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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 2, 2017

Jah'Shawn Johnson

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech - 56, Eastern Washington - 10

Q. That first play when you kind of forced that turnover, is that really something you wanted to do?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: We definitely wanted to start fast. We've been emphasizing it since fall camp started. Throughout the scrimmages and things. I mean, guy was kind of loose with the ball and I came to tackle him and he let it go and then we got on it, so it was a good start.

Q. The way you started off the series, to make that turnover there --
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Definitely. Once the offense punted it away, I went to the defense and told them that it's on us to start fast and to carry the team until they pick it up and get going with what they were going to do. I mean, we answered the bell, and it happened.

Q. With the defense in particular, you played so many players who came from so many different places. How well did you feel like y'all were on the same page today and how well did you feel like you communicated, particularly with it being the first game?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I think we done a great job. There's definitely some errors we can clean up in, but we had a long fall camp, so we played with each other a lot, and they did a great job when they got in there and they knew what they were doing and got the calls to everyone and just kept rolling.

Q. How big of a challenge has it been for you just because you're one of the most experienced guys on the defense, to kind of make sure all the new guys understand all the concepts?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Not much of a challenge. They're in there with Coach Gibbs and Coach Scott every day doing what they need to do, and they know the playbook just as well as I do. They go out there, they prepare well, they play fast when they're out there, but I mean, it's not much on me. I still do what I have to do and just communicate with whoever.

Q. After the offense got off to kind of a slow start, Nic said he came to talk to some of the leaders on defense and said just keep it rolling. What do you guys say to each other to step up the first couple possessions?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Well, I think they had two possessions when they punted the ball two times in a row or whatever, and we got stops, and I came over to the offense, and I said, let's go. I knew that we had their back and they got our back and I knew they were going to get rolling whenever they did, and they took off from there.

Q. Did you sense confidence growing throughout the game with the defense because you started having some success that maybe you hadn't seen in times past?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Definitely, but I mean, we've still got lots to clean up. We had some big holes that we opened up and missed tackles and things like that. But we prepared well. We had a long time to prepare for them, and like I said, Coach Gibbs and the rest of the staff has done a great job preparing us, and then just letting us play fast and keeping calls simple and things. We'll just go from here.

Q. Their quarterback ran the ball pretty well last year. What did you guys do to kind of contain him?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: We knew he would run the ball a lot. I mean, of course he lost a couple receivers that he had that were his go-to guys. So he was coming in working with a new corps, and we knew he wouldn't try to force too many passes in there and just try to make plays with his feet. But we just made some calls where we spied on him a couple times and tried to get pressure on him and things like that and keep him inside the pocket instead of rolling out and things, but he's a great player.

Q. Could you sense a frustration in him and the offense as the game wore on and did you kind of take advantage of that?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: At times, yes. They started getting a couple personal foul penalties and things and jumping offsides and stuff. But we just still had to play our game and keep our head.

Q. How did you feel about the way the nickel guys played?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: They've all been playing well. I mean, each one of them can go out there and start. I mean, they battle, they challenge each other every day at practice, and I mean, you saw Justice in the fall scrimmages. He's doing great. And Sykes is just excited to be back out there. He had to sit out a year when he transferred and things. Doug is just picking up where he left off last year, making plays. So I'm excited for all three of them.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about Eastern Washington. I know there's an FCS school, but there's been a lot of talk about how good they are. Did they play like a Big 12 opponent?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I mean, they played just like us. They throw the ball around well. They run the ball. They're up tempo, try to get you tired and things. They have great skill players. You see the quarterback, he's a very great player. Like I said, he lost a couple of his receivers, so he's still getting used to the other guys. But I mean, they play well and they're going to win a lot of games.

Q. Obviously you all know what you can do throughout the summer and you said there's still things to clean up. What kind of statement did you make today with this kind of effort against a high-powered offense?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I mean, I don't know. I mean, like I said, we still have a lot to clean up. I mean, we'll just keep playing and getting better from here. We have a bye week next week. We'll get prepared for Arizona State. You saw what those guys did to us last year with the running back and things, so we're just excited to get a challenge with him and try to stop him this time.

Q. The first half, you held them to 10 points. The second half you pretty much locked them down completely. Were there any significant adjustments at halftime, and was it more or less the same thing, just doing it better?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Just doing it better. I mean, of course they scored on us. We were in the man coverage call, and we knew that they were going to run the rubs and pick routes and things, and we kind of got off our game plan, and we weren't on separate levels, and so they picked us, and they made a great play in the end zone -- in the middle of the field and he got in the end zone. We just basically cleaned up what we messed up in the first half, and we just came out and started fast and finished fast.

Q. Didn't look like the heat really affected you guys. Was that a testament to your off-season conditioning and what you've been doing in the fall?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Definitely. Coach Whitt and his staff does a great job with us. Every day -- we ran probably 20 out of however many practices we've had, like 28, 30 practices or whatever. So he done a great job this off-season and this fall camp, and then Coach Kingsbury kept us fresh. He made sure that he took care of our bodies and things like that. We had some long practices, we had some short practices and things, and it definitely showed tonight.

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