Bonitto is just a lil surly this season. Not nearly as jovial as he was during 2020 season.
Dennis Simmons
Mike Woods?
“I mean, he's added a lot of value. You know, once again, he's a guy that has been in a lot of wars and then -- has played a lot of college football. So I mean, there's some things that go on in between the lines that he's able to help those guys with just from that veteran leadership standpoint alone. And then obviously, with the success that he's had on the field and the competitive catches that he's made and coming up in crucial situations in games, I think that's added to our offense as a whole."
Knowing Caleb was special?
This is gonna be a bad analogy, but I mean, you asked the question: so I’m gonna answer it. It’s kind of like having a kid and watching them go out and do something for the first time. You as a parent, it fills your heart with joy to see them you know fulfill that task, whatever it may be. With with Spencer, I mean, with Caleb, you know, he's a kid that he wants to be to be the best at what he's doing. So I mean, you see the things that you guys don't necessarily see of him — coming in early, studying film, you know, going to get with some of the offensive lineman, trying to figure out ‘OK, this is what y'all do’ and trying to factor in how all the pieces of the puzzle. So I mean, you see in him put in all of that work. Now it’s almost to the point where ‘OK, I'm supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be doing this. I've put in enough work to where I know all of the answers to the test. This is easy.’ So to see that smile on his face when he runs off the field and the smile on his face when he runs on the field. I mean, that confidence about him, it’s just like, ‘Yeah, I got this.’ So as a person that's on the staff or part of his career, I mean, you you can't help but be overwhelmed with joy to see that.
***
Alex Grinch
HC rumors?
“I think people would be surprised, and obviously speaking for myself, I won’t speak for the entire profession. But you would be surprised at the ability of coaches to just do their job. And have such a huge responsibility in my role here. It’s a role that we’ve talked at length about over the last seven weeks, that I need to do a a better of. So believe me, job No. 1 is to prepare these guys to play the best football we’ve played the entire season, because I think that’s what it’s going to take to beat a very good Baylor team this weekend. So, on, that’s always the focus. It’s hard not to focus. Even if you wanted to focus on something else. There's that play that comes to mind from practice that day. There’s that play that you might see that’s an adjustment. I don’t think I’m unique in that from that standpoint. Even during a bye week, you want to be distracted by your friends and family, using another example, and you have a tendency to be thinking about that Baylor game in two weeks. In this profession, there’s a number of opportunities that may come your way over time. At one point, you’re a graduate assistant, and you’re dying to call yourself a position coach. That might pay you $10,000, and you think, man, if you could make 30 and call yourself a full-time coach with benefits, it doesn’t get any better than that. If you’re fortunate, do a good job, be around good people and have an opportunity past that, that’s kind of the name of upward mobility that way. That would be the extent of it.”
HC desires?
Oh, it’s there. Absolutely. But that’s something for the offseason.
Takeaways vs. Tech?
One of the things we talk about with takeaways is it's also the ones you don't get. There's the intent. You get more physical football when you've got guys intent on every single play getting the ball out. You get more bodies around the football, which means you gang tackle. Some of the things you see in terms of playing elite defensive football is when you have that intent, you may not get the ball out... You have 30 opportunities to punch at the football. Is that going to be enough to get one out? That might not be the case. But if there's 30 opportunities that means there's 30 tackles that guys are making from a position to get the ball out. It's a huge stat. There's some byproducts of that that may not necessarily show up in the takeaway total.
***
Eric Gray
Bye week?
It was definitely great for me and for all our teammates. Nine-game stretch, being able to go home, recharge, get to spend some time with your family and ultimately be back fresh going into this Championship November.
Offensive progression?
I think we definitely made our strides in the last four weeks. You can kind of sere where the offense is going, you can kind of see that we’re coming into our own, kind of needing that bye week to come into our own. Ready to go into Championship November. I think we’re playing well and our best ball is ahead of us.
***
DaShaun White
I ask about Whitter/Stutsman?
They’re just getting comfortable. More snaps they get, the more comfortable they’re gonna get. The faster they’re gonna play, the faster they’re gonna process the plays and be able to be themselves. I think it’s a big deal. As the season goes on, the later we get, the more you’ll get to see really everyone on the team continually to chip away and get better and better. That’s something we’ve all emphasized, and we’ve really been busting our tails to get that done.
