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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 31, 2011Donald LangleyQ. How tough is it to take one like that at home? DONALD LANGLEY: It's tough. It's very tough. We just had to execute a lot better, and we just felt that we just need to execute. It's a team loss. It really wasn't anybody's personal fault. It was a team loss, and we win together; we lose together. So it's a tough game, but in this league, especially in the Big 12, we have to just bounce back, because, as you can see, we have another big game this week in Austin. Q. Is handling success a problem with this team? DONALD LANGLEY: I wouldn't say handling success is a problem. We just didn't execute out there Saturday night. Like I said, it's a team loss, so we just have to do a better job executing. And it all starts in practice, so we just have to be more serious in practice, and go a little bit harder. We have a big game coming up in Austin, so we just have -- you don't really need a lot of motivation for this game. So I'm sure that our guys are going to be up, going to be ready, and it's going to be a good week, and it should be a good game. Q. These types of quarterbacks have caused you guys problems all season long. Is there something -- is it mental? Is it physical? You talk about the not executing, but is there a missing link there along the line that's causing this? DONALD LANGLEY: What type of quarterbacks are you talking about? Q. With regard to Collin Klein, the running quarterbacks, the Cody Fajardo, Jared Barnett. The running quarterbacks have really caused you problems this year. Have you figured out yet how to solve that? DONALD LANGLEY: Well, running quarterbacks, of course, are a lot better with their feet. So with our defense, we're a penetrating defense and with our offense and things like that. Really it's execution. I wouldn't say it's a real big problem, I'm just saying we have to execute better, because at the end of the day, when we play each and every Saturday, it's not about the other team. It's about us executing and playing Texas Tech football. So at the end of the day we lost on Saturday, and we didn't execute. So that's really on us. It's not about the other team, it's really us. Q. Why do you think this team has been so bad at home? DONALD LANGLEY: I think it's really just at the end of the day it's just the difference is -- I don't know. When we get home we just have to play a lot better, because as you can see, our record is not really that good at home. It's just a lack of execution. Lot of guys sometimes are just uptight or whatnot, but we just have to relax more, especially being me as a senior. I've got to be a leader and get the guys more relaxed and focused on the job because we all want to play for the home crowd. The fans have been great. I mean, when we've been playing all year, they've been coming out and supporting. So we have to take care of our end. It's about execution and playing our game. Q. If history is our guide, and you had a let down after a big win, what does that say is going to happen after a really bad loss? DONALD LANGLEY: Really, we're just going to have to buckle it up. We're going to have to buckle down and play good defense, and play good offense, being biased as a defensive player. We're going to have to do our job. Like I said earlier, it's not about anybody else we play. But if we play our games and do our assignment and there are 11 people on the field that do their job, we'll be successful. But at the end of the day we didn't do that last game. Sowe have to put that behind us and get ready for full pads on Tuesday, full pads on Wednesday, and shells on Thursday, and do everything we can to execute to make sure what our job is we get it done to take care of the other ten people on the field. Q. Are you excited to get back on the road where you've all been so successful before you get this one under your belt? Get back, refocused, and come back home to play Oklahoma State? DONALD LANGLEY: Yes, we're very excited. We're excited to get out there and prove ourselves again. Really when we're on the road, it's the mentality that we're all we have, you know what I'm saying? We don't travel with as many people, especially in a Big 12 game. All we have are those people in the locker room and our coach and some of the fans that come out. So really we're a tight-knit group on the road because it's us against the world. So really we just had that mindset. So with that mindset, we just are all out for each other. The fans, the noise doesn't really bother us because we know we're playing for each other. It's not about the other team, we're playing for the people on the field wearing those Texas Tech jerseys. Q. Do the coaches chew you out a lot? DONALD LANGLEY: I wouldn't say they chew us out a lot. It's a team effort. Like I said earlier, it's just like if we win, we win together. If we lose, we lose together. It's not just the players losing, not just the coaches losing, it's everybody together. It's a team effort no matter what we do. At the end of the day, we're all in this together and one big family, so that's what the coaches preach to us, and we as teammates try to play selfless, so that's what we try to do. Q. Does the loss this past week make the win at Oklahoma sort of a fluke? DONALD LANGLEY: I wouldn't say it makes it a fluke. The same guys that were on the field against Iowa State are the same guys that were on the field against Oklahoma. The only thing is execution. Like I was saying earlier, it's execution. So maybe it would never be a fluke because those guys earned it in Oklahoma. Those guys did a really good job, and we just have to prove it again coming down to Austin. Q. Well, execution is a good thing. But on the sideline there on Saturday, there was not even any spirit and that has nothing to do with execution. How do you explain that there was no fire? DONALD LANGLEY: It's really just for us it really starts in practice. The guys that aren't playing, we just have to really just motivate