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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 30, 2019

Les Miles

Lawrence, Kansas

Baylor Bears 61 - Kansas Jayhawks 6

LES MILES: Well, certainly it's obvious why we didn't do well. We turned the ball over. Turned the ball over six times. That's uncharacteristic of the teams that I coach and uncharacteristic of this team. They turned the ball over twice in special times, and I just -- it's -- you can't win football games doing it that way and in the same vein this team has taken some strides to improve, and this game was not indicative of the team that played game after game for the Jayhawks.

We told them, we said, to those men that are going to stay that are not seniors who are graduating, we have work to do and we'll take every mistake that we made in this season final, and we will dot the installation with exactly why and what and how it happened. And we will take spring ball and improve. And I told the young guys that would return that they will have to in the next three weeks set their own practice schedule and their own workout schedule, I should say, for the weight room and get it started, because we don't want to finish seasons like this. It's not near as much fun.

I mean, these seniors bought in. They improved. They -- they were really going to be one of the first teams that you'll look back on and go, they started this. They did a great job. So, yeah. So any questions.

Q. What do you think kind of accounted for it? It seemed like you guys came out kind of flat. Any theories behind that?
LES MILES: You know what, there was not -- there was no flat to us. In the pregame talk and the -- I mean it's just -- I didn't understand it. I mean we had the first drive with the opportunity to score. And just didn't.

Q. Did you feel that they were maybe more unfocused today than you'd seen them all season?
LES MILES: You know, for me to say that there's one or two that showed a view that, you know, he may not be just right on it, I don't know if that's fair. I don't know -- I guess what I'm saying, if somebody's having a bad day, doesn't mean that everybody on the team is. But you can certainly head in the wrong direction based on one or two players that were not playing like they're capable.

Q. Now that the season is over, how would you kind of assess how everything's gone this year?
LES MILES: I think it's gone extremely well. I think our football team is better than they were. I think they understand what the commitment to a full-time football team, a team that's going to play and play and be given the opportunity to chase bowl games, et cetera. I know that after a game like that, you don't mention bowl games, but we do, because we're going to take some strides and we're going to make corrections and those will be the things that we would look forward to being a part of.

Q. Are you having fun? Do you feel like you're going to keep doing this job for a while?
LES MILES: Yeah. I'm having -- I'm having the enjoyment of relationships. I'm enjoying the team that would go on the prepared to play. I'm enjoying going into homes tomorrow and talk about Kansas and talk about the future.

Q. What does first KU senior class mean to you?
LES MILES: They're mine. And I -- you know, the Hakeem Adenijis, the Bryce Tornedens, the Kryon Johnsons, the guys that I was fortunate to coach were just tremendous people. And I enjoy them. Enjoy them very much.

Q. How does a result like this kind of impact the team going into the off season, because obviously it's nowhere near the level you wanted to perform at today?
LES MILES: I think the want to play -- there's not a guy that I practiced with that did not enjoy improving and being there. And I think that you will find that they'll look to do that. They'll look to take this game specifically into their meeting room, into their practice schedule and look to improve. I don't think there's any question that there's not any -- that that team, that that group of men doesn't realize that they're a lot better than how they played today.

Q. Do you have any thoughts on the crowd today?
LES MILES: I couldn't really tell, considering the weather, you know, who came and who didn't. But we were thankful for the ones that arrived. I can tell you that.

Q. You mentioned recruiting. What's your pitch going to be when you're in those living rooms next year?
LES MILES: Well, it's an honest and sincere rendition of a great education, an opportunity to launch a career. Play early, and we're looking for those kinds of players that would develop, do some special things. And I think that guys that will want to come to Kansas will look forward to that.

Q. And how important is this upcoming recruiting class, getting the deal done with that in terms of having the season that you want to have next year?
LES MILES: Yeah, considering where we were at at this time last year, we're miles ahead and we'll have an opportunity to be in a lot of real quality homes. So I think our recruitment will be very positive.

Q. Coach, obviously for Carter, not the game he probably wanted to go out on. Did you have any conversations with him at the half or after the game about what he's meant to this program?
LES MILES: Yeah. I didn't really get a lot of opportunity to see him after, so -- but I caught him a couple times in the -- during the game. And I think he was getting where he was looking forward to turning the reins over to somebody else.

Q. Less, what does this next week look like for you schedule wise?
LES MILES: Tomorrow we'll have a couple meetings and one will be a team meeting, one will be a staff. And we'll be in homes Sunday night. And we will be in homes right on through.

Q. And just in general, I know you can't speak in specifics, but prioritizing, are you prioritizing anything in recruiting or just recruiting in general with this next class?
LES MILES: Yeah, certainly we need a quarterback, and we like MacVittie. We like the other Miles lad. And but if we can find a great class, a great quarterback in this class, we'll take one, although we have another -- we have a pretty good quarterback that could be a part of us already.

Q. Despite the score, can you speak to the offense and the effort they showed in the second half to allow Pooka to get back to back 100-yard gains and to go over thousand rushing yards this season?
LES MILES: Yeah. To me one of the things we needed to do was to accomplish the opportunity for Pooka to get his career rushing. And being a -- giving him the opportunity to handle his -- get the career and the thousand-yard mark. Yeah. If there was something to smile about about this game, that was the idea that he was a part of those two drives that certainly could have scored.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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