Baylor running game?
It will be a difficult challenge. But the way we’re looking at it? It’ll be a big opportunity more than anything. Especially the linebacker room where we see a lot of opportunities to get downhill and make as many plays in the backfield as we can and be disruptive upfront. They’re a dang good running team. But we view it as an opportunity. Honestly, really excited to get to Saturday.
Strong practice intensity?
I think we didn’t really struggle getting back to practicing the way we did before we left. We had a really good bye week. We had a dang good day today, dang good day yesterday. Monday was good. We just wanna finish the week and put ourselves in the best position possible to be able to go out and play the best game of our lives. Individually as a team as an offense as a defense, that’s what we’re trying to do this week. Go out and do the best we can to try to play the best game of our lives. Looking forward to it.
***
Jeremiah Hall
Handling coaching carousel? Beamer last year? Grinch this year?
Honestly, you just got to tune in and control what you can control. Speaking from personal experience, it was kind of funny at one point when (Shane) Beamer was going out for interviews and doing all that type of stuff he wasn't here, and so me and Brayden (Willis) were kind of holding things down and it was kind of fun because like were the old guys. There was no coach, and I think we played one game without him. But honestly, Coach Riley does a good job of making sure even if somebody isn't there that everything else is covered. But to answer your question, we don't really think about it because we have our own jobs to do. This is our team. We understand that it's a business and it's just part of college football.
I ask about Stogner, Willis finally getting a TD this season?
Our confidence has never really wavered. We all know that we’re great players in each of our different ways and forms. But it was nice to see both of them get a touchdown. I do have the most in the group so far. Brayden — we always talk about this outside of football — but Brayden was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to get me one, man. I’m tired of seeing J-Hall score.’ Nah, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But it was just good to see those guys get in the box. I’m happy for them. I get more excited seeing my teammates get success than my own. So I’m glad they had those touchdowns.
Responding after getting hit?
We go into every single game, in my mind I still have the mindset of being the number one offense in the country. So if we’re not scoring every single drive, then there’s a problem in some way or form to me. Like I’ve said before, we’ve just got to go out there and control what we can control, playing the best that we can. If things happen, then we’ve just got to respond. Responding is the key, if you have to respond. We’re in a position to go in and get up and keep our foot on the gas and we want to do that. We’ll see how the game goes. I’m expecting it’ll be fine.
***
Isaiah Thomas
Is Baylor a rival?
I wouldn't call it a rival. I think it's just good competition versus good competition. Typically versus OU, teams usually play their best games and that's a given week in and week out, but they're definitely better than they were last year. They have some good things on tape obviously. Not things we haven't seen before, but things we have to control on our end of the bargain. They'll do what they do but we just have to do what we do and I think we'll be fine. I wouldn't call it a rival but just good competition on good competition.
I ask about is it hitting home he has one more month for the regular season in his OU career?
It's definitely starting to hit home. I wouldn't say it's starting to change the intensity. I wouldn't say things are getting... ...because you can't prepare differently just because you're playing different opponents. I mean, of course, you've gotta enhance your game on gameday and stuff and you've gotta prepare better so I think it's moreso just tightening up the things that we've ... like, loose screws, stuff like that. Not so much is intensity because we have the same script, the same schedule as we did 10 weeks ago. It's just moreso how we approach things now. Championship November, like I said, either makes or breaks your season and we want it to make ours.
***
Nik Bonitto
2019 INT?
"It definitely gave me a lot of confidence. Prior to that, I didn't really make a lot of plays. With that having been a big play in an important moment in an important game, it really helped my confidence that I can really play college football with the best of the best, especially in these big games. I just tried to build off that game and tried to keep going. I would definitely say that game is a huge reason why I'm as confident as I am today."
On the dropped INT the play before in 2019?
"I was kind of like 'Damn, I really dropped the ball on the play before.' (Baylor) was already kind of driving, so I was like 'Damn, I hope this doesn't cost us the game.' Thank God I was able to break on it and make a play on the next play. That kind of slipped out of my mind afterward and I was just happy that I was able to make a play to win for the team."
