Opening Statement:
"Glad to be back in the game once again and I know I've said this three times this year but it is fun to be back in the action. It's pretty hard Saturday not being active, so to speak, and being a spectator. It's a lot more fun and interesting when you're in the game so I know our guys are pumped and excited to be back playing against a quality opponent like Oklahoma State over in McLane Stadium this Saturday at 6:30 p.m."

On the blackout atmosphere:
"It was fabulous last year. I've been fortunate to be in a lot of atmospheres and I would rate that maybe as the best. That was a fabulous atmosphere. Our crowd was unbelievable. They were there way before the game started and they were anxious and ready and excited and very supportive. It was a big night for Baylor. I'm excited about it. We won't have to wonder what uniform we're wearing. That's one thing I know now. I usually don't know until about Thursday. Now I actually have an idea of what it's going to be, so that's a plus."

On the success of Baylor's home field advantage over the past few years:
"Just having really good support starting back in about 2011--we had some really good games where we had some really good support, and I think gaining momentum through the years like the game with Kansas State in 2012 of course kind of gives you an idea that we've got a chance to be pretty good when we play here. I think everything accentuates positives so I think as we have grown, that's grown with us. Now it's certainly hard to sustain but that's something our guys have been able to do, so I'm proud from that standpoint."

On success in fourth downs:
"I think trusting your O-line and your QB and your receivers and your running back and your system. Having a plan and utilizing that at the proper time. Then you know, with us, in particular the week before; it was just our mentality going in. Every week is different and whether we will be that way this week or not--I don't know. It's all situational and it's all game situation also--the attitude and approach into the football game."

On health advantage of having more bye weeks:
"I think there's an advantage. It has helped us with a couple guys, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The start-stop theory or reality that we're going through is a little bit different, especially this late in the year, but the good thing is we know where we're at now. We know we've got a three-game stretch and they're all three really quality opponents. We've got two at home and one neutral and so if we're looking we can see the end. We can see where it's at and we know what the reality is. That part of it I think gives us a little bit of an edge going through the rest of the season, and we felt like we had a little momentum going 10 or 12 days ago but we just have to pick up where we left off."

On Bryce Hager's health:
"I think he'll be alright. He did not practice last week but he's a fifth-year guy who's played a bunch and we're letting him kind of heal up so I expect tomorrow--he didn't do a lot yesterday because we just kind of had walkthroughs--but I would expect tomorrow that he'll be on the field ready to go. We need him on the field. He's a good player. He's a great leader."

On what he sees in OSU:
"They're always a tough opponent. Always. Always have been. I think you could look over the last I don't know how many years, probably starting around `08, last 6 or 7 years, and their record in the Big 12 overall is probably second only to OU--Texas might be in there a little bit. So overall, they've been a really quality program for a number of years and we've helped that record for them. That's something we're certainly trying to rectify. We need to play better, we need to coach better and we need to come out on the correct side of the scoreboard."

On Taylor Young:
"He's a smart football player. He came out of a great program. Coach Mathis over there at DeSoto does a great job. They always have a lot of D1 guys. Taylor was a very dynamic leader for them in their state run when he was in high school and we just thought he was a really active and instinctive player, and that's what he's been. He's very instinctive and he's got a lot of great leadership qualities to him."

On what he would want the playoff committee to look at when selecting top teams:
"I can politic it--for our team--and that's winning every time we step on the field. We can politic very strongly in that matter. At the end of the day, that's what it's going to be all about. That's what it's going to come down to. It's all vapor. It's all speculation. The reality is you have to go win on Saturdays. We're winning to try to win a Big 12 Championship. That's our mission--that's our goal. Whatever comes with it comes with it, but that's where our focus and energy is, and I don't need a calculator to figure it out. If we win out we're in pretty good shape in accomplishing that mission, so that's where our focus and energy is and our next test begins here at 6:30 p.m. versus Oklahoma State."

On how much weight the Big 12 Championship/power conference championship should carry:
"That's like I said, I'm not sitting in the room. We've got our resume and we'll put it in there and let them look it over and go from there."

On Collin Brence going from walk-on to starter:
"First of all, he's a good player. He's just a good football player. I know you know about his academics--All-American, very intelligent guy. He brings that quality to the field. His anticipation skills are helped by that fact. He's just a football junkie. His dad coached at Plano High, which is a great high school dynasty for over a decade, and now he's the AD there. That's all he has ever known and been around. It's fun to watch him get an opportunity to help us win, and that's what he's doing. He's an asset. He's helping us win."

On if a Big 12 team gets left out because there is no Big 12 Championship game:
"I'll be very polite. I think first of all that should be asked of the commissioner of the conference. I have no voice. It doesn't really matter what I think or say. I'm a football coach. We hope that doesn't happen. We would hope if there's a champion out of this conference the committee would feel like that's a quality conference and the champion deserves to be in the final four. And I would agree with them if they felt that way."

