Here are some notes and quotes from the postgame press conference at The Star in Frisco from yesterday.
From @W.McKay
Kliff Kingsbury
Q: Why is it important to do things like this and to have these young men around the young men you're around everyday?
A: I think so they appreciate the opportunities they have. You see the joy these youngsters have and just be around them and also the platform they have to make an impression on the youth and what they can do and accomplish.
Q: Talk about having a game here in the metroplex and what it does for your program from a recruiting perspective.
A: It's one of our biggest recruiting basis and alumni basis so to bring our product here and this incredible facility that the Cowboys allowed us to use was as big a recruiting tool as we could have in this offseason so we were anxious to get down here. The crowd was awesome, facility is unbelievable and we had a great time.
Q: Do you hope this becomes an annual thing to come and play here?
A: Yes I would love it. I love the game we play at AT&T Stadium against Baylor I think it's great for our alumni base and recruiting and to have two guaranteed imprints in the DFW area every year would be great for our program.
Q: What did you think about Nic (Shimonek) today?
A: I think he's getting sharper. We had a heart to heart this week about protecting the football and not trying to make every throw. I thought he took care of the ball and threw a couple away that weren't there and that was definite progress. He's a great thrower of the football and you can see that as it comes out of his hand. He has talented players around him, just doesn't need to try and do too much and I thought today he did that. He just took what the defense gave him, he checked it down when it wasn't there. So that was definite progress from the week before.
Q: Talk about Xavier (Martin) a little bit.
A: He's one of those guys that moves the ball. I don't know if he knows what he's doing yet but he gets out there, he finds throws and he can make people miss, and the ball somehow gets down the field. So that's encouraging as a young guy. Hopefully when we bring Jett (Duffey) back he'll be able to redshirt and we'll continue to develop him and have some pretty good depth there at QB.
Q: Do you like what you're seeing from your defensive line or are you working some guys on that offensive line to create some cohesiveness?
A: I think a little bit of both. Some of those guys who redshirted last year, this is the first meaningful time they've had on the defensive line and they're still learning and getting better. Guys like Broderick (Washington) continue to flash, Eli Howard. Lonzell Gilmore made a bunch of plays and so they're just young and need more reps. On that offensive line we have a true freshman and one guard and a true sophomore at one tackle so there's some youth in there. I think the more reps they get, the better they'll be as well.
Q: When you look back at last season and look forward to this season how instrumental does that group have to be in order for your defense to have success?
A: It's huge. We probably didn't have enough bodies to rotate through consistently that could hold up in the Big 12 last year and that's what we're trying to work towards. In these games when you're playing 90 snaps a game you got to be able to rotate eight to 12 deep every game.
Q: Are there defensive improvements from last year?
A: There are, I think creating turnovers. We haven't had any these last two scrimmages, we had a big one that came off of a great play. A couple of practices in a row I think we had five in one practice and six the other and so the DBs are playing with more confidence. It means there's more pass rush, forcing the quarterbacks into some bad decisions and that's been the most encouraging thing. I think through nine practices they have 21 interceptions which is way up from the spring prior.
Q: How do you feel the offensive line is developing?
A: Not bad. We're still not where we need to be running the football. We have those run-friendly boxes. We've got to be able to take advantage of it but they've shown improvement and I think they'll continue to get better. Then you want to get Madison (Akamnonu) back in a couple of months, then hopefully add another piece, and you feel pretty good about the depth as well.
Q: When you look at your defensive backs, who's popped out to you?
A: I think Octavious Morgan and Vaughnte Dorsey start the list. Everyday they're making plays, getting more confidence in the system, and they compete their tails off. They want to play and want the ball in their hands to make plays. You never know what you're going to get sometimes in that situation but those kids have come in, competed right away and given us great depth. They both have a chance to start that first ballgame.
Q: Schematically are you doing anything different on defense?
A: Yeah we're doing some different things with Coach (David) Gibbs. We obviously studied a bunch of defense over the offseason, have some new wrinkles we're trying out and doing some different looks. More than anything, I think just enhancing our personnel and some of those guys that came in at mid-year is going to help.
Q: What are you seeing out of D.J. (Polite-Bray)?
