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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 23, 2019

Les Miles

Lawrence, Kansas

LES MILES: How about that crowd? 35,000 people, wild, happy, fired up. I can tell you this, it didn't go unnoticed by my team, staff, families, myself. Most tremendous and thanks. Thanks for being a part of KU football.

The issue of improving and falling short in victories is something that we're dealing with. Improving is certainly important. It's something that needs to happen, but it's also important that it finishes with victory.

Our guys understand that. It's a difficult pill to swallow when you think you've played well enough that should things have happened, you could have won that game. So we re-Grier, we come to this room, we admit we played well, we admit we didn't play well enough, take a deep breath, get after this TCU team. Gary Patterson, I know him. We share agents, and my agent has given me tid bits of information constantly about Gary, so I know him as good as anybody. We'll know all the tricks and maybe not. Maybe that didn't happen, but, in fact, maybe Bass is dealing with Gary in a different way, too, you know. George has been up to this facility and he has seen our playbook so I might need to keep an eye on him. He does a great job coaching.

TCU is an is it disciplined ball club. They do not penalize. They know the things they need to do, and they play hard. Certainly it will be a great competition, and we will enjoy taking the field against a very capable TCU team. That's all I have and I don't think there are any questions necessary but if you guys insist, go right ahead.

Q. Rewatching the game from Saturday, did you notice anything offensively that was kind of limiting the productivity before the offense got rolling in the second half?
LES MILES: Yeah, we didn't have the ball. I think we were 4 of 10 in third downs, and we did not keep the ball. We lost time of possession: 30-some for them and 19-some for us. That, for the most part, stopped us right away.

We probably pushed the ball interiorly one too many times, and we should have been using the opportunity to get on the perimeter against this team.

Q. Any common themes on third downs?
LES MILES: Well, nothing that really stands out. Your quarterback is still throwing the ball at 70% completion, and two turnovers, certainly, you can't have that. Two turnovers to no turnovers, I can't tell you the number of games I won where that was the recipe. We can't turn the ball over.

Q. With Stanley's interception, anything he did wrong there as far as making that throw?
LES MILES: Well, yeah, everybody makes decisions, and certainly those are things that you look back on, but, yeah, he needed not to throw that ball.

He wanted to make a play that he's made before, but not on that day. Those kind of plays, you need -- it needs to be in the backyard.

Q. Andrew Parchment was the Big 12 Newcomer Offensive Player of the Week, and I think he is top four in the Big 12 receiving. Did you know that was coming? Have you always seen that in him?
LES MILES: He's been a tremendous -- as soon as we got him on campus we realized the abilities that he had to move his feet, catch the ball. In just a matter of time, you know, we were going to get him set up and into a position where he could make some catches. That's happening now week in and week out.

Q. Les, what are Andrew Parchment's best skills as wide receiver and does he remind you of anybody that you have coached at past stops?
LES MILES: He has spectacular ball skills. He can turn and snap a ball, put a ball away as fast as anything I've seen.

I first saw great ball skills in the NFL, and then I saw great ball skills at LSU with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry, and in the NFL it was Jackie Harris, a tight end that just had unbelievable snatch and grab and go.

I think the Lord wires certain people that way. I don't think there is any way that you can improve -- I think you can improve your catching and study the dynamics of how you hold your hands and what part of ball you attack and all those things, but I think there is a genetic -- a piece of the wiring, mentally that allows guys to really handle the ball and anticipate through the air what's happening. I think we got a couple of those guys.

I did such a good job with the initial conversation that really I covered most of it.

Q. I've got an unnecessary question, I guess.
LES MILES: Go right ahead.

Q. Manny Miles came in for a snap, I think Carter's helmet came off, so he had to come off the field.
LES MILES: I wondered if Manny paid Carter for that. "Hey, if your helmet comes off, I'll be right there. What do you think? Couple bucks?"

Q. Is Manny your number two quarterback?
LES MILES: He's the guy that went in on that play, period. Had a nice pitch, turned and got a block. To be honest with you, for one play, spectacular.

Q. Do you have an update on James Sosinski?
LES MILES: I think he will be available early this week. We plan on taking him to Dallas and plan on his pieces being added to the game plan.

Q. Have you guys missed him offensively?
LES MILES: Yeah, absolutely. He's 6-7, spectacular ball skills, and he runs well enough to get deep and stretch a defense. We will like seeing him back.

Q. Coach, four games in, record aside are you dealing with the things that you anticipated with the team? Is it where you thought it would be? Ahead? Behind?
LES MILES: I think this football team and what we are experiencing here is something that we would anticipate, and that is that we're getting better and that we're going to win games. That's going to happen, okay? Other than that, I'm not making the connection between other things that happen around. I don't see it.

I like what I see, though. I like what's going on here and how it's developing, and that at some point in time this will be a winning ball club.

Q. Coach, any updates on Dru Prox and his health?
LES MILES: I am told that it is not a terribly serious issue, and I can't comment extensively. It's a HIPAA. What does HIPAA stand for? You know! Jump in here. HIPAA is the -- it's the hospitality -- (Laughter.) Intervention protocol. I think that's it, by jove. (Laughter.)

Q. Three games of Pooka, what have you seen from him so far? What would you like to see from him?
LES MILES: We have to get Pooka -- really we have to get the offense online. The issue of controlling the clock and driving the ball, our defense playing lights out. Let me tell you when you can see a defense. It's first and goal at the 10 yard line. They just gave you a penalty for pass interference that was, at least, most questionable. But you know what they did? They rehuddled. They said okay this is what we need to do to win the game. Let's go do it. They held them to a 3-pointer.

That defense is in gear and going. I'm for that defense, okay? Now, what was your question?

Q. Pooka.
LES MILES: I know. I was trying to move him around a little bit. Okay. Pooka is the offensive piece that we have to get involved, and we have to count on him getting ten touches or more every game. Tell you one thing. Everything that he's done for us has been spectacular. How he gets the last 3 yards of his carry is -- he'll have a long stay in a league right above this one.

Q. Les, you mentioned the defense and how they have been impressive for the most part. Only two take-aways, is that something you guys can work on, will come with time?
LES MILES: They have taken balls away in summer camp from us. We have emphasized that they have worked hard on a daily basis on take-aways. The game at Boston College, we did not necessarily take the interceptions that we were given an opportunity to have. So we took time to practice catching the ball and make them better by 20%. That will make a difference.

THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Thank you, Coach.

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