On Nelson Ehirim being a former military guy:
"You've got a mature guy. We've got a lot of mature guys in the locker room. He's a guy that's served the country and done a lot of things a lot of us haven't done, so we have a great amount of respect for him and who he is as a person. He's been a valuable player to our team. He helps us on the scout team tremendously with the effort he gives, and I think that goes to his military background because there's not a wasted step, not a wasted day."

On Corey Coleman:
"It's made huge difference. It's not surprising to those of us who know Corey and know what his capabilities are. It's encouraging because it allows us some different schemes offensively and it puts pressure on the defenses that we're playing because it's hard to lock down on one or two guys now, and that's the thing that helps us probably more than anything else. He's a dynamic player that has a lot of passion and a lot of toughness and that's why he has a chance to make big plays, because he will not be denied."

On going for it on fourth down:
"That's all Coach. A lot of that has to do with flow of the game and where we're at on the field. It's more of a situational type of deal. That's definitely all him and on fourth downs, a lot of the time it's fourth and short. We rely on our big guys and they do really well for us when we need them."

On if fourth downs have a lot of pressure:
"Yeah, definitely. I think we like that challenge. Definitely up front, those guys know that most of the time we're going to be needing them in a big way, so they like that part of it and putting the team on their backs a little bit."

On the blackout atmosphere:
"We like playing in front of a loud and energized crowd. It gives us energy and makes us play better. So we don't expect anything different this year."

On the playoff debate and whether it's talked about:
"Coach doesn't ever really talk about it, and I think that's where we get it from. We don't look at it because he doesn't look at it. Each week, we have to go and prove ourselves. You can't get into the playoffs if you don't win, so these next three games are huge for us. We have to take it one game at a time. People remember November, so this is where we have to be really good and we have to execute and go out and show out. But I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it. We do have to make sure that what we do as a team and as players is that we win, and the rest will take care of itself."

On carrying momentum from OU through the bye week:
"Two weeks ago, we had a lot of confidence offensively, and as a team, too. I thought we played really well as a team. What you don't really like about a bye week is that there's that gap, especially with momentum and how it rolls. Once you catch it, you've got to hold onto it, because you don't have it for very long a lot of times. But for us, I thought we had a really focused week last week with high energy. Everybody was really excited about what's going on and that stuff helps. So for us, we just have to keep remembering situations and where we've been. The last thing we remember is a big game on the road that we won, so we have to carry that into this week and throughout these next couple games. Like I said, our guys are very mature and they're playing like it."

On seeing the finish line:
"You like bye weeks to be able to kind of rest, but we want to play. That's why we're here, so now that we've gotten those out of the way, we can carry on as much momentum as we can and get ready for wherever we're at postseason. But right now, we've got to make sure that we win these next three games and that starts Saturday."

On how much leeway he has to change plays after they're called:
"Quite a bit. I don't think there's ever been a time that I haven't had any leeway. I think that me, Coach Montgomery and Coach Briles are all on the same page with what we see out there. They tell me all the time that the only difference between me and them is that I'm out there. So when I see things, I can check it and they're with it 100 percent. I normally don't check a whole lot of things, because Coach Monty has got it going on, but if I do see something, I'll change it."

On getting revenge for last year's loss at OSU:
"We want to right our wrongs. We learned a lot last year, and I think that's why we adopted the motto, `you don't lose, you learn.' I think that has helped us out a lot carrying over into this year. We learned a lot. I learned that I need to pick my feet up, so I'll be looking forward to taking that back. But at the same time, each week is a big week. It doesn't really matter who you play. You still have that sour taste in your mouth from years past, but each team is really good."

On Corey Coleman:
"He's extremely dynamic. Every time he touches the ball, he's got a chance to score. You love powerful guys like that who can take it every time they touch the ball. Corey has worked really hard and I'm really proud of where he's at right now. And he wants to get better, so he's hungry too. So like we said before the season, it's pick your poison, whether you want to cover Antwan, Corey, KD, Jay Lee, Clay, Levi, any of those guys. It's kind of an "any given week" scenario on who's got the hot hand. But Corey has played great and worked his butt off, so I'm happy for him production-wise."

On having never lost a home game as a starter:
"I think it's not just me, it's a total team effort. We love playing at home and this is where we want to be. We've got a great crowd every time we come out, so we want to show out for them. It's hard not to play good at home. It's your home turf and we want to make it as hard as possible on the other team. So for us, the schedule is definitely nice on the back end. We just have to take care of everything we can take care of that's in our control, and keep it rolling."

