Opening Statement:
"We're glad to be back in the mix. It's hard sitting, so we're glad to be back in the hunt. We're glad to be back on the field Saturday in McLane Stadium against a very good Kansas team quite honestly. They're a team that's played extremely well, particularly defensively and I think they're getting better on offense here in the last two or three weeks. They're a team that's been through a lot, so you've got to admire their players for their resiliency in having a coaching staff change and to keep fighting and keep going like they're going in conference play. Thirty-three points is the most points they've had scored on them and in this league that's pretty good. They're extremely talented and playing really good defense. It's a conference opponent. Anytime you play a conference team you know you're going to be in for a battle and this will be no different."

On the free time during the past week:
"It was hard. It was extremely hard without question, and still is. We benefitted from soul searching a little bit with our team - figuring out how we can remedy things that went wrong on the football field and gather up a new direction so to speak. That part of it was beneficial. The hard part is just not being able to do your trade. What you want to do is get back on the football field and get back to work. You can actually have an opportunity to get results on both sides of the ball."

On how the guys will respond to having time off as they prepare for Saturday:
"Our focus has been being a very determined football team. That's our focus. I'm not saying that we weren't, but a lot of times you can float along and think everything is ok when maybe it's not and we were living proof that it's not, so we are certainly going to be a determined team here from this day forward without question."

On the signing of Andrew Billings:
"It was like getting Ahmad Dixon--same thing. Ahmad was the No. 4-rated safety in America and he came here. Billings was a top-10 d-tackle in America and he came here. Getting those guys solidifies the fact that it's ok to stay home and play, especially when home is good and Baylor is good. Overall, it's academically, athletically, location-wise good. It just solidifies that fact and Andrew is a great football player. He's a great kid too, but he is an outstanding player that will lead the way for many years."

On allowing 99 points in the last two games as compared 65 in previous games:
"It's Big 12 play and that's no excuse. It's just a reality. You play in this league and there's going to be some things that happen and that's just the way it is. You just try to have one more point than your opponent. A lot of times it's 28-7 and sometimes it's 61-58. That's just the flow of the game and the nature of the league. We're more concerned about getting stops, getting off the field and getting offensive possessions when we're on defense. When we're on offense we're concerned about scoring touchdowns because you have to score touchdowns to win in this league. That's kind of the basics of it. If it ends up being a 13-14 ball game and we win, that's great. If it's 61-58 and we win, that's good also. It's all about having just one more point than your opponent. When you're playing up-tempo offenses, it affects both sides of the ball without question."

On the high profile injuries in the offensive line:
"I think we're in good shape quite honestly. We've got guys we feel comfortable with that have a little bit of experience and have played a little bit prior to Des (Hilliard) getting his injury. Pat (Colbert) played some last year when Troy (Baker) was hurt and coming back from his ACL. He actually started a couple games down the stretch for us. Those guys have just got to play. They've got to contribute and they've got to help us win. That's what I've been telling them. Everything they think about or evolve into is what they've got to do to help this football team win. They're very capable and that's the good part."

On the defensive backs' confidence after the last game:
"I don't know if you're baiting me for a penalty question or not, but you play football. Some games things that are called are not called the next game. So how do you coach off that? Because one week it's ok and the next week it's not. I think what you do is compete and you try to stay as clean as possible on both sides of the ball. We had two OPI's also, which is a devastating 15-yard penalty. It's one of those things to where I think it comes down to a consistency factor, which is what you look for in everything you do. Consistency is the key to success. If you can do the same thing over and over again right, you have a chance to be successful. It's not a situation of our guys' confidence level. They're confident when they put on a uniform and step on the field."

On third-down conversions:
"It's execution. We were not as good as we needed to be, without question, in Morgantown. But those other six games, we were pretty good, and that's kind of what it comes down to. We're sitting here a 6-1 football team and we're trying to get 7-1. You'd like to be perfect every snap, but we weren't, and a lot of that was very much self-inflicted. To me, that's the issue--making sure when we do something, we know what the outcome is going to be before we ever do it. And we had a few of those that were not that way, but we can beat that around all we want. Our job is to beat Kansas. We've had 10 days of the other, so that's done. It's over with. I bet they're not talking about it in Morgantown. I bet in Lawrence, Kan., they're not talking about the Texas Tech game they had 10 days earlier. They're talking about Baylor, alright? Because that's what everybody is talking about when they get a chance to play us. So what we've got to do is prepare for everybody's best shot, and we've got to make sure we give them ours. And that's going to happen Saturday."

