Here's the bulk of what McGuire said post-game, excluding a couple of redundant questions.
Opening Statement:
"Man, there's a lot of things that went wrong tonight. Anytime you give up seven sacks, it's gonna be hard to win. Anytime that you turn the ball over, like we did, it's gonna be hard to win. And then again, the penalties, you know, both teams. There's a lot of penalties in this game, you know. The frustrating thing is we're sitting here at 41-27, it could have been a little bit closer. We give up that one right at the end, on the turnover we don't get in the end zone on 4th and 1. But I'll tell you this man, it's 17-13 and it's 3rd & 7, and we bring pressure, and it's an incomplete pass. And when you watch that play somebody tell me how you can call roughing the passer? How can you not call five obvious facemasks? One they reviewed for targeting, and it wasn't called, and then four others on our running back. It's tough for me to sit here and say too much, because it's 41-27 and you're outside like why I'm saying that, but, you know, in a game like this, we have to be better. Deion is going to say they have to be better, but the officiating has to be better at this level. I'm just I'm frustrated, man, and I hate it. I've got to be better. There was some good things that we did but we did not protect the quarterback. And one reason we didn't protect the quarterback is because we could not run the football in the first half. So anytime you can't run the football, then they're going to come after you. They're leading the Big 12 in sacks not being able to run the football early really hurt us. I don't know man, I thought we were in a really good spot up 13-0 and just just didn't do enough to hold that lead, and then just turnovers and getting our quarterback hit got us in the second half."
What was the main issue in pass protection tonight?
"There's back to back plays, that 98, or 88, ends up in our backfield unblocked on run plays. Lack of communication, mis-IDing the front, that's a mixture of the guys on the field and us as coaches. I think once you get to that point, whenever you're not able to run the football, then you get to a point to where you're behind, and they know you've got to throw the football and push the ball downfield. That's really kind of a couple times they were playing like a Tampa two and a two man. That's why we were running the ball, kind of like the week before, to where they were playing coverage, and we got some big plays, but not being able to run the football, and then them knowing we were gonna have to throw the football really got Behren hit tonight."
Could you walk me through that decision to run a fake punt in the third quarter?
"We didn't get the spacing right. We end up with two guys in the same spot, and so we had one guy that would have been uncovered. That's who we were trying to go to, but we don't get the spacing right. We're trying to go to the inside guy. They both line up too close. And then, you know, I thought that they called pass interference, and they picked the flag up. At that point, we were sitting there. I think it would might have been 31 to 20, with 1:18 left in the third, we hadn't done a lot on offense so we're trying to get some momentum right there."
Did you get any feedback from the refs on that roughing the passer call?
"'I saw that he hit him below the knee.' And I don't know who saw that, he hit him in the in the hip. I mean, it was a great clean hit that would have forced them to punt the football, and instead. I think they get a field goal out of it. The defense play well enough to get the field goal out of it after the first down, I believe, to make it 20-13. Same way with the targeting They don't call it the targeting, but it's a it's a blatant face mask before that happens with the targeting, and that gets no call."
Did the CU defensive front do anything different to confuse the OL?
"No, I thought, I thought they had some movement, but I really think that we got our butts kicked up front tonight. I mean, that'd be the first thing, you know, I just got through talking to Clay (McGuire) and the first thing he says, 'Coach, I lost this game.' They won up front. That's where you win games, and it, that's what was really frustrating, because we felt like we had boxes to run in. There was times that they would play four down, one linebacker in the box, and we don't get it IDed right and don't get any yards. I don't know what Tahj had in the first half, but I don't think it was a lot."
Seems like it's a strong start, and then a lull in the 2nd & 3rd. What's happening offensively there?
"I think last week in the second quarter and this week in the second quarter, we could not on the football, you know, and and that was a big part. And then in the second quarter, they took advantage of some screen games. They outnumbered us on the screen. It was two, I think, two huge screen gains for them. One of them, I think, was a touchdown and but going back, I mean, I think in both instances, us not being able to run the football effectively is really slowing this offense down."
