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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 26, 2015

David Gibbs

Lubbock, Texas

Q. Is this challenge more overwhelming than you thought it would be?
DAVID GIBBS: Which challenge?

Q. Your job challenge.
DAVID GIBBS: My job challenge?

Q. Yes, sir.
DAVID GIBBS: No. It's about what I thought. Disappointed, not discouraged.

Q. Do players share that?
DAVID GIBBS: I think so. These kids are resilient. They are. I thought they kept playing hard. I was worried during the game that maybe they packed bags, which you've seen teams do. I really didn't feel that way. I thought they were playing hard up to the end, which is a credit to them. Obviously it was embarrassing, but we'll just keep grinding.

There's no other way out of this. There's no other way to fix it than to just keep working and grinding and teaching them, do a better job coaching and them do a better job playing on game day.

Q. Other than the obvious losses, what are you most disappointed in in your defense?
DAVID GIBBS: You know, obviously the run defense. Never had a problem with run defense in my history. You know, the crazy thing is we are playing run defenses. I know when you're sitting there watching the game and you're watching it on TV and everybody is like, why don't you put 10 guys in the box. You have to gap out, you have to be sound, you have to do things if you're going to improve. If you're going to be some rat-trap guy, go blitz every snap, that's fine and dandy, too, but I'm trying to build something.

Obviously it's taking some time. We've played some really good teams, some teams that obviously you watch them come out on the field and you watch us, and it's not the same. So we've got to do a better job recruiting, got to do a better job coaching, and the players got to do a better job playing. So obviously run defense is crazy to me.

Q. Is gap integrity still just the biggest issue do you think?
DAVID GIBBS: No, I don't think it's gap integrity. I think it's guys getting out of place at times, and then obviously if you're a step late and the guy you're a step late trying to catch is that much better than you are, you're going to have problems, but it's not an excuse. Your job is to go out there and stop people. Even though the first half, they scored some touchdowns, at least I felt like our guys got some turnovers, and that's just who we are right now.

And then in the second half to give them five straight touchdowns, five straight possessions, again, those second-half adjustments were outstanding.

You know, it's disappointing.

Q. Is it encouraging, though, seeing a guy like Jah'Shawn that just every week he seems to just find the ball?
DAVID GIBBS: Yeah, now he needs to find the guy with the ball and tackle the guy with the ball. He does a really good when the ball is in the air and taking the ball away from somebody, now he needs to learn how to tackle the guy with the ball when it's his time to tackle the guy.

But yeah, I mean, we've got some young guys that are getting better. Obviously it didn't show up again, but we'll keep grinding. Got four games left to get better, and you know, we'll get to work this afternoon.

Q. You're anticipating they're going to run the ball against you on Saturday?
DAVID GIBBS: Yes, ma'am. Why would you pass it? I would just hand it off every snap, but I've said that all year, until we show we can stop it. We'll keep grinding.

Q. Earlier today Coach Kingsbury talked about possibly rotating more guys up front being a solution. What are your thoughts on that?
DAVID GIBBS: Sounds great to me. I'll do whatever he tells me to do.

Q. Feels like the past couple weeks your defense is starting to create more turnovers. What do you think the biggest difference has been in that?
DAVID GIBBS: You know, the truth is you work it every day. From day one, that's what we've preached. Some games they come, some games they don't. Usually if you can get off the field more and get some more 3rd down opportunities where they're throwing the ball and you can play some coverage, you get more interceptions, but because teams are running the ball so well, the passes that we're getting, we're not in pass defense, we're in man -- we're in defense to where you're trying to still stay gapped out because obviously Oklahoma did it the first two 3rd downs just like Baylor did to us. They just handed the ball off on 3rd and 7, which if they're doing that to you, that's telling you where you stand as a defense.

If we can just get to some 3rd-and-longs to where we can play some more pass defense, then I think more turnovers will be created.

Q. I don't want to get too far ahead, but how valuable would it be to have all those extra practices for the defense going into a bowl game, for like next season?
DAVID GIBBS: You know, I'm stuck on Oklahoma State, and they're undefeated and they're good on offense. I'll take every practice I can get.

Q. Do you feel pretty handcuffed as a defensive coordinator, all the schemes that you built up in your time both in the NFL and in college in your repertoire, but with the personnel you have right now, just what you're working with?
DAVID GIBBS: No, it doesn't really matter. You've got to go out -- whatever you have to do to go out there and stop people is what we have to do. Obviously we're limited with what we have, but that's not an excuse. I mean, at the end of the day, your job, you get paid to stop people, and that's what we have to do.

And again, we're not talking shut-outs. I'm just trying to be respectable and make them punt more, obviously, and make them kick more field goals and give our offense a chance to win the game at the end, which I've said from day one. So no, those are all excuses to me, and I'm not an excuse guy.

Q. How uncomfortable do you feel leading your corners in one-on-one situations just in pass defense?
DAVID GIBBS: I feel uncomfortable with a lot of things. The good news is they're going to get better. When is that going to happen? I hope it happens Saturday. We had a good week of practice last week. We really did. We got better last week. We practiced live all day Tuesday, had our best tackling practice of the year. But tackling our scout team and tackling those two dudes are obviously two totally different animals.

Q. When you look back on the sequence after Oklahoma got that interception off the tipped pass, ran to the 25-yard line and you guys were able to hold them to a field goal try that they eventually missed, what did you like with that sequence that you saw?
DAVID GIBBS: I told somebody the other day, the best part of our defense is our X point field goal block. We make people miss for some reason. I'm happy any time we even make somebody line up to attempt a field goal. That's a victory for us right now. So no, I was pleased with them.

But I said it earlier, our kids never quit. They didn't. They kept playing hard. They're giving everything they've got. Just got to do a better job of coaching them up and get them in better positions to make plays.

Q. What do you think about the Oklahoma State offense?
DAVID GIBBS: Really good. Same ol', same ol'. Oklahoma entered our game averaging 3.8 yards a carry and left averaging -- I guess they averaged 7 yards a carry against us. Oklahoma State averages 3.8, so those 3.8 really doesn't matter as long as they're running the ball when they want to run it. They're explosive. Their running backs are good, quarterback is a good player, wide outs are just like every other team's wide outs we play: Big, tall and fast.

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