On Kansas' good play so far:
"They're just good. They've got nine guys back on defense from last year and actually (Ben) Heeney, number 31, I think is a stud without question. He didn't play against us last year up in Lawrence. They go to West Virginia and it's a 9-0 ballgame in the first 16, late through the second 23-0, and it ends up 23-14. Then they play Texas Tech and it ends up 34-21. It was 27-21 in the fourth and Tech scores late and makes it 34-21. And then Oklahoma State at home, a 20-20 ballgame with six minutes left, they kick off and Tyreek Hill takes it 98 yards and Oklahoma State wins 27-20. So they're in every game and to me, that's the impressive part. They do a good job offensively and with ball control. Cummings is a kid that starts and performs clean, a Texas kid, and he does a good job for them. Very accurate. I think they're meshing well as a team, and they're a dangerous football team just like anybody is. So like I said, we've got to bring our best game and that's all our focus has been on--Kansas, and that's it."

On Clay Fuller coming back:
"It's good. He's actually got a little issue that we didn't find out about until yesterday, but I think he's going to be ok. He brings what you look for--toughness, maturity, determination, unselfishness. He is just a great team player. You get 50 of those guys together, you can win every football game. He's a talented guy."

On how closely he'll pay attention to the playoff rankings coming out tomorrow:
"I don't think I'll have a choice not to pay attention, because every time you turn on the TV or look anywhere, it's there. I think it'll be interesting to see how it changes over the next five weeks. I think there will be a lot of changes on the board, of course, with all the games that are coming up. So it's kind of like preseason rankings to me, it's just happening in November. So like I said, the next five weeks will really tell the tale. Beat Kansas."

On Aiavion Edwards' status and how to use him and Young:
"When Aiavion is healthy, we'll make that determination. Right now, Taylor is playing extremely well. He's a good football player and he's brought a little spark to us defensively. And Aiavion was playing well when he got injured and I think he's getting pretty close to being back to being healthy. He'll probably see a little time this week. But like I said, Taylor has played extremely well when he was given that chance."

On the change to a playoff:
"Our life will come from how we perform on Saturday, not from what some pollster does for us. That will determine where our energy and our life comes from, but from an interest standpoint, it will be interesting to see how it differs from the AP polls, so to speak. There are some people in there on the committee that certainly have opinions, so we'll see how those mesh together with the top four to six teams."

On how the week off has been for the team:
"It's tough, especially when you are coming off a loss like that. You kind of have to sit with it for a week. As far as a team, I thought we had a lot of focus, a lot of intensity, and went out there with a purpose. That is what it is all about. You want to get that bad taste out of your mouth, but unfortunately for us we had to wait a week."

On Troy Baker being out of the offense:
"You can't really replace a guy like Troy (Baker). He has a lot of passion for the game, and is very intelligent. I do have all the confidence in the world in Pat (Colbert). He played some last year, so I do not think it is going to change anything as far as schematically or what we are trying to do offensively. Pat is definitely capable. We are going to miss Troy, but Pat is the right man for the job."

On how the week off has helped the team get out of some of the ruts:
"Bye weeks are good. It is all about how you approach them. We had a lot of focus this past week, and kind of getting the energy level back up, especially coming back home, which is always nice. We have a lot of history here as far as being good at home, and that is what we want to do. We want to maintain that, so everything was great. I do not think there are ruts. There are definitely things to work out, but we will come out of it and be alright."

On the Kansas Defensive:
"That is the thing, they are not bad at all. They are actually really good. They have a lot of guys that fly around. A couple of the guys were out last year when we played up there. They are actually really talented, and it definitely pops off in film. For us, we have to get into a rhythm, and we have to score early, and take their moral out, and their will to compete out, which is what we try to do with anybody when we play them. When we get out there it is about starting fast and finishing strong."

On how he spent his weekend:
"If I had my choice I would have much rather been on the field. Actually, I did not watch many games this weekend. I just hung out, and went hunting or tried to. I have a sting of Petty curse that is unbelievable. Anytime I go hunting I do not ever see anything that I want to hunt. I just had a weekend to chill out and rejuvenate a bit."

On improving 3rd down conversions:
"It is just going to take me being comfortable seeing looks that I have seen on film. For us it is different because people play us different than they play anybody else. That is the fun part, and that is the challenging part. At the same time, I have to be ready for anything. We did not have much success, last week especially, but it is hard when you get into third and long. You cannot get behind the chains. There are a lot of things you can call as far as Coach Montgomery when it is third and short and third and medium, but it gets tougher from his side, calling plays, and the defense can do a lot of things as well when it is third and long. We have to stay out of that situation. Obviously third downs are going to come, but trying to make it third and manageable will help out a lot."

