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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 21, 2009

Colt McCoy

Q. Can you talk about Alabama?
COLT McCOY: Not a chance. Not a chance. I can't do it.

Q. Talk about your facial hair?
COLT McCOY: Can you even see it yet?

Q. When you were a freshman, you couldn't grow it.
COLT McCOY: Who said that? He's probably definitely right. I can't believe I can grow it now. I guess I've grown up a little bit.

Q. That's got to be tough?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, tough loss. Kickers - sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them.

Q. Did you call it? Did they try to fake it?
COLT McCOY: , no he had missed three field goals last week. He had missed that one. So I don't know, I wasn't there so I didn't see it.

Q. Now you have to win the National Championship to make up for it?
COLT McCOY: Have to. Got to win something.

Q. How jealous is Jordan that (indiscernible)?
COLT McCOY: He's down. He's upset right now. Keep coming.

Q. Talk about after the Heisman?
COLT McCOY: A serious question?

Q. I'm running out. You know, where are you right now?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, no, that's completely done. I was perfectly fine afterwards. I was just really ready to get home and start preparing and see my teammates again. I had been gone all week long. It was a hard week. It was a fun week. I was thankful for everything that happened, but I was ready to be home and started getting ready for Alabama.

Q. Did coach say anything to motivate them after you came back and didn't win the Heisman? Just to keep you up for the National Championship?
COLT McCOY: I think it was way more disappointing the first time to lose. This year we have so much more to play for. That's basically what I told my teammates. You know, it's just time to get ready. We've fought through so much to get to this point.
We'll go out there and give it our best shot. When it was all said and done, I came home. You know, everybody was supportive, had my back, and we'll be ready to go.

Q. Set the record straight about '05 and all kinds of legend?
COLT McCOY: Legend? Lots of myths.

Q. The circumstances of where it happened?
COLT McCOY: No, Vince and I had a great relationship. You know, he kind of tuned me in and -- took me in and taught me everything he knew. I feel like he did. Everything but his athletic ability. But in that game, you know, it was -- they were driving down to go score. It was right after we had gotten the fumble -- not the fumble, the fourth down stop. He with had gotten the ball, and there was a TV time out. They were getting ready to go.
He just looked up at me and said, hey, you'll be in this position some day. Basically after the game was over, he had remembered that he told me that. And he kind of handed it over to me. I knew he was going to the NFL. It was time to go back to work and get ready. You know, that was pretty special for me.

Q. Can you believe that that's come true?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, it's pretty crazy. I can't believe it. But there for a while it hadn't sunk in that we were playing for the National Championship. I was just really excited. After winning the Nebraska game and knowing that, hey, we're playing for the National Championship. As I told you earlier, it hadn't sunk in. It hadn't really hit that we were playing for the National Championship.
But once you get back home from the awards and the Heisman and everything, it definitely sunk in?

Q. There is also a situation where you've had that experience, and now you might be able to help your team through some of the media stuff. You know in '05 they were number two, talk about the other team maybe not as much this year, but nationally there's been a lot of talk about Alabama. Having gone through that, do you know how to take the team through that and use that as motivation?
COLT McCOY: There are a lot of guys on this team that were there in '05. We came through the same class together. A bunch of us red shirted and are back now. We remember. We remember how everybody talked about USC. You know, this year everybody's talking about Alabama.
They're well deserving. They're the number one team in the country. They've played well all year long. You turn the tape on one time and watch them play, you understand that these guys are solid. These guys are good.
We definitely have our hands full to challenge for us. They're well-coached, fast, physical, and they don't have any weak parts on their defense. You know, their secondary is one of the best in the country. Their front four and their linebackers are really fast and strong. They bring a lot of pressure. They love to blitz. This is going to be a challenge for us. We're excited about the opportunity and we're working really hard right now?

Q. The way you guys finished the season and the way you finished the season, should they be called the under -- is it fair to be called the underdog?
COLT McCOY: I think it's probably fair to be called the underdog. It doesn't matter to us. We're in the National Championship and we're going to give it our best shot, you know. So all we can control is how hard we work and practice. You know, just really resting up, and getting our bodies right, and getting ready for the game?

