MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 30, 2016) - The West Virginia University football coaching staff and members of the WVU football team met with the media on Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On if he is comfortable with the game plan
Yeah, I feel like we have a nice game plan. We’ll see how it works but I am excited to see the kids get out and perform. It’s time that we make that step and see where we are at.
On how the guys stepping in are going to perform
Yeah, we will just have to see when the lights come on and for it’s real how they are going to perform. These are guys; (redshirt senior linebacker) (Justin) Arndt, (redshirt junior linebacker) Al (Rasheed) Benton, (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Christian (Brown), (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Noble (Nwachukwu), (senior defensive lineman) Darrien (Howard), (senior safety) Jeremy Tyler, (redshirt senior safety) (Jarrod) Harper, are all guys that have played and have all started in a game. When they have to go out and play 70 or 80 snaps, we will see how it all works. Again, it’s the time that we need to make that step and I think we are ready. I think we are tired of hitting each other. We are going through Missouri again for two weeks in a row, so we have to get out and see what we are made of, see what we’re all about.
On rotation at the cornerback position
A bunch of rotation. I know the depth chart, you have to release one. Don’t put much stock in that right now, that’s what we had to put down on paper. There are three guys that I feel that are starters, (redshirt senior cornerback) (Antonio) Crawford, (redshirt senior cornerback) (Maurice) Fleming and (redshirt senior cornerback) Rasul (Douglas). Those three will see the majority of the snaps, with, (redshirt senior cornerback) Nana (Kyeremeh) being the next guy in.
On what redshirt junior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton has done to improve
The biggest thing with him is his maturity. He is, obviously, a year smarter, his body has changed a little bit, he’s stronger, faster. Now it’s his time. When you take that burden off of always looking, well I have this guy in front of me and if I would go make a mistake am I going to get pulled right back out. Now he has a little more freedom to go play. We will be patient with those guys and it’s going to be a learning experience for all of us.
Assistant Coach (Defense/Special Teams) Mark Scott
On if the first game is prone to more mistakes
I don’t know if the first game is more prone to mistakes, there’s going to be more adjustments made, more in-game adjustments because there is a little bit of the unknown. That’s on me and the rest of our coaches to be able to see something and communicate that with our players and get adjusted on the field.
On what the team can expect from Missouri on special teams
We’ve got an idea just based on what they’ve done in the past and obviously, with new coaches coming in, you study what those new coaches have done at other schools. Again, you don’t want to give the kids too much information. You don’t want them to be thinking too much, you want them to go out there and let loose, that really falls on us to make adjustments after we see what they are going to do. ‘Ok, it’s what we thought, we’re good, here’s what we have to do’ or ‘this is what they’re doing, here’s how we need to counteract it’.
On Missouri’s return-man situation
We are fully anticipating (senior running back) (Alex) Ross to be returning kickoffs. He’s got great speed, especially for a guy of his size. He’s not a scat-back, he’s 6’1’’, 6’2’’, 205, 215 pounds. He was a three-year starter returning kicks at Oklahoma, so he’s got a bunch of experience, and again, he’s got the speed the speed to take it the distance any time the ball is in his hands.
Assistant Coach (Safeties) Matt Caponi
On if it’s hard to get continuity with all the adjustments the safeties group has had to make
I don’t think so, just because I kind of see the relationship that they have built within the position group, not just on the field, but off the field as well. They seem like a very close-knit group. No matter who is in there, everybody knows what the heck everybody else is doing, which helps. So I don’t think it really sets us back at all, being able to move guys around and they’ve done a great job adjusting, and that just kind of shows their knowledge of what we’re trying to do defensively and how well they can pick things up.
On fears that coaches face going into the opener
I think it’s just kind of the unknown, especially with facing a team that has a new coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball. We are very limited in the film that we have on them so it’s kind of working and making sure that we control what we can control, and that’s as far as our communication progression, what we’re reading from our key standpoint, and doing our responsibility and not trying to do too much. I think it will take a series or two for us to get adjusted and kind of feel out what obviously Missouri is going to be trying to do from a scheme standpoint. So it’s more of controlling what we can control, and doing well at what we do.
