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BAYLOR UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 1, 2018

Jalan McClendon

Waco, Texas

Abilene Christian - 27, Baylor - 55

Q. You just looked on fire tonight. Did you feel like you had a pretty good groove at the start and kind of kept it going?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I was just doing my job. The O-line did a great job. Receivers did a great job (inaudible), did a great job of running. We were all in there battling. We're always praising in the locker room and the meetings, just everybody do their job.

Q. What did coach say to you about how you would play in terms of playing time?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I mean, he said he was going to play both of us. But, I mean, I just took it with a grain of salt and did my job. You know.

Q. Was it disappointing at all not to start? I know you had quite a battle here in camp?
JALAN MCCLENDON: Oh, no. I mean, see, I root for everybody who goes in there, so I was hoping Charlie would do good. So I didn't complain about it at all. I loved that he started. I knew I'd get my chance, so I knew I would do what I do.

Q. No one had ever seen you other than if they watched N.C. State a little bit, and no one gets to watch practice. So was it kind of not important to you, but you wanted to send a signal, a statement of who you are and what you can do?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I just wanted to do my job. That's all I went into the game thinking. Just do my job and know what I'm doing. Get guys going.

Q. Do you think you and Charlie kind of brought out the best in each other as far as competition?
JALAN MCCLENDON: Yeah, definitely. Like the whole quarterback room, we just bring it. We make each other better. The young guys make me better. I make them better. Coach Thomas makes all of us better, Coach Rhule makes us all better. So it all works out.

Q. How much did they communicate with you about what's going on? Or is there even any need to talk or discuss the snaps or who starts or not?
MATT RHULE: No, I mean, in practice we just take our reps, so, I mean, you like we're all used to getting different reps with everybody. So it's not unusual.

Q. You didn't get a chance to play that much at N.C. State. To have this opportunity, what's it mean to you?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I mean, shoot, that's the reason I came because it was the opportunity. Just doing my job, I'm just trying to get on the field.

Q. It seemed like you've been here for a while, not just the system, but the way you had a groove with your receivers, especially those first couple drives.
Did it almost come too easy?

MATT RHULE: No, I wouldn't say it came too easy. Like I said earlier, the O-line did a great job, running backs did a great job blocking the front. We knew they kind of blitzed heavily, a little bit. Everybody just did their job, and it was the fruits of the labor. But it was really because of those guys, the O-line, receivers, running back, they were making plays and I was just getting the ball.

Q. You realized how important it was, whether it was Abilene Christian or whoever for this program to get a win and just enjoy a win. It's been a while, a couple of years since you've won a game at home?
JALAN MCCLENDON: Yeah, I understand that. But I think it felt like we -- like we take every game the same. So we approached it like -- we approached it just like we approached anybody else, just like how we approach San Antonio.

Q. With the quarterback rotation like that, what's that mindset like for you knowing that you're going to split it up a little bit?
JALAN MCCLENDON: It just makes me like prepare, like knowing, like you never know if it's going to go in. So when you do go in, just take advantage of it, do your job.

Q. The ball that you threw to (inaudible) the up with that kind of dropped in there, is that when you know you're in a groove?
JALAN MCCLENDON: Oh, no, I thought he made a hell of a catch. The safety came over, hit him, he knew he was going to get hit. He still made the catch. So that was a good catch by him.

Q. Did looked like you had some really good chemistry with those receivers. How much does that say to the work you were able to do this off-season with them?
JALAN MCCLENDON: Oh, I mean, shoot, in the off-season we would throw every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, some like that. So like everybody got in together, all the QBs, all the receivers. Like we just kind of pushed like get being the chemistry right with everybody, not just myself. Like all the QBs.

Q. You have the whole playbook now? I mean, you're a speed reader if you've got the whole playbook now?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I'm trying. I'm still learning. I ain't perfect, but I'm still learning. The we've got to iron some kinks out, but we'll get it corrected come Sunday.

Q. How good did it feel to get back out there, and you may have answered this, but playing in a game, new atmosphere, but to get back out there again?
JALAN MCCLENDON: I mean, it's definitely a different stadium, Abilene Texas. Never been to Texas before. It was a great experience. I liked the fans, all of that. Liked the fireworks, the smoke all that, that was amazing. The fireworks out there, it was a good atmosphere.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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