you look, I think we had 31 missed tackles in the game (against Iowa State) the other night, which is ridiculous. I don’t know if you could take the two games prior to that and have 31 totals. I think some of that was that we were on the ground too much. Why’s that? Was it wet grass? Was it that their backs were that good? Our guys couldn’t stay on their feet, we couldn’t get off blocks. That’s the one thing about it is that we had a lot of opportunities to make tackles one-on-one with running backs, and we didn’t. I don’t think it was as much about getting off blocks as much as it was that we were on the ground too much.
On week night games
I think if we fill the stadium up and it gets going and we give the fans something to cheer about, then I think it’ll be great. But the first thing is we have to fill it up. The second thing is we have to do our job and do our part. I love the primetime games at 7:00 and 7:30. It lets our kids be the focus of college football that night. I think that put us on the map in 2002, 2003. I think we were America’s team at that point. It seemed like we played every other Thursday.
On his fondest memory of playing on a week night
Virginia Tech (in 2002), Brian King’s interception. That was a Wednesday, too.
Redshirt Senior Quarterback Will Grier
On trying to be more efficient on the field and not doing too much
I think that I’m trying to extend plays and give us a spark. I think that in certain situations I have to get rid of the ball, and that’s the gray area being the playmaker and being the quarterback. If somebody gets open and I throw a 60-yard touchdown, then I don’t think anybody is going to tell me to throw the ball away. That’s part of playing this position, it falls on me. I’ve made corrections, and I’m going to do a better job of getting rid of the ball and keeping us from going backwards. That’s part of this game. Nobody is going to play perfect football, but we’ve made adjustments, and we’re going to be better moving forward.
On finding balance between throwing the ball away and waiting to make something happen
It’s a gray area. Like I said, you’re not always going to make the right decision. It’s going to fall down on me either way. So, I have to use my best judgement and try to make plays, but also, throw the ball away in certain situations. I have to be better moving forward.
On if he’s ever had a game as offensively frustrating as Iowa State
There are a lot of games that have been frustrating. I wasn’t necessarily frustrated Saturday. I had a good time playing the game. It was fun game and a cool atmosphere. They played us really hard and out-played us in a lot of areas, and that was frustrating. We have to be able to produce better. We have to move the chains, we have to score points. That was frustrating, but it’s over and done with. We’ve all moved on to Baylor.
On if it was nice to have a week off
Absolutely. That’s what bye weeks are for. I feel good. I think a lot of guys had a chance to get some extra treatment and get healthy, so we should be fresh moving forward.
Senior Wide Receiver Gary Jennings Jr.
On working to get timing back together with redshirt senior quarterback Will Grier
All throughout the bye week, that’s what we did. We tried to revamp some things and work on some things that needed some fine tuning.
On the different emotions following the loss at Iowa State
It’s been over since we watched that film. So, we’re on to Baylor now.
On what he sees from Baylor
They’re a very athletic group, and we have to bring our A game in the Big 12 every single week.
On difference about night games
Night games in Morgantown are always special. Our fans always bring their A game and so will we.
Redshirt Senior Safety Dravon Askew-Henry
On challenges presented by Baylor’s wide receivers
They have pretty good receivers that have pretty nice size. I feel like if we just do our job and get our technique right, we’ll get the job done.
On the turnover miner’s helmet
Yeah, we’re pretty hyped for that. We’re ready to make a play just so that we can put the hat on now. I feel like that’s going to have the players ready to play and come to compete.
On if it was frustrating to have a week off after the Iowa State game
It’s frustrating because it’s long until you get to play football again, but we were able to get some good work in so we could be ready for this Thursday.
On Baylor’s talent
They’re a good football team. They look way better than last year’s Baylor football team. We have to come ready to play, because I know they will.
Redshirt Junior Linebacker David Long Jr.
On if defensive statistics from the Iowa State game were ridiculous
I would use that word. We have definitely experienced it before, a few times last season especially. This is a hiccup that we have to fix down the road.
On if the bye week was frustrating
Yeah, because we couldn’t get right back out there to prove or show our improvement on what we messed up on last game. We just worked on the things that we could on film and practiced the techniques that we needed to in practice. We’re continuing to do that leading up to Thursday.
On if Baylor’s style makes them trickier to play than other teams
I wouldn’t stay it’s trickier. I think there’s just more to be accountable for. We’ve been going through the season. We faced them last year. We did pretty well up towards the end of the game, and they started to make some big plays. That just comes with experience. We have a lot of guys on defense who are just ready to take on their role and just get better. That’s what we’ve been doing in the film room throughout the week and continuing to do it until Thursday.
On Baylor sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer’s comeback in the game last year
He definitely did. He’s a nice player. That’s what we’ve been talking about through the bye week. He definitely can make some plays on his feet, and that’s just something that we have to be aware of.