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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 4, 2018

Paul Stawarz

Lubbock, Texas

Q. Paul, what did you like about the run game?
PAUL STAWARZ: I think it's really good to see the hard work we put in kind of come together. Playing a team like Ole Miss is -- it's big-time football, big-time run stopping defense like that, so being able to do what we did, it builds confidence for us going forward, so it's really good we played a team like that.

Q. You've worked with all three of the quarterbacks, but what did you see out of Alan when he came in in a situation where he probably wasn't expecting to come in?
PAUL STAWARZ: Yeah, I think he did well, especially being thrown into a game like that. That's not something he can really prepare for, playing a team like that. But I think he handled it well. I mean, as a unit, as an O-line, we're prepared for all three of them. I'm pretty sure Coach Kingsbury and the O-line, definitely we have confidence in all three of them. It's nothing really different, and he was ready to go, so it was good to see that, see what he can do.

Q. Generally do you feel like it kind of changed the way you guys were doing the offense, or did Alan kind of grasp the offense so well that you were able to throw it as much as you wanted to, or did that really change much?
PAUL STAWARZ: I wouldn't say it changed much. This whole camp, the whole spring, we were practicing with all three of them. We got a ton of reps with all three of them. It really doesn't matter who's back there coming from an O-line perspective. But I mean, I think he handled it well, and really we were prepared for whoever goes back there.

Q. What did you see out of Da'Leon and how nice was it to see him have some success after the time off?
PAUL STAWARZ: Yeah, it was really good to see him back. He's definitely -- from the time he got here to who he is now, it's a complete change. He loves the game. He runs hard. He's really bought into this program. So seeing what he can do and seeing that he's back on track is really good to see.

Q. I'm not pointing this directly at you, but as the offensive representative today, Coach said you guys made too many bonehead mistakes, and I'm sure you can go through a laundry list of things that would qualify as a bonehead mistake. How do you fix that going into this week?
PAUL STAWARZ: No, that's right. It being the first game and playing an opponent like that, I think some things like that are expected. But approaching the season and this upcoming week, this has to be a huge jump for us as a team, as a unit. But I think we're prepared for that. This team, we're not hanging our heads, pointing fingers. There's a lot of self-reflection, a lot of people looking in the mirror when they went home, so seeing that is a really positive thing. Just the team that we have, I really think and feel that we'll correct these mistakes.

Q. You said you were ready to block for all three quarterbacks; any idea who you're blocking for against Lamar?
PAUL STAWARZ: I couldn't tell you. I mean, they're all getting reps. They're all ready to go. You guys will have to see.

Q. Was there a particular run play or aspect of the run game that you felt worked especially well on Saturday?
PAUL STAWARZ: I wouldn't say there's a particular aspect. Being able to run with Trey and Da'Leon and us being on the same page run and pass-wise I think is really good moving forward. I think we've all worked really well together on the running backs hitting their points and us getting targeted correctly. I think just being able to do that is good to see, and it's good that we've been able to do that against an SEC opponent.

Q. What are you looking forward to the most this upcoming Saturday?
PAUL STAWARZ: I think the biggest thing going forward is being the team that I know we can be. We have a lot of talent in this room. You guys saw T.J.; we've got three quarterbacks who can all play, good running back group, good offensive line with depth. Really just going forward, I think putting it all together and being the team that we can be is what I think -- not only myself but the rest of this team is what we're looking forward to.

Q. What were some of the things that Alan did well and maybe some things that you would expect out of a freshman the first time he's playing?
PAUL STAWARZ: Yeah, I think he handled it well. I mean, most people don't get thrown into an SEC game playing Ole Miss right away, especially as a true freshman. I don't think he would have expected that a few months ago.

But I mean, I think just overall, how he handled himself, he may have had a few jitters in the beginning, but who wouldn't, playing them? But I think going forward and seeing what he did against them, it's definitely bright for him and his future here, and I think going forward this season, I think him just being back there and building his confidence more, I think it's going to go really well for him.

Q. (No microphone.)
PAUL STAWARZ: Yeah, I think that semester out of high school is huge. I personally didn't go through it, but seeing like Jack Anderson, him going through it, he made tremendous strides from his spring to his fall camp, playing time, so I think that was huge for him, him getting to know the system, really getting to know the lifestyle of college football, I think that transition was huge for him.

Q. Obviously you have confidence in Alan when he comes in, but do you feel as an offensive line a little bit extra bit of responsibility to help ease him in a little bit and keep him protected?
PAUL STAWARZ: Yeah, I mean, that's our job. We want to make whoever is back there feel as comfortable as possible. You know, we know anyone could be back there at any time. You've always got to be ready for the next man up at any position. As a unit, we know that. We take pride in that. Whoever is back there we'll block as hard as we can for him.

Q. How important is this Saturday for this team right now?
PAUL STAWARZ: I think it's very important. I think, like I said earlier, being able to play Ole Miss and kind of know where we stand as a unit, what we need to correct, I think being able to play competition like we just played is huge going forward. But this upcoming Saturday, it's definitely going to be big for us to see the improvements we made and see where we can go with this.

I think this Saturday will tell a lot about how we're going to do this season, but I think just this upcoming week of practice and preparing for this Saturday is going to be huge on us as a team, kind of maturity-wise and seeing where we stand.

Q. You guys have had two practices since the game; what kind of mindset have you seen from both of those two practices individually? I imagine Sunday was a little more of coming back after the loss and today was getting focused and back to work, but can you describe those differences?
PAUL STAWARZ: I think just the maturity this team has and the -- like I said earlier, a lot of people are taking responsibility on them personally instead of pointing the finger. It's easy to do that, and we've seen that in the locker room, in teams past. This being my senior season, this is kind of my fourth run at it, and seeing how this team has handled this, I think it's very promising going forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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