Nov. 8, 2010
A full transcript of Coach Sherman's press conference, along with selected quotes from players, are available below. Audio clips are available in MP3 format to the right.
LB Sean Porter
On the feeling after Saturday's win. "It felt real good to beat a team like that. That's a very good team we beat. It was a good feeling."
On the win validating the hard work in the locker room. "I think we needed this win in the locker room. We got a big one at Kansas and against Tech but we needed a win against a really good team like (Oklahoma). That helped us out."
On Von Miller's effort Saturday. "Von is a warrior out there. He never lets anything keep him out of a game, especially in a situation like that. Von is a great player. He's an All-American. He showed us that Saturday."
On how the defense can build on a performance like Saturday. "We will just go back to work. Every week, we go back to work the same way, whether we win or lose or whoever we played. Today we will go out there and work just as hard as we did last week."
On the key to the defensive success this year. "I think it's just a mindset. It's the way we come out to practice every day. We play really fanatical and we run really fast. Coach (Tim) DeRuyter really pushes us every day to be that way and try hard in everything we do. You can never take a break or a play off."
On what Coach DeRuyter has meant to the defense. "He's meant a lot to this defense. He really makes a difference. The guy's a genius, he knows what he's talking about and he helps us a lot. I completely trust him and he's a difference maker in this defense. He's real positive with us but he lets you know when you do something wrong. He gets it fixed too, right then and there, which is the biggest thing. He doesn't let stuff slide by."
QB Ryan Tannehill
On the team's mid-game struggles against OU. "It was a combination of things. We had some missed assignments. I had some bad decisions. We had some trouble picking up the blitzes they were bringing, as well as penalties. Penalties will kill you. Several times we had positive yards on first down and were pushed back on penalties. You can't have those. When you're playing a good defense you cant play behind the chains. Makes it lot more difficult. We did that and we struggled to get those extra yards.
On the key to running an up-tempo offense. "There are a lot of keys. Everyone has to be on the same page. Communication has to be great. You have to get the play in fast and tell the offense. Everyone has to get set and everyone has to know what they're doing. If you don't know what you're doing and have to ask someone, it slows the tempo down and really hurts you on offense."
On how much he's learned the last three weeks. "I think I learned more thins game than in any other game. They are probably the best defense we've played so far. I didn't play real well and I realize that. I have to learn to take care of the ball and throw the ball away in certain situations. There are always things you can correct and we'll work on those this week."
On the team's energy level after Saturday. "There's still an excitement. We have a good thing going, a little momentum in the locker room, and we're excited about the upcoming game at Baylor. We need to take that energy and excitement that we've built up in the last few weeks and get ready for Saturday."
On turning things around after the Missouri loss. "This team is a bunch of fighters. They never give up. They play with heart, passion and desire. They play every game to win. We had a three-game losing streak, and that's hard on everyone. But no one ever gave up. You'd look in everyone's eyes and see that no one is giving up. The guys in the locker room hung in there and kept fighting. I think we've done that."
On getting the win over OU. "I've had a great feeling about this team all along. We've been through a lot together and seen our ups and seen our downs. This is a team of heart and a team of character and we're never going to give up. The turning point maybe was the Monday after the Missouri game. Our guys came in with determination and an attitude that we were going to go get a win. And it showed."
On the perseverance showed by the veterans on the team and finally getting a win over OU. "It's a great feeling for this team. We've been through a lot. The guys that have been around for three or four years have had tough seasons, some tough losing seasons and tough losses to OU. It's tough on a team to get beat like that. You're out there trying your hardest and still getting beat, that takes a toll on you. It was huge for this team and this organization that we came out and played with passion. We went into the game expecting to win and I think it really showed on Saturday."
SOPHOMORE WR Ryan Swope
On how the team turned things around. "We just knew this team was determined. We weren't going to be denied. We knew we had to just flip the switch somewhere and ever since we've done that we've been kind of rolling. We've been working hard out at practice and working on our tempo and just trying to speed up the game on the field."
On being ranked. "It's a great feeling, but it's just a ranking. We have to treat Baylor like any other team and stay humble about it. We just have to keep playing Texas A&M football."
On playing in an up-tempo offense. "It's a lot of fun when we get the tempo going and we are executing and making big plays, and the defense gets tired. It just opens up the whole field."
On the tempo helping the A&M defense. "It helps our defense as much as it helps us. OU had a real fast tempo going, but you practice like you play. They are always going against us and are used to our tempo, and I think we're right there with OU in tempo. I think that really helped them out going against an up-tempo team."
