On Monday, Charlie Strong and several players met with the media to discuss their preparations for Oklahoma State.
Coach Strong stated that there was a ton of self evaluation this week and that the problems on defense stem back to three key areas: fundamentals, learning concepts and not giving up big plays. Strong was confident that if the defense was able to fix those three things, they would be one of the best teams in the country. When asked about how he will get more involved on defense, Strong said “I have a lot of ideals that can make the defense better. It’s on me. I know how to coach defense and stop people. I needed to get involved. It was so important that we sat down and looked out ourselves as coaches. Some feelings were hurt.” Strong appears to know what he needs to do in order to right the ship on defense. However, Strong refused to put the blame on Vance Bedford. “Vance is a professional. It’s not like he’s forgotten how to coach defense. I didn’t see how changing coordinators would help our team at this time.” Strong also mentioned that Bedford won a national championship with him at Florida, and one separately at Michigan. In regards to starting RG Kent Perkins, Strong said that he is suspended one game, and subject to counseling as well as community service. When asked about additional punishments, Strong declined to comment. Speaking of alcohol, Strong had a pretty memorable quote when asked what his stance on drinking was. “I don’t drink. Drink the first one, sip the second one, let the third one go. I have a pretty hard stance on alcohol.” When asked about personnel decisions and which players will see more time, Strong slyly replied, “You’re trying to get my game plan huh? You’ll see.” In terms of Oklahoma State, Strong did not hesitate to praise their offense and the balanced attack they bring. “We understand how important the game is. We need to get off to a good start.” However, Strong assured everyone that his players will be ready, with the Cal game in the rearview mirror. “The players have total confidence. When you build relationships with your players, there is no second guessing.”
After Strong left the podium, sophomore DT Chris Nelson met with the media. When asked about how the team overall feels heading into conference play, Nelson was short and to the point. “We are excited. We are ready to play.” Nelson mentioned that the main thing the defensive line needs to do better is get pressure on the quarterback. Out of all the players he was asked about, Nelson had high praise for freshman DE Malcolm Roach. “We are real tight. He had that ‘it’ to him coming in. He always takes the coaching.” Other than that, Nelson was concise and to the point. He mentioned that the team did nothing but uplift each other all week at practice, and communicate on things that they needed to improve.
The weekly meeting with Paul Boyette was after Chris Nelson. It seemed to be the same old dance from Paul. Boyette was asked whether he felt the team needed to be more mentally or physically tough. Boyette laughed rather hysterically at the question. “We need to be more mentally focused.” Boyette does not seem to think physicality is an issue. When asked about what he felt the defense overall needed to do better, Boyette mentioned getting on the field and having fun. “Guys have to go out there and have fun and enjoy the game. We can’t be uptight.” Lastly, Boyette mentioned that he would like to see more Hager and Roach (don’t we all) as well as more of Jordan Elliot and D’Andre Christmas-Giles up front. “
Chris Warren was after Boyette, and is a man of few words. Warren is known for being emotional during and after games, which he addressed regarding the Cal loss. “I was upset last week because I felt like we could have played harder. We will do that this week.” When asked about his abilities as a running back, Warren said “I feel like I only get better as the season progresses.” If I were an opposing defense, I would not want to tackle the Foreman/Warren duo.
Lastly, Breckyn “The Kamikaze” Hager met with the media. As passionate as he is on the field, he is just as passionate off of it. This was particularly evident when he was asked about how they handled the loss to Oklahoma State last year. “That was last year. We are focused on this year.” When asked about Oklahoma State’s current offense, Hager did not lack confidence. “The have a good quarterback, a good offensive line and a pretty good receiver. It’s fun to play aggressive, but they can run and pass. They can do it all.”
The team overall does not seem to be lacking confidence heading into Stillwater. Since 2008, the visiting team has won each matchup between the Longhorns and Cowboys. Since 1997, the Longhorns have not lost in Stillwater. Texas looks to keep that streak alive on Saturday. Kickoff is at 11:00 a.m. CT on ABC, where the Longhorns are currently 3 point underdogs to the Cowboys. The next two games are absolutely crucial in determining what Charlie Strong’s future in Austin holds.