On what the safeties do well
I think they do a great job of playing hard and sometimes that makes up for some things from a technique or scheme standpoint that might not be a major plus. We had a pretty, almost a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting earlier in camp and I think since that time the guys, no matter who’s out on the field, what 11 is out there, that those guys are practicing their butt off, and taking every play and every rep like it’s their last one. It’s going from the standpoint that we are going to start our best 11 guys. We aren’t expecting those guys to play 80, 90 snaps a game so we have some good depth behind and we are ready to roll.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Fullbacks-Tight Ends) Joe Wickline
On how Missouri looks up front defensively
I’ll be quite honest with you, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between their one’s and their two’s, and then some of their three’s. They are all talented football players. They have shown that statistically, they have proven they are good players, and they have a lot of depth. We respect the kind of players that they are. We are worried more about West Virginia right now. Taking care of what we do, how we do it and being the best that we can be.
On what Missouri’s pass rush
I think our guys understand that. We watch film, and they watch us. We have to be able to control the balance of the game. We have to be able to run the football and do things that either make a ‘tear-in’ or take advantage of things that they do. The bottom line is, we play who we play, and we are going to look at what they got and how they do it and try to figure out ‘look they have new people in there, how are they going to line up and who are they going to line up with.’ They are a good defensive football team, solid. Again, we are going to try to be the best West Virginia that we can be, if we do that we will be in good shape.
On what impresses him about Missouri’s defense
I don’t like any of it actually. There is a total respect in terms of, they are not one-sided, and they are very balanced. Obviously, they have done a great job with pressuring the quarterbacks, with the multitude of sacks, they have done a great job with lost yardage and tackles in the backfield, being number two in the country, in stopping the pass and number five in the nation, and overall they are number six. In other words, they are not a one trick pony. They are going to stop the run, they are going to stop the pass and they are ready for all of the junk around it. They are real sound so I think it’s a combination of things. Again, it goes back to the fact that we need to worry more about West Virginia and how we apply it to what we are seeing than we do about them sometimes.
Assistant Coach (Running Backs) Ja’Juan Seider
On trying to establish the run against Missouri’s defensive line
With it being the first game, there is always excitement anyway. You have been beating each other up all camp and all summer so now you get to go against a quality opponent. You get to go against a team from another power five conference in the SEC, so kids take that challenge. Two teams that mirror each other from changing conferences, we probably replaced them in the Big 12. It’s a lot of variables in that game to get you excited. It makes the summer easier to prepare for when you open with a team that you have to go play, than when you come in with expectations that you should win the game. You don’t have to motivate guys as much. We have a lot to prove in that period, who is going to be the guy?
On running backs putting extra emphasis on pass protection
We worked hard in the spring, worked hard in the summer and will work hard in the fall. It’s getting better in general. Whether, we play Missouri, or Youngstown (State), it doesn’t matter. It’s a challenge because those guys are good, but so are our guys. We think that our o-line up front is pretty good. If we are as good as we think we are and people build us up than we will be able to handle those guys. It’s no different than what we see throughout the Big 12, they all have those types of players. They are deep, that’s the thing that you see playing in the SEC. You have to be deep at defensive line, because it’s a run oriented league. (redshirt junior defensive lineman) (Charles) Harris, number 91, he is a dang good player, you don’t get too many of those guys around anywhere.
On if redshirt junior defensive lineman Charles Harris changes the way that the offense calls plays
No, I think the flow of the game really dictates how we call games. If we can hold up in our one-on-one blocks, then that’s going to allow us to get out in our route game. It’s different every game. Whether you are offense or defense, you want to establish the line of scrimmage anyway. It’s no different for us going against them, we want to control the line of scrimmage, just like they want to control it. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a hell of a match. They are pretty good, I feel like our guys are pretty good up front. We’ll let the chips fall where they fall.
Assistant Coach (Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On what is the weakness of the position group
I think the weakness is confidence. They don’t really know how good they are yet. They need this first game against a great opponent to prove to themselves how great they are. I believe in them 110 percent. We have size, we have speed, we have experience, and we have big playmakers too. You can’t be mad at that as a coach.
On what has created the big scoring game mentality in the Big 12
You know what’s crazy? That now you have to get guys that can just straight out fly. If you can’t run in this conference, you’re going to get 60 [points] put on you really quick. I’m being completely honest, you have to have those guys that can make those big plays over and over and over again. It’s a fast conference. You’ve got linebackers that can run 4.4 (second 40-yard dashes) in this conference. Everything is fast, you have to play fast, and you have to be able to match what the other team has on the other side of the ball.