On the Baylor defense. "We took a look at a little bit of film this morning. They're athletic, they have athletes. They'll be running all over the field. Other than that, I haven't watched too much film on them. We know they have a great team and we'll have to be prepared. It's going to be an exciting game going up to Waco. I've never played there before, it's a first experience for me, so I'm looking forward to it. We have to practice hard, take it one day at a time and work on the little things."
On the feeling in the locker room. "It's a great feeling. Coach Sherman is always telling us that feeling after a win is the best feeling you can get. We really enjoyed it but, we have to move on to Baylor and stay focused on just one day at a time."
HEAD COACH Mike Sherman
On being ranked. "I don't put a whole lot into that right now. I didn't even know it until I came in this morning. It's nice that people recognize that but we have a lot of football left to play."
On the players re-focusing after a big win. "I think they already have. That started this morning. It's all about the next game. That was one football game the other day. It was not our season. It was just one game. We've got a huge game up in Waco this weekend and we're getting ready for that one."
On the offensive struggles in the middle part of the game. "It was a combination of a couple of things. They are a pretty good defensive football team, and have been for a number of years. They made some plays, we didn't. We put ourselves in some precarious positions. We had some field position issues. We were backed up quite a bit. I thought we did a nice job knocking it out of there, but the field position played a part of that. The penalties put us in some very difficult situations, especially in the third quarter. Fortunately we made enough plays to win the football game."
On whether the younger players realize how big a game this is to people in Waco. "Very much so. They understand that this is a big game for them, but they also understand this is a big game for us. This is a huge ballgame for us. We've already shaken off the last game. We gave them 24 hours to enjoy it and that's it. We won't even talk about that game this afternoon. It's all about Baylor."
On Coryell Judie. "I'm so proud of Coryell (Judie), and Jonathan Mathis. This is not any disrespect for people coming out of junior college, but usually guys go there because of academic issues. They have to fight their way out of those things. Both of those young men came in here and just took care of their business. They do it the way it's supposed to be done. I think we put the fear of God in them when they get here that it won't be an easy road for anyone. They've really worked hard in the classroom and done really well. They've gone a great job. I'm real proud of them."
On the defense's improvement. "I take my hat off to Coach DeRuyter and the defensive staff. They have done a great job schematically of teaching this defense in a short period of time. The transition has been somewhat seamless. The kids were trying to digest the information and the volume we put in after the spring, and we came back in fall camp and it was markedly better within the first week. I thought we'd made a lot of improvement. We used to go against the defense in practice on a regular basis and it was hard, because the offense would always have great success against the defense. It's hard to build confidence that way. Now it's almost a standstill, I'd almost give the defense the edge now. Schematically and with the teaching of the defense, I think Coach DeRuyter has done a phenomenal job teaching it to the staff and the staff to players. I think in recruiting too, the assistant coaches have done a great job evaluating. We have more speed than we have had in the past. We need more depth but the assistant coaches have done a nice job in recruiting of getting players here that fit into my thought of what an Aggie football player should be."
On whether the defense's effort Saturday made him proud. "I've been proud of our defense all year, and the other night as well. I think our defense has played pretty well. They struggled in the Missouri game against a very hot quarterback that's made a lot of people look bad. But I've been proud of the defense all year. I'm proud of how they've prepared and they have a little more swagger to them than they've had. They are well-prepared going into ballgames and that's a credit to the coaches."
On whether Oklahoma State's success against Baylor could indicate A&M will have success against the Bears. "Oklahoma State ran their offense. They ran the ball well and threw it well. They were pretty much on their game. It was one of those games that kind of reminded me of us against Missouri, where everything they did worked. They hit some plays. It was nothing necessarily Baylor was doing wrong, they just ran into a hot offense on that day."
On Baylor's offensive threat. "They can be a hot offense. I think they're No. 2 in the Big 12. The quarterback can take off and run and take it the distance anytime he wants to. He's a phenomenal player and seems like a great kid as well, and he's definitely deserving of Heisman Trophy consideration."
On Baylor's defense. "They've got some huge inside people, 330 and 350 pounds inside. They will be mountains to block. Big guys. They have good defensive ends. It's kind of scary because think Chris Francis is their MIKE linebacker, and I remember in 1989 his dad James playing out on Kyle Field and being an unbelievable player. To think I'm old enough to remember his dad playing and now I'm coaching against his son.when I start coaching against the grandsons, I guess it's time to hang it up (laughter)."
