I was able to speak to both Mike Jinks and Jakeem Grant this week. I talked to each one a lot longer than normal, so please forgive the length.
Mike Jinks
-Mike Jinks’ runningback unit is without a doubt one of the stalwarts of this Texas Tech offense. The stable of RBs is led by senior DeAndre Washington who has been the picture of consistency the past two years. Washington currently has 932 yards on the season and is on pace to have the first back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing season in almost 20 years. I asked Coach Jinks his thoughts on Washington.
“My thoughts right now are beating West Virginia and getting bowl eligible. What can I say? He has really stepped up, he had a great year last year and this year he is playing even better. It has been fun to watch him work. It has been fun to watch him lead this group of young backs. I’ve been proud of him.”
-I asked Coach Jinks what the offensive game plan usually is going into each game. Is an emphasis put on the run before the game or does it depend on the flow of the game?
“Game plan wise, I think you have noticed a little bit more emphasis on the run over the past few weeks and that his due to DeAndre’s play. We are definitely trying to find ways to get him more touches, not just him but Stockton as well. They definitely have proven to be two of the biggest playmakers on this 2015 football team. We have to try find ways to get them the football.”
-Jinks mentioned ‘finding ways to get them the football’ in reference to Stockton and Washington. I asked him if we will be seeing any new wrinkles come Saturday. An emphasis will be placed on the run game according to Jinks.
“We will have them on the field at the same time. We will do the whole no-sub thing that we have done all year long. This is one of those no-nonsense games. They are very physical ball club, they are a very good ball club and we have to match that physicality and the way you do that offensively is by running the football.”
-From what they have seen so far, does Jinks feel like the offense will have success on the ground against the Mountaineers?
“We are going to have to, we’re going to have to. If we don’t have success running the football, then you’ll have issues with your play-action game and being able to move Pat out of the pocket and things of that nature. We are going to take what they give us if you know what I mean but definitely we want to try and establish the run.”
-Jinks and the rest of the offensive coaches know they will be facing a very physical West Virginia defense on Saturday. Establishing the run will be critical and finding ways to beat WVU’s physicality will be big keys to the game.
“They show a lot of man coverage, a lot of cover one. They are very physical, they try and get their hands on you outside. They try to load the box and beat you to the punch. We are going to have to play a tough football game.”
-At one point during the Oklahoma State game, the Texas Tech offense lined up on a fourth-and-inches with Mahomes under center. Mahomes would end up fumbling the snap and there was a turnover on downs. I asked Coach Jinks what happened there and was he in Kingsbury’s ear about running the ball.
“I didn’t have to tell him that. That is the first thing that came out of his mouth. Going on year three now, we are starting to drink from the same bathwater a little bit, starting to think alike a little bit. We definitely wanted to try and get DeAndre the ball in that situation, but it was unfortunate what happened. Those are the mistakes we have to cut out if we want to be a great football team. We are a good football team, now we have the chance to be a great football team. If we cut those mistakes out, we can win the rest of them.”
-Tech sits at 5-4 on the season and some fans have already started to hit the ‘abandon ship’ button on the season. Jinks and the coaching staff and the players inside the facility have a completely different approach, however. Just trust the process.
“You just have to trust the process. We had a great spring and it made this group of individuals a lot closer. We are a team, we are a family and that goes for the players and coaches, coaches and players. We just have to continue to trust the process, continue to get back up and work every day, and continue to grind. No doubt we will do that.”
Jakeem Grant
-I asked Grant what are the conversations being had in the locker room following the loss to Oklahoma State.
“We are telling our teammates that we can definitely win out. Yes, these three teams are great teams, but we are also a great team too. If we come in and bring our A-game, there is no reason why we cannot win this game.”
-Grant had a monster game on Saturday tallying 323 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Grant even garnered Special Teams POTW honors for the second time this year following his performance.