On if he thinks the Big 12 conference is setting a tone for the rest of the country
I think everybody in the country has big games lined up. I haven’t been paying attention much but there’s a couple that have some tough games coming up. We win those games, and you’ll see what this conference is all about. It’s kind of crazy how last year they said the Big 12 didn’t really have any defensive guys, just about every guy on the defense left from here (to the NFL). I know this conference is very talented, I didn’t play in it, I played against it when I was playing, and coached in it for two years now. I know what they have, the talent that’s in the Big 12. We’re going to show them, we’ll show them.
Senior Quarterback Skyler Howard
On it finally being game week
It’s been a long time coming. We are four days out now so the confidence is still there. There are no doubts on either side of the ball that I have seen. On defense, their confidence is really high, my confidence is very high, expectations are high. I think we are all just ready to go.
On if it was nice to have a game plan laid out for the week
Yeah, starting last week, it was nice to get our feet wet into Missouri’s defense and everything like that. When Sunday night hit it was game week, I really like the feeling that I had Sunday night and just carrying over to today and today’s practice and following practice watching film, you get that feeling that its game week.
On what he sees in Missouri’s defense
They are strong up front. That’s one thing that I feel like they pride themselves on is the ability to really junking up the box. The player that really stands out to me is (redshirt junior defensive lineman) Charles Harris, 91, good player, good athlete. As far as what we need to focus on is just ourselves. I don’t care what the other side is doing, if we focus on ourselves we are going to execute. If we win up front we are going to execute and that’s the number one thing, we have to win up front. It all starts up front.
On Missouri sending pressure
Yeah, their d-line is really good so they don’t have to bring a lot of pressure. Other teams they really overload the box and really bring everybody with zero blitzes. I didn’t really see a lot of that. They do a variety of things, but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen in the Big 12.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Tyler Orlosky
On Missouri’s depth after last year
Every team has their problems. They were ranked in college football last year. Coming with a 5-7 record, I think that’s pretty good for the problems that they had. Stuff just happens, we have suspensions with our team and we just have to take it for what it’s worth and play good football.
On the difference between having (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Tony Matteo at left tackle over (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Adam Pankey, and what he brings to the table
There’s not much of a difference. Both of them have played a lot, obviously Pankey has started more over Tony but Tony has had a significant amount of playing time. I feel as comfortable with Tony as much as I do with Pankey. He has the knowledge, he’s played center too before. He knows what I’m looking for, he sees the same thing I do. Just that knowledge really helps.
On the depth of the line
Once (redshirt senior offensive lineman)Pankey comes back I think we have seven guys who are ready to play. That’s always good to have. We have those guys that can come into the game and make a difference and give the guy a break and that break helps a lot. I think we’re really good depth wise this year.
On challenges when it comes to the Missouri Defensive Line
It’s a little bit different. They’re bigger than what we’re used to. They’re doing a really good job on leverage, getting up underneath the guy. They have guys that stunt a lot. Their linebackers have played a lot. Obviously they’re an experienced defense and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the same defense that they had last year, so they have a lot going for them.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Tony Matteo
On the challenge of playing Missouri
I think they have a lot of talent. I think they’re athletic. We need to play aggressively. It couldn’t be a better challenge.
On if he’s ready for this moment
Yeah, I think we all are. It’s been a long time since the last game. I think we’ve worked hard. I think we’ll be ready after this week of preparation. I’ve worked a lot too, I’ve been here for five years, so I’ve worked really hard. This should be a great opportunity to play.
On the motivation of the front five
(assistant coach (offensive line) Coach (Ron) Crook talks about having the same focus no matter what the situation is. I think that we’re going to stay true to that and have the same focus no matter who we are playing.
On what it means to be starting in the front five
It means everything to me. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to play, I’m here to make the team better and I’m here to win. It’s a great opportunity to get out on the field and play, and hopefully win the game.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Justin Arndt
On how he handled the frustrations of not playing
Definitely the love of the game. I can definitely say you have to really love the game, and just love the grind. You have to realize you get better every day and come in with that mindset, each and every day.
On if transferring to a lower division school for more playing time was tempting
Not necessarily, honestly if I did stop football, it probably would have stopped from there. I don’t think I would have gone down or anything. I’ve had those thoughts for a long time, like freshman year, but now it’s all paying off.
On if there was a defining moment that made him realize he was able to play at a division one school
When I got in on kickoff my second year versus Oklahoma, it clicked, like hey things are moving along, it’s going well. Then I would say when I finally got to start special teams against Texas Tech, and was actually able to go out there and make tackles, make plays, that really helped my confidence, and just going forward to achieve bigger goals, and keep building on what I’ve done.
