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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 18, 2019Broderick Washington Jr.Lubbock, Texas Q. You guys come into this game as the best red zone defense in the conference. Kansas State comes in as the best red zone offense. Specifically against Kansas State you guys have had three or four trips where you were able to told TCU to field goals. What is it that gives you guys that type of strength that can help you against a very good red zone team in Kansas State? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Honestly, I'm not really sure. We've just kind of got the mentality of bend but don't break. I mean, say for instance they do get an explosive play on us, our mindset is pretty much just play the next play. So yeah, they do get an explosive play on us or whatever, and they get down there, as long as we keep playing and stop them from scoring and at least hold them to a field goal, we'll be straight and we'll be able to keep going and keep doing that. Q. Do you guys like that challenge of a game like this where two strengths directly go against each other when it comes to you and Kansas State in the red zone? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I mean, yeah, I think we like any challenge. That's the first I heard about that, but we're up for the challenge, though. Q. What's the sense of urgency kind of with you guys right now with having to win out the final two games in order to make a bowl game? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Oh, yeah, definitely, because the message from the coaches is get the seniors to a bowl game. Right now that's our biggest focus because, I mean, we're right there. I mean, we win out, we get that bowl game, and we're pretty much looking at that as our championship game this year, especially for the seniors, because we're only guaranteed two more games, and after that we're not really sure what's going to happen. Q. Speaking of senior night, what has it done for you and meant for you to play football at Texas Tech? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: It's helped me grow as a man. I've been through a lot of up and downs, and thinking about life afterwards, some of the situations that I've been through here at Tech could be things I'll face in the real world. I feel like my time here at Tech, through all the adversity -- well, I take that back. It's not really adversity, but all the challenges that we've been through have prepared me for things that I may face later down the line in life, and I'll be ready for it. Q. Have you thought about what the emotions are going to be like on that senior night for you? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Yeah, it kind of hit me over the weekend because I mean, after we played TCU, next game on the schedule is senior night. I mean, I was sitting on my couch thinking about it, and I was like, yeah, I'm going to be emotional before the game. I mean, it's been a heck of a ride, so I'm just trying to finish it the right way pretty much. Q. Are you a crier? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Not really, but I'll probably shed some tears, though, because it's been a long journey. Q. How much has it frustrated you as passionate as you are about playing and playing here that y'all haven't really been able to get over the hump? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: It's actually been pretty frustrating. I mean, if you watch film, you can pretty much tell like just speaking about myself, just like -- I mean, I kind of got off track a little bit just with my thinking. Not really off track, but I just stopped having fun, and it was all because we were losing. That was on me, really. I don't know, but it was pretty frustrating. It had me in the dumps a little bit. But I bounced back, and I'm just going to do all I can to help my team win the last two games. Q. Were you talking about this year when you said you got down about it or in the past? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Just this year, and had to shake back, but I'm good now. Ready to go to battle. Q. What's been missing in terms of the pass rush? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Just our strain, I guess. I mean, pretty much most of the time we're only rushing with three guys and not max protecting, so you get double teams on three guys. I mean, just our strain. Up front on the D-line we've got to strain more, and that's pretty much the only thing that's really holding us back on getting a pass rush. Q. Do you have a favorite moment at Texas Tech that you can pick out? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Yeah, a couple years ago we played Texas here, and this was back when Texas was loaded with guys, and the one play that really that was my favorite moment, and it really didn't even involve me, it was when Doug had stripped the ball from Foreman and took it to the house. That was my favorite moment here. Q. Do you ever worry about the mindset of 18-, 19-, 20-year olds when you get down to -- you have three, four, two games left that you have to win, worrying about are these guys as bought in the final two games as I am, because they have the next year after that? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: You said did their mindset bother me? Q. Do you ever worry about the buy-in on these last two games because they have years ahead of them? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I really haven't thought about it this year, but probably years before, yeah. But this year, no, because I feel like those young guys -- the young guys that we have now, most of them anyway, they love the game, and they don't see it as like, oh, we'll just wait until next year. They're trying to get better now. So no. No, sir. Q. Bradford, how good has he been? He grades out as one of the best (indiscernible)? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Yeah, pretty much. It's been awesome watching him. He's going to be a heck of a player for years to come. But just watching him, the guy is a sponge. Like he just sits back, listens, and he asks a lot of questions, like he wants to make sure he's right on everything that he does. Me and him rotate almost every series, so like, I mean, that says a lot about him because I've been here, what, starting three years, and for him to come in his freshman year and be able to get in the mix early, that's going to help him out a lot in his career. Yeah, I love watching him play. Q. In a game like with TCU where they had 43 minutes time of position, you guys were out there for over 100 plays on defense, which aspect of that is the more tiring part, being out there for that length of time, or is it just the sheer amount of plays you guys had to go through? