Oct. 13, 2008
QB Colt McCoy
On the running game against Oklahoma: We were able to start running the ball there at the end because we had thrown and thrown so much and the defensive was tilting their secondary trying to get their feel for us, so I knew our line would block the linebackers and the corner. Chris (Ogbonnaya) would be one-on-one on the safety. That's how that play works all the time. I knew if I could get the safety to tilt the other way like he had been earlier and Chris could get freed up, which fortunately is what happened, and it worked out for us.
On what he and the team have to is do for this week: I continue to do what I have been doing, which is focusing on how good this team can be. It is important to us to take each week like we have been. Oklahoma is behind us now. It was great, we won, and it was an awesome feeling. Now, we have so many challenges still starting this week with Missouri. It is important for us to focus. It is important for us to be practicing hard because being number one you're on top now and you control your own destiny. Our goals are still there. We want to win every game. I look forward to this week.
On being number one: My main goal is to win. I am thankful for the opportunity to play and to play with this team and we are playing well. We are doing things right. There are still things that we can do better. We messed up a lot in the game, but at the same time, it is important for us to stay on track and stay focus and keep playing.
On Chase Daniel: We have been friends for a long time. Probably about sophomore year in high school we started going to camps together and kind of got to know each other. We would go to some of the same camps. We have kept up with each other since he went to Missouri and I came here. We went out to the Elite 11 (camp) this summer. We were roommates our there and we have a good relationship. It is fun and it is going to be a fun week.
On what they have in common: If there was something in common it's that we both want to win and that competitive nature in us. It's going to be a fun game. He does a great job in his system and in his offense.
On his goals for this week: Your goal is to win. Your goal is to do whatever it takes to win. You have to trust your defense and live off of them. You have to trust your offensive line and do the things you have done all year. I want to beat anybody that I line up against. We have to go back to work and focus on Missouri.
On being the best team in the nation: That really is not the focus. Our focus is on winning every game. If we win every game then the most important thing is to be number one in the end. That's our goal. Who remembers last year at this point last year who number one was? There are still so many games to be played. We have so much competition ahead of us. Our goal in the end is to be number one.
DE Brian Orakpo
On Missouri's offense: We obviously know Missouri has a high-powered offense and that's going to be another great challenge. But people said OU was an NFL team playing in college and we were able to handle that. It's handling our business, playing to our standards, playing Texas football. We have to put pressure on another great quarterback. That's the objective. You put pressure on guys, make them uncomfortable, it makes our job a lot easier. Also stopping the run, we have to stop the run.
On Earl Thomas: He's becoming a playmaker for us. At such a young age, a redshirt freshman, starting in probably one of the biggest games ever. He's done an unbelievable job. He and Blake (Gideon) back there, both of those two young safeties are doing a tremendous job for us and are really helping us out.
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On Chris Ogbonnaya: He's one of my good friends. He's been fighting and working so hard. He's a true example of not quitting, not giving up and handling the situation that's at hand. You have so many running backs before him that had their numbers called and he didn't complain. He was just a team player and that's what it takes. When you're number is called, you make the best of it and he's been doing it so far.
On playing Missouri after being upset by Oklahoma State: I feel like they'll probably be a little more hungry. Now that they lost, they want to prove to everybody that they're still one of the elite teams in the country. I feel like they're going to come in here with a lot more to prove. Chase Daniel, I already know he's going to be mad that he lost, he's disappointed and he's going to have a lot to prove with his high-power offense.
DT Roy Miller
On facing the Oklahoma offensive line: I think the team defense did a great job of bringing pressure to the week. It's just a challenge every week to get to the quarterback. We set that goal yesterday, me and Rak (Brain Orakpo), to get to the quarterback. That's what we want to do, to take over the game up front and that's our mentality. That's the way we work. That's what we want to do every week.
On being ranked number one: The target is on us every week. We have a great deal of respect for every team we play. Every week we expect the best from every team. Walking into the stadium at Darrell K Royal, you feel like it's a stage for other people to make a name for themselves. Every game we hear people saying, "I can't wait to play Texas because they didn't recruit me. I'm going to show them what I've got." We expect the best from every team. We're already a target. Everybody wants to beat us. We take all that to heart. We want to win too. I don't know what people think of us, but we have a lot of chips on our shoulder too.
On the prospects of winning the national title: Every year, the national championship is always a goal here. You may fall short some years but it's always a goal here. Our goal is set on winning the game on Saturday. I'm excited to play Missouri. It's another challenge, it's another chance for us to play a quarterback that throws the ball and is comfortable back there, too. That's a challenge for us as defensive linemen. We want to get to him. It's a race. You've got
Brian Orakpo - or Brian O-sack-po, as I've heard - getting back there so quickly, you've got to get in there too or else it's the O-sack-po show. On this team, we're so competitive and we love the challenge every week. We love to get to the quarterback and make plays. It's a competition.
On the tough Big 12 schedule: The Big 12 is so competitive. This year, I heard we have six teams out of the top 25. Teams are doing great. We have a great schedule ahead of us and it's a big challenge in the Big 12 because there are some great teams in the Big 12. We've got to see Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas, [Texas] Tech. All those teams are ranked. If you don't come with it every week, you're going to get beat and you have to know that.
On being a senior leader and seeing young players play well: Earl Thomas, Blake [Gideon] and all those guys are playing so well. They're very mature and they're just playing. Coach says all the time, if you're out there, you're representing us and if you don't, there are other guys that will take your spot. They know that. We've got great players behind them pushing them. Blake, Chykie [Brown] and all those guys are doing a great job. They've grown up so fast and I'm proud of how they played last week, especially Blake. He did a great job in the game.
