Sept. 4, 2005
What were your impressions of the SMU game?
"We were pleased that we did get the win. What I said last night was that there was a lot of ugly football played yesterday across the nation and certainly we kind of contributed to that. It is opening day and you expect some of that. I was just really pleased with the way our kids won that football game."
"When I went in at halftime, I talked to both the offense and the defense. Nobody was hanging their heads or pointing fingers or fussing with each other. It was calm. I thought we were pressing a little bit, because I know we'd been harping at them about needing the first win and they were pressing a little too much, but everyone was calm. We came out in the second half and didn't just blow anyone away, but we did enough to get the win. I was pleased to see the ground game come alive, especially in the fourth quarter when we really needed it. The offensive line pushed them around pretty good. Our kids hung tough. I know two years ago we probably would have lost that one."
How important was it to come back after SMU scored in the second half with a long drive for a touchdown?
"It was awesome. That's what I was so pumped about at the end of the game, that's what I told the kids. We've got some stuff we have to clean up and have to get better at. But, I told them two years ago there was no way we would have won this game. They fought through all of that. At no point during the game did we see any finger-pointing or panic. That's good to see. Honestly, that's something that still worries me. When adversity hits, what are they going to do?"
Did the long drives by the offense show you that your line play is better?
"Without question. It was a combination of all five of them or how many of them we played. We were rotating them in at the end to keep them fresh. We didn't have any of those guys cramp, our skill guys cramped a little bit, but the big guys seemed to come through it ok. They all played pretty well. Blaylock (Will) did what we knew he could do. He played every snap.
"It was pleasing to end it (the game) in that style, rather than three and out and then just have to hang on. That's what I was thinking-let's win this thing the right way for a change and then we drop the punt and here we go again. But, we found away to get it done."
Was it frustrating from an offensive perspective not to come away with more points early in the game?
"Sure it was. It was frustrating, but we knew it was going to be kind of a grind that first half. We felt like we would be good enough to take control of the ball game, especially in the second half."
Do you know what was causing the players, especially the skill players, to cramp up?
"We are going to take a look at all of that. We started hounding them last weekend about hydrating and have been pouring water and sport drinks into them."
Did the missed tackles in the first half bother you?
"The thing that was going through my mind about the scrimmaging deal (to scrimmage or not during fall camp) was the tackling. I don't know that we missed a lot of tackles, we just would hit the guy but not drive him back. We were hanging on but not punishing them. I didn't see a lot of blatantly missed tackles. I don't think it (not scrimmaging) hurt us."
Talk about Shawn Bell's performance?
"He's like everybody else, first-day jitters, I guess. I'm going to chalk it up to that, because he doesn't normally do those kinds of things (throw interceptions). I believe out whole offense will settle down this week, you show them the film and the mistakes, and straighten them out. If they will just learn to relax and play, we'll be fine. They were really pressing."
Did you ever think about changing quarterbacks in the first half?
"No, not last night, especially. I just felt confidant that we were going to win that game. The defense was playing well, special teams played well in the first half."
What does it take to improve your kickoff coverage?
"Football players today think you are punishing them when you put them on special teams. We have a totally different philosophy about that and we have got to find the right 11 guys who want to go down and hit people. That may be over-simplifying or over-stating it, but we have to find those personalities."
Why did you struggle on punt returns?
"Our hold-up guys have got to do a better job on their bullets and you have to field the ball clean. That's something we'll get better at. It is just a matter of finding the right people and putting them in the right place. It's (special teams) one-third of the ball game and play a factor in nearly every game."
What do you need to work on in practice this week?
"I don't think anyone has played their best football yet. But, I think they understand that. Right now, everyone is very relieved. We got the win, got a couple of monkeys off our back, and now we have to learn how to relax and make plays. We have to be technically better. Our route running has to be better, our pass protection has to get better and the coverage has to get tighter. We all have things we can get better at."
What things impressed you about the SMU game?
"Again, I liked the way we finished the game and our mindset. I thought the defense was flying around pretty good. The pass rush was better. I thought Montez (Murphy) had a decent night. Foreman (Marcus) held up well. The guys inside were pushing the pocket. We were more active up front. The coverage was good. I'm just pleased with the way the defense played overall. We can build on the running game. I really think we can be a productive offense if we can just get into a rhythm. If we get some things cleaned up, we have a chance to be a decent offense, really."
Baylor Notes: Baylor's 28-23 victory at SMU on Saturday night ended the Bears' 24-game road losing streak dating to the 2000 season and was its first in a season-opener since 2001 ... Baylor beat its former Southwest Conference rivals for the ninth consecutive time ... Baylor had two players record 100-yard rushing games in the same contest for the first time since the 1996 game at Iowa State, as sophomore running back Brandon Whitaker recorded career-highs in rushes (16), yards (110) and per carry average (6.9), while junior running back Paul Mosley rushed for a career-best 105 yards and three touchdowns to record his second career 100-yard rushing game ... As a team, Baylor rushed for 200 yards (it finished with 215 on 45 carries) for the first time since its 203-yard output in an upset win over Colorado in 2003. The Bears' total against SMU was their highest in one game since a 280-yard effort against Samford in 2002 and its best against a Division I-A foe since a 251-yard showing against North Texas in 1999 ... Junior wide receiver Trent Shelton had one reception for 17 yards against SMU to extend his streak to 23 straight games with at least one catch, the longest such string for a Bear since Reggie Newhouse ended his career with a 34-game streak (2000-2002) ... Baylor special teams blocked a punt (redshirt freshman Latif Nurudeen) and a field goal (junior Anthony Arline) while the kick off team recovered a fumble (redshirt freshman Jon Piorkowski recovered) against the Mustangs. All three plays were made during the opening quarter, however, the Baylor offense was unable to convert any of those Mustang miscues into points ... Baylor will seek its first 2-0 start since 2001 and just its 10th since 1965 when it hosts Samford on Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Floyd Casey Stadium ... Baylor reported no injuries from its season-opening victory at SMU ... The Bears dressed five true freshmen for the SMU game, but only one--wide receiver Carl Sims, played in the contest ... In six of Guy Morriss' seven wins in Waco, the Bears have tallied 24 or more points ... Senior wide receiver Shaun Rochon caught a career-high five passes for 52 yards, while redshirt freshman wide receiver Trey Payne had six receptions for 35 yards in his Green and Gold debut ... The Bears' 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive on their first offensive possession of the fourth quarter at SMU was their longest march since an 8-play, 97-yarder in the fourth quarter of the 2003 win over Colorado at Waco.
