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Baylor Head Coach Art Briles

Opening statement €¦
"I thought we did what we aspired to do today. We came in with a lot of energy and effort. We didn't play with a lot of energy the first couple of weeks and that's something we challenged our guys on this week. We have a lot of respect for Rice. They've got a program that's going well. They're doing a great job and they have a great staff. In-state wins are always hard, so this was a good win. I thought we did well defensively after they got that start with running it back. I didn't feel comfortable until we got away from them a little bit in the second half. Overall, great win for Baylor. It was a beautiful day and an unbelievable crowd in this heat. Big win for Baylor and we know we've got a tough game next week against Texas Tech."

On how Baylor played and looking forward to Texas Tech €¦
"I would call this close to a complete win. There's always something and penalties are a little bit of an issue. Other than that, this was a pretty good team win. We understand the competition is going to get higher, and the stakes and the emotions are going to get higher. But what helps us is we've been on those high notes the past few years. We're all playing for those gold and glass trophies that are sitting in my office. So we've got a little bit of hunger in us."

On the defense's performance €¦
"They did a great job. We have good people, good coaches, and good schemes. We have a great home field advantage and we have the longest home winning streak in America. We're really, really good at home, so that all bodes well if you're a Baylor Bear. The defense was borderline dominant at times tonight. Our guys up front really made some plays and put pressure on their quarterback."

On getting his and the team's edge back €¦
"It's been extremely difficult. It's been personally difficult. My job is not to be personal -- it's to be professional. I had to quit acting like a baby and act like a man. I'm back to doing my job, which is whatever I can do to help these guys be the best on and off the field that they can be."

On Corey Coleman €¦
"Corey has the great ability to be able to do numerous things besides just be a receiver. That's what separates him. He's a fearless blocker and he's a tough runner. He doesn't just have speed -- he can rely on toughness and outstanding desire not to get tackled. When he catches the ball, he's got a chance to make a play and I think that's what separates him from other receivers."

On Shawn Oakman €¦
"Two weeks ago they ran away from him and spread away from him, but Rice stayed in the pocket. He's good, he's really, really good and that's what allows him to do things. He's got great length, great passion, great energy, great strength, and he cares a whole lot about being great, so that allows for very good production."

Baylor RB Shock Linwood

On if the team felt crisper €¦
"I thought the defense showed up and were way better. Offensively, we ran the ball pretty well today."

Baylor LB Travon Blanchard

On the defense's performance €¦
"I feel like we had a good week of practice. We worked at practice on playing with more intensity. We made sure that every play could be that [difference-making] play. We took a step forward. We took a step towards our goal: we want to be a dominant defense, the best defense in the nation. It was great being out here at home because the crowd was into it and we had a pretty good game."

On the defense making a statement in final non-conference game €¦
"It was really good, it was really important to us. We want to build chemistry as a defense. We also want to work on not giving up any explosive plays â '¬" running or passing. Our No. 2s got in and finished strong. We didn't get too injured, so it was pretty good all around."

On Baylor defensive coordinator Phil Bennett €¦
"He's a genius, he does a really good job making halftime adjustments and during the game adjustments. He makes sure he puts us in correct positions so we're in places to be successful. He tells us to calm down and just play the game we know. Every week, every day, we practice against the best offense in the nation. So when we come out here we feel confident playing against anyone. So he tells us to calm down, play the game we know how to play. After the Xs and Os are drawn, it's about football and winning your one-on-one matchup and tackling the ball carrier."

On the bye week €¦
"The bye week helps to get ahead on school work, and recover on bumps and bruises you might have. I feel like the bye week helped us to tune into everything they ran. Our coaches put us in a pretty good position, and all you have to do is your job, and the rest will take care of itself."

On blitzing more €¦
"When we blitz we force the ball to get out faster than the QB wants to. Our defensive line does a really good job of getting pressure in the quarterback's face, and the corners and safeties are good at covering down field. It was hard to stay in coverage when he scrambles, but we did a really good job of blitzing. The coverage was pretty good."

Baylor QB Seth Russell

On if the team felt sharper and cleaner today €¦
"Absolutely. That's something we always want to work towards is being crisp and consistent. That's what coach preaches to us in practice; to make every throw, to make every catch, to make every run, to make every block. That's something we work on â '¬" to be perfect in everything we do. We're not going to be perfect but it's something we strive for every day in practice."

On his performance today €¦
"It was okay. There were definetly things I could be better at. There were two drive killers where I overthrew Corey [Coleman], then the next play I overthrew Jay Lee. That's something I can't do. I have to be able to make those throws. And the one to Lynx [Hawthorne], the deep one, I babied it. If I just throw it full speed, he'd go get it."

On what was more important, six TD passes or zero turnovers €¦
"Zero turnovers definitely. That's something coach really preached to me during the week; control the ball. If it's first and 10 and they drop eight, I would have to throw it into coverage, so I can run it. I felt like the offense did a great job, and the defense did an amazing job to stop Rice. We were excited to get back on the field."

On the Baylor receiving corps €¦
"I think they're the best receiving corps in the nation. It makes my job a lot easier. I can't just pick one guy to throw it to. They all talk to me on the sideline telling me they're open. They fight and work hard and are consistent in practice so I'm very confident in them. We work on it every day, and we talk about it in the film room, on the field and after practice to get on the same page."

