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2015 Russell Athletic Bowl
Baylor 49, North Carolina 38 Dec. 29, 2015 Orlando, Florida

Baylor Postgame Quotes

Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles, RB Johnny Jefferson, LB Aiavion Edwards

THE MODERATOR: All right. We're joined by Baylor, Coach Briles, offensive coordinator. We're not going to start with an opening statement, just begin with Q&A. So if you can find someone with a microphone, let's go ahead and get started, for coach and student athletes.

Q. (Inaudible.)

COACH Kendal Briles: No. We felt good about it, obviously. Our guys were prepared. Coach Briles talked about it after the game. The last couple of weeks, we've had some of the best practices that we've had. As a whole, the adversity we went through this year, the seniors, what they've done and accomplished. And for these guys to win 50 games in the last five years is a tribute to what they've done and a tremendous program. They've run the ball well. They didn't head in the box too much. We had some really good players. A great job helping us run schemes.

THE MODERATOR: For those of you who weren't in the room earlier, Mr. Jefferson was the game MVP.

Q. This question is actually for Johnny Jefferson. I have a question for you. Like, what inspired your offensive game today? I mean, you broke two records today. Kind of tell me how you feel about that and what inspired you.

JEFFERSON: I would say the team and leaving a good taste in their mouth, all of our seniors except for one guy. The big thing for me was THE last game we played, I had a big mistake. And I promised the guys that I was going to come out and give it my all. And today God blessed me and they blocked amazing today. Today just turned out to be a good day.

Q. Kendal, how different was everything that you had to put in as far as the basics go? Obviously, quarterbacks are all going to be different when you're rotating. But as far as blockingwise, did you guys have to change that too?

COACH Kendal Briles: No, we didn't have to change too much there. We got there in the second half and devised a game plan, tried to give us a chance to win and catch the ball from the center. So that kind of gave us a leg up in preparation for the bowl game. They executed the practice. They showed what they were capable of.

Q. What is the plan going into mix, a lot of passing, or was it just a wildcat as much as you did?

COACH Kendal Briles: We wanted to do both. We felt very confident in Chris and his abilities, to throw the football, and our guys. We took some shot we connect on. But we did want to get ourselves in distance situations because we got into the game. Our guys were creating a lot of space in the run game and that were taking advantage of. Once we kind of got into the groove of the game, it just felt like if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Q. Coach, 102 offensive plays tonight, 85 degrees. Talk about the offensive line. Any changes that you had to make for them tonight?

COACH Kendal Briles: They just played tremendous. And our guys are used to playing the plays. I don't know -- we have over 12 games and that's what we wanted to do, uptempo, play a lot of snaps our line and what it does for them. For the defensive line, it wears those guys out and we practice that way and they've done a great job. Coach Clements has done a great job. And they're mature. Four of those guys are seniors. And Spencer Drango has been a great leader and he's just done a great job.

Q. You were averaging 300 yards. Does this somehow, second half Texas tonight, change in a way who you might be?

COACH Kendal Briles: We aren't getting that far yet. What we have been has been pretty good. Obviously, we've got a QB that could really execute the offense. These guys, with the capability of being able to do that and getting back out and the receiver and do some things, it does create some problems with the defense having to prepare for that.

Q. Johnny, what does it say on about the players on your team, with guys going down and being able to step up and play (inaudible)?

JEFFERSON: I want to give credit to Coach Briles because he knows how to recruit. It just says that we're tough. Baylor's whole identity is on physicality. And that's all he preaches, all he teaches. And by them doing that, they're inspiring everybody else, so everybody else wants to make plays and everybody else wants to win a game. It feels good to win a game.

Q. For Aiavion, you guys have lost your last two games.

EDWARDS: The seniors have done a great job keeping the whole team together. We have been through a lot. Just sending those guys out on the right level and just getting this win is big. It's big for us, big for the program.

Q. Aiavion, knowing that North Carolina has a good offense, how much more confident did you see your offense to get those points and keep up that pace that you always have and put the stops that you did?

EDWARDS: We were having confidence. Coach Briles and staff, they put us in a great position and going up against offense every day, there's nothing like it. There's no other team you can compare to that. The confidence when we went into the game, we came in with a high confidence and able to execute.

