Eddie already has you caught up on Ruff, and the only other players brought in Tuesday were Robert Barnes and Curtis Bolton.
Robert Barnes
First start?
Felt good. First one of the year. Felt good to be out there flying around, completing the four quarters and being healthy the whole game. Just a blessing to be out there with my brothers and can’t wait to do it again and fight with them again.
Fresh start 2nd half of season?
Yea, for sure. Being blessed with the opportunity to be starting and out there competing with my brothers, that’s what it’s all about. Being out there with all the guys you grind with and can have the opportunity to compete with them.
Bouncing back after early backup QB success?
Coach Ruffin was talking all week about how you have to forget those things and drive on. During the course of the game when we had a whole bunch of momentum and thought we were going to hold them to those zero points or just that touchdown from kickoff. Then when things like that happen, next drive, next series, next play, really, you just have to keep moving on and keep fighting.
Tackling?
We had been working on tackling all through that bye week and every day since then. It’s something that should be secondhand nature to us by now.
Like going vs. KSU?
I do. I love them. Like I always tell you guys, as a bigger safety, you like when you can fit in the run game and just give those running backs something to look forward to that every time they’re going to hit the hole, there’s going to be a big-bodied safety there competing with them the whole game.
Big safety tough to fit in Big 12?
I mean, no. You know you’re going to have to cover when you come here. For a bigger safety, a lot of the offseason time you have to work on things that maybe you didn’t think you were going to have to use. Like the technique of having to cover a slot. Cover a Hollywood or a CeeDee in the slot. You have to know the whole game and have to fit in on those gaps, those run gaps. But then if it’s man call, then you have to tune in and play man coverage.
Simplify help safety more than anybody?
I definitely would say it does, especially because in my spot, it’s called a free safety, so you want him to be out there and free flow, read gaps. Be out there just being a free player and not having to think about this, that or the other. Just being out there and flying around, basically.
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Curtis Bolton
Not thinking too much can help the defense:
I think it helps us out a lot. I think you saw it this weekend. We simplified the game plan and let the playmakers make plays. But at the end of the day he’s going to preach to us effort. That’s the main thing why he got the job. That’s the first thing he says every time he opens his mouth when we meet as a defense. It’s effort. I’m a believer in that before he said that to start with, but I’m buying into his plan. I think he has a good game plan. Just him being a player’s coach, it helps us play faster and just keeps it simple and lets us go out there and do what we do. Do what’s got us here.
Ronnie Perkins?
We’re trying to get a lot of guys in there and see who could play. I know it’s late in the season but I said it after the TCU game, at the end, with the thing happening with Coach Ruff getting the DC job, we kind of hit our restart button. We kind of knew what we had. But he has different viewpoints than Coach Mike. Getting Ronnie into the game a little bit more was something he had planned for. I think he deserves it. Ronnie’s gotten the role he’s gotten early in the season. He took it and ran with it. He’s got pressure. He’s got after the quarterback. He’s won his one-on-one pass rushes. That’s a guy who is demanding to be on the field. It’s not … everybody can sit and cry if you aren’t playing and that’s fine. But when you get on the field, you make a difference and you get more playing time and that’s what is happening with Ronnie. He deserves it. He’s playing some pretty good ball. I’m happy when he’s out there. He’s making my job a lot easier. I’m excited for him and seeing his role growing throughout the year.
Why do you like physical games?
It makes it easier. It’s not … when you get those teams like Tech and teams that like spreading you out with a bunch of different route combinations, it’s a lot more preparation throughout the week to make sure I know everything. And everything you study, a lot of the times, they don’t do it the way you think it is and it’s real annoying. When you get a team and they line up and they basically are going to tell you we are going to stack eight, nine people in the box and we’re going to try to run it down your face, I don’t take that as disrespect. Everybody’s game plan, they are going to think they are going to be able to do what they do. At that point, that’s real football to me. I grew up with old-school coaches and it was always smash-mouth football. You can’t duck fades. That’s what my coaches used to tell me. They are going to try to come out there and punch you in the mouth. At that point, it’s straight dog. It’s straight athleticism. It’s not thinking too much about it.
Helping young players when not playing?
I think my story is just a testament to everybody on the team. Things aren’t going to go out and obviously a lot of guys on the team know a lot more information than the outside world. Just me being here and me doing what I’m doing on Saturdays is inspiration alone for a lot of these guys. That’s what I hope for and that’s what I try to keep reminding them. Things aren’t going to go right. You just gotta show up and play ball. That’s what I preach. You can’t guarantee that your work is going to get success but you are for sure isn’t going to get any success if you don’t do work, if that makes sense. Just try to give back on them to just show up and work. You have time. I don’t have time because I’m a senior. It’s either I get it or I don’t. That’s how I take to it. That’s kind of been my mentality all along. But a lot of you guys didn’t see that because I wasn’t playing on Saturday. It was that mentality that got me to the point where I got my shot, it looks like a fairy tale because at the end of the day I’ve been working like this for the past few years. That’s what I kind of get on them. Keep working on it like you are the guy. Keep working like you are getting all the reps on Saturdays. When you do get the reps, it’s going to show up.
