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TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 14, 2013Branden JacksonQ. Branden, could you talk about how defense has been steady this season? You really performed well. What is the key to the defense playing so well this season? BRANDEN JACKSON: The key to us playing well this season is just being relentless and kind of wanting to show to the world that Tech isn't just an offensive school. There is another side of the ball who actually plays just as hard as our offense is. When you hear about Tech, you hear about how explosive our offense is, but our D has to be just as good. It helps. We've grown. We've gotten better due to the players that we're playing against. Now it's all been put together at the same time, and it's looking pretty good. It turned out so well. Q. What stood out to you looking at the film about the game on Saturday? You did well, and then you guys clean‑up the next few weeks? BRANDEN JACKSON: It stood out to us that everyone played relentlessly and played with great effort. We were really surprised how well we controlled the line knowing that Iowa State is a tough team and they were heavy up front. Knowing what we went against last year and how tough they were. They were one of the most physical offensive lines we played last year. We expected them to come in and play as hard as they played. It was kind of surprising to us how we were able to control the line of scrimmage. But, I mean, we didn't do as well as we would like to in the red zone. That is something that we pride ourselves on being stingy in the red zone. That's what we're going to have to focus on this week. Q. What do you expect to see from the West Virginia offense this weekend? BRANDEN JACKSON: We expect West Virginia to be West Virginia. Spread us out, try to get around the edges, play fast tempo a little bit. Test our conditioning and see how fundamentally sound we are. Q. What do you feel is the key to keeping your offense off the field? BRANDEN JACKSON: The key to keeping their offense off the field is get them behind schedule. West Virginia, they move fast, but you can't go fast if you're not moving accordingly. If we get them a little bit behind schedule, they'll have to change up a little something, and that's where we can get after them and send some stuff their way that they're not expecting. Q. (Indiscernible)? BRANDEN JACKSON: I've been to Morgantown many times. It's about 30, maybe 40 minutes away. It's nothing but a hop, skip and a drive down the road. I just heard you guys say that it's homecoming. That's pretty cool, because that's my homecoming. First time I get to play in front of my family, so I'm excited. Q. How much did they recruit you? BRANDEN JACKSON: Yeah, West Virginia recruited me. Class act. I love the program. Love what they have. But I came to Tech. Q. Did you take an official visit? BRANDEN JACKSON: I didn't take an official visit to West Virginia. I've been up there many times. It's right down the road. We've been there for passing camp, so I knew everything they had to offer most likely. Q. So you can tell your guys and your teammates what to expect? BRANDEN JACKSON: I told them they're going to smell beer from the time we get off the plane to the time we hit the stadium. The fans are going to be loud; they're going to be rude; they're going to be crazy. But it's going to make for a great atmosphere. I think they've got one of the best days of playing on the road. It's going to be a testament to our team. It's really going to test us. Q. (Indiscernible)? BRANDEN JACKSON: No, I'm not. Q. So you've been to a game in their stadium? BRANDEN JACKSON: Oh, yeah, I've been to the games. I know how it gets down there. I know how they burn couches and all is that stuff. Q. What's the student section going to be like? BRANDEN JACKSON: They're going to be rude. I think our student section gets pretty loud and they're always into the game. But West Virginia, their student section is ridiculous. It's going to be like having an extra player on their offense with them right there behind you. They'll do the research. They'll know our dog's name, our best friend's name and what gets under our skin. So it will be pretty cool. Q. Is that something you guys as a defense kind of thrive on when the fans are jawing at you a little bit? BRANDEN JACKSON: Oh, yeah, we love when the fans are going. At the end of the day, it's a game. It's really funny to hear some of the things they say. Sometimes you have to tune them out and focus in and make sure you get your assignment done. But the fans being loud and crazy. We look at it as they're cheering us on even though they're saying negative things. As long as they're talking, we've got an opportunity to prove hush up a little bit, be quiet. It's always good when it's really loud in the beginning of the game and really quiet at the end. Q. It's going to be a big day for Pete, right? BRANDEN JACKSON: Pete's going to have fun. It's going to be a real good day for him. It's going to be hard to keep him locked in on the bench and not turn around and reply. But I think Pete's going to have the most fun out of everybody when he gets up there. Q. What is the coldest game you've ever been part of? BRANDEN JACKSON: I've been in some cold games coming from Pennsylvania. I've played in the snow. I don't know what degrees it's been, but it's been pretty cold. I told the guys