Sept. 27, 2009
Offensive coordinator Greg Davis
On having over 300 yards rushing and passing: Over 300 yards rushing and over 300 yards passing, it’s only the second time in Texas history that’s been accomplished. We really challenged our players to come out and play fast. We told them in the hotel that we wanted to play like we were behind. We did that. We had 47 points in the first half and had an opportunity at the end of the half to kick a long field goal that would have given us 50 points, and I was really proud of the way the guys executed.
On the first quarter 36-yard TD pass from Colt McCoy to Dan Buckner: On of the key plays in the first half was the vertical game touchdown pass from Colt (McCoy) to Dan Buckner. The line gave us great protection, and Dan was actually his third choice. (McCoy) did a great job scanning the field and getting the ball to Dan, and then Dan did a great job of cutting back across the grain and putting the ball in the end zone.
On the number of players who got to play against UTEP: So many good things happen in a game like this. One is that you get to play a lot of players. Vondrell McGee went for over 100 yards for the first time in his career, and I thought all the backs did a good job. It was the first time Fozzy Whittaker was able to play this year, and he came in and did a super job and scored a touchdown in the red zone. Marquise came off the bench and did a good job, and Garrett Gilbert came in and performed well. Any time you have a game like this where a lot of people get to play, it really helps you build depth.
On opening the second half with a score: We challenged the guys right at halftime to come out and start fast. We were backed up 90 yards away to start that drive, and we ended up taking it in for a field goal. One of the things we need to focus on during the off week is getting touchdowns in the red zone. We remained perfect in the red zone in terms of getting points, but we kicked too many field goals. We need to do a better job of knocking the ball in down there, because as we enter the middle of the schedule, we’ve got to do a good job of getting touchdowns in the red zone.
On Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley: I really thought Colt came out and put two halves together like we’re accustomed to him doing. He was 28 out of 35 and is now completing over 71 percent of his passes. I was really happy to see him have a full ball game. What more can you say about Jordan Shipley? He returns punts, sets up field position, and once again double digit catches and over 100 yards receiving. He and Colt have a great thing going on, and we’re excited to take this break, get our team well and get our team fresh as we get ready to enter the middle of the conference schedule.
On the special teams: Our special teams have been special. Bobby Kennedy, who is in charge of our kickoff return, what call the “house party,” with D.J. Monroe having scored two touchdowns already through four ball games. When we don’t score, we’re creating great field position and short fields for our offense.
Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp
On the defense’s game against UTEP: We really challenged the guys going into the game to start fast, get off the field on third down, we felt like we had to affect the quarterback during the game, and we wanted to finish the game strong after halftime. We accomplished all of those goals. The players really approached this in a first-class manner, as far as who we were playing and understanding that we needed to take the game over and win it on defense.
On forcing five turnovers: The turnovers are huge. We always talk about explosive plays, which I don’t think we gave up a big play on defense, and turnovers. Having five turnovers in a football game is outstanding. I’m very pleased with that kind of production. We’ve just got to continue to do it. We’ve been pretty productive so far, but I was really pleased to see some of the interceptions because Earl’s and Blake’s interceptions were outstanding plays.
On Sergio Kindle’s sack and forced fumble on the first drive: It was a third-and-six-or-less situation. We were going to rush four and combo coverage and try to double the wideouts where we felt the ball was going. We had really good coverage on the play that made (the quarterback) hold the ball for a second, and Sergio ended up beating his man and really worked on his strip technique of getting the ball off the quarterback. It was an outstanding play by him and a great recovery to have other guys running to the football.
On third-down defense: I was really pleased with third down, really for the season so far this year. We’ve done an outstanding job of converting and getting off the field, understanding down and distance, awareness of the situation and what the offense is presenting us. Again our players did a phenomenal job.
On UTEP having only one drive longer than four plays: Three and outs are huge in the game. I’ve told our defense, and our defense understands it. I say it all the time – the most important thing we do is get Colt McCoy back on the field. As many times as we can put the ball in his hands, good things are going to happen for Texas.
On the run defense: (UTEP) hit a couple of runs here and there. One of them was a bad call on my part, but other than that, I thought in the run game we held up okay. We’ve got to continue to make strides with that. During the season, we don’t see it a whole lot, so we’ve got to continue to work on the run game.
On getting the younger players experience: It’s huge to be able to get the young guys in there and get them exposure and experience. The only way you get better is to play. Our philosophy is when we get up in a game is we’re going to play the young guys. It’s great for team morale, the guys enjoy getting out there and playing, and that’s the way they improve. So when we do have an injury with an older player, then we’re able to stick a guy in there who’s played before. We feel very comfortable doing that.
On the bye week: During the off week, we’ve got things we need to work on and improve upon. We’ve got to take advantage of the time we’ve got. We’ll work on some future opponents and stuff we have not seen, more two-back runs, we’ll have an emphasis on that, continuing to work on zone coverage and getting our eyes on the ball and breaking on the ball and playing better in space. We really have to take advantage of the time we have.
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