Q. Is there a frustration level that you're so far apart in the two games and you really haven't started comparing yet? Is there frustration or anxiousness of you wanting to get there?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, there is a little bit. But for the most part if you handle it the right way. For me I'm taking care of my body, getting a lot of treatments and rehabbing. Just really getting my body right. I think a lot of guys can take advantage of this time. We've got bumps and bruises and pretty sore. And really rest your mind.
It's a long season to go 13-0, ask play tough competition all year long, it's hard to do. I think Coach Brown and our coaches really handled this the right way in practice. We worked really hard. We're going ones versus ones every day. You know, it really prepares us. At the same time we're spending a lot of time resting our minds and resting or bodies.

Q. Did you talk to Vince? Has he called you after the Big 12 Championship or anything?
COLT McCOY: I've tried to a couple of times, but he's really busy with their season right now. I'm sure as the game gets closer, we'll talk a little more.

Q. Do you anticipate -- you've played in a lot of big games. You haven't played in the National Championship, but you've been there on the sidelines for the National Championship. Do you anticipate chatting with him as well about playing in that game and all that goes into it?
COLT McCOY: I'm sure he'll call me and tell me to enjoy it and have fun. I can already tell you what he's going to say. But, you know, he was really instrumental for me in my freshman year and for the past four years that I've played. Usually whatever he tells me, I take to heart and listen to. So he may give me some cool stuff.

Q. How do you balance wanting to take care of your body and rest your body and your mind during the holiday season and all of that stuff in the back of your mind, knowing the way that you watch tape so much and you take all of that in to compartmentalize it and not soak it up too quickly. But give you time to look at it, turn it on and look at it?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, I've been watching tape and getting ready. You know, I've got to be prepared. You know, they do so much stuff. Every tape that you turn on, you know, they've got new blitzes, you know, new coverages. They're just really good. They're not going to mess up. They're going to execute what their call is. We've got to be able to handle it.
For me it's the preparation I'm going to need every day that I can get?

Q. Talk about focusing after the Nebraska game, and the offensive line and maybe the way they played. As a leader maybe was there any feeling that they may have cost you part of the Heisman and all that kind of stuff? Is there anything dealt with specifically with those guys to get them over it?
COLT McCOY: No, you know. The whole game all we were doing was encouraging each other of the it was really hard. It's really difficult to be able to fight through a game like that when nothing's going your way. You're not getting a lucky break. You're getting tipped balls for interceptions. And balls that are caught and stripped for interceptions.
You know, it's one of those things that are really frustrating. Sometimes it happens. It's a game. They were able to put a lot of pressure on us. But ultimately the best team won. We found a way to win in the end.
So I think just being able to fight through the game like that and overcome all the negative things that continue to happen to us is really big for us. It was a defining moment for us and for our offense. We found out that pretty much nothing went right for us the whole game. We dropped a touchdown. You know, little things like that constantly throughout the night and we still found a way to win. That's a big boost for us.
Obviously, the Alabama defense is better. I mean, if you look at them on tape, they've got a lot of talent. And we can't play the way that we did and expect to win. We've got a lot of work to do, and we'll have to rise up and compete and play our best. Just encourage each other, lift each other up. Really the guys on the offensive line are seniors. And they know how to handle the ups and downs. They've been playing for two or three years. We're a very tight-knit group, and we'll get over it.

Q. Earlier in the year how you handled it well early. Do you get the sense that you won't do that again because it's a big stage again?
COLT McCOY: Yeah, there is no way. Once you fought through that, you won't put yourself back in a slump or whatever you want to call it. Having too much fun. You know, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not many guys ever get to play for a National Championship.
So for us as a team, our mentality is to go in there and have fun. We'll work our tails off. We'll prepare and be ready. You know, Alabama's going to do the same thing. It's going to be a great game.
So for us we'll go out there and have fun and play the best we can.

End of FastScripts

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