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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 4, 2017

Kliff Kingsbury

Lubbock, Texas

Kansas State - 42, Texas State - 35

Q. The decision at the end of the game not to do anything with the ball, but just to take a knee (ph), could you take us through that decision?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, you know, 42 seconds left and only one timeout and really weren't feeling confident in our kicking game at all. After talking to our special teams coach and where we were at going that way, we didn't feel like even an attempt. There was more negative that could have happened.

Q. But you had -- tremendous, passing the ball down the field, especially with Keke and Dylan, not to take a shot --
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, we felt like with, like I said, with only one timeout and the way we had been kicking the ball, let's get to overtime and have our senior quarterback go against theirs and try to win it there.

Q. The play before the missed field goal, what happened on that play? It looked like you were frustrated after they didn't get a first down?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, just thought we had something. I've got to watch the film to see if we did or not. He didn't feel comfortable with it, so he tried to get what he could get and we didn't make the kick.

Q. What was that last play supposed to look like?
COACH KINGSBURY: You know, we kind of had a rub route type deal trying to go to Cantrell and I don't know if it was open or not. I've got to watch the film and see. It looked like it had a chance but he didn't feel comfortable with it so he got tucked up in there. Knowing the situation, knowing if we make that kick it's over, but I'll have to watch it and see.

Q. What difference did it make today having Clayton back on the field?
COACH KINGSBURY: You know, he kicked well as far as the extra points go. You'd like to have that one back. But that's the game. We just haven't made those kicks this year.

Q. How much extra pressure now is it that you have to win two-out-of-three to kind of qualify for a Bowl?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, that was a great opportunity there. We feel like these next three, we could win them all or lose them all. I think that's kind of where the league's at. There's a lot of parity, a lot of good teams. We've just got to get back up and play our best football these last three.

Q. Considering what happened at West Virginia yesterday, do you feel like -- confidence to win?
COACH KINGSBURY: There's something going on. There's no question. To not be able to get this one done, we've got to play with more confidence late in the games. We've got to be able to make kicks and we've got to make kicks. It's a number of things. Got to have stops. Got to have drives. But we've just got to find a way to to it. We haven't closed out games the entire season.

Q. You said a moment ago regarding the decision there late, you said that talking to the special teams coach, you didn't feel good about the kicking game, so did he say something --
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, we just didn't feel like it was -- we were very confident going that way. We felt like the other way, with the wind, we felt a little bit better. We thought, you know, like I said, our offense is playing good. We have a senior quarterback. They have a true freshman, let's go to over time and try to go score for score and felt like we had a better chance to do that.

Q. Do you feel like Clayton was 100 percent?
COACH KINGSBURY: He looked great in practice. That's all I could go by is that sample size is in practice.

Q. The third down play in the end zone, Pierre (ph) got tackled there, didn't appear you got any calls at all today. I don't know if you want to spend any money tonight --
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, there were a couple tough ones down there where those guys were battling for it. But it didn't come down to that. We had plenty of opportunities to close that game out and find a way to win and we didn't get it done.

Q. At the end of regulation, the two-point conversion, I believe you took two timeouts there, was that -- inaudible.
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, it was. We wanted to make sure we got our right guys in there. It's a big play if we stop and we win and make sure we maximize what we had on that particular play, and they executed it well and made a great throw and a good catch, so you have to give them credit.

Q. You talked about the players's confidence. What about the confidence in the coaches and the way they make play calls?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, you know, I felt like called the game to win. We just didn't win it. And you've got to give them a lot of credit. They hit some big plays. Down 11, come back and do what they have to do to win the game and overtime, made some nice play calls. The young quarterback played well and executed well and had some big-time throws. Got to give them a lot of credit.

Q. What loss is tougher, something like this or something like what you had last year against Kansas State?
COACH KINGSBURY: You know, they are all tough. They are all tough. This is tough. You know, being at home, in front of your fans, you want to give them a victory. We didn't get it done.

Q. How are you mentally after this loss, after how things have played out the last couple games?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, I'm frustrated that we weren't able to close that out. That's a good group that we have of players. They are on the fringe of being pretty good but we haven't finished things off.

I know they are frustrated. It's a good group of seniors, and you'd like them to finish their careers with some success, and so that's where the frustration lies.

Q. You came into the season, kind of on the hot seat and now you have four straight losses now. How do you deal with that pressure now going forward trying to break that streak?
COACH KINGSBURY: You just try and control what you can control, and that's waking up tomorrow and trying to get the best game plan offensively, defensively and special teams-wise for Baylor. Look at it any other way will get new trouble. We're just going to focus on that and try to put the best game plan together we can for next weekend.

Q. One of the things you'll be focusing on, maybe decision-making, the Pick-Six, something you guys have been struggling with?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, you know, you can't make that throw. Obviously the guy sat on it and just got to find a way to not make it. I don't have any answers or, you know, other coaching points, other than that, we can't throw a Pick-Six in that situation. Just throw it away, it's first down and it's play the next play.

Q. Is that also in the back of your mind, when you had 42 seconds left?
COACH KINGSBURY: Really, like I said, I wasn't feeling confident, even if we moved the ball that we could line up and execute a kick. I felt like there was some negative stuff that could have happened and they had a really good kicker.

So wanted to avoid going three-and-out and give them any time, and just a bunch of things that I felt we weren't very good at at that point.

Q. The kicker, do you just keep sending him out there?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, like I said, I watch him practice and see a lot of makes, and hasn't carried over. So we'll keep working at it. You'd like to score touchdowns there, but in that situation, you have a big drive, five-minute drive, and you know, you'd like to seal the game and you're not able to get it done. We've got to find an answer.

Q. Potentially the backup quarterback didn't seem like he was in rhythm. What do you think allowed him to start getting a rhythm and getting comfortable?
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, I'm not sure. You've just got to, like I said, give him a lot of credit in that situation. For a young player to make those type of throw and stand in there and bring his team back; that says a lot about his character and the job they have done coaching him.

Q. What did Jordyn Brooks have today?
COACH KINGSBURY: He had an illness. Yeah, got sick last night. So we didn't have him available today.

Q. So you didn't know you were not going to have him until last night?
COACH KINGSBURY: Correct.

Q. That play -- inaudible.
COACH KINGSBURY: I'll have to watch the tape. Obviously he's one of our better defensive players. But I'll have to watch the tape. I felt like losing Kolin and Jordyn, because Kolin was having to play some more linebacker, really put us into bind at that juncture. But I'll have to watch the tape to see exactly where we're effected.

Q. Desmond Nisby?
COACH KINGSBURY: That was just a coach's decision.

Q. And Nick McCann?
COACH KINGSBURY: Coach's decision.

Q. When the play broke down -- was that supposed to be a bootleg?
COACH KINGSBURY: It was. It was. They made a great play and so did Nick on that fourth down. Their D-end jumped it. He crashed down and jumped it and Nick and Dylan made a great play.

Q. Obviously had to improvise to some extent.
COACH KINGSBURY: Yeah, it was. It was. We thought he'd slam and get to the flat but No. 51 came up field and made a great play but those two guys found a way.

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