Dennis Simmons
Mike Woods?
“I mean, he's added a lot of value. You know, once again, he's a guy that has been in a lot of wars and then -- has played a lot of college football. So I mean, there's some things that go on in between the lines that he's able to help those guys with just from that veteran leadership standpoint alone. And then obviously, with the success that he's had on the field and the competitive catches that he's made and coming up in crucial situations in games, I think that's added to our offense as a whole."
Knowing Caleb was special?
This is gonna be a bad analogy, but I mean, you asked the question: so I’m gonna answer it. It’s kind of like having a kid and watching them go out and do something for the first time. You as a parent, it fills your heart with joy to see them you know fulfill that task, whatever it may be. With with Spencer, I mean, with Caleb, you know, he's a kid that he wants to be to be the best at what he's doing. So I mean, you see the things that you guys don't necessarily see of him — coming in early, studying film, you know, going to get with some of the offensive lineman, trying to figure out ‘OK, this is what y'all do’ and trying to factor in how all the pieces of the puzzle. So I mean, you see in him put in all of that work. Now it’s almost to the point where ‘OK, I'm supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be doing this. I've put in enough work to where I know all of the answers to the test. This is easy.’ So to see that smile on his face when he runs off the field and the smile on his face when he runs on the field. I mean, that confidence about him, it’s just like, ‘Yeah, I got this.’ So as a person that's on the staff or part of his career, I mean, you you can't help but be overwhelmed with joy to see that.
***
Alex Grinch
HC rumors?
“I think people would be surprised, and obviously speaking for myself, I won’t speak for the entire profession. But you would be surprised at the ability of coaches to just do their job. And have such a huge responsibility in my role here. It’s a role that we’ve talked at length about over the last seven weeks, that I need to do a a better of. So believe me, job No. 1 is to prepare these guys to play the best football we’ve played the entire season, because I think that’s what it’s going to take to beat a very good Baylor team this weekend. So, on, that’s always the focus. It’s hard not to focus. Even if you wanted to focus on something else. There's that play that comes to mind from practice that day. There’s that play that you might see that’s an adjustment. I don’t think I’m unique in that from that standpoint. Even during a bye week, you want to be distracted by your friends and family, using another example, and you have a tendency to be thinking about that Baylor game in two weeks. In this profession, there’s a number of opportunities that may come your way over time. At one point, you’re a graduate assistant, and you’re dying to call yourself a position coach. That might pay you $10,000, and you think, man, if you could make 30 and call yourself a full-time coach with benefits, it doesn’t get any better than that. If you’re fortunate, do a good job, be around good people and have an opportunity past that, that’s kind of the name of upward mobility that way. That would be the extent of it.”
HC desires?
Oh, it’s there. Absolutely. But that’s something for the offseason.
Takeaways vs. Tech?
One of the things we talk about with takeaways is it's also the ones you don't get. There's the intent. You get more physical football when you've got guys intent on every single play getting the ball out. You get more bodies around the football, which means you gang tackle. Some of the things you see in terms of playing elite defensive football is when you have that intent, you may not get the ball out... You have 30 opportunities to punch at the football. Is that going to be enough to get one out? That might not be the case. But if there's 30 opportunities that means there's 30 tackles that guys are making from a position to get the ball out. It's a huge stat. There's some byproducts of that that may not necessarily show up in the takeaway total.
***
Eric Gray
Bye week?
It was definitely great for me and for all our teammates. Nine-game stretch, being able to go home, recharge, get to spend some time with your family and ultimately be back fresh going into this Championship November.
Offensive progression?
I think we definitely made our strides in the last four weeks. You can kind of sere where the offense is going, you can kind of see that we’re coming into our own, kind of needing that bye week to come into our own. Ready to go into Championship November. I think we’re playing well and our best ball is ahead of us.
***
DaShaun White
I ask about Whitter/Stutsman?
They’re just getting comfortable. More snaps they get, the more comfortable they’re gonna get. The faster they’re gonna play, the faster they’re gonna process the plays and be able to be themselves. I think it’s a big deal. As the season goes on, the later we get, the more you’ll get to see really everyone on the team continually to chip away and get better and better. That’s something we’ve all emphasized, and we’ve really been busting our tails to get that done.