Q. Aiavion, for you personally, the three-man front and four-line backers, it looks like you were very comfortable in that. Did you feel that you've been adjusted to that pretty well?

EDWARDS: Yes, I have. I was put into the defense and just kind of everything started clicking. This team started making stops and it's been working really well for us. I've just been able to fit in and just help the team out.

Q. I know you said you had confidence in this wildcat, but in the whole game, those of us guys were around me and kept looking the stats and the way the rushing was going up and up and up, how mind-blowing is 653 yards? 400, I'm sure you would have been happy with. But to completely obliterate a Russell Bowl record, that's a staggering number that you know you wouldn't have expected.

COACH Kendal Briles: It is staggering. Four running seniors between two guys, really looking at Terence, three guys over 100. I mean, to be honest with you, with the rushing yards, we don't care. Johnny will tell you, he doesn't care. I know in the third quarter, I'm listening to Johnny in the sideline and he's saying win. Let's win. Let's win. He didn't care about rushing yards. We could have had 100 rushing yards and 100 passing yards. We would have been real happy. All we care about is winning the football game and for these seniors and this program. It's a very big game.

Q. Johnny, you came into the season as the third running back in the depth chart, kind of hidden down there. And then you go out and break the record in the history of college football. How do you keep yourself motivated and be able to do something like that even when you're hidden in the depth chart for a while?

JEFFERSON: I think the coaching staff, they're always hard on me, telling me that every day is an opportunity to get better. Me starting, we really didn't have a third running back. How much we rotate, it's not a true starting because everybody gets in, gets a chance. It's just the fact, you get in and take advantage of the opportunity.

COACH Kendal Briles: He's a quarterback too. We don't have fifth-string quarterbacks. He's a quarterback.

Q. Aiavion, a couple of big plays. You got a sack or a stop on Williams. How big were those plays in a game like this?

EDWARDS: We try to get as many turnovers as possible. Johnny was able to score right after. It was big, especially in a game like this. It's a big deal.

Q. Johnny, for the running backs, as a whole, how much confidence did you have in the playing strategy?

JEFFERSON: A lot. We put this -- everybody, the coaches and the line, everybody said this game was -- all our quarterbacks are out. Chris, he's a great quarterback. I don't take nothing from him. He did good. And let's see if they're going to stop.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We have time for two more.

Q. Johnny (inaudible) a quarterback, so many people. Was it difficult at all for you guys to keep it straight and how did the team do that?

JEFFERSON: Let me just say we had a lot of practices. We run a lot of plays at practice so we're in the routine a lot. I probably ran every play I ran out there 200 times at practice. I don't flinch. It's nothing new because I'm used too being back there. Some of the guys, they get a bunch of practice out there so we just work as a team. It's like an oiled machine.

Q. Going back to the days of (audible), was this the best performance of your career?

JEFFERSON: By far, this is the best performance I've ever had in my life.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Actually, we have one last question.

Q. Kendal, to see the amount of young players like Johnny, skill but also the offensive line, you rotating a lot of the backs [ph], the Marpels [ph], Waldos [ph], how exciting is it that you get to see the quality of reps and also in terms of going into the offseason, the amount of guys coming back, as opposed to the last couple of years? How is that for continuing to build up this program?

COACH Kendal Briles: I feel like we have a lot of momentum on that. The younger guys have a ton of experience this year. We feel really good about where we're at with a program, with the depth and the class that we have. So just going to keep getting better and we feel like with the guys that are going to be coming in with the guys are very, very talented, but we're not worried about that now. We're worried about this win and this victory for these seniors and to go out and win 50 games in five years is just really, really incredible and I'm just blessed to be part of it.

UNC Postgame Quotes

Head coach Larry Fedora, QB Marquise Williams

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll go ahead and get started. We're joined by Coach Fedora and quarterback Marquise Williams. Coach, if you could start us off with an opening statement.

COACH FEDORA: Yeah, we didn't get it done tonight, obviously. So you have to give a lot of credit to Baylor and what they accomplished tonight. They were the better team out there on the field tonight.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll open it up to Q&A. We are using court reporters and we'll get you a full transcript.