A: Sometimes that senior year just clicks and he's a lot more aggressive. I think he feels more comfortable, he's not thinking as much. He's flashed over and over this spring making big plays. Tough kid, big, physical and I think he's comfortable finally. He was moved over to the DB in his second year and this is his third year playing the position.
Nic Shimonek
Q: How would you compare today to last week's scrimmage?
A: I thought it was good. There were a couple of times in the opening drives that we needed to pick up the tempo a little bit. For the most part, I thought it went well. I thought the offensive line played a lot better than they did last Saturday. The defense made some plays, offense made some plays, that's what you're looking for in spring ball. If one side is dominating the other day in and day out, that's not a good sign of what's going to happen in the fall. I think we're making progress each and every day. I'm looking forward to fall.
Q: At the beginning there were some cadence issues. It looked like you guys were working something new in a little bit with the clap. Could you speak to that?
A: We moved the ball to start the drive and then we shot ourselves in the foot with two or three false starts in a row. We have to clean that little stuff up, we've got to be detail-oriented. Once we got that figured out, we moved the ball pretty well the rest of the day. We just can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot. As long as we don't do that, I think we'll have a successful year. Some of the things they were doing (on defense) the way they were moving around, faking blitzes were getting us to jump but that's a mental thing. We can't have pre-snap penalties.
Q: Can you speak on what your expectations are?
A: I'm a perfectionist. Even whenever I throw an incomplete pass I'm upset with myself. I have to keep a level head, not get too high on the highs not too low on the lows, just play it cool so those guys can follow my lead and I can lead by example.
Q: Where do you think that confidence comes from both in the secondary and the defense as a whole that you've seen over the last several weeks?
A: I think he (Johnson) does a good job of leading by example, very emotional fiery person a lot like myself. They feed off of him. Oct, Jaylon Lane and those guys have come in and made an impact right away, Tony Jones as well. He's the emotional leader probably of the team, not just the defense. So those guys feed off of him well.
Q: What are you seeing from the offensive line progression wise?
A: Guys like (Travis) Bruffy, he got a lot stronger during the fall, he's had a great spring. Terence Steele he's gonna be good and then Jack (Anderson) coming in. All of those guys are getting better everyday. The coach (Brandon) Jones addition was big. I feel like he's one of the best in the business, Cal didn't give up a lot of sacks last year. He has them up there all the time studying.
Q: Can you talk about Payne Sullins and what he's done this spring?
A: He comes to work everyday and he's getting better everyday. He does everything coach Kingsbury asks of him and as long as he keeps doing that, he's going to give himself some shots.
Jah'Shawn Johnson
Q: Talk about some of the new additions in the secondary.
A: They came in January and have been in their books since day one asking questions when they don't know what they're doing. They're in there studying film day in and day out, meeting with coach (Karl) Scott and coach Gibbs. They fly around very well and are very aggressive, good tacklers. Octavious and Jaylon Lane play the run very well, they have good ball skills. Vaughnte is running sideline to sideline making plays everywhere. They're a tremendous help for our defense.
Q: Coach Kingsbury mentioned you guys have had a lot more interceptions this spring than you have in the past. What do you think the biggest reason for that change is?
A: Trusting coach Gibbs, what he's calling, and doing the right things. In the past there were a lot of people doing their own thing and being a lot of individuals. Now we're just trusting our coaching, he's putting us in the right positions, and we're just making plays when they come to us.
Q: How did the way the defense play last year impact the way ya'll went about thinking about this year?
A: We've been in the film room seeing the wrong things we did and we know that in order to be successful, we can't do those things. Coach Scott has been harping on it everyday and he always talks about us as a secondary to lead the defense. He holds us to a higher standard and we've got to come play everyday and have no days off.
Q: When you look at the new JUCO guys you've brought in, what have you noticed is the difference in the confidence or aggressiveness they've brought to the table?
A: Once you know what you're doing, it gives you a chance to fly around. They've done a great job preparing day in and day out so they can have an extra step on the ball when they get to it.
Q: As a unit, do you feel like everyone trusts coach Gibbs and you guys are coming together?
A: We trust him one hundred percent. He knows whats he's doing, he's had plenty of success with defenses, and he had a lot of defenses that have lead the nation in turnovers. It's just about doing your part. We've done a lot better job on focusing on our job. Everyone is flying to the ball, we didn't have that in the past, and we're punching at the ball, ripping at the ball, and reading the quarterback's eyes very well.
