What Texas players said after their 55-0 win over Sam Houston State on Saturday

The No. 8 Texas Longhorns scored early in often during its 55-0 win over out-manned Sam Houston State on Saturday from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Here’s what the players had to say.

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Arch Manning, QB

(On the game’s emotion and what made tonight different)

“Yeah, I had a good time with Coach [Steve Sarkisian] on Sunday just to play one play at a time, kind of a sniper mentality, and we did that tonight. I thought the team played really well.”
(On his approach going into the game)

“Just go out and play ball. That’s all you can do. It’s just a game at the end of the day. Just go have fun, play ball.”

(On changing the narrative around offensive struggles)

“I’m not really worried about what anyone thinks in the narratives. I’m just ready to play ball, get wins. That’s the most important. Most important, especially going into SEC play.”

Ryan Wingo, WR

(On carrying momentum from last week’s connection with Arch Manning)

“For sure, it gave me a lot of confidence. When [Arch Manning] told me he was going to try to get me the ball more, I knew I had to do my part: catch it, make plays, and hold up my end. So, I just came out locked in, ready to show I could do it.”

(On offense’s chemistry and room for growth)

“I think it’s just a growing moment. Like I said, everybody is getting used to each other, the timing, the rhythm. Lately, it’s been cool seeing the stuff we’ve been working on in practice translate into the game. Still a lot to clean up, but we’re building something good.”

(On DeAndre Moore Jr.’s leadership qualities and how his field presence influences offensive performance)

“[Moore Jr.] just brings juice, man. He’s going to block, he’s going to catch, he’s going to do everything. When he’s out there, it makes it easier for everybody else because you know he’s handling his business. It lifts the whole group, for sure.”

Trey Moore, LB

(On team’s position heading into SEC play)

“I think we’re good. I think in this game we really saw a big jump in terms of putting the game together in all three phases, so I think it was a good win, a good team performance, heading into conference.”

(On defense’s success impacting offensive play)

“It’s understandable. You can get caught up in this game sometimes. The pressure and you’re trying to make plays and sometimes that happens, but when you really come down to it and remember that you’re playing the game that you love, you control what you can and you make the most of the opportunities and just enjoy the game and play for each other. I think that’s when plays are made, so it’s good to see that tonight.”

(On defense’s more aggressive approach)

“I think [Pete Kwiatkowski] wanted to put it on film and get a lot more blitzes to show up, a lot more aggressiveness on defense in this game. It’s just when the opportunities are there and you get those stops on first and second down, and you get them in those third and long situations, you can do that.”

(On seeing the offense improve)

“We’re a team. We lose as a team, we win as a team, and everything we do is as a team. We go as a team, so when they’re down, we’re going to pick them up. When we’re down, they’ll do the same for us. So, it was good for offense, defense and special teams to have a good performance tonight.”

Michael Taaffe, DB

(On defense wanting a shutout)

“We wanted it so bad. Especially in DKR. The fans deserved it. Our D-line deserved it. They’ve been stopping the run all season. It’s been awesome to play behind. And when you don’t have a guard or a center that’s double teaming, climb up to you because they’ve got to worry about the D-tackles. It makes your job so much easier. So happy for those guys.”

(On Arch Manning’s performance)

“My guy (Arch Manning) got his swagger back. Yeah, he got his swagger back. You can tell, he knew it was in there. We all knew it was in there. When Coach Akina came in in the spring, he met with me, and said, ‘I love game planning against the offense in the spring, but we’ve got to really game plan this quarterback, he’s the real deal.’ An outsider can walk in and see how good Arch is, but he just had to take that step. I’m so proud of him. It’s really cool to see somebody that’s going through something, that really hasn’t been
through something in life, get his swagger back and do nothing but congratulate his teammates.”

(On the upcoming stretch of games on the road)

“I’m really excited. As much as I love DKR, I’m really excited to go on the road and see some other atmospheres. I love being the villain. I feel like I’ve been the villain all my life, so I love being the villain and proving myself right and proving others wrong.