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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 31, 2015Jakeem GrantBranden JacksonLubbock, Texas Oklahoma State - 70 Texas Tech - 53 Q. Branden, you only gave up like 45 rushing yards in the first half and gave up well over 200 in the second half. What was the difference? BRANDEN JACKSON: Came out juiced up and made all the plays we were supposed to make. Second half, for some reason, we'll see on the film, but we weren't making the plays. We were in position, but we weren't making the tackles. Q. Is this a low point today? BRANDEN JACKSON: I wouldn't call it a low point. It's disappointing, but it's on to the next. We can't really dwell on this too long. Q. How crucial was the loss of Jah'Shawn in the second quarter in terms of the leadership and the guy that's a player for you guys? BRANDEN JACKSON: Very crucial. Just for the fact he's always out there. We expect him to make big plays. He's proven over and over that he can make the big plays when we need him. We know it hurt, but we had Keenon Ward who is a proven veteran on this team, and I knew he would perform well, and I'm proud of the performance he put on. Q. Do you think when he came out of the game that's where the tide kind of turned? Do you all feel that? Where do you feel the tide started turning? BRANDEN JACKSON: We never felt like the tide had quite turned. When Jah’Shawn Johnson left it got us fired up. Guys out there screaming and hollering. We didn't agree with the call, and now we've got to go out there and win it for him. Tried to take it that way and use it as motivation. Q. The play with Walsh and that 64 yard get? BRANDEN JACKSON: Obviously, I didn't do my job. That was on me. I was supposed to be there. Q. I guess the question would be why weren't you there? BRANDEN JACKSON: Just made a bad read. Thought I read something on film where I'd be able to make a play on the sweep. I should have just allowed my safeties to run all week like we practice all week. Just try to make a play, and I got out of position when I should have just stayed sound. I've got to be stronger. I'm a senior, and I can't make mistakes like that. Q. Was it a case of you trying to do too much maybe? BRANDEN JACKSON: Yeah, lights get out there and things get firing and you see something on film over and over, and you expect that to happen. A great player like Walsh pulls it and makes you second-guess. At the end of the day you have to be fundamentally sound on player technique, because you think you know something, it will turn around and hit you in the mouth. That's what happened. Great play by a great player. Q. How difficult is it on the defense when they're going back and forth with you and Walsh and that sort of thing? Obviously, two very different skillsets out there? BRANDEN JACKSON: No, it's not really that difficult. They're very similar, bigger guys. Sometimes you don't even notice which one is in at the time. We just know Walsh has more run design plays. The other guy can run it just as well. He ran a couple times, made some plays with his feet. They're two good players and they're identical, if you ask me. Q. Can you kind of walk us through that, and how did you do that? JAKEEM GRANT: It was expecting to go to the right and I wouldn't be able to do it. It was all my teammates blocking and I just used my speed. So all together when we work as a team, I can be able to return it like I did today. Q. (No microphone) you ran on that? JAKEEM GRANT: I have no idea. Q. On that play you had a really big block from Pat. How comforting is it to know that all 10 or 11 guys on the field are willing to help you make plays like that? JAKEEM GRANT: It's great. We always talk about we're one big family, and we want to go out and sell out for each other. And what Pat did and made a block for me, because you normally don't see quarterbacks running down field blocking for their receivers. I thank him for that. He extended the play and that's what we're all about, playing for each other. Q. What happened at the start of the second half? You guys, do you feel like you were too conservative? Do you feel like you setback a little bit and let them get back in the game? JAKEEM GRANT: I just felt like we weren't executing as much as we were in the first half. We were making big plays Pat's going through his read and getting open and stuff like that. In the second half we just came out and they just basically we weren't focused enough to finish the game out. Q. Why do you think that is? JAKEEM GRANT: Just lack of focus. We thought we had the game won on offense, and we thought that we could just ease up a little bit. But we've got to keep our foot on the gas pedal and finish the game. Q. (No microphone)? JAKEEM GRANT: Yes, most definitely. Q. Do you think Oklahoma State is one of toughest defenses you've all season? You've had huge games against him each of the last two years, some 26 or 27 passes in the last two games? JAKEEM GRANT: It's nothing different. It's just we're running our same offense. Coach tried to give me the ball and he can. And I really don't care too much about stats. The win is what I really want. I don't care if I have zero yards and we win. So I can have 400 yards all purpose, and we lose, and it really doesn't mean nothing to me because we didn't get the win at the end of the day. Q. Obviously, does it eat at you that in your career you've never beaten Oklahoma State? JAKEEM GRANT: Oh, yeah, it eats at me a lot. It tears at me. This is my last go around and I won't ever be able to play those guys again, so it tears me up. Q. The kickoff return touchdown, did that unfold the way you all drew it up? JAKEEM GRANT: Yes, it did. Q. How do you fix the lack of focus next week? JAKEEM GRANT: We have to come in and get those younger guys, basically all of us to stay after practice and work extremely hard. We have to be an all four team, we have to be a second half team in order to come out and go to a bowl game, a really good bowl game. Because the rest of the teams on our schedule, they're not just ease-up teams. They can beat us and we can beat them. So if we come out and play all quarters like we did in the first half, then we can beat anybody. Q. What did you do to your ankle on that touchdown pass? JAKEEM GRANT: It just got rolled up. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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