From @W.McKay
Kliff Kingsbury
Q: Why is it important to do things like this and to have these young men around the young men you're around everyday?
A: I think so they appreciate the opportunities they have. You see the joy these youngsters have and just be around them and also the platform they have to make an impression on the youth and what they can do and accomplish.
Q: Talk about having a game here in the metroplex and what it does for your program from a recruiting perspective.
A: It's one of our biggest recruiting basis and alumni basis so to bring our product here and this incredible facility that the Cowboys allowed us to use was as big a recruiting tool as we could have in this offseason so we were anxious to get down here. The crowd was awesome, facility is unbelievable and we had a great time.
Q: Do you hope this becomes an annual thing to come and play here?
A: Yes I would love it. I love the game we play at AT&T Stadium against Baylor I think it's great for our alumni base and recruiting and to have two guaranteed imprints in the DFW area every year would be great for our program.
Q: What did you think about Nic (Shimonek) today?
A: I think he's getting sharper. We had a heart to heart this week about protecting the football and not trying to make every throw. I thought he took care of the ball and threw a couple away that weren't there and that was definite progress. He's a great thrower of the football and you can see that as it comes out of his hand. He has talented players around him, just doesn't need to try and do too much and I thought today he did that. He just took what the defense gave him, he checked it down when it wasn't there. So that was definite progress from the week before.
Q: Talk about Xavier (Martin) a little bit.
A: He's one of those guys that moves the ball. I don't know if he knows what he's doing yet but he gets out there, he finds throws and he can make people miss, and the ball somehow gets down the field. So that's encouraging as a young guy. Hopefully when we bring Jett (Duffey) back he'll be able to redshirt and we'll continue to develop him and have some pretty good depth there at QB.
Q: Do you like what you're seeing from your defensive line or are you working some guys on that offensive line to create some cohesiveness?
A: I think a little bit of both. Some of those guys who redshirted last year, this is the first meaningful time they've had on the defensive line and they're still learning and getting better. Guys like Broderick (Washington) continue to flash, Eli Howard. Lonzell Gilmore made a bunch of plays and so they're just young and need more reps. On that offensive line we have a true freshman and one guard and a true sophomore at one tackle so there's some youth in there. I think the more reps they get, the better they'll be as well.
Q: When you look back at last season and look forward to this season how instrumental does that group have to be in order for your defense to have success?
A: It's huge. We probably didn't have enough bodies to rotate through consistently that could hold up in the Big 12 last year and that's what we're trying to work towards. In these games when you're playing 90 snaps a game you got to be able to rotate eight to 12 deep every game.
Q: Are there defensive improvements from last year?
A: There are, I think creating turnovers. We haven't had any these last two scrimmages, we had a big one that came off of a great play. A couple of practices in a row I think we had five in one practice and six the other and so the DBs are playing with more confidence. It means there's more pass rush, forcing the quarterbacks into some bad decisions and that's been the most encouraging thing. I think through nine practices they have 21 interceptions which is way up from the spring prior.
Q: How do you feel the offensive line is developing?
A: Not bad. We're still not where we need to be running the football. We have those run-friendly boxes. We've got to be able to take advantage of it but they've shown improvement and I think they'll continue to get better. Then you want to get Madison (Akamnonu) back in a couple of months, then hopefully add another piece, and you feel pretty good about the depth as well.
Q: When you look at your defensive backs, who's popped out to you?
A: I think Octavious Morgan and Vaughnte Dorsey start the list. Everyday they're making plays, getting more confidence in the system, and they compete their tails off. They want to play and want the ball in their hands to make plays. You never know what you're going to get sometimes in that situation but those kids have come in, competed right away and given us great depth. They both have a chance to start that first ballgame.
Q: Schematically are you doing anything different on defense?
A: Yeah we're doing some different things with Coach (David) Gibbs. We obviously studied a bunch of defense over the offseason, have some new wrinkles we're trying out and doing some different looks. More than anything, I think just enhancing our personnel and some of those guys that came in at mid-year is going to help.
Q: What are you seeing out of D.J. (Polite-Bray)?
A: Sometimes that senior year just clicks and he's a lot more aggressive. I think he feels more comfortable, he's not thinking as much. He's flashed over and over this spring making big plays. Tough kid, big, physical and I think he's comfortable finally. He was moved over to the DB in his second year and this is his third year playing the position.
