BIG 12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: BAYLOR VS OKLAHOMA STATE

December 4, 2021

Tay Martin

AT&T Stadium

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Postgame Press Conference

Baylor 21, Oklahoma State 16

Q. Hey, Tay. Just start with your view of that last play and kind of what you saw there.

TAY MARTIN: Hats off to Baylor for making that stop. I just seen them playing a run hard and making a good stop pretty much.

Q. First half was such a struggle, but then to get where you guys got at the end of the game, things start to break your way. Is there a moment you thought, man, we've got this big crowd, this is going to happen? Was there a moment you thought you guys had this turned around?

TAY MARTIN: For sure. We was one yard away from actually taking the lead, but they did a good job out there and played hard, and we battled back and tried to overcome that deficit from the first half, and we should have just started better pretty much.

Q. When Josh Sills was in here, he talked about how he is just heartbroken for the guys because he sees how hard everyone worked. For you, as someone who has also come in as a transfer and meshed with this group, just what are your feelings about that and how were you there for everyone in the locker room?

TAY MARTIN: It definitely hurt coming up this short, but I'm pretty sure a lot of guys will take something from this season and they'll use it in the future, like the young guys and stuff. I'm just happy I got to play with those guys and experience these things like this. Not the best outcome we wanted, but overall, I'm just blessed to still have them guys. They're mentally tough, yeah.

Q. You guys moved the ball on that final drive better than I think you guys had all day. What changed then, and what wasn't going right basically to that point?

TAY MARTIN: I just feel like for us it was just being mentally strong. Just knowing we had to lock in at the right time. We knew we needed to score to win, so that's what we tried to do. We gave it our all that drive. Things just went our way that last drive, and we made some good plays. Just came up short, but like I say, we were just mentally and physically trying to play as hard as we could.

Q. Spencer had a rough start, a couple of bad interceptions. Played a lot better. What did you see from him throughout the day?

TAY MARTIN: Just poised, staying with it. No matter what was the outcome, what happened the play before, he always stayed in it and had belief that we were going to win the game, and we was one yard away, so I'm glad he kept his composure and stayed with us, and everything was all good. We just have to finish.

Q. Tay, you guys had some Red Zone struggles. Were there coverages or looks that you guys were getting from the Baylor defense that you weren't expecting, or what did you see in the Red Zone?

TAY MARTIN: In my opinion they was playing the run as hard as they could, as hard as they can. It was just mixing up some stuff, but overall they were just flat out trying to stop the run. Coverage-wise, it was pretty much man. Corners was playing a little hard outside sometimes. They were mixing it up. I just feel like any other team, trying to stop the run in the Red Zone.

Appreciate it.