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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 10, 2017

Kliff Kingsbury

Lubbock, Texas

KLIFF KINGSBURY: Before we get started, on behalf of our football program, I'd like to offer our condolences of the family of the fallen officer and the entire Texas Tech police department. We obviously work closely with those guys at Texas Tech PD and it's a tough situation for everybody involved. We greatly appreciate the immediate response and communication from our University and all the law enforcement agencies involved that allowed us to be safe, and I don't have any further details on what has been reported. Our University will have a press conference at 3:00 p.m. today at the USA to cover that. But once again, our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family at this time.

Q. What were you doing at the time when you heard about the shooting? What's kind of the protocol to make sure all the athletes are safe and hopefully not on campus?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we are in close contact with our players. As position coaches we have Teamworks, which sends out immediate texts to everybody. Every student on this campus, worker on this campus received an immediate email of the situation, and so as quickly as it could be sorted out, it was, and all of our players were safe.

Q. When you look at what West Virginia has done on offense, specifically with Will Greer and how they throw it downfield. How different does it look with Jake running the offense now?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, it's different. They play to their strengths. The last couple years, their previous quarterback was a tough kid, gamer, could run around, they ran him more, ran the football, and now they have a guy who's very talented passer. They have some talented receivers, and Jake is throwing it around a little bit more. But Will Greer is a very good player. They've done a good job playing to his strengths, and he's elusive, can extend plays, can make 1st downs with his feet. We'll have our hands full with trying to contain him.

Q. What do you think has made David Sills, who's their leading receiver, be able to make that transition and be such a good receiver so far?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, he's obviously worked very hard. We've watched him the last three years, and he's just gotten better each year. I think playing quarterback he understands the system, he understands where to be and when to be there, and then you can tell he's worked his technique. He's a dynamic athlete for being that big. He moves better than you think and will go over and high point the ball.

Q. Obviously those 11:00 kicks can be challenging, but you guys, 21 points in the first quarter against Kansas. How do you look to replicate that type of fast start this weekend?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we've embraced it. Houston was the same way, and we're going to have another one coming up, so that's what it is. You get in and get it started early and come out firing, and this team has really taken on that mentality of getting up and getting ready to go to business. So I don't think it is a worry for any of us anymore, the way they've attacked the previous two.

Q. Could it be of a little bit of benefit now since you have a couple more coming up?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think so. Like I said, I really like the mentality. They've had great energy in the locker room and the meetings prior, everything has been wide awake and ready to get after it, and that's a credit to our team and our team's leadership.

Q. What time is the wake-up call, 6:00, 6:30?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: It is around 6:30 a.m., and it comes pretty quickly. Last week we had about a 40-minute bus ride and this week about a 40-minute bus ride to the stadium, so they were up a little earlier than normal.

Q. What's normal?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Around 9:00, 9:30.

Q. Tony Gibson has had so much success on defense there for West Virginia --
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, he's just done a tremendous job, not only schematically but recruiting to his scheme. When you look at the past three or four years, how many of those guys have gone on to play in the NFL, it's a huge number, when you're talking about linebackers and safeties and corners, and so that's a credit to him and what he does. They believe it. You can see his identity is tough, physical football. They get hands all over you. They're coming downhill, and if you're not ready to play, they'll get after you.

Q. Is there anything schematically that he does or they do to go against spreads?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think, you know, they take away a lot of the easier intermediate throws. That's where they're dropping all their players. So you've got to be able to beat them over the top or run the football well.

Last year we got into a deal where we were down early and they made us one-dimensional, and that's what they want to do, so we can't allow that to happen again this year. We've got to start fast. We've got to be able to establish the run game at some point and play better. But when they get you in that one-dimensional mode where you're having to throw it, that's playing it right into their hands.

Q. With how good Crawford is and kind of explosive he is and how much they throw it over the top, how much does what they do mirror Oklahoma State at all?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: You know, you see some similarities in some of the pass concepts, some of the Baylor stuff, riding the ball down in there and then throwing it over the top. But any time you can establish the running game with a guy like that, the pass game is going to open up, and they've done a good job mixing it up. Jake puts his wrinkles on it each week, new stuff you haven't seen, and he's just got just got it rolling right now.

Q. You mentioned earlier he throws the ball downfield so much. How do you stay disciplined and not mentally kind of bite on those short routes?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, just practice, doing your job, not trying to do too much, not trying to overthink it. You rep it as best you can all week during practice, and our guys go against good wide receivers and good quarterback in practice, so we try to simulate that as much as we can.

Q. How has Desmond Nisby come along in practice? Is he getting to a point where you think he could be more featured?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: That was pretty featured the other day, wasn't it? We hope so. He's got to continue to learn, continue to progress and take it upon himself to learn some of the nuances of our offense, which he's in the first five games of it, and he'll get better. But he runs tough, he has great energy on the sideline, loves to play the game, so we'll find ways to get him the football and just continue to try and help him become more of a complete back.

Q. Where are things at with Mason and Lonzell as far as availability for this weekend?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: We'll see. They'll be game-time decisions both those guys, so they won't practice today and we'll kind of take it day by day.

Q. Speaking of Mason, it seemed like he really helped bring some of those runs (indiscernible)?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: He did. He's done a nice job blocking, has a great role on special teams, can catch the ball out of the backfield, so kind of been a jack-of-all-trades for us, and proud of how far he's come.

Q. What about Coleman, what's his status?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Same. We'll go day-to-day with him. Still working through that ankle.

Q. The success Nisby had the other day and the success that Justin had, as a play caller do you watch those things?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, to an extent, but then you don't want to get one-dimensional where the defense knows, hey, every time he's in he's running this type of run concept or pass and whenever this guy is in he's doing that. I think you've got to be careful walking that line. But definitely they have some strengths that you want to make sure to accentuate when you're calling plays.

