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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 26, 2015

Eric Morris

Lubbock, Texas

Q. What did you see on the turnovers that led to interceptions specifically?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, really good. A couple different scenarios. The first one I thought really hurt us. At the first of the game, great play by Striker. He didn't even rush, so just kind of set back, and that was Pat's first read and it was there, and he set his feet and banged it and the guy jumped and picked it. That was one where they made a great play.

The tipped pass was another great read. Ian is wide open in the middle of the field, and tip it, so a couple of those, and then the one ball at the end of the half was a huge play in the game in my opinion. We had some momentum. It was a great drive. We were moving it, had some positive plays, converted some 3rd downs that were big on that drive, and that one we've got to throw a better ball, run a better route, and make a play on the football.

So I thought some of them were some things that just happened from time to time in the course of playing in a game, and then a couple of them were bad balls.

Q. What did you think about Ian in his first game back, probably a little rusty?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, I thought he got better as the game went on. Felt his way out a little bit. Same thing. We started the game as slow as we've started a game. Ian dropped that ball on 3rd down, which is huge, on the first drive, and then the second drive I think we had three penalties in that drive and stuff that we've talked about, and then I think the third drive we threw the interception. That's something we can't afford to do, and we've got to do a better job when the defense gets it to us of making plays. We've said that all along.

But yeah, started slow, but then as the game went on, he's a guy that, you know, we'll continue to -- he played more reps than I would have liked him to play, but hopefully we get Jonathan back to 100 percent this week, and both of them can roll in and out.

Q. What do you think the biggest issue has been with kind of slow starts the last two weeks compared to the first half of the season?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, no doubt. You know, this week, I mean, Oklahoma is a really good defense. I think they're playing with a lot of confidence right now, and then just -- some of it is self-inflicted. The first three drives we just kind of gave it to them. You take that throw and catch from Sadler, a hundred out of a hundred times, that's where we want to go with the football, and that was his read and made a good throw and Ian didn't put it away and the guy knocked it out of his hands. That one happens.

And we get behind the chains a couple times with penalties on the second one, which we've talked about all year, just can't do that. Self-inflicted stuff is what I think -- we've got to eliminate that, and as tough as it sounds, we've got to play pretty perfect to keep everything moving.

Q. You guys have been preaching protecting the football and penalties since you guys got here at the beginning of the season. It seemed like you guys have kind of gotten over that; the last few games that has started to creep back up. Is there a difference or is it just luck of the draw?
ERIC MORRIS: No, I mean, we've got to be more focused, more honed in. We can't afford especially the dumb penalties. We got a facemask by an offensive lineman, which is crazy and bad hand placement, and then the late-hit stuff is inexcusable. It's stuff where a guy is two or three yards out of bounds and we're shoving him, and it's stuff that just can't happen. Pre-snap penalties can't happen. It'll be addressed, and we've got to get over it and get over it in a hurry.

Q. What can you say about DeAndre? Seems like every game he finds a way to make an impact, whether it's running the ball or catching out of the backfield.
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, he's running like a grown man right now, he's done some great stuff, and even on some of those big runs, he's breaking tackles in the hole, and even off of defensive linemen. He's a guy that we continue, got to force feed the ball to, probably earlier in games a little bit. You know, it's tough just with our offense how we're teaching them. If they give us the run, we're going to take it; if now, we're going to throw it, and that's what we've done forever, so it's hard to kind of force-feed it. But we're going to continue to find ways to let him get the ball and let him continue doing what he's doing.

He's playing really well, so it's a strong point. We only have him for four or five more games and he's out of here, so we've got to use that to our advantage.

Q. What went on on the 3rd and 7? I think it wound up Stockton up the gut; were you going to check at the line? Coach Kingsbury's face looked a little dumbfounded on the sideline. What was that scenario like?
ERIC MORRIS: 3rd and 7, Stockton up the gut?

Q. Shotgun stop at the line inside the 10. It was three straight run plays.
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, yeah, it's a run-pass option to play. We run it all the time, so that's what he saw and that's what we gave to it.

Q. Was what he saw there accurate, or was it something you checked after the game or corrected after the game?
ERIC MORRIS: No, and too, you know, I think they knew -- they were hollering some stuff out from the sideline, whether it was run or pass and stuff, and I think we were trying to get some different stuff, but no, that wasn't anything we were worried about.