from the jump when we get down to Morgantown there's going to be a cold front coming in there. I talked to my mom and she said it's going to be thunder and chill out a little bit. It's going to be a little nippy over there. But I'm sure our staff in the equipment room will have us ready with some heat gear, hopefully. Q. Who was your favorite college team growing up, Penn State, West Virginia nearby? BRANDEN JACKSON: Well, before I got recruited, I was a West Virginia fan just because of how loud their crowd was really. I just loved the way their fans were always into it. They're not the underdog, but Penn State they kind of run the show up there. So I just wanted West Virginia. I didn't watch too much college football back then. Q. Did you watch Penn State win the other night in four overtimes? BRANDEN JACKSON: I did watch the win. I was impressed with what they did. They played a good football team. I was happy to see Penn State having something to smile about. Q. Coach kind of talked about the senior leadership and handling road trips like business trips each time. How have you seen that improve from last year and who has been that senior leader for you guys? BRANDEN JACKSON: Last year we had great leaders last year. I would never take away from anything that we had from the team last year. But this year with the senior leadership, we've got guys like Kerry and Terrance, and guys that have been here five years and Eric Ward, guys that had opportunities to leave last year and decided to come back to win the Big 12 Championship. We all understand the sacrifice they made by choosing to come back for a fifth year. It's like all the younger guys look up to these guys. The seniors that are here are people that helped us find a way to holding all and things like that. It's more they're doing great by leading and leading by example. Also we always are looking up to them and looking to take their place. We take everything they say to heart. Q. What are some of the things they're saying to make sure you guys are staying focused with the road trip? What are some of the words coming out of their mouths and yours as well? BRANDEN JACKSON: We have people like Kerry saying business is business, fun is fun. We know we're allowed to have fun. It's a game; you've got to laugh, you've got to smile, but when with we go on the road, it's all about business. You have to have a different mental focus and be prepared. You have people like Eric Ward preaching about one day feeding your family. What's it mean to you to play football? And keeping that in the back of our heads. It's kind of a slogan that's going around the team now. What is your why? And that's something that's preached at every road game. This is your why. What means the most to you and why you play the game? Make sure you keep that in the back of your head when we go on the road. Q. Do you feel like you're defending something tangible? BRANDEN JACKSON: We don't look into all of that. We kind of get hits a bit on Twitter and people say you moved up in the rankings. But it's something we smile at and keep it moving. We know what it feels like not to be ranked or ranked and knocked off the next week. It's something we don't harp on that much. We just worry about the next game. Right now, we're trying to get to 1‑0. Q. Is this going to be your biggest test for the defense and the team West Virginia so far this season? BRANDEN JACKSON: I think it will be a big test just before because of what West Virginia offers. West Virginia's offense is always explosive no matter who they have back there. We've got to take on the first time we're going to Morgantown, the crazy fans and the weather. It's going to be a testament to how focused we can be and how dominant we can play. Q. Were you able to catch their game against Maryland when they got shut out? BRANDEN JACKSON: I caught a little bit of their game, but I wasn't too much into it. I was actually surprised that Maryland was able to do that. But I know it's a game that I'll be reviewing this week throughout practice just trying to see what kind of things they did and what kind of things I can get away with the tackles and guards up front. Q. Have you noticed anything about what Maryland was doing? BRANDEN JACKSON: I didn't notice anything in particular. I noticed the game was won up front and West Virginia's tackle had a long day with them. Q. (Indiscernible) changed from third down? BRANDEN JACKSON: First thing we noticed is most likely we're tired. We're going so fast and so hard. So third down, you get off the field or be tired and become on someone's highlight film. When you're in the Big 12 you have all these great athletes that you have to defend in open space. So we kind of buck up and toughen up on third down just trying to get off. We don't want to let the offense snap the ball another chance. Q. Did you happen to see Jakeem's catch? BRANDEN JACKSON: Yeah. Jakeem, for someone who is about five foot, can get up there. He has one of the highest verticals on the team, and that one‑handed grab was incredible. It's not the first time he's done it this season and it sure isn't the last time. Jakeem has been making plays like that since I met him. Just to see him do it in the game was impressive. But just another day at the office. We've seen him do it plenty of times. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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