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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 16, 2018

Kliff Kingsbury

Lubbock, Texas

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Coming into this week against Kansas, how are all three of your quarterbacks? Who do you think will play this week?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, we'll see. They're healing up I think. I don't know if we'll have all three available for this week. But soon will. So we'll evaluate them all during practice, get everybody a bunch of reps like we've been doing, make a decision as the week goes on.

Q. How much has Allen been able to do?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: More and more. I wouldn't say he's full go yet, but he's been easing his way back in. We're obviously going to be precautious and make sure he's not out there until he's 100%. Such a rare injury, we want to be overly cautious, if you will, make sure he's protected and safe out there.

Q. From what we've seen Thursday night, when he was in here Sunday night, it looks like he's throwing without any pain or discomfort. Is he chomping at the bit?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, he is. He can throw, do all those things. Obviously it was an internal injury. It's a unique thing for us. We're just making sure that he's 100% before we put him back out there.

Q. Is he not really doing anything in a team setting yet, pads?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I would say that's fair.

Q. Looking ahead against Kansas, what has really stood out to you about their scouting report, after watching some film?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think they've made a big jump from last year to this year, not only personnel, but the way they're executing. Lead the country in turnover margin, which is a huge indicator of success. They played hard every week, have great coaches, great schemes. They're right there.

I think when you look at some of those losses, it's close going into the fourth quarter. They're fighting, scratching, clawing. They're a much improved football team from last year. We're going to have to play really good.

Q. Change of the offensive coordinator in the past week, change your preparation at all?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think it has to. You go from watching film on a certain coordinator, what he's been doing all your, not really knowing what direction they're going to take it with Coach Beaty, whoever else is calling it. I think you definitely have to be prepared for anything.

Q. Pooka Williams.
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Dynamic play-maker. Can make people miss. Very talented player. He's really kind of taken this league by storm.

Q. On the offensive line, obviously you expect guys to be next man up and everybody ready to go, no excuses. At the same time to what extent is it a challenge when you look up, a big portion of the game you have a center, left guard, left tackle, all of the guys not normally in there, particularly given on the road against a defense ranked No. 1 in the conference?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: That was tough. I think you can take being defeated in some physical matchups maybe. They beat you on a pass-rush move or you get overpowered at the point of attack on a run play. You can handle that. It was the presnap penalties, the lack of execution on some other things that was disappointing.

You got to have the next-man-up mindset, and that man has to be prepared to go. I didn't think mentally we were as locked in as we needed to be when some of those guys were called upon.

Q. How did you feel about Jacob in particular since you indicated he started based more on merit than injury?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Right. I think he's a guy, he started the first three games last year. He's a guy we felt like at any point we could move back in there if we needed a jump-start or needed to push somebody. That's what he did. He was solid. Came in and executed at a high level.

Q. Watching the replay of the game, Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway were lavishing praise on you for your play calling late in the game. Herbstreit was saying you held some things back. Go into what makes a play the right call for the right time?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I mean, you always want to start fast, but you want to get a feel for what they're doing. That was one of those deals where we felt like we had some big plays in our back pocket. We couldn't get a read on them in the first half really, for a number of reasons. We were moving backwards in a bunch, second and 13, third and 15. You couldn't get a idea running-wise what he was doing.

I felt like in the second half we got more of a rhythm, picked some spots where we would catch him in a second defense. Luckily we did. It wasn't all the night. But we happened to call the right play two or three times.

Q. What kind of conclusions did you draw about Jett's play given how much struggle it was in the first half, what he did in the second half to feel like there's something there you can build on?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: There's no question. I've always known that about Jett. A dynamic play-maker. Mentally tough, no question. To be able to kind of hold from that game, have to watch it for a series, then come back in and lead his team to victory on the road against the best defense in the conference statistically, it says a lot about who he is as a competitor. You can build off that.

Got to be smoother in some of our operation or decision making, things like that. He's just a redshirt sophomore. He's got a lot of growth, a lot of upside, there's no question.

Q. As a head coach, wherever the offense isn't playing as well as it does, but you win a close game when the defense is stepping up?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Any time you win in this league, you're thrilled to death. Was really proud of everybody's effort, the fight, the determination, so offense made plays where they had to. We got to be a lot better on that side of the football moving forward. Hopefully getting some of these players back will help that.