On how to have success against OSU:
"I really don't think their record dictates who they are. They've got great players up front, back end wise, their middle linebackers are really good too. So we can't go into it looking at the past. All we can do is make sure we execute and play Baylor football. This is the perfect game to make sure we do that. It's really not about our opponent, it's about us. If we go out there and execute, we'll put up the numbers that we know we should and that we're capable of doing. So as far as them schematically, I haven't tapped into a whole lot of film, but I know that Coach Monty and Coach Briles will have a game plan for them. They always do. And they'll have a game plan for us, so it's one of those cat and mouse kind of things. It's just about who's going to be better on Saturday."

On whether they're playing their best offensive football now:
"I hope so. Speaking personally, that's one of the most comfortable games that I've been in. Especially offensively, we were just operating and executing, and that's what you have to have. That part starts with me, so when I'm comfortable, that's when our offense really rolls. I would love to say that we're playing our best football now and that you haven't seen it yet. It's still down the road, so that's what we're working for and trying to be better every week."

On the staff's ability to evaluate talent and scout good players:
"That's probably not a question that I can answer. I think that Coach Briles finds a commonality characteristic between those guys. He sees himself in a lot of those guys that just want to work hard and be the best. Stars can't prove that. Ratings guys that sit behind computers can't really find that. So I think he does a great job year in and year out finding talent, and it's getting better and better, to where we don't have just one on the team, we have seven. And that's where you want to be. We're not where we want to be, but we're getting there. I think the talent he brings in year in and year out helps with that, obviously. He's great at finding talent. That's one of the top three things that he does exceptionally well. And he's great to play for, so it's not hard to play for him."

On personally wanting redemption for last year's loss to OSU:
"Like I said, it's kind of hard to say that it's a revenge game, but at the same time, it's hard not to. This was our regular season loss last year and we just didn't play well. I know things were different with a different team, but we're here, not there. Still, last year we had one loss and it was to them, so we want to make sure we right our wrongs and definitely me as well. I'd love to come out and show them who Baylor Football really is. Last year, I don't think that we played that way and we were happy. Last week, we played better when we were mad and upset, so that's what we want to do."

On preparing mentally for last three games:
"I think it's just that one week at a time, one game at a time kind of mentality. We can't get to the championship, if we don't win this week, so that's what is most important for me and the most important for the leadership on this team--to make sure each guy takes this game seriously and that we're out to prove. Confidence-wise, flow-wise, momentum-wise, we have to keep that rolling, especially offensively. When we run the ball and establish a lead early, that's when we really click, so we need to make sure we start early and give it to Shock, Devin, and Johnny. That's when we do really well."

On the third and final bye week:
"Our coaches do a great job of keeping us fresh and not pushing us too hard like some teams will do during a bye week. They've made sure that everybody is back healthy and ready to go for Oklahoma State."

On the focus of the last stretch of the season:
"There are three games left, and we have to win them in order to reach our goal of winning the Big 12 and hopefully making the playoffs."

On keeping track of the College Football Playoff polls:
"Everybody keeps track of it a little bit, but there is a difference between tracking it and focusing on it. For us, we are just keeping track of it. Our focus is on OSU and winning each of our three games."

On the benefit of the bye week:
"We got to have a break. Some of the guys were banged up, but they got the chance to get back to healthy. Mentally, now we have to stay focused and know what we have to do this week."

On the final stretch of the season:
"It's exciting, but we have to stay focused. It helps a lot (that two of our last three games) are home. That's very good for us."

On putting themselves in the race for another Big 12 title:
"(Winning a Big 12 championship) sounds good, but like I said, at the end of the day we have to stay focused and make sure that everybody is doing what they are supposed to do."

On going for fourth down:
"That's always the best time whenever you have to fight for the last couple of yards. It's always a challenge, but we face it head-on. If we have two yards, we are going to push to go get it."

On focusing on this week, not the Big 12 championship:
"I'm not looking past this week right now. I'm just looking at this Saturday and focusing on what we have to do to get to a championship."

On the process of getting playing time:
"As Coach Bennett always told me `Be ready to play because you are one play away.' He always told me that I was a playmaker and wanted me on the field but I still needed to learn. I kept on getting more comfortable with the defense and as soon as he became comfortable with me, he put me on the field."

On Bryce Hager's leadership:
"Learning from Bryce Hager has been an honor because he is so knowledgeable on the field. He has helped me out so much as a young guy. He is a vocal guy, but (he leads) more by example. He tells me to watch him or to look for certain formations in plays. He is a great teacher."

On being the smallest player on the field at times:
"I've always felt that way through everything that I have had to do. Bringing the attitude out there to the field of `I'm the smallest, but I can bring the biggest punch' is something that I try to do every time I step out on the field."