“It feels great but also at the same time, once again, no one is talking about me because of height and my size and it just ticks me off. I’m putting up numbers, way better numbers than some of these guys in the nation, and these guys are being talked about more than me because of their height and size. I go out there every game to prove these guys wrong and show them that I can do anything they can do even though I am much shorter than those guys. They can’t do what I can do either so what do you want? Do you want a playmaker or a guy who is just tall.”
-Grant’s height has been brought up a lot throughout his career and most of the critics say his height is a big hindrance on his chances to project to the next level. Grant issued a response to those critics:
“I would just say put the ball in my hands and watch what I do with it. It doesn’t matter who you put on me. You can put your best corner, the top corner in the nation, it doesn’t matter or the best DB in the nation on me and I promise you that I will make them look bad. It doesn’t matter who is on me. It’s just crazy how they think size matters when size doesn’t matter, just because I am 5’6. I am blocking linebackers that are 6’3 and 250-pounds and I am blocking them and they aren’t even getting off of my blocks. What does that tell you? I can do anything that a bigger receiver can do.”
-Jakeem Grant is without a doubt the most humble guy on this 2015 Texas Tech team.
“When I get in the open field and see a one-on-one, in my head I look the guy right in his eyes and I know I have him beat because in his head he is thinking ‘Oh snap here we go. Highlight reel. I’m about to be on this dude’s highlight tape.’ And that is exactly what you are about to be on because that is what I pride myself on in the open field just making guys look bad. At the end of the day I’ll hand your ankles back to you.”
-With Tech losing their second game this year despite putting up 50+ points, I asked Grant if the offense feels the pressure of seemingly having to score every drive. Grant’s answer is more along the lines of the offense wanting to score every possession, moreso than feeling like they have to score every possession.
“Our defense is going to do what they have to do, but as an offense we want to go in and score every time we touch the ball, every drive we get. That is what our offense is all about, we can’t squander drives and go three-and-out against really good teams like we did against Oklahoma State. We have some great offensive teams coming up and we are trying to outscore these guys and let the defense take care of itself. We will take care of the offensive side.”
-Grant is the lone senior of this receiving corps and is working to be the leader of the young receivers. His message to them is simple.
“I tell them that I definitely need their help. There will be times where I am double covered and Pat can’t to me and has to go to one of the other guys and they have to step up, work their release and get off these guys. I tell them match my intensity. Go out and feel like no one in the nation can stop you. If you feel like that, you are invincible and you will play like it.”
-One of the many aspects of a leader is making sure every player’s attitude is adjusted and corrected. Coming off a tough loss to OSU, it would be easy for the attitude of the team to take a hit. Grant and the other leaders are making sure this team stays focused but also remembers the plain of going 4-8 last year.
“I tell them to just look back to last year. How does it feel not going to a bowl game and just sitting here and watching other teams play and stuff. It is hurting, it hurts. I tell them don’t think about the games we have won or the games we have lost, we just have to think about winning out, going 3-0 and first opponent is West Virginia. That is where our focus is and we aren’t looking back into the past, we are just focused on West Virginia and getting ready to attack.”
-Bowl-eligibility is within this team’s reach after coming off of a 4-8 season last year. Grant feels like this team has responded better to adversity than last year.
“Yes. I feel like we became one unit and are playing for each other and when adversity hits, we all come together and say we have to get this done, we have to get this done in order to win the game. If things don’t go the way we want, well then hey, that is the thing about life. Things don’t always go your way. We are excited about next week to make that go away.”
-The mental aspect of the game is what Grant has harped on. Once everyone masters the mental aspect, he feels like the team can do great things. Mental aspect and matching the intensity of the players around you are big things according to Grant.
“Match the leaders’ intensity. I hurt myself on a touchdown play but I came back into the game because I don’t care about anything hurting. I’m going to sell out for my team and that is the mental aspect. You can play through bumps and bruises like that. When you’re down it is just a mental mindset. Just look at the clock and think it is 0 to 0, we have to get the score and be up and the defense will stop them again and we will increase the lead. All it is is mental, the whole game is a mental aspect and we are getting the younger guys right on that. Once we get those guys corrected on that, we will do great.”
