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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 11, 2014Kliff KingsburyWest Virginia – 37 Q. Coach, would you talk about the decision on the 4th and 3 there at the end of the game with about 50 seconds to go and the process you went through on that decision? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, I thought we could pin them back. We ended up kicking it in the end zone, and on second thought had we known that we probably would have went for it, but thought we could pin them back and them only having a couple time‑outs, go to overtime. Q. Was that a confidence factor in your offense and not being able to get three yards do you think? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, I didn't like how we were handling the man coverage to be honest. They kept rolling down and playing it and we couldn't win and we couldn't make the throw, so we just decided to do that. Q. Was the struggle against man more on the receivers or more on the ‑‑ KLIFF KINGSBURY: Both. Both. You should invite that type of coverage, but they came down the last couple drives got in our face and we didn't have an answer, and I've got to have some plays to draw up to get people open, too. I'll take that responsibility. Q. Would you talk about those kicks down in the second half and why you did those and why you guys did those as opposed to just kicking the ball down the field into the end zone? You've had success doing that. KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we did. We mis‑hit a couple and the wind started blowing, and so we felt like we wanted to keep it away from that returner. We didn't want those to be that shallow, but that's how they ended up. Should have been deeper kick away from him. Q. How is Davis's ankle? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Fine. Q. To what extent did that affect him? KLIFF KINGSBURY: I didn't ask, so I'm not sure. Q. What do you tell the team about the art of finishing? KLIFF KINGSBURY: They've got to do it, you know. That's on us as a coaching staff. We didn't coach very well when we had to and they didn't play very well when they had to. You've got to give them credit. They've got a senior quarterback that stepped up and made plays and found a way to win the game. We didn't. Q. Did you even consider that at practice? KLIFF KINGSBURY: No, you've either got that or you don't. Q. Would you talk about the defense? It sure seemed like they played more than well enough to win today even though they gave up 37 points. KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, I thought once again in the first half we had a chance to really separate ourselves. We missed some throws that were there and plays that were there and turned it over going in to really have a big lead. Same thing, second half, I think we had 12 penalties in the second half, which that's just the same stuff we've been doing. I haven't got it correct yet, so I'll take the blame on that. Q. Do you think the team relaxed at all given that they seemed to be in control of the game? KLIFF KINGSBURY: No, I don't. I think they just‑‑ we just don't know how to finish. Q. There seemed to be some confusion on personnel, it was the second‑to‑last score for West Virginia. What were kind of the communication issues there? KLIFF KINGSBURY: They were. I believe there were 10 men and it was coming out of time‑out which is inexcusable on our coaching staff. They threw a fade up on 3rd and 10 and made a play. But that can't happen as a coaching staff. It's embarrassing, and we've got to get it fixed. Q. The running game started off really well. Obviously that is one positive you can kind of take away? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, had some big plays in the running game, and then once they started loading the box, we said you've got to win outside and make the throws, and we couldn't do it. We've got to get back to the drawing board and figure out how to complete those passes versus man coverage and how to win versus man. Q. Seemed like there were a lot more carries from the running backs today. Was that in the game plan going in? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we were trying to take what they gave us. We felt like they were giving us a light box early and try to run it when we could. Q. Second half stalled out in the red zone. You kicked a couple of field goals rather than push it in for touchdowns. Was that again a function of not being able to beat the guyson the ‑‑ KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we felt like we had some match‑ups and tried to throw some fades to the end zone and didn't complete them and a couple routes down there. Once again, they played man, loaded the box, and we didn't win. Q. Talk about the performance of your young quarterbacks. KLIFF KINGSBURY: I thought they fought hard. They're young. We've got to grow with them, but I thought Nigel fought hard, was competitive. He had a really good receiver that he was on most of the day, so we'll just continue to get him better. Q. (Inaudible.) KLIFF KINGSBURY: Just came on, really. Came on during the week, practiced hard, worked hard and getting more into game shape. Q. How about Andre Ross playing an awful lot in this game, hadn't seen him too much before. Is that just practicing well? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, he's come a long way. We felt like he deserved that, and he was close on a few things. He's a good pass rusher, but we've got to get him where he's finishing, as well. Q. Could you talk about the celebration penalty after you get the fumble at the 22? I didn't really see how many guys were coming out on the field. KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, I didn't, either. I was looking around for the offense, so then I just saw we had the flag. I'm not sure what all transpired on that deal, but we should obviously have people holding them back. Q. Do you think that set you guys back? KLIFF KINGSBURY: I don't think so. We still went down and got to the 1st and 5 at the first and we just didn't finish. Q. What did you think of Lauderdale? KLIFF KINGSBURY: He did some good things early. Just got to be more consistent, made some big plays. It was good to see him have some success. Q. Can you talk about Keenon Ward's performance, had 15 tackles, some open field stops? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, he's done a good job. He continues to get better, and he's still new to defense really. He was an offensive player in high school, and so I'm proud of the way he stepped up and continues to get better. Q. And can you also comment on Bradley Marquez? He had a good day today. KLIFF KINGSBURY: He did. He did some really good things and had a couple that he'd like to have back, but we'll keep working and get better. Q. How tough is it psychologically to come back from something like this? How do you get them motivated again? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, they'll be fine. It's been bad the whole year, so we've just got to continue to fight and continue to get better and figure out how to win some games. Q. Is this as tough a spot as you've been in in your time here, in your time coaching here? KLIFF KINGSBURY: At Tech? I'd say so, yeah. Q. Can you elaborate on that? KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we're 2‑4. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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