Baylor running game?
It will be a difficult challenge. But the way we’re looking at it? It’ll be a big opportunity more than anything. Especially the linebacker room where we see a lot of opportunities to get downhill and make as many plays in the backfield as we can and be disruptive upfront. They’re a dang good running team. But we view it as an opportunity. Honestly, really excited to get to Saturday.
Strong practice intensity?
I think we didn’t really struggle getting back to practicing the way we did before we left. We had a really good bye week. We had a dang good day today, dang good day yesterday. Monday was good. We just wanna finish the week and put ourselves in the best position possible to be able to go out and play the best game of our lives. Individually as a team as an offense as a defense, that’s what we’re trying to do this week. Go out and do the best we can to try to play the best game of our lives. Looking forward to it.
***
Jeremiah Hall
Handling coaching carousel? Beamer last year? Grinch this year?
Honestly, you just got to tune in and control what you can control. Speaking from personal experience, it was kind of funny at one point when (Shane) Beamer was going out for interviews and doing all that type of stuff he wasn't here, and so me and Brayden (Willis) were kind of holding things down and it was kind of fun because like were the old guys. There was no coach, and I think we played one game without him. But honestly, Coach Riley does a good job of making sure even if somebody isn't there that everything else is covered. But to answer your question, we don't really think about it because we have our own jobs to do. This is our team. We understand that it's a business and it's just part of college football.
I ask about Stogner, Willis finally getting a TD this season?
Our confidence has never really wavered. We all know that we’re great players in each of our different ways and forms. But it was nice to see both of them get a touchdown. I do have the most in the group so far. Brayden — we always talk about this outside of football — but Brayden was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to get me one, man. I’m tired of seeing J-Hall score.’ Nah, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But it was just good to see those guys get in the box. I’m happy for them. I get more excited seeing my teammates get success than my own. So I’m glad they had those touchdowns.
Responding after getting hit?
We go into every single game, in my mind I still have the mindset of being the number one offense in the country. So if we’re not scoring every single drive, then there’s a problem in some way or form to me. Like I’ve said before, we’ve just got to go out there and control what we can control, playing the best that we can. If things happen, then we’ve just got to respond. Responding is the key, if you have to respond. We’re in a position to go in and get up and keep our foot on the gas and we want to do that. We’ll see how the game goes. I’m expecting it’ll be fine.
***
Isaiah Thomas
Is Baylor a rival?
I wouldn't call it a rival. I think it's just good competition versus good competition. Typically versus OU, teams usually play their best games and that's a given week in and week out, but they're definitely better than they were last year. They have some good things on tape obviously. Not things we haven't seen before, but things we have to control on our end of the bargain. They'll do what they do but we just have to do what we do and I think we'll be fine. I wouldn't call it a rival but just good competition on good competition.
I ask about is it hitting home he has one more month for the regular season in his OU career?
It's definitely starting to hit home. I wouldn't say it's starting to change the intensity. I wouldn't say things are getting... ...because you can't prepare differently just because you're playing different opponents. I mean, of course, you've gotta enhance your game on gameday and stuff and you've gotta prepare better so I think it's moreso just tightening up the things that we've ... like, loose screws, stuff like that. Not so much is intensity because we have the same script, the same schedule as we did 10 weeks ago. It's just moreso how we approach things now. Championship November, like I said, either makes or breaks your season and we want it to make ours.
***
Nik Bonitto
2019 INT?
"It definitely gave me a lot of confidence. Prior to that, I didn't really make a lot of plays. With that having been a big play in an important moment in an important game, it really helped my confidence that I can really play college football with the best of the best, especially in these big games. I just tried to build off that game and tried to keep going. I would definitely say that game is a huge reason why I'm as confident as I am today."
On the dropped INT the play before in 2019?
"I was kind of like 'Damn, I really dropped the ball on the play before.' (Baylor) was already kind of driving, so I was like 'Damn, I hope this doesn't cost us the game.' Thank God I was able to break on it and make a play on the next play. That kind of slipped out of my mind afterward and I was just happy that I was able to make a play to win for the team."