me personally as a senior, I have to do a better job of telling the guys who aren't playing or maybe red shirting that even though you're not on the field making tackles, making passes, making touchdowns, you still play a vital role in this program. So when you're not playing and things like that, you have to be cheering us on and keeping the sideline positive. Because the guys that are playing, the guys that are out there each and every day, they feed off that, so that's what we need. Even if you're not playing, you still play a vital role in this program. Q. The atmosphere around here, how was it yesterday being around the building? DONALD LANGLEY: Of course, after a loss of course you're going to be down. If you're not down, if you're not mad, it doesn't mean anything to you. So really the guys are bummed out and things like that. But like coaches say, once it hits 12:01 the next day, you have to get ready for the next game. In this conference, you can't mope. In this conference, you can't be in the honeymoon for a big game. In this conference, each and every game is a battle. We have a lot of teams in the top 25 this year, so you can't just sit around and talk about the last game. You have to focus and keep your head forward. Q. The struggles -- you seem to have a lot of struggles against physical running teams. Can you talk about Texas this weekend and their offense? DONALD LANGLEY: Texas is a good team. Texas is a good team. They have a real good O-line. They have some young guys at quarterback and things like that. So really we just have to do our job as the defensive line in the front seven with the four defensive linemen and the two linebackers and basically the DBs. We have to go out there and be more physical than they are. We just have to play our game and do the best we can. At the end of the day, it's going to be a battle. It's a rivalry game. Everybody's going to be watching us so, we have to do our end to produce. Q. Who would you say is the emotional leader of the defensive side of the team? DONALD LANGLEY: The emotional leader, I would say that everybody has a major role. Everybody has a major role. Everybody when their time is called, nobody just has a specific like he's the emotional leader. I would say everybody has their critical and vital role on the team. Like I was saying earlier, if you're not on the sideline not playing, you still have a vital role. Your emotions of cheering the offense on, cheering the defense on is critical to how we're going to play because we're all in this together. If you're on the field, you're going to have to have the same emotion and the same intensity and do your part to carry your weight to produce for the team. So everybody has their role, and everybody's an emotional leader at their time. Q. What are your emotions when you think of Texas? DONALD LANGLEY: I'm not actually from Texas I'm from D.C. but I've been here, this is going to be my second year. So they've gotten me really accustomed to the rivalry we have. Really though when we think of Texas, it's a big-time game each and every year. This is my last year playing so this is my last go around. You have to make a great impression when you go out there and play Texas. Because at the end of the day, the guys from Texas, that's all they talk about. It's a lot of what the guys think about when they come to the rivalry games here A&M, OU, so this is a big game. A lot of the Texas Tech fans are going to be watching. A lot of them are going to be traveling. It's a big game for us to hold our end of the bargain and play as hard as we can, play with great enthusiasm, great effort, and hunt to the ball in offense. And Doege's going to do a great job, and I know the offensive line will do a great job. It's self-motivated. We know what we have to do and what we have to get done. Q. Are you excited when you see a true freshman quarterback like that? DONALD LANGLEY: Of course, Texas is going to be a real good team. We just have to do our job. With the quarterback out are there, he's young, so that's understandable. So we're just going to have to do our best on defense to really give them different looks and just keep a lot of pressure on them to keep them dancing in the pocket. Q. Talk about playing two quarterbacks this week? DONALD LANGLEY: Yeah, we know that both the two quarterbacks are yuck, but they have the potential to be real good in the future. So really our thing is we've got to make sure we keep the pocket collapsed and make sure we stop the run. First and foremost, we've got to stop the run, and leave it to them to pass the ball. We just have to do our job on defense and make sure that we have enough time, and make sure that we hold our own so that Doege and the offense can get out there and score some points. Q. Talk about their running backs at all? DONALD LANGLEY: Their running back, I know they have the young guy Charles Brown or something like that. They have a young guy that plays for Texas. I know he's a good running back. I know No. 2 for Texas is real good. He had a couple of kickoffs returned for touchdowns and he's fast and loose. So we have to break down. All 11 guys got to rush to the football because those guys have the ability to make you miss and great quickness. Like coach says, we have to hunt together. So all the guys have to have their head on football. Q. After going up against Jared Barnett, who is the freshman, you know that David will be a freshman, and these young guys can surprise you? DONALD LANGLEY: Yeah, of course. Texas is a good team. They have a lot of good players around them. Even though they're young we all understand that. But they have a lot of good players around them. They're young, and their receivers are good, they're going to have a lot of great players around them. So what we have to do really is just lock up on them on the back seven and we have to stop the run. If we stop the run, everything else will take care of itself. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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