Q. Did you guys have any idea coming into this that that offense for Baylor would manifest itself the way it did today?

COACH FEDORA: No. I didn't believe they would run for 645 yards. Actually, no, I didn't ever think that, no.

Q. What was the challenge trying to prepare for them knowing you know can't see Chris Johnson that much?

COACH FEDORA: Well, we knew -- we thought they would throw the ball more than they did, you know. We probably were going to need to, you know, throughout the entire game, put more people in the box. We didn't think that they would run the ball like they did, you know, didn't think that they would have that kind of success. We have to give the guys credit for what they did. They played a lot of guys at the position and they (inaudible).

Q. Coach Fedora?

COACH FEDORA: Yes.

Q. What went through your mind and what (inaudible) did you see differently after the fumble in the third quarter?

COACH FEDORA: Well, I mean, it was not -- nothing that we did differently. We knew we were down at that point and we were going to have to -- you know, we were going in to score and they turned around and took it on the next play and took it back, you know, 80 yards. So it was a 14-point swing on one play, basically. We didn't take care of the football going in the end zone. You know, we drove the ball right down the field, did everything we thought we could do, and as we go forward the end zone, we turned the ball over and it turned into a 14-point swing.

Q. What was the main challenge of stopping them from the running game? Why were they so effective (inaudible)?

COACH FEDORA: A lot things. I mean, a lot of, you know, guys not being where they needed to be in their gaps. We had missed tackles in the open field that we had to make and didn't make. And we just -- you know, they blocked us and we didn't get all the blocks. So it's just as simple as that.

Q. Coach, knowing (inaudible) their quarterbacks, what was your expectation in the offensive game tonight?

COACH FEDORA: What was the expectation of our offensive game plan or their?

Q. (Inaudible.)

COACH FEDORA: We thought they would do basically what they had been doing. We thought they would throw it around a little bit more. We knew that the quarterback, 13, would run it a little bit more (inaudible) the quarterback runs. That's what we were expecting. And all they did was come out and just run it down and throw it. They got to have the same game plan, but when they realized they could just continue to run the football, there's no need to throw it.

Q. Larry, with (inaudible) Keith calling the plays, how did that process go and were there any hiccups at all?

COACH FEDORA: No, we didn't feel like there were any hiccups. We did it basically the way we've been doing it where we talked about what we wanted to do in between the series with the scripts and then he called. It was not -- I never thought it was an issue.

Q. Marquise, this is a bit more macro. When you value the season that this team has had, in what way was this bowl game (inaudible) an appropriate or inappropriate finish to this season?

WILLIAMS: It was appropriate. I mean, it was something I always dreamed of, you know. We got to a bowl game. It's tough because we lost for us seniors. It's been a fun ride for us seniors and the whole team. We established something. We're building something, and I'm excited to see what the guys bring next year to the table because they're going to have (inaudible) greed for more. They're going to see how we lost the last two and (inaudible) going to be ready to go next year, to be honest.

Q. When you see their offense running up and down the field and they're basically scoring every time they got the ball, how much more pressure does that put on your offense to match that?

WILLIAMS: It's not really pressure, you know. It's just keeping the guys positive on the sidelines. If they (inaudible), I mean, we have to answer. It that was the thing we wanted to do. (inaudible) Make a defense, defense make a it stop, and we need to go to score. That's what's difference between the team this year. We've got each other's back. Nobody's going to go back and forth saying, hey, you guys can't stop nobody. None of that. (inaudible) this year. Everybody's still by each other's side and, like I say, we always got each other's back.

Q. -- how much was a scheme and how much was the simple fact that you guys were just dominated at the line of scrimmage?

COACH FEDORA: How much of it was scheme and how much of it was that we were dominated with the line of scrimmage? Let's say 50/50. How about that? Is that good?

Q. Larry, how do you kind of reconcile what happened tonight in the context of the season, winning 11 straight (inaudible) and breaking through record season in the fourth year?

