Head Coach Art Briles

Opening Statement:
"We have experience in our team. We have been in a lot big games, come up short in a couple â '¬" you have to win big games to get them. We have some guys who know how to win games, and that's where it all starts."

On being ranked preseason number four in the nation:
"I don't start looking at it as pressure or hype. I think it is a realization of the way our program has ascended. When we look at that responsibility, we have to keep it up there. We are going to play like we are ranked number one or four. That is the way we look at it."

On Seth Russell being his fourth quarterback in five years:
"[Seth Russell] gives us the opportunity to change offensively. That is the thing that is kind of inspiring us. We don't like being the same; we like to adapt our personnel. We'll try to adapt to his talents and I think it will bring a different element to the table for us that we haven't had in two or three years."

On injured players coming back:
"[Shawn] Oakman and [Orion] Stewart are ready to roll. The main thing we are going to do is to really try to keep them healthy through this camp. Last year we went through the first game and we got four receivers down, so we have to do a great job of making sure our guys really stay healthy through this camp."

On using LaQuan McGowan as tight end:
"What we are trying to do is create a way to help our football team win. It has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that he is a big man who has exceptional athletic ability. When we only play five offensive linemen it gives us a chance to get him on the field in situations to where we feel he can really make a difference."

On starting camp:
"It is always really exciting. You can hear it in the air. Our guys are pumped, everybody is excited, it's just a great time of the year. The key is perseverance; the key to me is I try to treat my job as it is the first day only. That's what it should be every day at practice. They are excited today â '¬" it's August the sixth â '¬" how are you going to be on November 14th? You still have to have the same energy. That is the part that separates people and that is part of what we talk to our guys about. Every day has to be a great day."

On what can make him satisfied with this season:
"Satisfied? Beat SMU, right now. That is the only thing in our mind. That is the only game in front of us. Take care of that and then you ask me after that game and we'll see what the answer is. That is the only thing we are focusing on, because we know we are walking into a Friday night game that is national TV and everybody in the world is going to be watching, and it is going to be a lively stadium. It's going to be a great atmosphere for our guys to open the season. That's exciting for us."

On Seth Russell stepping into the starting quarterback job:
"He is doing well. Seth has a really calm personality. I think that bodes well for the position he is in. We realize there are expectations there, he knows that, but he has to just have fun and play. He has a lot of ability and the thing for him is that you don't have to be graceful, you just have to be good. You have to be settled, you have to do what we expect him to do before he does it. I think it is going to be good. I am very anxious to see his progress here over the next two to three weeks, because there is a lot of difference between jumping off the bench and going in and playing and being out there when they tip it up. He is going to be out there when they toss the ball."

On what positions specifically is he going to look at for starting roles:
"You've got two or three receiving positions on the offensive side â '¬" that's probably about it. We will play three or four running backs. Defensively, I think everything is pretty set except for a secondary position or two. The guys who have been there and done that just have to keep being there and doing that. Oakman can't be as good the first game as he was against SMU last year, he can't be the same Oakman. He has to be different. [Spencer] Drango has to be different. All those guys who have played, they have to be better, they have got to be different than what they were a year ago. That's the progress that you have to go through to have a chance to be a dominant football team."

On if he anticipates Jarrett Stidham getting playing time this season:
"That is something that we are working through. We really are. He has the ability to play. We are just going to work through that and see how this fall camp progresses and see how he fits into our plans. I think time will answer that question."

On wanting to be in the playoff conversation at the end of the season:
"I hope so. We wouldn't mind starting that conversation. We expect to be there, too, but we also understand that if you are trying to get somewhere before you get there, then you might not make it. You understand the process that you have to go through, and we have to be great week in and week out because of what you're saying. Because people are expecting us to be there. Every time we line up against somebody, we are their game. You can ask eight or nine of the people on our schedule and say what's the one game you want to win if you have them in a quote, they have to be honest, or have to put their hand on the bible, they would say, 'we would like to come out on top against the Baylor Bears.' So that's the thing that motivates us and inspires us."

On how important it is to start with a road game:
"It is important. It's important with a new quarterback going into a different stadium and letting our guys get accustomed to winning on the road. Anytime you play a school within the state of Texas it's going to be a rival game, regardless of what they have done before, what division they are in or whatever. So it's going to be a rival game and we understand that."

WR Corey Coleman

On his goals for the season:
"My goal is to do the best I can for my team and help my team win each and every game. I just want to be the best I can be."

On the team having a chip on its shoulder:
"It's really big. We never can be too comfortable. We are always looking to get better."

On what to expect from Seth Russell:
"Seth, he is an amazing guy and a great role model on and off the field. He is a great athlete and he can throw the ball as well as anyone in the nation. He came in the same class as me and it's great to see what he has become since our freshman year. We have 100 percent trust that he will get the job done."

