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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 2, 2015

David Gibbs

Lubbock, Texas

Q. (Indiscernible) on your defensive blocker?
COACH GIBBS: I think so. I think so. These kids are resilient, and I say it every week. They played hard. They did it again. I say it every week. For whatever reason they go crazy and didn't finish the game obviously with all those big plays at the end of it, which is embarrassing. It's not acceptable.

It comes back to me. Coach Kingsbury gives me free reign the of the defense, and I can call whatever I want and run whatever I want. Therefore, the product out there on the field is a direct reflection of me, which is not acceptable.

So go back to work this afternoon. We've got three games left to get better. I say it every week. Hopefully at some point we'll learn how to play a complete game. To start that fast offensively and get a turnover early and then not finish it, it makes no sense. But it is what it is. It happened, and we've got to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Q. You only gave up 45 rushing yards in the first half, and 200 in the second half. What was the biggest difference? Was it bringing in them permanently or what was it?
COACH GIBBS: Probably my halftime adjustments that were so great early in the year. No, really, we had a game planned for him. We had a game planned for whoever was playing quarterback, and they did a good job. He hit a couple passes. But that didn't change our -- we had two guys unblocked on his long run. But at the same time you've got to put kids in position to make plays they can make, and obviously they can't make that play, so I can't make that call.

I don't know. The reverses, they called them pass yards, but they were reverses. So made some bad decisions and we've just got to get some guys to keep proper leverage on the football and learn how to finish.

But we did get better up front against normal run games. Obviously, when you play a good football team, they have multiple ways to attack you, and we've got to learn to adjust and fit up those runs also.

Q. If your offense can score 50 points against one of the best defenses in the country, does that have to end in a win?
COACH GIBBS: The truth is I say it every week, and I know you're not here every week, but if we could have stopped them with four minutes to go in the game and given our offense the ball back, I wouldn't feel as bad as I do right now. We're not very good on defense, and we're playing teams that are better than us. But you'd like to think if they score that many points we can win the game.

Q. Going into this week, West Virginia has the third best rushing offense. How do you explain that offense? Do you use the tape of the first half on Saturday or the second half?
COACH GIBBS: That's a good question. Coach Holgorsen is a hard-headed, old-school guy. He will hand that ball off which most of these spread guys will not do. He'll hand the football off on 3rd and 10 which creates a lot of problems for you. We've just got to get better. We've got to improve.

I'm not so sure you even worry about at this point who you're playing against. You better make sure that your guys are aligned properly, playing with the proper footwork, proper technique, doing their job and understanding where they fit within the scheme. So first half, second half, it's 60 minutes of football.

Q. Did you see any progress from this last week?
COACH GIBBS: I did, but you can't say that. I mean, that's not good enough. We've got to get better.

Q. What were the challenges in terms of the two quarterbacks and preparing for different offenses, I guess, when they're running it?
COACH GIBBS: It's a problem, but everybody can do it. We go against Pat every day in practice, and even though you don't see a lot of the quarterback run game in the games, we've been prepared for it just going against spring ball and two-a-days. And I think the kids understand by the call you make and what you're trying to get done. Just didn't execute it.

Obviously made some bad calls at the wrong time, and I continue to say it's my job to make them understand the differences of who is at quarterback and what schemes are coming, and we've got to do a better job.

Q. Is college football getting it right?
COACH GIBBS: I still haven't seen it up close on TV. I've just seen the video. The rules say you can't go to the head. So if the face mask is part of the head, then it's bang-bang play, it's tough. The rule is correct in the sense it's trying to keep everybody healthy. It's a health issue. So he's got to learn to go low. It's hard for a defensive player to make those split-second decisions. But he's got to make a better decision until they change the rule.

Q. Is it harder for the defensive coordinator to now air on the side of going low?
COACH GIBBS: I'm just trying to get him tackling somebody. Hey, if he gets thrown out of the game for tackling a guy, we're just going to have to do it because it's about the only time we can tackle anybody.

Q. How much of a difference was it for you guys defensively once he went out of the game? Was it a big impact?
COACH GIBBS: Not really. I mean, Jahâ€™Shawn Johnson's a good player for us. He's a young guy, getting better every week. He needs every rep he can get. So but it's like everybody tells you, the next guy's got to go. It doesn't matter. They're not going to slow down. They're going to go faster than they did before, and the next guy's got to go out there and play good football. That's why you have to recruit good depth. You have to be two deep everywhere. If you're not, you're going to play defense like we do.

Q. Was fatigue at all a factor?
COACH GIBBS: I don't think so. In some games I felt like it was this season, but against them I didn't feel it was. I just, I don't see the mental toughness when the game's on the line. No matter what happens throughout the course of the game you've got a chance to go stop them and give your offense the ball back to win the game and we give up an 80-yard bomb which is not acceptable. So, no excuses.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
COACH GIBBS: I don't know. You got any ideas? Come help me. It's an everyday process. This defense does not get built overnight, and I would love to do nothing more than to go out there and play great defense. Just right now, it's not happening.

Q. Would you like to see the young guy make the big play?
COACH GIBBS: Yeah, good for him. He about blew his knee out when he stumbled. Nobody tackled the guy. I told him to act like an athlete, please. He's getting better every week. It's just not showing on Saturdays.

Q. How do you keep your guys from feeling defeated from a performance on Saturday?
COACH GIBBS: You go back to work. You have three games left with a chance to go to a Bowl game, a chance to win eight football games, which, you know, you've got to go to work. If we don't go to Morgantown and play better defense, we can get embarrassed again.

So we've got another challenge. I think our kids will respond. I don't see them quitting, which is a good thing. I'd like to see them play better and not quit, but we'll get back to work this afternoon.

Q. That long touchdown pass to end the game, was Tevin supposed to have safety help over the top?
COACH GIBBS: No, he's by himself. He's by himself.

Q. You've only had a year of going against them in practice. But from what you've seen, what makes Jakeem the player he is?
COACH GIBBS: His start-stop ability, which you always hear Kliff talk about is phenomenal. He's amazing. Just if he was six-feet tall he'd be a first-round draft pick.

Q. Earlier this season you said that the biggest improvements what you see from Game 1 to Game 2. Can you look forward to next season and say the biggest improvement in the squad overall is going to be from season one to season two?
COACH GIBBS: That would be the chicken thing to say, yeah. We better go play good this Saturday. If we don't, there might not be a game friggin' 10. Now on a positive note, my son got a pick six last night in his Pee Wee football game. And they won on a Hail Mary. You have a good day.

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