A big part was trying to get pressure on Shedeur, how frustrating was it to not be able to finish and bring him down?
"He converted some big first downs with his feet. That was the frustrating part, you know, like, I think there were a couple of times to where we've got pressure but we don't have good pocket integrity, from the standpoint of, there's an escape that's straight ahead. I think there was multiple times that he converted first downs with his feet, those are the things that are really frustrating. He wants to stand back there and throw the ball and whenever he's doing that, man, it's just free yardage that we gave up. Once we watch film, but a lot of it was just rush lane integrity."
Near the half, with the run, would you like to see more aggressive playcalling?
"Whenever that happens, like anytime that we're running the ball, whatever you're talking about the clock running down, it's what they're playing. From the standpoint they're giving us. You saw late in the game, they're running like a Tampa two, or they'd be a two man. So that's a really good box to run in. So we had big chunk plays. We did have big chunk plays on that one. So we're expecting, whenever you hand that ball off, you're expecting 10 to 15 yards and having a good drive starter. And, you know, we didn't."
Can you speak on Tahj and what he's meant to your program?'
"I'm so proud of him, you know. And, man, I hate it for him and everybody else. I hate it for him that he broke it and didn't get to celebrate a win, you know, he breaks the record, and there wasn't a whole lot of celebrating in the locker room. And I would tell you, Tosh tonight, really doesn't care a whole lot about a record, he'll appreciate it. I can't thank him enough, he's been such an incredible person for us and this program. He's going to push that record ahead. But I am proud of him, you know, and happy for him and his family and and, you know, happy that he did what he came back to do. I'm proud to be a part of his life."
Barnett Howard & Williams PLLC is a law firm founded by three Red Raiders and based in Fort Worth. BHW attorneys handle personal injury, family law, criminal defense, and Title 9 cases all across the state. We hope you never need us, but we are in your corner when you do.
Opening Statement:
"Man, there's a lot of things that went wrong tonight. Anytime you give up seven sacks, it's gonna be hard to win. Anytime that you turn the ball over, like we did, it's gonna be hard to win. And then again, the penalties, you know, both teams. There's a lot of penalties in this game, you know. The frustrating thing is we're sitting here at 41-27, it could have been a little bit closer. We give up that one right at the end, on the turnover we don't get in the end zone on 4th and 1. But I'll tell you this man, it's 17-13 and it's 3rd & 7, and we bring pressure, and it's an incomplete pass. And when you watch that play somebody tell me how you can call roughing the passer? How can you not call five obvious facemasks? One they reviewed for targeting, and it wasn't called, and then four others on our running back. It's tough for me to sit here and say too much, because it's 41-27 and you're outside like why I'm saying that, but, you know, in a game like this, we have to be better. Deion is going to say they have to be better, but the officiating has to be better at this level. I'm just I'm frustrated, man, and I hate it. I've got to be better. There was some good things that we did but we did not protect the quarterback. And one reason we didn't protect the quarterback is because we could not run the football in the first half. So anytime you can't run the football, then they're going to come after you. They're leading the Big 12 in sacks not being able to run the football early really hurt us. I don't know man, I thought we were in a really good spot up 13-0 and just just didn't do enough to hold that lead, and then just turnovers and getting our quarterback hit got us in the second half."
What was the main issue in pass protection tonight?
"There's back to back plays, that 98, or 88, ends up in our backfield unblocked on run plays. Lack of communication, mis-IDing the front, that's a mixture of the guys on the field and us as coaches. I think once you get to that point, whenever you're not able to run the football, then you get to a point to where you're behind, and they know you've got to throw the football and push the ball downfield. That's really kind of a couple times they were playing like a Tampa two and a two man. That's why we were running the ball, kind of like the week before, to where they were playing coverage, and we got some big plays, but not being able to run the football, and then them knowing we were gonna have to throw the football really got Behren hit tonight."