On the high volume of penalties over the last few weeks. "It does concern me because we've had way too many the last couple of weeks. I don't want to say anything about any penalties I may disagree with. But part of it is youth, part is being more disciplined about technique, part of it is being overly aggressive at times and part of it is finding our way with the new rules. I spent a lot of time with the officials before the game about the way we are being evaluated by officials on shoulder-to-helmet (collisions), helmet-to-helmet (collisions) and unnecessary roughness (penalties). In my conversations with them I feel we've put them in a precarious position because it seems to be subjective and it changes week to week. I think in the NFL and in college they will err on the side of safety with the players, which I am in full agreement with. But I think it's important to have some consistency though in how it's called. The ones that bother me are too many guys on the field, that's something we have to get cleaned up. I knew that situation could occur with the nature of OU's offense because of how fast they went. We have addressed that and that is an issue. We were put in a goal-line situation because of those penalties. I look at that stuff really hard because that's a lot of yardage we're giving up."
On his injury situation. "Going in to the game we had a lot of wide receivers (injured), (Ryan) Swope didn't even practice hardly all week. (Uzoma) Nwachukwu was out almost the entire week. Brandal Jackson was out the entire week. I went into the game without a full contingent of receivers. I had major concerns about that. This week I think we're healthier at that position. We have most of those guys back. (Offensive lineman) Evan Eike is making progress. I'd like to get him to the point where he can at least come in and help us if necessary, just so we have some experienced depth. He's making progress but he won't practice today. Jeff (Fuller), even last week, was hurting, but he practiced every day. Knowing Jeff and the way he goes about his business I think he'll practice and be ready to play."
On whether he likes night games at home. "I do. Our environment and night-time creates an electric environment. It allows people to plan their day and then come watch the football game. It makes Sunday a heck of a day, with church and preparation and all that stuff. But I do like playing at night. I don't like getting out of here at 11 at night, but I do like (the night games). I think our kids like it. Obviously we didn't fare well in the early game against Missouri. It seemed we were sleep-walking a little bit. That still stings. We have to be able to play at any time though, that's no excuse."
On how he can avoid a letdown this week. "It's the same as losing. You treat it the same. When you lose a game, you have to stay constant. When you're winning, you have to stay constant. We don't get too high or too low. When you win a game or lose a game, you come to work get better, be honest about your mistakes and move forward to the next ballgame. I don't think that will be a problem. I'm a firm believer that as the leader, if you want a certain personality or demeanor you have to exhibit that. So if we lose a ballgame and my demeanor has changed with them in a certain way, they'll be that way. I think it all comes from the leadership and the coaches and how we respond to it. That's where they learn from. How we handle it is how they'll handle it."
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Tim DeRuyter
On how Baylor's up-tempo offense differs from A&M's. "Both are trying to get a bunch of plays in, catch you when you're not quite ready and limit you substitution-wise. It's the offense-du-jour in today's college football. Everyone is trying to gain an advantage and when you do that you can create some things."
On the substitution errors Saturday. "We talked about some things coaching-wise to help our guys communicate better. That was as loud a situation that we've ever been involved in. Clearly we couldn't communicate on Saturday, which is a great problem to have. But we have some things to address it this week. It was talked about over the weekend and we'll be much better at it."
On how the offense's tempo helps out the defense. "I think that's a great advantage we have. Guys are used to that tempo. When our guys crank it up like that, we have to be ready to get it going."
On the challenge of building defensive swagger. "It's tough when you first come in because you're changing a culture, a mindset. But we've got the best defensive coaching staff in the country. We've got guys who know our system. They are positive coaches coaching with energy, emotion and swagger, and we demand it from our players. And when you have success against a team like OU it builds in to that swagger. When we get the 12th Man behind us, our guys bring it to another level. It helps us with our swagger and hurts the other offense's ability to communicate."
On how proud he was after the defense performance on Saturday. "Since day one I've been proud of our guys. They've given us nothing but effort. They've bought in to our system. Everything we've preached they've stepped up to. I'm proud of our guys."
On Saturday being what he envisioned when he took the job here. "Absolutely. Not to keep dwelling on that, but it was a very difficult decision to come here. But in the back of my mind last Saturday was exactly what I came here for. It's a great university, and it's great working with Coach Sherman, but being in that environment and playing a top-10 team in front of the 12th Man, it doesn't get any better."
On the goal-line stands. "I think our kids take tremendous pride (in that). We preach to them all the time that we're not going to let someone run the ball in our goal-line defense. While we weren't perfect, our kids have the mindset that we aren't going to let them run it in. they got the first one in, give OU credit, but our guys reached down and found whatever they had to lay it all on the line."