Mike Jinks
-Mike Jinks’ runningback unit is without a doubt one of the stalwarts of this Texas Tech offense. The stable of RBs is led by senior DeAndre Washington who has been the picture of consistency the past two years. Washington currently has 932 yards on the season and is on pace to have the first back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing season in almost 20 years. I asked Coach Jinks his thoughts on Washington.
“My thoughts right now are beating West Virginia and getting bowl eligible. What can I say? He has really stepped up, he had a great year last year and this year he is playing even better. It has been fun to watch him work. It has been fun to watch him lead this group of young backs. I’ve been proud of him.”
-I asked Coach Jinks what the offensive game plan usually is going into each game. Is an emphasis put on the run before the game or does it depend on the flow of the game?
“Game plan wise, I think you have noticed a little bit more emphasis on the run over the past few weeks and that his due to DeAndre’s play. We are definitely trying to find ways to get him more touches, not just him but Stockton as well. They definitely have proven to be two of the biggest playmakers on this 2015 football team. We have to try find ways to get them the football.”
-Jinks mentioned ‘finding ways to get them the football’ in reference to Stockton and Washington. I asked him if we will be seeing any new wrinkles come Saturday. An emphasis will be placed on the run game according to Jinks.
“We will have them on the field at the same time. We will do the whole no-sub thing that we have done all year long. This is one of those no-nonsense games. They are very physical ball club, they are a very good ball club and we have to match that physicality and the way you do that offensively is by running the football.”
-From what they have seen so far, does Jinks feel like the offense will have success on the ground against the Mountaineers?
“We are going to have to, we’re going to have to. If we don’t have success running the football, then you’ll have issues with your play-action game and being able to move Pat out of the pocket and things of that nature. We are going to take what they give us if you know what I mean but definitely we want to try and establish the run.”
-Jinks and the rest of the offensive coaches know they will be facing a very physical West Virginia defense on Saturday. Establishing the run will be critical and finding ways to beat WVU’s physicality will be big keys to the game.
“They show a lot of man coverage, a lot of cover one. They are very physical, they try and get their hands on you outside. They try to load the box and beat you to the punch. We are going to have to play a tough football game.”
-At one point during the Oklahoma State game, the Texas Tech offense lined up on a fourth-and-inches with Mahomes under center. Mahomes would end up fumbling the snap and there was a turnover on downs. I asked Coach Jinks what happened there and was he in Kingsbury’s ear about running the ball.
“I didn’t have to tell him that. That is the first thing that came out of his mouth. Going on year three now, we are starting to drink from the same bathwater a little bit, starting to think alike a little bit. We definitely wanted to try and get DeAndre the ball in that situation, but it was unfortunate what happened. Those are the mistakes we have to cut out if we want to be a great football team. We are a good football team, now we have the chance to be a great football team. If we cut those mistakes out, we can win the rest of them.”
-Tech sits at 5-4 on the season and some fans have already started to hit the ‘abandon ship’ button on the season. Jinks and the coaching staff and the players inside the facility have a completely different approach, however. Just trust the process.
“You just have to trust the process. We had a great spring and it made this group of individuals a lot closer. We are a team, we are a family and that goes for the players and coaches, coaches and players. We just have to continue to trust the process, continue to get back up and work every day, and continue to grind. No doubt we will do that.”
Jakeem Grant
-I asked Grant what are the conversations being had in the locker room following the loss to Oklahoma State.
“We are telling our teammates that we can definitely win out. Yes, these three teams are great teams, but we are also a great team too. If we come in and bring our A-game, there is no reason why we cannot win this game.”
-Grant had a monster game on Saturday tallying 323 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Grant even garnered Special Teams POTW honors for the second time this year following his performance.