Could you walk me through that decision to run a fake punt in the third quarter?
"We didn't get the spacing right. We end up with two guys in the same spot, and so we had one guy that would have been uncovered. That's who we were trying to go to, but we don't get the spacing right. We're trying to go to the inside guy. They both line up too close. And then, you know, I thought that they called pass interference, and they picked the flag up. At that point, we were sitting there. I think it would might have been 31 to 20, with 1:18 left in the third, we hadn't done a lot on offense so we're trying to get some momentum right there."
Did you get any feedback from the refs on that roughing the passer call?
"'I saw that he hit him below the knee.' And I don't know who saw that, he hit him in the in the hip. I mean, it was a great clean hit that would have forced them to punt the football, and instead. I think they get a field goal out of it. The defense play well enough to get the field goal out of it after the first down, I believe, to make it 20-13. Same way with the targeting They don't call it the targeting, but it's a it's a blatant face mask before that happens with the targeting, and that gets no call."
Did the CU defensive front do anything different to confuse the OL?
"No, I thought, I thought they had some movement, but I really think that we got our butts kicked up front tonight. I mean, that'd be the first thing, you know, I just got through talking to Clay (McGuire) and the first thing he says, 'Coach, I lost this game.' They won up front. That's where you win games, and it, that's what was really frustrating, because we felt like we had boxes to run in. There was times that they would play four down, one linebacker in the box, and we don't get it IDed right and don't get any yards. I don't know what Tahj had in the first half, but I don't think it was a lot."
Seems like it's a strong start, and then a lull in the 2nd & 3rd. What's happening offensively there?
"I think last week in the second quarter and this week in the second quarter, we could not on the football, you know, and and that was a big part. And then in the second quarter, they took advantage of some screen games. They outnumbered us on the screen. It was two, I think, two huge screen gains for them. One of them, I think, was a touchdown and but going back, I mean, I think in both instances, us not being able to run the football effectively is really slowing this offense down."
A big part was trying to get pressure on Shedeur, how frustrating was it to not be able to finish and bring him down?
"He converted some big first downs with his feet. That was the frustrating part, you know, like, I think there were a couple of times to where we've got pressure but we don't have good pocket integrity, from the standpoint of, there's an escape that's straight ahead. I think there was multiple times that he converted first downs with his feet, those are the things that are really frustrating. He wants to stand back there and throw the ball and whenever he's doing that, man, it's just free yardage that we gave up. Once we watch film, but a lot of it was just rush lane integrity."
Near the half, with the run, would you like to see more aggressive playcalling?
"Whenever that happens, like anytime that we're running the ball, whatever you're talking about the clock running down, it's what they're playing. From the standpoint they're giving us. You saw late in the game, they're running like a Tampa two, or they'd be a two man. So that's a really good box to run in. So we had big chunk plays. We did have big chunk plays on that one. So we're expecting, whenever you hand that ball off, you're expecting 10 to 15 yards and having a good drive starter. And, you know, we didn't."
Can you speak on Tahj and what he's meant to your program?'
"I'm so proud of him, you know. And, man, I hate it for him and everybody else. I hate it for him that he broke it and didn't get to celebrate a win, you know, he breaks the record, and there wasn't a whole lot of celebrating in the locker room. And I would tell you, Tosh tonight, really doesn't care a whole lot about a record, he'll appreciate it. I can't thank him enough, he's been such an incredible person for us and this program. He's going to push that record ahead. But I am proud of him, you know, and happy for him and his family and and, you know, happy that he did what he came back to do. I'm proud to be a part of his life."
Barnett Howard & Williams PLLC is a law firm founded by three Red Raiders and based in Fort Worth. BHW attorneys handle personal injury, family law, criminal defense, and Title 9 cases all across the state. We hope you never need us, but we are in your corner when you do.