Redshirt Senior Defensive Lineman Christian Brown
On the effect of the adversity of the preseason
We just have to stay motivated really. We can’t let that distract us. I know we lost some key players. So we just have to help them and motivate us so we can get wins every Saturday.
On how coaches have helped motivate them to be ready for the game
It’s all about your mentality. You just want to go out there every day, just give it your best and just stay tuned to the game stuff. It’s not hard to do, you just have to stay motivated really.
On his personal goals
My personal goal is to just help my team in any situation.
On how game ready the defensive line is
Everybody is game ready. We’ve been waiting for a long time for this. It’s finally here, so we’re about to just put on a show.
Redshirt Senior Safety Jarrod Harper
On Missouri’s Quarterback
We just have to keep watching film and keep studying his reads and what he likes to do, but if we do that we’ll be fine.
On preparation for Missouri
We have to prepare for everything, because they brought in new coaches and new staff. We just have to be ready for whatever. They might try to throw anything at us, as long as we do what we’re coached to do we’ll be all right.
On the secondary as a whole
Secondary is where I have the most confidence in our defense. We’ve been together, we might not have that much game experience, but we’ve been in practice and we’ve been together so we know what each other can do. As long as we communicate and stay on the same page and get the calls from (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Coach Tony Gibson on the sidelines we’ll be all right.
Redshirt Junior Kicker Mike Molina
On starting this week
This week it’s the same thing; we do the same things every day. We have a routine that goes on, but its game week so there is a little special feel to it.
On how redshirt senior kicker Josh Lambert is helping him out
He’s helping me out, tremendously. Even from the first day I’ve been active. Nothing has really changed with Josh. He’s helped me since the first day I’ve been here, so I think it’s been the same. He’s always been great.
On how much he has improved since the last time he talked with the media
I feel like I’ve gotten better. All I’ve done is gotten more reps, better at it. I guess I can really only say I’ve gotten more confident and comfortable back there.
Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Tony Gibson
On if he is comfortable with the game plan
Yeah, I feel like we have a nice game plan. We’ll see how it works but I am excited to see the kids get out and perform. It’s time that we make that step and see where we are at.
On how the guys stepping in are going to perform
Yeah, we will just have to see when the lights come on and for it’s real how they are going to perform. These are guys; (redshirt senior linebacker) (Justin) Arndt, (redshirt junior linebacker) Al (Rasheed) Benton, (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Christian (Brown), (redshirt senior defensive lineman) Noble (Nwachukwu), (senior defensive lineman) Darrien (Howard), (senior safety) Jeremy Tyler, (redshirt senior safety) (Jarrod) Harper, are all guys that have played and have all started in a game. When they have to go out and play 70 or 80 snaps, we will see how it all works. Again, it’s the time that we need to make that step and I think we are ready. I think we are tired of hitting each other. We are going through Missouri again for two weeks in a row, so we have to get out and see what we are made of, see what we’re all about.
On rotation at the cornerback position
A bunch of rotation. I know the depth chart, you have to release one. Don’t put much stock in that right now, that’s what we had to put down on paper. There are three guys that I feel that are starters, (redshirt senior cornerback) (Antonio) Crawford, (redshirt senior cornerback) (Maurice) Fleming and (redshirt senior cornerback) Rasul (Douglas). Those three will see the majority of the snaps, with, (redshirt senior cornerback) Nana (Kyeremeh) being the next guy in.
On what redshirt junior linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton has done to improve
The biggest thing with him is his maturity. He is, obviously, a year smarter, his body has changed a little bit, he’s stronger, faster. Now it’s his time. When you take that burden off of always looking, well I have this guy in front of me and if I would go make a mistake am I going to get pulled right back out. Now he has a little more freedom to go play. We will be patient with those guys and it’s going to be a learning experience for all of us.
Assistant Coach (Defense/Special Teams) Mark Scott
On if the first game is prone to more mistakes
I don’t know if the first game is more prone to mistakes, there’s going to be more adjustments made, more in-game adjustments because there is a little bit of the unknown. That’s on me and the rest of our coaches to be able to see something and communicate that with our players and get adjusted on the field.