Yeah, you're just thrilled any time you get a win in the Big 12 Conference, quite an accomplishment.

Q. Do you feel like this team is built to win, whether low scoring like TCU?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: That remains to be seen. TCU has had their struggles offensively this year. We need to do that against obviously one of these top offensive teams before I can really make that comment on that.

Q. Do you know the identity really of this team yet? Just seems like they've played so many different ways.
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think resilient would be the only thing I've seen that I can put my finger on. They'll fight, play hard till the end. You can work with that.

Q. How much was Antoine Wesley stepped up these last few weeks?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: He's been incredible, he really has. His work ethic, when you watch him in walk-through, the focus and the attention to detail from walk-through on is through the roof. It's how you want all your wideouts to prepare and practice. It carries over to the game.

He's a great role model for all those young wideouts, just the way he handles his business on and off the field. It's been impressive.

Q. Where has he specifically improved coming into this season?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think that's it: focus. We moved him back outside. Since we did, his attention to detail, his work ethic, his preparation off the field, the film study has been through the roof. It shows up on Saturday. He's playing with a lot of confidence. He's not thinking. He's just going.

Q. Obviously the defense improved a lot. For Frye, what's made him able to have the success he's had?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I think he's a very good athlete. He's a very skilled athlete. He played receiver in high school, punt returner. He's great around the football. Highly, highly competitive. I got to see it last year on the scout team. He challenged those receivers. We had a bunch of guys that are playing in the NFL right now, he'd go up and challenge them, wouldn't back down. I knew he was competitive. He's just worked at it, worked at it, prepared the right way. You're seeing the results on the field.

Q. You mentioned the resiliency a couple times, the dog mentality. How have you established that?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: I mean, you got to go through some rough times together, I think. A lot of these veteran players, particularly on defense have been a lot. Jah'Shawn, Dakota, Jordyn been here three or four years. You go through it together. You keep working. Coach Whitt does a tremendous job of the mental toughness side of things during the off-season.

I think going through the battles together, taking your lump, continuing to perseveres.

Q. How is the health on the offensive line, Paul and Travis?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: They're working back in. I'm not sure exactly who will be available. But they're getting more work than they did the previous week, so...

Q. Coming up with all the turnovers last week, how big is that?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, that's huge. That's what we want to see. Coach Gibbs has brought that mindset. We talk about it. We work on it at practice a bunch. To get those turnovers the way we did in crucial times, that's a key to our success.

Q. What do you really want to see from your team to get back to Oklahoma State where the offense and defense were clicking at the same time?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Yeah, that's what I want to see, both units rolling (smiling).

Yeah, offensively it just hadn't been very smooth the last two weeks. Had Allen knocked out against West Virginia. We battled. Wasn't a very clean performance execution-wise, had some turnovers. Kind of the same deal last weak, too many penalties, not the level of execution we expect.

I think defensively continue to build on what they had starting the second half of the West Virginia game. We'll go from there.

Q. Who did you give first team reps to?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: Today at Z was Caden Leggett and Myller Royals. Those guys are going to work in there. Still have Don rep as well. Work through those three guys, have a little competition there at Z, hopefully T.J. can go on Saturday. Remains to be seen.

Q. What has the progress of Caden been like to this point?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: It's been good. Would like to redshirt him. Rule gives us a little bit of a leeway now. Very competitive. Great when the ball is in the air. Wants to be a really good player. Works at it. He has some things that are going for him.

Q. What would you say Dom has done sitting here after game one? You were pretty critical of him.
KLIFF KINGSBURY: He's stepped up. I mean, last week really won us that football game. That's what we expect. That's what we see in practice. We know he has the ability to do that. When you have that ability, it has to translate to the field.

Really proud of him. He's taken what he does in practice every day to the field. That's a big step.

Q. Have y'all done anything differently with him?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: No. Year two things calm down, it slows down. He's able to control his emotions a little bit. He's executing at a high level.

Q. What did Tony Jones do the other night?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: He had a lower leg something. I'm not sure if he'll be ready or not. I don't think it's too serious.

Q. If it's not, just more snaps for Collin?
KLIFF KINGSBURY: He will get more reps.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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