COACH FEDORA: We had a lot of positive things happen with this football team this year and we came a long way when we think back to where we were January 6 (inaudible) about our program and what was going with our program from the outside, I couldn't be more proud of this football team. Our senior class and what the legacy that they're leaving, what they accomplished this year, and they set a new standard, you know, for the guys in that locker room. So those guys in the locker room, younger guys, guys that are all going to be back, they know what it takes now. They know what has to be done. The classes that we're recruiting, they know what the new standard is, what they're going to be measured against. Is this a good team? I think so. We know we've got to do -- as a coaching staff, what we'll do is we'll come back in, we'll evaluate just like we do every year. We'll see what we have to tweak, what we have to adjust, and if hopefully we'll be a better football team next year than we were this year.

Q. Mark, your nature is to smile and you were all smiles after the game. Was that -- were you already kind of compartmentalizing that this was just one game and the whole experience at North Carolina something much more positive?

WILLIAMS: I'm always going to be positive. I'm always going to smile. (inaudible) I have an opportunity to play with one of the best teams. My team mates (inaudible) and they gave me an opportunity to compete with those guys. I'm too nice to be stressed. Losers lose, but I'm still happy that I have the opportunity to get to a bowl game (inaudible) and we had a great coaching staff and a great team. I'm going to keep smiling. That's just who I am.

Q. Mark, (inaudible) talked a lot about next year's team and trying to get that (inaudible). Despite the losses in the last two games, do you think those were necessary to be able to play against these elite level teams to see what's needed to make the next step?

WILLIAMS: Yeah, (inaudible) we started in the last two. It didn't come out the way we wanted. (inaudible) It's exciting. We've got a whole defense come back, and (inaudible) quarterback. I'm excited. I'm excited to see what those guys are ready for next year. They're going to win way more games than 11 games, I can tell you that.

Q. Coach, in the last few games statistically (inaudible) and tonight, guys were at the end -- tonight, you take away one play, you can still win a game like that. How close does that say that your program is to being in position (inaudible) , even if everything isn't right, to still beat teams like {if Clem on and Baylor?

COACH FEDORA: You can go back and look at our season. We are just four or five plays away from playing the playoffs and continuing to play. So we feel like as a program, we're not that far away. We're really not that far away. And I think our guys understand that now. And I think our maybe our fans understand that now for the first time. The vision that we have been talking about and selling for the last four years, they're seeing it come to fruition right before their eyes. They're like, wow, this can happen at Carolina. Why not Carolina? And we have been saying that for four years, and now I think people are starting to understand that, you know what? We can be as good as anybody else in the country.

Q. I want to ask you about just before the game about this concussion. How long do you guys have to prepare for not having (inaudible) --

COACH FEDORA: I'm sorry? Q. Nazair Jones, how much preparation did you have without him when his concussion happened?

COACH FEDORA: He practiced, I believe, Tuesday of this week, part of the practice, and then symptoms started coming back on Wednesday and so that's when we knew he wasn't going to play. Yeah. I say -- let me make sure I correct myself. Tuesday, Wednesday practice, I have no idea what day is that. Today is Saturday for me. Yesterday was Friday. So whatever day that was. It was our Tuesday, Wednesday practice is what I meant. I can't tell you what day that was, though. I don't even know if we've had a Tuesday or Wednesday for real.

THE MODERATOR: Anymore questions for Carolina? Got one in the back. Dave?

Q. Coach, you said earlier in the week that you were prepared for Baylor to put players on the field that could play even though they were down with injuries. Were you prepared for everything that they tried to pull today on offense, all the different players?

COACH FEDORA: They did some things that they haven't done, you know. But, I mean, you've got to give their staff credit for -- they knew they were down quarterbacks and they knew that 13 was very limited as far as the way you could throw the football, you know. And so they put a plan together of, you know, of wild cat and every form of quarterback style of running game that you could possibly run. And they did a great job with it. But they've done that all year. I mean, they're down to their third and fourth quarterback and still had a chance to win all their games. I mean, so they've done a great job of that all season. I don't know if people can give that staff enough credit for what they did. There aren't many teams in the country that end up playing their third and fourth quarterbacks and still win 10 games.