DT Andrew Billings

On how the defense has changed over his career at Baylor:
"First, it started with us. Now, the public is starting to see what we saw last year. We are just trying to put it all together this year."

On the hype about Baylor's defense adding extra pressure:
"It is just a reminder that people are watching. There is always pressure on us to keep it up, and I know we have high expectations of ourselves, so we are just trying to make sure those are met."

On the biggest step he has taken personally from the start of camp last year to this year:
"It is really knowledge for me. Having knowledge of the game, having knowledge of what the offensive line is doing and just really watching more film.

DT Beau Blackshear

On his thoughts going into his senior year:
"I've been thinking about it, but I think it is more exciting just knowing that this is my last chance to do whatever I can on the field for Baylor and get better. I am really taking that as more of a motivational thing."

On how he feels the defense is different going into this year's preseason camp:
"We have quality guys returning and a lot more experience. I think we have a lot more confidence going into fall camp and leading into the season."

CB Xavien Howard

On what he has been working on during the offseason:
"This offseason I have been working on my footwork, my hands, my ball skills and just my overall game. I feel like I am getting better and getting in better positions to make better plays."

On how he feels Seth Russell will do:
"I feel like Seth is going to get the job done, I've been feeling like that. Anytime he gets in, I don't have any worries. Even when Bryce [Petty] went down [last year] and he came in, I didn't have any worries."

On what makes Seth a good quarterback:
"He makes smart decisions. I have trouble going against him at practice because he messes me up sometimes and I feel like he makes smart decisions."

QB Seth Russell

On how close the season is to starting:
"Absolutely, it's something that is right around the corner now and it is something that we have continued to work on and continued to strive for. We as a team are all working together and it will all start coming together here and in the future."

On being patient as a backup quarterback:
"I got a lot of playing time last year, which not a lot of backups can say. At that time, I feel like that was really helpful from a confidence standpoint. Patience-wise, being the number one guy, it's exciting."

On the responsibility of being the starting quarterback at Baylor:
"Consistency. The ball is the most precious thing on the field. If you give it back over to the other team, that doesn't help our team out and makes it harder on the defense."

On what is to be expected of him:
"Baylor is getting someone who is going to work every day â '¬" that is going to be there for team. I'll put the team first is part of what I stand for. I tend to put God first, put everything first before myself, and that is something that I can bring to the field, and I can share with other guys. Instead of being selfish, you have to be giving."

On being different than Bryce Petty:
"My running ability is a little bit better than Bryce's. He has a strong arm and he is smart. That is something that I watch on film â '¬" I watch what his decision making is. That is something I am learning from. I continue to learn with my running ability I bring a little different aspect."

WR KD Cannon

On Seth Russell's throws compare with Bryce Petty:
"I say better, but this is something we all have to work on just to get used to each other."

On Kendall Briles' first full season as offensive coordinator:
"KB came in the last game of the season as offensive coordinator. We racked up a bunch of yards with him. I am just looking forward to seeing what us receivers are going to do with him."

DE Shawn Oakman

On being ranked preseason number four nationally:
"It is a number, really. We have to see where we finish at the end of the season."

On what finish will make the team feel satisfied:
"We have to be number one. We have to make it to the playoffs and we have to make it to the national championship for Baylor University to be satisfied."

On the team's mindset:
"Compete every day, go out and grind. It's not going to be easy. We know what we need to do to get to the next level."

S Terrell Burt

On being coached by new safeties coach Cris Dishman:
"It's been good. Over the summer he has being texting us and making sure we are staying up and doing what we are supposed to do. He is a coach that is going to stress on us to make plays and he is going to make us better. The experience is key. Cris Dishman having experience and knowing what do, being in the game for so long, he can get what he learned and pretty much give it to us."

RB Shock Linwood

On Seth Russell following the footsteps of previous Baylor QBs:
"He does not have to follow in those footsteps. He is taking his own footsteps. He is the one that is going to be in control of the offense. He wants to set up his own tempo, his own goals, his own expectations. He is going to come to the offense ready to play."

LB Taylor Young

On his performance last season as a freshman:
"It felt good, but it was expected. I want to play with that chip on my shoulder, so I really don't try to look at those articles in the paper. It's something I try to block out of my mind and I still feel that nobody knows me. I am still the underdog."

On getting to finally have the first practice of the season:
"Excitement. That is it. Just to get back on the field. This is home. Everybody has been here for four to five years to play this game. This is what it's all about."

OT Spencer Drango

On how different the offense is with Kendall Briles as new offensive coordinator:
"You know, it's actually not that different at all. There have been a few changes here and there, but we get a few changes every year. For the most part, spring was pretty much business as usual. So we are looking forward to see what changes will happen in the fall."