Q. Coach Kingsbury has talked before and has talked after the OU game, when you're out of the ballgame you obviously can't get the ball to DeAndre as much as you'd like to. How do you usually judge that? Is it by score? If we're down by more than two scores? We can't do what we want to do on the ground so we've got to put it in the air? Or is it more just a judgment call just based on how the flow of the game might be going?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, just a judgment call, where we're at, if we're on the road. I mean, there's a bunch of different variables that play into it. How the other team is playing on offense, what they're trying to do to us on offense, if they're running it and keeping it away from us, things like that. So it'll be something that we'll decide what the amount is, and all those factors that go into it like you said. Amount of time left, how much we're down, and there's certain situations where we know we need to score in a hurry and not take the time of running it.

Q. Do you feel like maybe the last couple weeks early on you just didn't get the looks in the box to start DeAndre off a little bit on faster footing?
ERIC MORRIS: No, we had some looks this week that -- and that stuff. We've got to do a better job when we do see him and we're getting those light boxes, we've got to change those plays to the run at the line of scrimmage, and the quarterback will continue to get better in that, and so he's aware of it and been addressed of it, so hopefully when he sees those looks that he'll get us into runs and we can take advantage of the light boxes.

Q. There's also the Oklahoma State defense.
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, really good. Probably the best two defensive ends in the league probably. The Bean guy is unbelievable, really productive. You know, they took a hit at linebacker, but the Whitener kid is coming on a ton right now. You think that without arguably their best player returning on defense with Simmons in the middle, but they've got a guy that stepped in, and you can see every week he's getting better and better.

Secondary, Sterns, No. 13, is probably the best tackling secondary guy in this league. I mean, he's led this league in tackles the last couple years, and someone that comes downhill and gets people down, and he's in their run fit. Their corners are good. You know, played a lot of football. They've got a senior and a junior out there that are big long guys that they'll come and press and play man.

Yeah, I think they're really good. I mean, they're schematically a little bit different than Oklahoma, but as far as having some experience at all three levels, having guys that make plays and not a real weakness, I think they're similar in that regard.

Q. The first six weeks you guys had only allowed two sacks. The last two, nine. I know obviously Oklahoma is a really good defensive team, but Emmanuel Ogbah, he had a touchdown and he's leading the Big 12 in sacks. He's a guy that's been around for a couple years. How do you challenge your offensive line with that in front of them this weekend?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, they'll see it on film and they'll be challenged, and we'll make corrections from the weeks before. You know, we've got to do a good job of calling this game and keeping them off balance, though, with mixing in screens and mixing in runs so they can't just come off and tee off. Going fast usually helps that a little bit and quick game and getting them tired, and it helps us out.

So I think the first four or five games we weren't forced into those 3rd-and-long obvious pass situations where they can really tee off and come down, and we had success and we were staying in front of the chains a little bit better than we have been. You know, we were really good on 3rd downs, ironically, this past game, but we put ourselves in some bad situations on 3rd down.

So we'll do the same thing. We're going to try to keep them off balance. We've lost a couple guys up front at times that are key guys, but that's not an excuse. We've got plenty of bodies up front that need to step in. They're still getting used to playing a little bit. So they're getting better every week.

Tony Morales, he's a kid that's getting a little bit better every single week. Same thing, Baylen is getting a little bit better each and every week. We've got to protect, keep Pat upright and keep those guys off balance with some play calls.

Q. What have you felt about your outside receivers about just kind of how they've played, especially mixed man coverage?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, you know, not just great. I don't think you see us going down the field and making any exceptional plays on one-on-one coverage, rising up and catching the ball. Done some good stuff on some underneath stuff. Reg did some good stuff on some different routes, but we've got to be able to throw the deep ball. Jakeem is doing a good job. We'll keep mixing him up. We're going to put him inside and out a little bit, try to change it up, and he's probably the best one-on-one guy we've got at the line of scrimmage as far as winning and getting separation.

Got to continue to get better. Need some of these freshmen to keep coming along, and you'll see a heavy dose of Keke and Tony, and hopefully we'll try to play them an even amount of snaps as Devin and Reg this week.

Q. What do you anticipate being the atmosphere on Sunday?
ERIC MORRIS: Yeah, good one, like it is always here. A conference game, it's a big conference game. No. 12 team in the nation coming in here. So yeah, I expect our students to be out in full force. We play much better at home when we have a rowdy crowd like we've had all year this year. Everybody saw what a difference it made in the TCU game this year and the way we played and executed.

Yeah, I think it'll be the same as it always has. We have great fans, win, lose or draw, and they show up and support us and support our kids. It's always fun to play on Halloween here. I wish it was at night. I haven't seen the Jones at night in some time it seems like, but 2:30 will be late enough for everybody to show up.

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