On how the rest of the schedule plays out for Baylor:
"Obviously, you hate losing, but at the same time I knew we were ok when I got on the plane. Everything that we set out to do is still ahead of us. We are fine in that aspect of it. The schedule definitely plays out in our favor, so we need to take care of Kansas, and the rest will take care of itself."

On the college football rankings coming out:
"I do not personally pay any attention to that kind of stuff because I can't control it. All I can control is how we go out and play on Saturdays, how we prepare, and how we practice. Like I have always said, with that kind of thing is control what you can control, and be the best player, teammate, quarterback I can be, and hopefully the rest will take care of itself."

On the decline of Bryce's completion percentage from last year to this year:
"I think a lot of it is on me because I am the one holding the ball. You can say all you want about anything else, but when it boils down to it, it is on me. That is something that I am not necessarily looking at, but at the same time I know it is there. I have been pretty upset with my production. I had goals coming in of being even better than 62% because in all honesty 62% is not really good either, but I wanted to be better than that and I haven't done that to this point. The good part is that there are games left, and there is a lot of season left. I am determined to put the first seven games behind me, and look forward. It is all about how we finish, and how we close out."

On Clay Fuller getting healthy and being able to provide veteran leadership:
"I love Clay. I room with Clay. He is a great competitor, and is someone who does the right things all the time. He is fun to play with, and he has been in a lot of situations prior to this, and prior to football when he came here. He has always had a good head about things, and always willing to answer questions and things like that. It is always fun to pick his brain, but he definitely provides veteran leadership."

On how difficult the injury was to Fuller:
"You can tell just by the look on his face that it was tough. Especially since he got hurt in fall camp again. It has just been a rough go in fall camp with him, and in previous years too. He battled back, and stayed positive as much as he could, which I commend him for because it is tough, especially senior season, and what he had too as far as goals and aspirations. He is back, and he is healthy and ready to contribute. That is all you can ask."

On the offensive line stepping up for the rest of the season:
"Pat (Colbert) and Jarrell (Broxton) have done an outstanding job for us when they have rotated in there. Guys are stepping up when you need them to. I don't think that we will see any drop off in what we have been doing as an offensive line. This is what we have trained for."

On becoming a leader of the offensive line:
"Losing Troy (Baker) to injury and not having him on the field as a leader hurts. He always knew what to do about everything. I do have to fill some of that void and take up some slack, but the other guys on the line can fill in too."

On putting the loss at West Virginia behind them:
"We've put it behind us and are focused on the week ahead. We've had a week to fix all the problems that we faced at West Virginia. Now we are all focused on Kansas."

On Kansas:
"They've been in just about every game that they have played. They have a lot of guys that we saw last year back. They have a defense that definitely plays hard and keeps them in ballgames."

On regrouping as an offense:
"With Troy (Baker) being hurt, we worked on getting everyone on the offense on the same page, because we have a lot of new guys in the system. Coach Briles has just been talking to us about getting back on track. Losing Troy affects us a lot, because he was big factor in our running game as a fifth-year guy with experience. He always kept the team up when we were down."

On the matchup with Kansas this Saturday:
"Kansas has been playing very well this year. We just have to go out there and play our game."

On what he worked on during the bye week:
"(I worked on) being physically ready through rehab and mentally ready by forgetting about the West Virginia game. I just relaxed and watched other teams play. That loss was a big loss, but we are ready to bounce back from that and get a win against Kansas."

On the loss to West Virginia helping refocus the team:
"It's not always a bad thing to lose. The good teams bounce back from those losses, and I think we have a great team. That loss really showed us that everybody is going to give us their best and that the Big 12 is good. That loss made us stronger as a team and we came together. From now on, I think we will do well."

On the pressure of the audience:
"I just kind of zoned them out. I didn't hear them. I just focused and blocked everyone out. I didn't hear anything except Frerk catch the snap and the ball hit the ground, and then the ball rubbing against the back of the net through the posts"

On players filling in due to injury:
"At Baylor, we don't believe in backups. Everyone is good here, but you can only put 11 people on the field. Everyone who gets the chance to play is considered a starter. I have 100 percent faith in those guys being able to step up and play."

On Kansas's defense:
"They are a great defense. (Linebacker) Ben Heeney is a great player and JaCorey Shepherd is a great cornerback. They have great players in their front seven. We just have to get after them and do what we have to do to win at home."

On getting more comfortable out on the field:
"I'm very comfortable (out on the field). After the first game and the first couple of drives, I made sure that I was comfortable. I'm very eager to get back out on the field and put that last game in the past. I just want to grind it out with my team."

On what it will take for the defense to not give up so many points:
"I feel like we already have that figured out. We just have to play harder and with better technique, and everything will work out for itself."