Kliff Kingsbury met with the media as he always does the Monday leading up to a game. Following Saturday’s loss, Kliff didn’t have a lot of answers. He was able to watch film and give a little more insight in what worked and what didn’t Saturday against the Longhorns.
Here’s the recap.
Kliff Kingsbury
- Kliff noted that Malik Jefferson was able to cause problems for Patrick Mahomes and they didn’t adjust very well. He said that the coaches in the booth could see what Jefferson was doing and was communicating it but they didn’t have an answer. Kliff said that the spying by Jefferson has been addressed with the offensive line and it shouldn’t have been a problem but it will be fixed. Personally, I was on the sideline for Saturday’s game and can say that Kliff and Pat didn’t adjust well, but also Malik is a freak athletically and there is a reason he was picked in the preseason to be the Big 12 defender of the year.
- Kliff said that quite a few times the receivers ran busted routes and that needs to get fixed. This was obvious watching the game, but many “couch coaches” on Twitter were quick to blame Pat.
- He noted that he would like to see both sides of the ball work together but they haven’t been able to do that yet. I think everyone would like to see that.
- Kingsbury said preseason that this was his best team so far and he confirmed that he still feels that way, it just hasn’t translated to wins and losses. For me, the receiver position and all three position groups on defense have been a lot better this year than last. The stats may not show it, especially on defense, but I have much more confidence in getting a stop this year than I did last, and several freshmen have shown that they are going to be key contributors for a long time. Running back, which is to be expected, and offensive line are weaker than last year.
- It sounds like Devin Lauderdale and Gary Moore may not be with the team anymore. More to come.
Patrick Mahomes and Justis Nelson
- Patrick Mahomes said that after looking at the film he still feels the same as he did after the game when he said they didn’t execute when they needed to. He needs to work on not pressing when the offense doesn’t score on multiple drives.
- He thinks the team is still good but he’s disappointed with the results.
- Pat expects the same defensive game plan from Oklahoma State as they have seen the last two weeks because it worked.
- He also said that playing in a bowl is the goal and they don’t want to sit at home in December. He said that the last time they didn’t make a bowl the offseason felt like forever.
- Justis Nelson said that the team is down a little bit but you have to get over it and focus on the game in front of you.
- He noted that the defense toughed up and did what they needed to do get off the field but still have a lot of room to improve.
- He said that playing in Stillwater is tough and noted that they haven’t won there in a while and it would be a lot to get the W there.
Loading comments...