Baylor S Orion Stewart

On the defensive performance €¦
"It's a confidence booster. We know where we're at with the players we have, and the things that we really can do. I definitely think we showed what's left to come. We got Texas Tech next week, and we know they got a nice offense. They're going to spread the ball around. I'm going to get my guys ready. We're going to be ready this year."

On the defensive adjustments during the bye week €¦
"We didn't play well (against Lamar), and we didn't play well against SMU either. We had lost our edge, that's what everybody keeps saying. We came out relaxed like it was just going to be handed to us, but it's not. Everybody is coming to beat us."

Baylor WR Jay Lee

On the success behind #WRU €¦
"We take bits and pieces from each other. We use it as a tool for ourselves and for the younger guys. They just try to watch (the upperclassmen) and mimic what we do, so that's all we're doing. We took what we saw from Terrence Williams, Kyndall Wright, and Antwan Goodley. We're trying to use that, and that's what the younger guys are doing. They're watching us, so it's like a big circle, and we're all proud of each other. We look after each other."

Baylor LB Grant Campbell

On game day preperations for Rice €¦
"Coach Bennett got us prepared going into this game. He had a phenomenal game plan going in, so he got it more complex with the lineups and certain formations, so he really got us prepared going into this game. There was minimal adjustments made at halftime. Our game was superb by Bennett, and we just rolled from there."

On today's performance €¦
"Credit goes to the coaching staff and the guys upfront who played well tonight. I feel a lot better compared to our last two games as a defense. The thing is we need to get better each and every week, and that starts Tuesday as we prepare into next week against Texas Tech. We're starting off well next week going in strong."

Baylor LB Taylor Young

On the defensive performance vs. Rice €¦
"Tonight we showed how dominant our defensive line was. It was all about playing fast, and it really starts at practice. It shows up in the game. Last week, everybody at practice had that look on their face. They were hungry, and they showed it every day. We wanted to prove people wrong and show we are a dominant defense."

On the mentality for the defense €¦
"This group just wants to be perfect. That's what we're striving for. There are just things we have to work and be consistent."

Baylor WR Corey Coleman

On the offensive scheme for Rice €¦
"The offensive line was blocking the schemes really well, and Seth Russell put the ball where it needed to be. I was comfortable (tonight). I know I have a great quarterback who will put the ball on the money and an offensive line who will block it up for me to get open, so everything just clicks."

On Seth Russell's performance €¦
"He's maturing. He reads his keys really well. He does what he's told to do. He's going with the flow of the game and being patient. He knows where his receivers are going to be, and if you know that as a quarterback, it makes you more comfortable making the passes."

Rice Head Coach David Bailiff

Opening statement €¦
"We knew coming into Waco that Baylor was a great team, very deserving of their top four ranking. They're definitely an elite team in college football right now. We knew in order to give us the best opportunity to win we'd have to come in here and play our best, and play flawless football offensively, flawless football defensively and flawless special teams. We didn't though; we struggled offensively, had too many drive-stopping penalties, had too many mistakes, and had some busts defensively. We knew coming in we would need to guard better defensively, tackle better in space. I think we had more missed tackles today than we did in the first three games of the season combined. A lot of that is just scheme and what they did on us. I thought we excelled on special teams, on the kickoff, and we punted well, but we didn't play well enough to come in here and put our best foot forward. This game is not about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you can get back up, and we're going to have to get back up quick. We start Conference USA play next week, and we can't play like we did here and expect to compete and win."

On what to take out of this game €¦
"We have to watch Western Kentucky, have to watch that video. I know they've got a great quarterback, so we'll just have to watch video and see where all of our breakdowns were and why. Hopefully you play games like this and they help you play up-tempo in conference. I just told our players we want to come here and we want to beat the fourth-ranked team in the country. You come here expecting to win, but we didn't play well. We have to flush it, can't let this one beat us."

On game planning for Corey Coleman €¦
"Baylor is just an incredible offensive machine. If you game plan for one player, they're just going to get you with another one. There were times where we had doubles, we had brackets, we tried to use halves, we were rolling into other coverages trying to confuse them but it just didn't happen. They're just great players, they can beat you anywhere. They can beat you down the field, they can beat you with a quick dig, just with the type of athletic ability that they have. That's where you have got to tackle in space, and we just didn't. They got a lot of long plays on missed tackles. What they do just puts a lot of pressure on the defense and they've got a ton of speed. Defensively, bad things are going to happen to you, but you've just got to live in the now. You have to put something like that behind you because they're going to be snapping the ball as soon as the one before it ends. You don't have time to replay what you did right or wrong, so you better get in line because the guy in front of you is coming right at you."

Rice QB Driphus Jackson

Opening statement €¦
"They were as advertised. I talked to our quarterbacks coach after the game and schematically it wasn't anything they do that we're not familiar with, but we just got beat physically, and that's just what it was. We had some momentum going after our defense got that first defensive stop, and that fumble that I had came at an inopportune time. It was certainly a drive killer, a momentum shifter, and if we could've scored then we could have gone up on the end of that drive. We could have put points up on that drive but it happens. We were able to put together some drives but physically we just weren't able to match up with them. It's nothing against our guys, they were just the better team today. Going forward, hopefully this is just one of those games where we'll flush the film and get ready for Western Kentucky but I'm proud of the way that my guys fought. They played the best that they could and that's all I could ask for. I know we're going to get some healthy guys back next week and I'm looking forward to playing Western Kentucky."