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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 11, 2019

Les Miles

Lawrence, Kansas

LES MILES: Nice to see you all.

What do you want to talk about?

Q. (Question about Oklahoma State.)
LES MILES: I can tell you I went back to Oklahoma State for a camp with my two sons. That was the last time that I was there. I will look forward to taking the team onto the field there. It's going to be a very quality undertaking, a big game.

Q. How long ago was that?
LES MILES: A couple years, so...

Q. You brought up Oklahoma State. What is the significance of this return for you? Obviously that's kind of where you got started.
LES MILES: Well, there's a number of people there that are good friends. It's a special place. Mike Holder, the AD, is a real quality administrator. Of course, Mike Gundy is a friend.

So this will be a heck of a game.

Q. How closely have you followed what Gundy has done there?
LES MILES: Any games that I could get to, I watched. Yeah, Mike has done a great job with the program just taking it to heights that you'd want your program at, so...

Q. Obviously you guys just had the bye week. What were you hoping to accomplish with that extra time?
LES MILES: Wanted to get some guys a little nicked fresh health, vitality. That we got accomplished. We scrimmaged and practiced a good bit, moved the program ahead.

Q. You said you went down to the football camp with your sons. I don't think anybody asked you about Manny going in and scoring that touchdown there late last week.
LES MILES: Yeah, yeah.

Q. And your birthday was yesterday.
LES MILES: Well, one is good news, one is bad news (smiling). I guess I'll talk to both.

Yeah, I suffered another birthday. That happens, so... Glad to be amongst you.

But Manny goes into the game, Carter gets nicked, engineers a nice little drive. They get down in there, hand the ball to the fullback. Manny says, That just goes to show you that my dad loves my brother better than me.

Next play or so, he goes in. That was great fun. The score was the wrong score to celebrate. That's the bad news. Manny did what we asked him to do. He did a good job.

Q. Corione Harris left the Kansas State game. Update on his health?
LES MILES: Much improved. I think he's day-to-day.

Q. You've gotten a chance to know Carter now. What would you say about him to someone that hasn't met him? What kind of person is he?
LES MILES: Tough, competitive, leader, talented enough to do the things need being done, so... Looking forward to seeing him play in this one.

Q. He had a chance to grad transfer anywhere. Probably when he had to make the decision wasn't the leader. Did you have conversations with him at that point?
LES MILES: Well, he read it wisely. When I came into the program, you know, I said he would be the heir apparent. Why would you abdicate and go someplace else? That was the case. He played most, and his film was pretty good.

So he decided to stay and work out. He was behind at a point. Very confident really to take back the job that he had finished second in. Was a wise move because it puts him in the position that he's in right now, leading the team and playing virtually every snap.

Q. With three games left, is there a chance that Dru Prox or Jeremiah McCullough make a return to the team?
LES MILES: Jeremiah McCullough will miss the rest of the season. I am not certain of Dru Prox. We would consider if we could make this a redshirt opportunity. If that's the case, he will not come back.

Q. A lot of talk about faster starts. What did you get done during the bye week in that regard? You mentioned you were talking about changing up practices.
LES MILES: We talked about that at length, even this morning. We have a practice that starts in a predictable form and finishes in the same way. I don't know by putting one in front of the other that that makes a difference.

We're changing up a little.

Q. Are you seeing positive results or does it have to show on game day for you?
LES MILES: It has to be there game day. The best offense that we have is when all cylinders are operating. Pooka carrying the ball. We have four or five receivers that can go onto the field to make big plays. We have Carter that can make the pass.

That's the best way that this offense operates.

Q. Coming up against a runningback like Chuba Hubbard, what do you need to see out of this front seven?
LES MILES: Our front seven has got to make tackles. He's a talented back, one of the best backs in the league certainly. The defense, this will be a great test.

Q. A little bit about Gavin Potter, his development from when he was really forced out there. You've obviously stuck with him. What kind of growth have you seen from him?
LES MILES: He's going to be that kind of linebacker. He's a guy that's long, wiry, fast. Two-time state champion in the state of Oklahoma. A physically strong guy. He's bright as a whip. He's a guy that learns well. I think he'll play linebacker here for a number of years.

Q. What are the weaknesses that he has to get over playing right now?
LES MILES: The weaknesses that most guys have, you know, there needs to be an aggressive point, you have to know when to shoot the gun, to make the play, press to make the play. That's not a weakness of his in any way. He's an aggressive person by nature. He'll pull the trigger routinely.

Q. If you go back to the days that you were at Oklahoma State to now, what has been the thing you've learned most?
LES MILES: That the earth is round, generally speaking. Some areas where it's flat, but mostly round (smiling).

What I learned, and it's something that everyone knows, quality people, people that care about the team, people that work hard day-to-day, those are the guys that you want to turn to and count on. That's the thing that I learned most.

Q. Was that an OSU teaching about the earth round thing?
LES MILES: No, it wasn't at all.

I've learned that taking the field with a team that wants to compete, fight like hell, is just a blast. I kind of knew that.

Q. You had the few games in a row where you built up some momentum. First time in a while you've had to bounce back. What maybe is the key to getting it back on track?
LES MILES: You have to address it. You have to make sure the position group is squared away. You take stock in each step that you're taking. I think this football team's ready to play games, wants to get back out to form, so...

Q. You have three games left on the schedule. Do you sense some urgency as you're practicing? So little time left in the season right now. Guys talk about winning six games.
LES MILES: We want to play well and demonstrate the ability of a real quality football team. If we do that, the opportunity to win the games that we want to win will be there.

It's not, Let's win games. It's, Let's practice hard, improve, get this thing done. Let's take it to the field as a team. Everybody sitting on the seat has to improve. Now we're looking at a different team, a team that's used the bye week effectively, now getting into game week will practice the things that we've practiced last week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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