RB Chris Ogbonnaya
On Brian Orakpo: Me and Rak are close. It's been like that since we got here, when we first moved into the dorm. We have a lot of things in common. We're both from Houston, both from Nigerian descent. It just kind of clicked. Ever since then, we've been really close. Whenever we're not spending time with our girlfriends, our girlfriends are making fun of us for doing things like playing video games online, talking to each other on the headsets. He's a great friend of mine and I love the guy to death. We're really close.
Rak is a freak and I think that he really took it upon himself, after he was injured early last season, to just come back stronger. I think that he's developed into one of the best defensive ends in the country. He can do it all. He can play the run, he can rush the passer obviously and he's a workout freak. He prepares in a way that he puts himself in a position to play well. It's very promising. It's very good for our young guys. It gives them something to look up to and emulate.
On his elevated performance in the last two weeks: It feels good, but at the same time I also realize it's just who has the hot hand. It could be Cody, could be Vondrell, could be Fozzy, it doesn't really matter. What I'm most concerned about is winning and I think that our room is very interchangeable, as I've always said. There are guys in there that can get it done. As long as we remain focused and consistent, we'll continue to win. I think that if I were to get hurt this weekend or in practice, the guys in our room would be able to carry the torch and give us the same production that we've had these past couple of weeks.
On Colt McCoy: I think I told you how goofy I thought Colt used to be. But the guy prepares himself and he does everything that one needs to do as a quarterback to lead his team. He does a very good job of that and does a great job of executing our offense.
LB Sergio Kindle
On his sack late in the fourth quarter: I actually thought he was going to throw it away. Orakpo pulled him up and [Bradford] was just sitting there, so I went in to the inside. I wanted to build up my speed and get a good crunch on the hit.
On the game plan this week against Missouri versus the game plan against Oklahoma: I think it will be a little different because Chase Daniel is a little bit more mobile than Sam Bradford. We will have to get to him somehow.
On the game plan for the rest of the year: We have to stay humble, stay grounded, and play like Texas, and it will carry us a long way.
On preparing for Missouri: We came out physically prepared, but mentally had some errors (against Oklahoma). We just got to prepare better. We have to watch a lot of film this week, so we can get a feel for what they are going to do. We have to put some emphasis on protecting coverage's for this week. Hopefully, that will help in that area.
OT Adam Ulatoski
On the offensive line: We knew it was going to be a dogfight going in. They have a great defensive line and great linebackers and we were just going out their fighting. A Fight for Colt, fight for protection to give him time. I think as the game went on, the speed of the game slowed down for everybody and I think we did better as the game went.
On Colt being a contender for the Heisman and the offensive lines role in that: We are all proud of Colt. We are happy and we want him to do the best that he can. Our job is to give him the opportunity to show everybody what he can do. It would be great to have on your resume that you blocked for a Heisman quarterback, but right now, we are more worried about Missouri and the games to come.
On it feeling different being number one: Honestly, not really, because we are not worried about the number one ranking right now. It doesn't mean a whole lot. It is week seven. That doesn't matter right now.
OG Cedric Dockery
On blocking for Colt McCoy as a Heisman candidate: As an offensive line it speaks well what you do for him. Colt is an amazing player and a great leader. He leads us on the field and leads us off the field. He keeps us all focused on what we have to do. When we are running no huddle offense and we don't know the play, he's always to let us know what we need to do. Blocking for a Heisman candidate is an amazing feeling. I am going to keep working my hardest.
On if they are best team in the country: We will know in the middle of January.
On what Colt does in the middle of the huddle to ease everyone: Colt walks out there and says this is what you came to Texas for. We need points. Colt speaking those word is just reassuring. He is great. He does what he has to do to get the job done.
On Roy Miller: Roy is a great blocker. I feel sorry for the defensive back, linebacker, and defensive lineman who has to run into him. That guy is about 300 pounds and can move. Roy runs around that corner and destroys people. H
On Chase Daniel and Missouri: Chase Daniel is great player. Missouri has a lot of talent. The game on Saturday is not going to be about the team that has the most talented team, it is going to be won by the team who plays the best Saturday night.
C Chris Hall
On being number one: It is neat. What really is important is who is number one at the end. Of course that is what is what we want to be.
On Colt McCoy: Colt is great quarterback. He is really a dear brother, a great friend and a great teammate. It's neat. It is really an honor to be the center for number 12.
On if he would rather play a team coming off a win or a loss: I think regardless of what happened, Missouri is going to come in with a lot fight and come in with a great offense, a great defense and a lot of talent. They have a great coach staff. That is why they are the number 11 in the nation. It is going to be an exciting one Saturday.
On the next three tough weeks: I like it. It is like every year in the Big 12. It will be fun to have a big game every week. After that, they will be big games too. It is great.
WR Quan Cosby
On the ball popping up in the air on the two-point conversion: I never had a ball do that just in general. By all means, I was thinking I am about to get knocked out. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and everybody laughed about it. It was big play for us.
On being the number one team: It says a lot about our hard work. I think it is more for our fans and for our university. As a football team, we have to win regardless whether we are number one or number five or number 10, it doesn't matter. You have to go out there and take it one game at a time and win that game and be the best team that night. It's cool and definitely a blessing, but we still have to play.
On what he tells the younger players about the media hype: I will tell them as much as we are being talked about now, if we lose, wait until what they have to say about us then, so don't get too caught up in it.
On Colt and his relationship: Our relationship on and off the field creates a lot of positive for our offense. He is doing an amazing job leading our offense and putting up some big plays.
On who he wanted to win in the Missouri versus Oklahoma State: I had really mixed feelings because I had a Mart guy on the other side, but then again I wanted this game to be another huge game. The opportunity to play a possible two number one teams would have been a classic. They are number 11, so it's still going to be a huge game. We have to play our game. They are a really good team, so we have our hands full.
