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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 10, 2009

Steven Sheffield

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Steven Sheffield.

Q. Could you just describe the whole night for you and everything leading up to this game during the week?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: This week we were preaching as a team. I talked about it a lot to the team, and the coach was talking about how we needed this week to be that week that everything came together because we hadn't played a full game on all three sides of the ball. You know, just playing a smooth game, things going our way. We hadn't done that against since day one, that hasn't happened this season.
We preached on that all week, and sure enough everybody came to play, and that happened. All three sides of the ball, and how we wanted it to, and hard work pays off, so...

Q. With the defense getting so many stops, was it pretty easy to stay in the rhythm offensively?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Yeah, it was good. You know, especially with the cold weather too. You know, I always stayed warm, basically, and I didn't have to be on the sideline warming up too much.
Yeah, defense played amazing. It was great. The coaching was great. We had a lot of fun.

Q. Do you feel like you've earned the starter spot?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: In my eyes, yes, but it's not my decision. So it's up to the coaches. We'll see what Coach Leach thinks this next week and go from there.

Q. Can you talk about just going out there, feeling like a captain on this team, starting this whole game, just feeling like this was your offense the whole time? What was that like for you?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: It was good, you know. It's a great feeling. And I can't say that I felt this since high school where I can go out there and take charge of things. Everyone looks to me for guidance and tempo and just stay fast-paced on and whatnot.
But, yeah, it's a good feeling. I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I've worked real hard for this. I'm glad things are going the way they are.

Q. Did you talk about the play of your offensive line? It looked like they were protecting good out there tonight?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Yeah, the O-line, amazing. They made it easy for me. It couldn't have been easier for me. And I love those guys to death. Golly, they played their hearts out tonight. Like I said, it just made it easier for me. It reads easier, makes everything easier.
Even when I had to get out of the pocket a lot of times that's just, you know, maybe me being able to not see a receive error whatnot and just wanting to get out and see it better. Like I tell them, you know, if one guy's coming up field, don't quit on him just because he beats you. Turn around and I'm going to step to the side, block him again, and I'm going to get out of there. They practiced hard all week, and it paid off.

Q. Last week you said you graded yourself as a B. You know, this week I think you set a record for most yardage in a half. How would you grade this week week's performance?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Probably an A-minus, yeah. I mean, I made some stupid decisions, and I didn't need to.
It was like I threw one that they took to the house that was me not making a good decision and not making a routine play. That's what I need to let go.
At the same time I'm not going to beat myself up about it. You know, Coach Leach always preaches on play the next play, and that's what you've got to do. Forget about that one and go on to the next one.

Q. What is it about this offense that seemed to click all the time? Early this year against Rice, Taylor had seven touchdown passes. Now tonight you have seven.
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Um, you know, we just spread things out. The splits are wide with the linemen. You know, we just use all the field we can, and it helps a bunch. It just makes the defense cover more ground.
When everybody is doing their job, and doing what they're coached to do and what we do every day, catch the ball get straight up field, hold on to it, and get good ball security, we can't be stopped if everybody executes well.

Q. What did you talk about after you had to settle for the field goal? What did you talk about to get more in the end zone after that?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Playing the next play. Going down, our next drive, making it where we don't settle for a field goal and going to score again because that's all it's about, you know. Just keep scoring. That's what I told everybody. That's what Coach Leach told everybody. That's what we did.

Q. Can you talk about your mobility and how that kind of helps you extend the play a little bit and find a receiver down field?
STEVEN SHEFFIELD: Yeah. In my eyes it definitely helps. It buys me more time. More time is, you know, more time for the defense to have to, you know, guard someone and cover them up. And we practice it's called scramble drill all the time. When I have to move our receivers go to certain spots and they make things happen. They make smart plays. Makes it to where the DB's there's no specific route they've really got to cover because they're just kind of creating it, you know as we go. Yeah, it helps out quite a bit, I think.

End of FastScripts

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