On how the defense turned the corner. "We obviously executed better. We watched the tape yesterday. I told the guys this morning in meetings that we were still the same team today than we were after the Missouri loss. Quite frankly we dodged a couple of bullets. Against Missouri, they made those plays. That was the difference in the ballgame. I think the guys haven't wavered a whole lot on our side of the ball as far as determination and confidence. They go into games knowing what to do and what to expect. I don't want to take anything away from our kids, but we didn't play as badly as we looked against Missouri, and we didn't play as well as it looked Saturday night. That's usually the case."
On Baylor's threat offensively. "They have a great trigger guy, a really good running back and tremendous speed vertically. It's one of those spread offenses where you better defend everything and still be ready for trick plays and option stuff. It'll be a tough week of practice. It's great coming off a game like OU, but our guys know they'd better be ready for Saturday."
SENIOR LB Michael Hodges
So you're Big 12 Player of the Week. "That indeed I am. (laughter) That's pretty awesome, I have to admit. It's very humbling obviously. It made it a lot easier with the guys up front. They had a tremendous game. It's very cool and I'm very proud of it."
On whether Saturday was the best he'd felt after a game. "Absolutely. I went to breakfast with a buddy of mine who'd driven in from Florida to watch the game, and I told him I was still on such a natural high. I was so happy still. It wasn't just my play, but the fact that we beat OU. At home. No one gave us a chance. I believed in my teammates and the team we have, and it just makes it so much sweeter."
On the key to his personal success Saturday. "It's a lot easier to make a bunch of tackles when the team runs over 100 snaps. I've never played that many in my life. Obviously there are more opportunities, but also I just knew what was coming. (The coaches) broke it down real well early in the week. We knew their game was up tempo but not necessarily different plays. In certain sets they'd come out with certain plays, and me knowing that helped me get in the right position at the right time."
On taking pride in the defensive turnaround. "That was probably my whole goal this season, to be a contributing factor to that. To hear the 12th Man chanting Wrecking Crew at the end was just as chilling as anything I've felt at Kyle Field."
On building on the defensive performance. "We plan to win out, but we take it one game at a time. The big goal now is focusing on Baylor, taking what we did well and what we did badly, and making corrections. There were a lot of smiles this morning but that's okay. We have coaches that really keep us humble. That's big part of it. A handful of us watched tape on Baylor this morning. There's definitely not a let up. They are a good team and we have another challenging game this week."
JOKER Von Miller's
On his pride in the defensive improvement. "I'm very proud. Being a part of this defense, I've seen us take tremendous steps. We still haven't reached our goal yet, but we have come a long way since the spring. Our goal is to be a dominant defense, a dominant force. We're doing pretty well now, we just have to keep going."
On instilling the defensive attitude. "It's been pretty rough. We worked pretty hard in the offseason and the spring to get to the point where we are right now. It's been pretty hard, but it's all been worth it."
On what Michael Hodges means to the team. "He's meant everything. He's been playing like that all year. He's probably been one of the most consistent guys on defense. For him to finally get the recognition and accolades he deserves, it felt good. He's like my conscience. Whenever I'm thinking off the field or at home, I always hear Michael Hodges voice. My conscience is narrated by Michael. I've relied on Michael for most of the season. He's a big part of my success. He knows that and I know that. I didn't realize he had 19 tackles and two sacks until after the game, because you're so locked in. I've never, ever seen a game like that. And he actually had 22 tackles. It was an amazing game."
On playing well this year but not getting the sacks like last year. "Last year, I was really just rushing the quarterback every play. Last year there would be a play-action pass and I would still be rushing. This year if I'm supposed to drop back in coverage, and I read play-action, I drop back in coverage. So the pressure or the sack I may have gotten I won't because I am back in coverage. This year I'm dropping back in coverage more. I really feel like I'm playing more football than just rushing the quarterback. There's a lot more responsibility going into being a 'joker' than being a 'jack'."
On the goal-line stands. "I've felt all the way from the Spring that we had a good goal-line defense. We really haven't been put in those situations yet this season. We knew in the spring that to be a good defense you have to be a good goal-line defense. There's just a will and a 'want to'. We feel like it's not over until you cross the yellow line. On previous defenses I've been on, when you get close to that line you'd feel that you have to be lucky (for them not to score). I felt Saturday that they weren't going to get in if we didn't let them in, and we weren't going to let them in. I just felt we had the will to stop a very good offense on Saturday."
On refocusing on Baylor. "Baylor is an extremely good team. If you overlook them, they'll get you. They got Texas, and some other good teams too this year. We don't want to be on that list. This game (OU) will be forgotten if we go up there and don't play well against a good Baylor team. They didn't have to beat Texas to get our attention. Last year they didn't have (Robert) Griffin and they still had an explosive offense. When you put him back in the equation, they are even more explosive."