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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 19, 2017

Jah'Shawn Johnson

Lubbock, Texas

Q. How are you feeling?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm definitely feeling better now, just kind of selfish on my part to not hydrate as well once we had the delay and things like that. But I'll be good.

Q. You guys lost so many close games last year. What's the feeling been like to have pulled one out at the end?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: We got a lot more confidence now than we had last year. In situations like that, last year guys were worried and down on each other and things like that, but on the sideline this week, you could see that everyone was encouraging each other and knowing that we were going to win. We had no doubt in our minds that we were going to win that game or lose that game. Like I said, the confidence is really high right now, and I like that about this team.

Q. There's a lot more energy in general on the sidelines. Is that something y'all talked about, we have to have more energy on the sideline?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Yeah, even when the guys that don't play, they're out there pumping the crowd up and pumping us up, as well. We're just cheering for each other. It's hard enough to play a game out there with no one out there and things, so I mean, once you know that your teammates are going to have your back regardless of the outcome, so we just cheer for each other.

Q. Do you feel like that's helped, made a difference in the two games as opposed to past season?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Definitely. It's definitely helped.

Q. You mentioned you guys knew that you were going to be able to get a stop. Last year it didn't really happen on the field. How much does that help the whole defense to see it actually happen on the field, and how can you translate that into this weekend?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: It was a boost, but we know as a defense we shouldn't even have made that game close. I mean, we had them on the ropes, and we kind of let off. The secondary, we started to slack off. We gave up a couple deep balls and fell down on a couple plays and left receivers open. But we've been in the film room. We got it corrected, and just excited for this next opportunity.

Q. How are you specifically preparing for the wide receivers?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Just like I prepare for any wide receivers. They're all crafty. Anybody can make plays, and just about all of them are speed guys and can go up and get the ball and things like that. Just kind of trying to figure out their tendencies and how they line up and how they run their routes and things.

Q. On that one drive, y'all had so much success on defense and then there was this all (indiscernible). Did you get a chance to communicate at all and say, okay, let's settle down? Take me through your mindset when that's happening.
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I mean, Coach Gibbs, Coach Scott, everyone emphasizes just respond, no matter if it's good or bad, so that's all I was out there yelling to each other or to all the people. Just respond. We can't control what the referees call and things like that. I know I kind of got down on myself for having two penalties and giving up 30 yards. But yeah, we just have to respond and just keep playing and things will go our way eventually.

Q. You got the interference call, obviously you were giving it to a couple of officials. Was that frustration still with you when you had the call for the personal foul?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: No, sir. I mean, I asked him what I'd done wrong. They said I was kind of contacting the guy a little bit, things like that. But I got over it, and I was just continuing to play fast, and he actually said the hit was kind of clean except for the second part, I guess. I guess he was out of bounds then, but we were going full speed then. It was okay. I mean, we can't apologize for the way we compete out there, but it happened. They got the 1st down and kept the drive going. But we'll be okay.

Q. What do you think the defense has improved the most as far as -- is it being in the right place where you're supposed to be or is it just better tackling?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I think better tackling, the effort. You see a lot of guys around the ball, which we didn't have last year, and you see guys selling out, diving for the balls, loose balls on the ground. Just even though we gave up a lot of passes, you seen the DBs were tight to coverages and things. The receivers just made some great plays and the quarterback had a good ball. I just think we're a lot more aggressive this year.

Q. Obviously the other night on both teams there was an awful lot of talented receivers who put up some big numbers. Coach Gibbs in the past has said that with the popularity of 7-on-7, young players -- there's still position players that want to be receivers and don't want to be DBs. Do you feel like there's some truth to that?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Yeah. I mean, it's hard being a DB. I mean, you can go through a lot of plays and someone on the front seven could mess up or bust a coverage or bust a play or things like that. But the DBs have to be the one to stop it, and if you don't stop it, everyone notices that. I mean, they don't really notice what's going on in the front, but if you miss that tackle or you miss the pass breakup or things like that and they go for a touchdown, they'll definitely remember that. So it's kind of tough, and everyone wants to be the guy that catches the game-winning touchdown and things like that. No one wants the pressure on them to stop the game one touchdown or stop the 1st down and give the offense back the ball and things.

Q. What was your personal experience, did you play any offense?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: I tried playing offense at a very young age. The first time I got tackled I cried, and I stayed on the sideline the rest of the game, laid on my helmet the rest of the game. The next game I actually tried defense. My dad wanted me to try defense, and I started playing safety then, and I kind of fell in love with it. But I did play offense throughout after I got used to tackling and things like that. But yeah, defense was just for me.

Q. It's kind of interesting because you said you cried the first time you hit, but now you play with so much reckless abandon it seems like that you're obviously not afraid of hitting.
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Yeah, it's just because I got hit hard the first time, so I knew I wanted to be the one delivering the blows and not taking them again.

Q. Are you a Pedialyte guy or a PowerAde guy?
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: Well, we're PowerAde here, so I get I'm kind of that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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