“It feels great but also at the same time, once again, no one is talking about me because of height and my size and it just ticks me off. I’m putting up numbers, way better numbers than some of these guys in the nation, and these guys are being talked about more than me because of their height and size. I go out there every game to prove these guys wrong and show them that I can do anything they can do even though I am much shorter than those guys. They can’t do what I can do either so what do you want? Do you want a playmaker or a guy who is just tall.”
-Grant’s height has been brought up a lot throughout his career and most of the critics say his height is a big hindrance on his chances to project to the next level. Grant issued a response to those critics:
“I would just say put the ball in my hands and watch what I do with it. It doesn’t matter who you put on me. You can put your best corner, the top corner in the nation, it doesn’t matter or the best DB in the nation on me and I promise you that I will make them look bad. It doesn’t matter who is on me. It’s just crazy how they think size matters when size doesn’t matter, just because I am 5’6. I am blocking linebackers that are 6’3 and 250-pounds and I am blocking them and they aren’t even getting off of my blocks. What does that tell you? I can do anything that a bigger receiver can do.”
-Jakeem Grant is without a doubt the most humble guy on this 2015 Texas Tech team.
“When I get in the open field and see a one-on-one, in my head I look the guy right in his eyes and I know I have him beat because in his head he is thinking ‘Oh snap here we go. Highlight reel. I’m about to be on this dude’s highlight tape.’ And that is exactly what you are about to be on because that is what I pride myself on in the open field just making guys look bad. At the end of the day I’ll hand your ankles back to you.”
-With Tech losing their second game this year despite putting up 50+ points, I asked Grant if the offense feels the pressure of seemingly having to score every drive. Grant’s answer is more along the lines of the offense wanting to score every possession, moreso than feeling like they have to score every possession.
“Our defense is going to do what they have to do, but as an offense we want to go in and score every time we touch the ball, every drive we get. That is what our offense is all about, we can’t squander drives and go three-and-out against really good teams like we did against Oklahoma State. We have some great offensive teams coming up and we are trying to outscore these guys and let the defense take care of itself. We will take care of the offensive side.”
-Grant is the lone senior of this receiving corps and is working to be the leader of the young receivers. His message to them is simple.
“I tell them that I definitely need their help. There will be times where I am double covered and Pat can’t to me and has to go to one of the other guys and they have to step up, work their release and get off these guys. I tell them match my intensity. Go out and feel like no one in the nation can stop you. If you feel like that, you are invincible and you will play like it.”
-One of the many aspects of a leader is making sure every player’s attitude is adjusted and corrected. Coming off a tough loss to OSU, it would be easy for the attitude of the team to take a hit. Grant and the other leaders are making sure this team stays focused but also remembers the plain of going 4-8 last year.
“I tell them to just look back to last year. How does it feel not going to a bowl game and just sitting here and watching other teams play and stuff. It is hurting, it hurts. I tell them don’t think about the games we have won or the games we have lost, we just have to think about winning out, going 3-0 and first opponent is West Virginia. That is where our focus is and we aren’t looking back into the past, we are just focused on West Virginia and getting ready to attack.”
-Bowl-eligibility is within this team’s reach after coming off of a 4-8 season last year. Grant feels like this team has responded better to adversity than last year.
“Yes. I feel like we became one unit and are playing for each other and when adversity hits, we all come together and say we have to get this done, we have to get this done in order to win the game. If things don’t go the way we want, well then hey, that is the thing about life. Things don’t always go your way. We are excited about next week to make that go away.”
-The mental aspect of the game is what Grant has harped on. Once everyone masters the mental aspect, he feels like the team can do great things. Mental aspect and matching the intensity of the players around you are big things according to Grant.
“Match the leaders’ intensity. I hurt myself on a touchdown play but I came back into the game because I don’t care about anything hurting. I’m going to sell out for my team and that is the mental aspect. You can play through bumps and bruises like that. When you’re down it is just a mental mindset. Just look at the clock and think it is 0 to 0, we have to get the score and be up and the defense will stop them again and we will increase the lead. All it is is mental, the whole game is a mental aspect and we are getting the younger guys right on that. Once we get those guys corrected on that, we will do great.”