On what the team can expect from Missouri on special teams
We’ve got an idea just based on what they’ve done in the past and obviously, with new coaches coming in, you study what those new coaches have done at other schools. Again, you don’t want to give the kids too much information. You don’t want them to be thinking too much, you want them to go out there and let loose, that really falls on us to make adjustments after we see what they are going to do. ‘Ok, it’s what we thought, we’re good, here’s what we have to do’ or ‘this is what they’re doing, here’s how we need to counteract it’.
On Missouri’s return-man situation
We are fully anticipating (senior running back) (Alex) Ross to be returning kickoffs. He’s got great speed, especially for a guy of his size. He’s not a scat-back, he’s 6’1’’, 6’2’’, 205, 215 pounds. He was a three-year starter returning kicks at Oklahoma, so he’s got a bunch of experience, and again, he’s got the speed the speed to take it the distance any time the ball is in his hands.
Assistant Coach (Safeties) Matt Caponi
On if it’s hard to get continuity with all the adjustments the safeties group has had to make
I don’t think so, just because I kind of see the relationship that they have built within the position group, not just on the field, but off the field as well. They seem like a very close-knit group. No matter who is in there, everybody knows what the heck everybody else is doing, which helps. So I don’t think it really sets us back at all, being able to move guys around and they’ve done a great job adjusting, and that just kind of shows their knowledge of what we’re trying to do defensively and how well they can pick things up.
On fears that coaches face going into the opener
I think it’s just kind of the unknown, especially with facing a team that has a new coaching staff, especially on the offensive side of the ball. We are very limited in the film that we have on them so it’s kind of working and making sure that we control what we can control, and that’s as far as our communication progression, what we’re reading from our key standpoint, and doing our responsibility and not trying to do too much. I think it will take a series or two for us to get adjusted and kind of feel out what obviously Missouri is going to be trying to do from a scheme standpoint. So it’s more of controlling what we can control, and doing well at what we do.
On what the safeties do well
I think they do a great job of playing hard and sometimes that makes up for some things from a technique or scheme standpoint that might not be a major plus. We had a pretty, almost a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting earlier in camp and I think since that time the guys, no matter who’s out on the field, what 11 is out there, that those guys are practicing their butt off, and taking every play and every rep like it’s their last one. It’s going from the standpoint that we are going to start our best 11 guys. We aren’t expecting those guys to play 80, 90 snaps a game so we have some good depth behind and we are ready to roll.
Assistant Coach (Offensive Coordinator/Fullbacks-Tight Ends) Joe Wickline
On how Missouri looks up front defensively
I’ll be quite honest with you, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between their one’s and their two’s, and then some of their three’s. They are all talented football players. They have shown that statistically, they have proven they are good players, and they have a lot of depth. We respect the kind of players that they are. We are worried more about West Virginia right now. Taking care of what we do, how we do it and being the best that we can be.
On what Missouri’s pass rush
I think our guys understand that. We watch film, and they watch us. We have to be able to control the balance of the game. We have to be able to run the football and do things that either make a ‘tear-in’ or take advantage of things that they do. The bottom line is, we play who we play, and we are going to look at what they got and how they do it and try to figure out ‘look they have new people in there, how are they going to line up and who are they going to line up with.’ They are a good defensive football team, solid. Again, we are going to try to be the best West Virginia that we can be, if we do that we will be in good shape.
On what impresses him about Missouri’s defense
I don’t like any of it actually. There is a total respect in terms of, they are not one-sided, and they are very balanced. Obviously, they have done a great job with pressuring the quarterbacks, with the multitude of sacks, they have done a great job with lost yardage and tackles in the backfield, being number two in the country, in stopping the pass and number five in the nation, and overall they are number six. In other words, they are not a one trick pony. They are going to stop the run, they are going to stop the pass and they are ready for all of the junk around it. They are real sound so I think it’s a combination of things. Again, it goes back to the fact that we need to worry more about West Virginia and how we apply it to what we are seeing than we do about them sometimes.
Assistant Coach (Running Backs) Ja’Juan Seider
On trying to establish the run against Missouri’s defensive line
With it being the first game, there is always excitement anyway. You have been beating each other up all camp and all summer so now you get to go against a quality opponent. You get to go against a team from another power five conference in the SEC, so kids take that challenge. Two teams that mirror each other from changing conferences, we probably replaced them in the Big 12. It’s a lot of variables in that game to get you excited. It makes the summer easier to prepare for when you open with a team that you have to go play, than when you come in with expectations that you should win the game. You don’t have to motivate guys as much. We have a lot to prove in that period, who is going to be the guy?