Q. You mentioned last year how West Virginia made you more one-dimensional. Is there anything else you've seen that have been consistent struggles against West Virginia over the last three or four years?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, they out-physicaled us I guess in 2014. We had a big lead they came back and beat us. '15, dropped a couple touchdowns up there. Last year just didn't show up, got blown out, and so we know it'll be competitive. We know they're a tough team. They've had our number, and we've got to go up there and try to execute at a high level.

Q. What did Pat bring to the table? Seemed like the offense was not real prolific the last couple years when y'all played West Virginia. What did it seem like they specifically did?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think last year he was a little banged up and threw it every play, and that's what they want you to do. We were going to score, I think, to make it 10-10, we fumble inside our own 10 and they come down and make it 17-7 and they roll from there. The key is to not be one-dimensional, not just drop back every snap and play into their hands.

Q. How crucial was it with the running game last weekend and do you think you'll need (indiscernible)?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: It was important to get it going after the previous week of not being able to establish it versus Oklahoma State. I didn't think we were physical enough, and those guys at Oklahoma State did a good job up front of slowing us down. It opens up everything for us offensively. It allows us to get guys open in the back end that are talented players, and if we can't run it they're going to drop everybody out of there and nobody will be open. We know going in that's what we have to do, and we'll work to do that.

Q. How would you compare West Virginia's defensive line to some of the others that you guys have faced this year?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I'm not big on comparisons. Each week is different, each game is different, each team gets better as the season goes on. But they're a talented Big 12 defensive line. I mean, they've had success against everybody they've played.

Q. What stands out to you about No. 8 and No. 6, two of their DBs that really have played a lot of football for them?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, Askew-Henry was hurt last year against us, but he's talented, pops out on film all over the place, real aggressive coming downhill, and then the same deal with White. They make a bunch of plays, they're flying around, they let them do some freelance stuff chasing the football, and they have a nose for the ball.

Q. The defensive line has been much improved this season, especially against the run. What stands out about Terrance Jamison, and what has he brought to the table?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, I think just consistency in his approach. He inherited a good group with some guys who had some experience, went through some bumps in the road last year, but grew up a lot. They're going into, a lot of them, their third year in Coach Gibbs' system with his terminology, and so I think Coach Jamison has a real calm about himself. He's the same every day, every practice, and it's helped those guys. They have good leadership, Talor Nunez, Eli Howard, Broderick Washington, Big Mike, some veteran guys that have really taken a mature approach to the game this year.

Q. Can you talk about the job Dana has done there and if you guys still talk quite a bit during the off-season?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we do. We don't talk as much as we used to. Obviously when you play each other it gets a little weird. But he's done a tremendous job. I thought last year he had a really good defense so he played to their strength and this year he's got a good offense so he's opening up a little bit more. Got to be impressed with how hard they play, and can't say enough about things about him and what he's done there.

Q. What does Zach say about playing his brother?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I have not brought that up. I have a feeling that they're going to be pretty fired up on game day, though.

Q. (Indiscernible).
JAH'SHAWN JOHNSON: He's done well. He's done well. There's obviously room for improvement and we expect this level at that position, in that room, and there's a couple that he'd like to have back and a couple plays that we'd like to make, but seeing it from his eyes and him growing each game and going through these different situations that he's never been in in college football before, I thought he's handled it very well, and I expect the back half this season for him just to get better and better. I think his best football is in front of him and I think will continue to get better up front, which will help him.

Q. Where has he improved the most so far this season?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: You know, I think just decision making at the line of scrimmage. I think he's seeing the field good. If he has something, he's taking it. If not he's getting us into the right runs. He's just really dictating what we do offensively and not letting the defense dictate what we want to do.

Q. Thoughts on breaking into the AP top 25 this week, first time in a number of years?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, that's y'all's deal. I just show up and coach football, so I don't have much to say on that.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about Justus Parker? I know he's a guy that is a walk-on, sort of started to emerge. What do you like about him, just kind of the gritty nature that he brings?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, his story is pretty incredible. He was down there in Texas, Texas Lutheran in Seguin, Texas, and came up here and has worked really hard and started at the very bottom, earned every rep he's got, and to see him go out there and make plays is just -- it's inspiring really because he had every reason to give up or quit, this, that and the other, and he's kept fighting, kept battling, and then on game days he has a nose for the football, so really proud of him and how far he's come.

Q. Texas Tech has a long history of having guys like that, that want to achieve more. Does he kind of embody that spirit would you say?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think he does. I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder. He works out with a chip on his shoulder. You watch the way he carries himself out on the field, he will go up to any of our top star players and get that little extra shove or that little extra bump. He's not going to back down from anybody, and that's what you want out there.

Q. I believe there's six teams tied at 1-1 in the Big 12; do you feel like there's more parity this year, more opportunity possibly?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: We'll see. I mean, there's a lot of really good teams still and a lot of games to play. I know it's kind of stacked to the top right now with some of those records, but it'll all play itself out. Just watching from afar, anybody can beat anybody this year, which makes it fun for the fans. The fact we have a championship game, the two teams are going to get in now, I think that makes it exciting for players and fans, that you're not going to be out of it until maybe late in November. So yeah, I think there could be more parity, and I think the Big 12 is playing at a high level. You look at how we did in the preseason or the non-conference and some impressive wins out there.

Q. So you're a fan of the Big 12 Championship game then?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I like it. I like it. I think, like I said, as a coach, if you lose a game early in your conference schedule, that carrot is still out in front of you, which is exciting. You can possibly lose two games and still have a chance to play one of those teams for the championship, and I think it'll be great for the fans, it's great revenue for our conference, so I'm all for it.

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