Kansas Jayhawks College Football Pregame Quote, 11/11/2019

Nice to see you all. What do you want to talk about?

On returning to Oklahoma State:

I can tell you I went back to Oklahoma State for a camp with my two sons. That was the last time that I was there. I will look forward to taking the team onto the field there. It’s going to be a very quality undertaking, a big game.

On the significance of this return to Oklahoma State:

Well, there’s a number of people there who are good friends. It’s a special place. Mike Holder, the AD, is a real quality administrator. Of course, Mike Gundy is a friend. So this will be a heck of a game.

On how closely he has followed what Mike Gundy has done at Oklahoma State:

Any games that I could get to, I watched. Yeah, Mike has done a great job with the program just taking it to heights that you’d want your program at, so …

On what he was hoping the team could accomplish during the bye week:

(We) Wanted to get some guys (who were) a little nicked fresh, healthy, vitality. That we got accomplished. We scrimmaged and practiced a good bit, moved the pro­gram ahead.

On his birthday, which was yesterday (Sunday, November 10):

Well, one is good news, one is bad news (smiling). I guess I’ll talk to both. Yeah, I suffered another birthday. That happens, so… (I’m) glad to be amongst you.

But Manny goes into the game, Carter (Stanley) gets nicked, engineers a nice little drive. They get down in there, hand the ball to the fullback (sophomore Ben Miles). Manny says, ‚ÄòThat just goes to show you that my dad loves my brother better than me.’ (On the) Next play or so, he goes in. That was great fun. The score was the wrong score to celebrate. That’s the bad news. Manny did what we asked him to do. He did a good job.

On Corione Harris’s health:

(He’s) Much improved. I think he’s day-to-day.

On what type of person Carter Stanley is:

(He’s) Tough, competitive, (a) leader, talented enough to do the things need being done, so… (I’m) looking forward to seeing him play in this one.

On Stanley’s offseason and his decision to stay at KU:

Well, he read it wisely. When I came into the program, you know, I said he would be the heir apparent. Why would you abdicate and go someplace else? That was the case. He played most, and his film was pretty good.

So he decided to stay and work out. He was behind at a point, (but) very confident really to take back the job that he had finished second in. (It) Was a wise move because it puts him in the position that he’s in right now, leading the team and playing virtually every snap.

On Dru Prox and Jeremiah McCullough’s status:

Jeremiah McCullough will miss the rest of the season. I am not certain about Dru Prox. We would consider if we could make this a redshirt opportunity. If that’s the case, he will not come back.

On what the team got done during the bye week:

We talked about that at length, even this morning. We have a practice that starts in a predictable form and finishes in the same way. I don’t know by putting one in front of the other that that makes a difference. We’re changing up a little.

On if the coaching staff is seeing positive results from making those practice changes or it has to show on game day:

It has to be there game day. The best offense that we have is when all cylinders are operating. Pooka (Williams Jr.) carrying the ball. We have four or five receivers who can go onto the field to make big plays. We have Carter that can make the pass. That’s the best way that this offense operates.

On what he needs to see out of the front seven, coming up against a running back like OSU’s Chuba Hubbard:

Our front seven has to make tackles. He’s a talented back, one of the best backs in the league certainly. (For) The defense, this will be a great test.

On freshman linebacker Gavin Potter and his development:

He’s going to be that kind of linebacker. He’s a guy that’s long, wiry, fast. (He’s a) Two-time state champion in the state of Oklahoma. A physically strong guy. He’s bright as a whip. He’s a guy who learns well. I think he’ll play linebacker here for a number of years.

On what weaknesses Potter has to get over playing right now:

The weaknesses that most guys have, (is) there needs to be an aggressive point; you have to know when to shoot the gun, to make the play, press to make the play. That’s not a weakness of his in any way. He’s an aggressive person by nature. He’ll pull the trigger routinely.

On the thing that he’s learned most since his days at Oklahoma State:

That the earth is round, generally speaking. (There are) Some areas where it’s flat, but (it’s) mostly round (smiling).

What I learned, and it’s something that everyone knows; (is that) quality people, people who care about the team, people who work hard day-to-day, those are the guys you want to turn to and count on. That’s the thing that I (have) learned most.

On if the earth being round was something he learned while at OSU:

No, it wasn’t at all. I’ve learned that taking the field with a team that wants to compete, fight like hell, is just a blast. I kind of knew that.

On what the key to getting the team back on track:

You have to address it. You have to make sure the position group is squared away. You take stock in each step that you’re taking. I think this football team’s ready to play games, wants to get back out to form, so …

On if there is a sense of some urgency while practicing:

We want to play well and demonstrate the ability of a real quality football team. If we do that, the opportunity to win the games that we want to win will be there.

It’s not, let’s win games. It’s, Let’s practice hard, improve, get this thing done. Let’s take it to the field as a team. Everybody sitting in those seats (in Mrkonic Auditorium) has to improve. Now we’re looking at a different team, a team that has used the bye week effectively; now, getting into game week, (we) will practice the things that we’ve practiced (for the) last week.