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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 10, 2017

Nic Shimonek

Lubbock, Texas

Q. When you have a running game that amasses 300 yards, how much does that help you?
NIC SHIMONEK: You know, I've said it before, it helps everybody, not just myself. It helps the receivers, the offensive line. It just keeps the defense honest. They can't bring three and drop eight into coverage. They have to respect the run game. Like I said, it really helps everybody, not just myself.

Q. Nate, this West Virginia secondary has got a couple safeties that have played quite a bit of football. What's stands out to you about those two guys on film?
NIC SHIMONEK: You know, as far as their defense as a whole, they do a good job of mixing it up, bringing pressure in weird situations, and then showing pressure but actually baling out. But like I've mentioned in the past, as long as we just execute what Kingsbury and Coach Morris and Coach B-Jones has put in, it's our job to go out there and do the right thing and execute and that should put ourselves in a position to be successful.

Q. Nick, why do you think they had success against y'all, their defense, the last couple years? Seemed like it gave Pat more trouble than most teams.
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, going back to that, they just mixed it up really well. You know, at times they brought everybody they could, and just manned up on the receivers, and there was times where they brought the two or three down linemen and dropped eight, nine dudes into coverage. I think we've got to do a good job of just taking what they give us, not trying to score a touchdown every play, just execute, like I mentioned, execute what Coach Kingsbury implements this week, and we should be all right.

Q. The offensive fast start has seemed to escape you for a couple games. Was there anything that you noticed?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, we put a little emphasis on that last week in practice. We haven't started too fast. I think before last week I don't think we had scored a touchdown or points regardless on the opening drive, so obviously that's the goal is to score every time we touch it. We knew we had to start fast. Like I said, that was a point of emphasis in practice, and I feel like we did that.

Q. How challenging is it for new guys to come in and learn this offense? You've been here four years now, but Nisby and some other guys, do you walk them through it and see progress every week?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, I mean, it's -- it seems like it's easy, but at the same time there's a lot of stuff that we do, a lot of stuff you've got to know. But that also goes along with if you're willing to put in the extra time watching the film, obviously that's going to speed up that learning phase. So yeah, I understand that everybody learns at a different pace, but at the same time, if you really wanted to learn it and buckle down and get multiple hours a week extra studying the film, I think you can get it pretty quick.

Q. How far along has Nisby come?
NIC SHIMONEK: He's doing a lot better than week 1. You know, it's going to take time. It's tough for him right now because it's in season he has to learn. If it was spring or if he had the full summer, it would be a little different. But since he's kind of having a game plan as well as learn some of the install stuff, you know, I feel like that might be the reason that it's taking him a little longer, but he's doing everything that he's asked to do, and keep using him on Saturdays.

Q. It seems like you guys have found a lot of success stretching the field horizontally, whether that be with sweeps or outside zone, that kind of stuff. What have you seen from the offensive line, how you guys have done?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, you know, I told y'all before the season that he was -- Coach Jones was going to have those guys -- he was going to put those guys in a position to be successful as long as they did what they were taught, they were coached to do, and I feel like they've been doing that. There was a few plays here and there, but I mean, everybody has those plays that we wish we could have back. But for the most part, you know, they've been great. It's fun to see those because a lot of those guys are young. It's good to see those guys bonding and gelling right now.

Moving forward, it's only going to help us.

Q. How fun is it to see those guys get out in space?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, they're all pretty athletic. Steele and Bruffy are very athletic at tackles, and Madison and Jack, as well, at the guard positions. They can all get out there, like you said, on screens and powers and stuff like that, and they can move around. Like you said, it is -- it's fun being able to hand it off and watch those guys go get on somebody in the secondary.

Q. What were you last night when the shooting happened, and what was going through your mind at that time?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, I was at my house watching the Vikings and Bears, and then obviously once the updates on Twitter started happening, I clicked it over to the news. But they did a great job texting us, making sure everybody was not on campus, making sure everybody stayed safe, and wherever you were, just find a secure place, don't go out and try to be a hero or don't go to the gas station or anything like that, just find a spot, stay safe for the time being, and they'd let us know when everything calmed down, which they did.

Yeah, luckily I was at the house, I wasn't on campus.

Q. What were you guys thinking on the sideline in the huddle during the reviews? How did that affect your pace or tempo, or did it affect it?
NIC SHIMONEK: No, I wouldn't say it affected it. Obviously it made the first quarter seem like it lasted forever, but I feel like the majority of the reviews happened whenever the defense was on the ball, so I guess that would be better than us being on the field. They would be able to get a little breather, and we wouldn't have to slow our pace down.

Yeah, I mean, seemed like the first quarter lasted forever, but other than that, it wasn't too serious.

Q. You seemed to be pretty excited when Colt got in. How did you feel about that?
NIC SHIMONEK: Yeah, that was awesome. He's a kid that just comes and works hard every day and does everything that they ask him to do, and it was actually his first time to travel. Him getting a few reps, that was fun. That was a good time for all of us.

Q. There's been a lot of controversy and drama lately involved in flag planting at Big 12 games. Is there something you ever see yourself doing?
NIC SHIMONEK: No, no.

Q. Not your style?
NIC SHIMONEK: No, not my style. Yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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