On running backs putting extra emphasis on pass protection
We worked hard in the spring, worked hard in the summer and will work hard in the fall. It’s getting better in general. Whether, we play Missouri, or Youngstown (State), it doesn’t matter. It’s a challenge because those guys are good, but so are our guys. We think that our o-line up front is pretty good. If we are as good as we think we are and people build us up than we will be able to handle those guys. It’s no different than what we see throughout the Big 12, they all have those types of players. They are deep, that’s the thing that you see playing in the SEC. You have to be deep at defensive line, because it’s a run oriented league. (redshirt junior defensive lineman) (Charles) Harris, number 91, he is a dang good player, you don’t get too many of those guys around anywhere.
On if redshirt junior defensive lineman Charles Harris changes the way that the offense calls plays
No, I think the flow of the game really dictates how we call games. If we can hold up in our one-on-one blocks, then that’s going to allow us to get out in our route game. It’s different every game. Whether you are offense or defense, you want to establish the line of scrimmage anyway. It’s no different for us going against them, we want to control the line of scrimmage, just like they want to control it. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a hell of a match. They are pretty good, I feel like our guys are pretty good up front. We’ll let the chips fall where they fall.
Assistant Coach (Receivers) Tyron Carrier
On what is the weakness of the position group
I think the weakness is confidence. They don’t really know how good they are yet. They need this first game against a great opponent to prove to themselves how great they are. I believe in them 110 percent. We have size, we have speed, we have experience, and we have big playmakers too. You can’t be mad at that as a coach.
On what has created the big scoring game mentality in the Big 12
You know what’s crazy? That now you have to get guys that can just straight out fly. If you can’t run in this conference, you’re going to get 60 [points] put on you really quick. I’m being completely honest, you have to have those guys that can make those big plays over and over and over again. It’s a fast conference. You’ve got linebackers that can run 4.4 (second 40-yard dashes) in this conference. Everything is fast, you have to play fast, and you have to be able to match what the other team has on the other side of the ball.
On if he thinks the Big 12 conference is setting a tone for the rest of the country
I think everybody in the country has big games lined up. I haven’t been paying attention much but there’s a couple that have some tough games coming up. We win those games, and you’ll see what this conference is all about. It’s kind of crazy how last year they said the Big 12 didn’t really have any defensive guys, just about every guy on the defense left from here (to the NFL). I know this conference is very talented, I didn’t play in it, I played against it when I was playing, and coached in it for two years now. I know what they have, the talent that’s in the Big 12. We’re going to show them, we’ll show them.
Senior Quarterback Skyler Howard
On it finally being game week
It’s been a long time coming. We are four days out now so the confidence is still there. There are no doubts on either side of the ball that I have seen. On defense, their confidence is really high, my confidence is very high, expectations are high. I think we are all just ready to go.
On if it was nice to have a game plan laid out for the week
Yeah, starting last week, it was nice to get our feet wet into Missouri’s defense and everything like that. When Sunday night hit it was game week, I really like the feeling that I had Sunday night and just carrying over to today and today’s practice and following practice watching film, you get that feeling that its game week.
On what he sees in Missouri’s defense
They are strong up front. That’s one thing that I feel like they pride themselves on is the ability to really junking up the box. The player that really stands out to me is (redshirt junior defensive lineman) Charles Harris, 91, good player, good athlete. As far as what we need to focus on is just ourselves. I don’t care what the other side is doing, if we focus on ourselves we are going to execute. If we win up front we are going to execute and that’s the number one thing, we have to win up front. It all starts up front.
On Missouri sending pressure
Yeah, their d-line is really good so they don’t have to bring a lot of pressure. Other teams they really overload the box and really bring everybody with zero blitzes. I didn’t really see a lot of that. They do a variety of things, but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen in the Big 12.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Tyler Orlosky
On Missouri’s depth after last year
Every team has their problems. They were ranked in college football last year. Coming with a 5-7 record, I think that’s pretty good for the problems that they had. Stuff just happens, we have suspensions with our team and we just have to take it for what it’s worth and play good football.
On the difference between having (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Tony Matteo at left tackle over (redshirt senior offensive lineman) Adam Pankey, and what he brings to the table
There’s not much of a difference. Both of them have played a lot, obviously Pankey has started more over Tony but Tony has had a significant amount of playing time. I feel as comfortable with Tony as much as I do with Pankey. He has the knowledge, he’s played center too before. He knows what I’m looking for, he sees the same thing I do. Just that knowledge really helps.