Robert Barnes
First start?
Felt good. First one of the year. Felt good to be out there flying around, completing the four quarters and being healthy the whole game. Just a blessing to be out there with my brothers and can’t wait to do it again and fight with them again.
Fresh start 2nd half of season?
Yea, for sure. Being blessed with the opportunity to be starting and out there competing with my brothers, that’s what it’s all about. Being out there with all the guys you grind with and can have the opportunity to compete with them.
Bouncing back after early backup QB success?
Coach Ruffin was talking all week about how you have to forget those things and drive on. During the course of the game when we had a whole bunch of momentum and thought we were going to hold them to those zero points or just that touchdown from kickoff. Then when things like that happen, next drive, next series, next play, really, you just have to keep moving on and keep fighting.
Tackling?
We had been working on tackling all through that bye week and every day since then. It’s something that should be secondhand nature to us by now.
Like going vs. KSU?
I do. I love them. Like I always tell you guys, as a bigger safety, you like when you can fit in the run game and just give those running backs something to look forward to that every time they’re going to hit the hole, there’s going to be a big-bodied safety there competing with them the whole game.
Big safety tough to fit in Big 12?
I mean, no. You know you’re going to have to cover when you come here. For a bigger safety, a lot of the offseason time you have to work on things that maybe you didn’t think you were going to have to use. Like the technique of having to cover a slot. Cover a Hollywood or a CeeDee in the slot. You have to know the whole game and have to fit in on those gaps, those run gaps. But then if it’s man call, then you have to tune in and play man coverage.
Simplify help safety more than anybody?
I definitely would say it does, especially because in my spot, it’s called a free safety, so you want him to be out there and free flow, read gaps. Be out there just being a free player and not having to think about this, that or the other. Just being out there and flying around, basically.
***
Curtis Bolton
Not thinking too much can help the defense:
I think it helps us out a lot. I think you saw it this weekend. We simplified the game plan and let the playmakers make plays. But at the end of the day he’s going to preach to us effort. That’s the main thing why he got the job. That’s the first thing he says every time he opens his mouth when we meet as a defense. It’s effort. I’m a believer in that before he said that to start with, but I’m buying into his plan. I think he has a good game plan. Just him being a player’s coach, it helps us play faster and just keeps it simple and lets us go out there and do what we do. Do what’s got us here.
Ronnie Perkins?
We’re trying to get a lot of guys in there and see who could play. I know it’s late in the season but I said it after the TCU game, at the end, with the thing happening with Coach Ruff getting the DC job, we kind of hit our restart button. We kind of knew what we had. But he has different viewpoints than Coach Mike. Getting Ronnie into the game a little bit more was something he had planned for. I think he deserves it. Ronnie’s gotten the role he’s gotten early in the season. He took it and ran with it. He’s got pressure. He’s got after the quarterback. He’s won his one-on-one pass rushes. That’s a guy who is demanding to be on the field. It’s not … everybody can sit and cry if you aren’t playing and that’s fine. But when you get on the field, you make a difference and you get more playing time and that’s what is happening with Ronnie. He deserves it. He’s playing some pretty good ball. I’m happy when he’s out there. He’s making my job a lot easier. I’m excited for him and seeing his role growing throughout the year.
Why do you like physical games?
It makes it easier. It’s not … when you get those teams like Tech and teams that like spreading you out with a bunch of different route combinations, it’s a lot more preparation throughout the week to make sure I know everything. And everything you study, a lot of the times, they don’t do it the way you think it is and it’s real annoying. When you get a team and they line up and they basically are going to tell you we are going to stack eight, nine people in the box and we’re going to try to run it down your face, I don’t take that as disrespect. Everybody’s game plan, they are going to think they are going to be able to do what they do. At that point, that’s real football to me. I grew up with old-school coaches and it was always smash-mouth football. You can’t duck fades. That’s what my coaches used to tell me. They are going to try to come out there and punch you in the mouth. At that point, it’s straight dog. It’s straight athleticism. It’s not thinking too much about it.
Helping young players when not playing?
I think my story is just a testament to everybody on the team. Things aren’t going to go out and obviously a lot of guys on the team know a lot more information than the outside world. Just me being here and me doing what I’m doing on Saturdays is inspiration alone for a lot of these guys. That’s what I hope for and that’s what I try to keep reminding them. Things aren’t going to go right. You just gotta show up and play ball. That’s what I preach. You can’t guarantee that your work is going to get success but you are for sure isn’t going to get any success if you don’t do work, if that makes sense. Just try to give back on them to just show up and work. You have time. I don’t have time because I’m a senior. It’s either I get it or I don’t. That’s how I take to it. That’s kind of been my mentality all along. But a lot of you guys didn’t see that because I wasn’t playing on Saturday. It was that mentality that got me to the point where I got my shot, it looks like a fairy tale because at the end of the day I’ve been working like this for the past few years. That’s what I kind of get on them. Keep working on it like you are the guy. Keep working like you are getting all the reps on Saturdays. When you do get the reps, it’s going to show up.