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I honestly don't know how to answer that question because during the game, I didn't even notice that it was that many plays. Really just heard that this morning in our meetings. It's what of it, really. It takes what it takes. If we've got to play 120 snaps, 200 snaps, so be it. We've just got to go out there. Q. Kansas State's quarterback is a guy that can take off. After playing a guy like Duggan last week who can also run, do you feel like the second time around you'll be better equipped to deal with that? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Oh, yeah, for sure, because I mean, they're pretty much the same guy if you look at it. We just have to do a better job of executing against him and being prepared for him to take off and run. Q. You mentioned a couple questions ago that you can tell that the freshmen and young guys love the game, maybe something that -- was that something that wasn't there in past years, or is it just more prevalent this season? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: It's hard to say, because I mean, that's not something that I really ever thought about, like my time here. I mean, whether those guys feel like they'll just wait until next year -- they do a good job of hiding it, so I can't really answer that question. Q. What's the one thing over the next two games that can guarantee you success? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I just want to win. I just want to win and get to a bowl game, at least say I was a champion at least one time in my time here. Q. What do you have to do to (indiscernible)? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Being disciplined, everybody rushing in their gap. If we've got somebody that got eyes on the quarterback, make sure he has eyes on him and just executing really, because going back, watching this previous game, it was all self-inflicted errors. As long as everybody is doing their job and trusting the coaching and trusting the calls that they call, we'll be all right. Q. Curious about your fellow seniors, at least a couple of them, Doug and Jordyn. What most impresses you about them? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: With Jordyn, I mean, he's a dog. He's all over the field. Even this past weekend, he was banged up and he still went out there and gave it his all while he could until they pulled him, and Doug, it's just -- just his will to keep fighting, because our time here, he's probably been through it all. I don't know, it's just fight really. It's heart. Some guys will quit knowing that they're such a great player and then probably hearing all the negative stuff and all that. It's just his will to keep fighting regardless of what's going on, and I respect that about him. Q. What kind of a bond do you have with those guys as seniors, particularly the guys on defense? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: They're my brothers. That's how I see them, that's how they see me. I mean, that's what the game is about pretty much, building that brotherhood and going to war with those guys and fighting for them. Q. The class in 2015, the year that you signed, there were 19 guys, and there's only six of you left. Keke was one of them and Stawarz was one of them, but what do you think about when there's 19 guys coming in as freshman and there's only six of you left? What's your reaction to that? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I just think to myself that it's crazy, I mean, because coming in, we heard that a lot. I mean, I really didn't think it would happen like that because I thought all the guys that I came in with, that we were all going to be here until our senior year, and to be down to just six of us, I mean, it's really mind blowing. I mean, everything happens for a reason, so... Q. How does it feel to be one of the survivors? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Thankful pretty much. Q. What's football done for your life? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Football has provided me with opportunities that I probably wouldn't have been able to take advantage of if I didn't have the game. Probably wouldn't have came to college. There's no telling really where I'd be if I didn't have the game. But I'm very thankful for the game and thankful for all the opportunities that it's provided me with, and I look forward to making the most of them. Q. You said that you guys were challenged this year to (indiscernible). BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I mean, probably going through all the coaching changes really, because I mean, all the years that I played football, I had the same coaches generally from middle school and then going into high school. I mean, it changed, but it was all the same guys all four of my years. I mean, stuff happens for a reason, but we just adapted and went with it. Q. Now that your football career is over (indiscernible). BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I want to be a coach, definitely. I've got to be around the game. I've got to be around the game. Q. What kind of coach that you've had -- who do you think -- when you become a coach, who do you think that you will be most like or what have you taken from all the coaches that you've been under over all these years? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I feel like I'll be more like my high school coach, Coach John King. He's a hard, tough coach. But at the same time, I feel like I'll be a kind of cooler coach, just because like I know I didn't always want to be yelled at, and I feel like there's better ways that you can approach situations to help a player learn and advance their skills so they understand stuff differently. But I think I'll be more like him, but I feel like I'll take a little piece of something I learned from each of my coaches and just group it all into one and kind of have my own little way of doing things. Q. Everyone has a reason for playing. What's your why? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: My why is to be able to provide for my family and then my future family in the future. Q. You mentioned all the different coaching changes that you went through. How many defensive line coaches did you have in your time here? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: I had four. Q. Do you think (indiscernible)? BRODERICK WASHINGTON JR.: Yes, sir, definitely. Yeah, just because, I mean -- just because I feel like I've had every type of coach you can have. So yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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