Nic Shimonek
Q: How would you compare today to last week's scrimmage?
A: I thought it was good. There were a couple of times in the opening drives that we needed to pick up the tempo a little bit. For the most part, I thought it went well. I thought the offensive line played a lot better than they did last Saturday. The defense made some plays, offense made some plays, that's what you're looking for in spring ball. If one side is dominating the other day in and day out, that's not a good sign of what's going to happen in the fall. I think we're making progress each and every day. I'm looking forward to fall.
Q: At the beginning there were some cadence issues. It looked like you guys were working something new in a little bit with the clap. Could you speak to that?
A: We moved the ball to start the drive and then we shot ourselves in the foot with two or three false starts in a row. We have to clean that little stuff up, we've got to be detail-oriented. Once we got that figured out, we moved the ball pretty well the rest of the day. We just can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot. As long as we don't do that, I think we'll have a successful year. Some of the things they were doing (on defense) the way they were moving around, faking blitzes were getting us to jump but that's a mental thing. We can't have pre-snap penalties.
Q: Can you speak on what your expectations are?
A: I'm a perfectionist. Even whenever I throw an incomplete pass I'm upset with myself. I have to keep a level head, not get too high on the highs not too low on the lows, just play it cool so those guys can follow my lead and I can lead by example.
Q: Where do you think that confidence comes from both in the secondary and the defense as a whole that you've seen over the last several weeks?
A: I think he (Johnson) does a good job of leading by example, very emotional fiery person a lot like myself. They feed off of him. Oct, Jaylon Lane and those guys have come in and made an impact right away, Tony Jones as well. He's the emotional leader probably of the team, not just the defense. So those guys feed off of him well.
Q: What are you seeing from the offensive line progression wise?
A: Guys like (Travis) Bruffy, he got a lot stronger during the fall, he's had a great spring. Terence Steele he's gonna be good and then Jack (Anderson) coming in. All of those guys are getting better everyday. The coach (Brandon) Jones addition was big. I feel like he's one of the best in the business, Cal didn't give up a lot of sacks last year. He has them up there all the time studying.
Q: Can you talk about Payne Sullins and what he's done this spring?
A: He comes to work everyday and he's getting better everyday. He does everything coach Kingsbury asks of him and as long as he keeps doing that, he's going to give himself some shots.
Jah'Shawn Johnson
Q: Talk about some of the new additions in the secondary.
A: They came in January and have been in their books since day one asking questions when they don't know what they're doing. They're in there studying film day in and day out, meeting with coach (Karl) Scott and coach Gibbs. They fly around very well and are very aggressive, good tacklers. Octavious and Jaylon Lane play the run very well, they have good ball skills. Vaughnte is running sideline to sideline making plays everywhere. They're a tremendous help for our defense.
Q: Coach Kingsbury mentioned you guys have had a lot more interceptions this spring than you have in the past. What do you think the biggest reason for that change is?
A: Trusting coach Gibbs, what he's calling, and doing the right things. In the past there were a lot of people doing their own thing and being a lot of individuals. Now we're just trusting our coaching, he's putting us in the right positions, and we're just making plays when they come to us.
Q: How did the way the defense play last year impact the way ya'll went about thinking about this year?
A: We've been in the film room seeing the wrong things we did and we know that in order to be successful, we can't do those things. Coach Scott has been harping on it everyday and he always talks about us as a secondary to lead the defense. He holds us to a higher standard and we've got to come play everyday and have no days off.
Q: When you look at the new JUCO guys you've brought in, what have you noticed is the difference in the confidence or aggressiveness they've brought to the table?
A: Once you know what you're doing, it gives you a chance to fly around. They've done a great job preparing day in and day out so they can have an extra step on the ball when they get to it.
Q: As a unit, do you feel like everyone trusts coach Gibbs and you guys are coming together?
A: We trust him one hundred percent. He knows whats he's doing, he's had plenty of success with defenses, and he had a lot of defenses that have lead the nation in turnovers. It's just about doing your part. We've done a lot better job on focusing on our job. Everyone is flying to the ball, we didn't have that in the past, and we're punching at the ball, ripping at the ball, and reading the quarterback's eyes very well.