On the depth of the line
Once (redshirt senior offensive lineman)Pankey comes back I think we have seven guys who are ready to play. That’s always good to have. We have those guys that can come into the game and make a difference and give the guy a break and that break helps a lot. I think we’re really good depth wise this year.
On challenges when it comes to the Missouri Defensive Line
It’s a little bit different. They’re bigger than what we’re used to. They’re doing a really good job on leverage, getting up underneath the guy. They have guys that stunt a lot. Their linebackers have played a lot. Obviously they’re an experienced defense and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the same defense that they had last year, so they have a lot going for them.
Redshirt Senior Offensive Lineman Tony Matteo
On the challenge of playing Missouri
I think they have a lot of talent. I think they’re athletic. We need to play aggressively. It couldn’t be a better challenge.
On if he’s ready for this moment
Yeah, I think we all are. It’s been a long time since the last game. I think we’ve worked hard. I think we’ll be ready after this week of preparation. I’ve worked a lot too, I’ve been here for five years, so I’ve worked really hard. This should be a great opportunity to play.
On the motivation of the front five
(assistant coach (offensive line) Coach (Ron) Crook talks about having the same focus no matter what the situation is. I think that we’re going to stay true to that and have the same focus no matter who we are playing.
On what it means to be starting in the front five
It means everything to me. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to play, I’m here to make the team better and I’m here to win. It’s a great opportunity to get out on the field and play, and hopefully win the game.
Redshirt Senior Linebacker Justin Arndt
On how he handled the frustrations of not playing
Definitely the love of the game. I can definitely say you have to really love the game, and just love the grind. You have to realize you get better every day and come in with that mindset, each and every day.
On if transferring to a lower division school for more playing time was tempting
Not necessarily, honestly if I did stop football, it probably would have stopped from there. I don’t think I would have gone down or anything. I’ve had those thoughts for a long time, like freshman year, but now it’s all paying off.
On if there was a defining moment that made him realize he was able to play at a division one school
When I got in on kickoff my second year versus Oklahoma, it clicked, like hey things are moving along, it’s going well. Then I would say when I finally got to start special teams against Texas Tech, and was actually able to go out there and make tackles, make plays, that really helped my confidence, and just going forward to achieve bigger goals, and keep building on what I’ve done.
Redshirt Senior Defensive Lineman Christian Brown
On the effect of the adversity of the preseason
We just have to stay motivated really. We can’t let that distract us. I know we lost some key players. So we just have to help them and motivate us so we can get wins every Saturday.
On how coaches have helped motivate them to be ready for the game
It’s all about your mentality. You just want to go out there every day, just give it your best and just stay tuned to the game stuff. It’s not hard to do, you just have to stay motivated really.
On his personal goals
My personal goal is to just help my team in any situation.
On how game ready the defensive line is
Everybody is game ready. We’ve been waiting for a long time for this. It’s finally here, so we’re about to just put on a show.
Redshirt Senior Safety Jarrod Harper
On Missouri’s Quarterback
We just have to keep watching film and keep studying his reads and what he likes to do, but if we do that we’ll be fine.
On preparation for Missouri
We have to prepare for everything, because they brought in new coaches and new staff. We just have to be ready for whatever. They might try to throw anything at us, as long as we do what we’re coached to do we’ll be all right.
On the secondary as a whole
Secondary is where I have the most confidence in our defense. We’ve been together, we might not have that much game experience, but we’ve been in practice and we’ve been together so we know what each other can do. As long as we communicate and stay on the same page and get the calls from (Associate Head Coach (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers) Coach Tony Gibson on the sidelines we’ll be all right.
Redshirt Junior Kicker Mike Molina
On starting this week
This week it’s the same thing; we do the same things every day. We have a routine that goes on, but its game week so there is a little special feel to it.
On how redshirt senior kicker Josh Lambert is helping him out
He’s helping me out, tremendously. Even from the first day I’ve been active. Nothing has really changed with Josh. He’s helped me since the first day I’ve been here, so I think it’s been the same. He’s always been great.
On how much he has improved since the last time he talked with the media
I feel like I’ve gotten better. All I’ve done is gotten more reps, better at it. I guess I can really only say I’ve gotten more confident and comfortable back there.
