Media: Kevin it’s interesting that your offense is currently ranked 30th in the nation, ahead of Texas and Oklahoma State, it seems like a strange number with as much turmoil as you guys have had.
Kevin Wilson: Well, your stats are good enough to get you beat also. They’ve played well enough to have won games and we haven’t.
Media: When you look back at the season so far, what positives have you seen?
KW: We’ve made some good strides. It’s taken a while to get some continuity, get something we could hang our hat on. Getting Landry to play the way he has played has been a positive. We didn’t expect to have him playing, but to have him play so well has been a positive. We’ve had some growing pains but those receivers are gaining on it. These guys have battled through it.
One positive in that game the other night, three or four weeks ago we would have lost the way we were playing. Offensively, we made some strides and didn’t have negative plays other than some penalties, we didn’t have turnovers and negative plays that got us beat earlier in the year.
James Hale: You are going against a really good defensive line this week. Do offensive linemen get fired up about going against guys with these kinds of reputations?
KW: Their defense starts with all those guys up front and not just Suh. Their other defensive tackle is outstanding; they’re very salty up front. Their defensive ends compliment things very well. They can control the line of scrimmage with four guys. They’ve got some big, young linebackers that they are excited about.
Those guys up front control the line of scrimmage and make you work for everything. Coach Pelini knows where to put guys to stop the run and still be sound in the pass game. They are great in run defense.
Every game starts with your ability to handle everything up front, whether you are running or throwing. It will be a huge challenge and a huge opportunity. That group has been inconsistent for us and we’ve talked about some things that would be nice to see this week. Have we gained up front and can we play solid enough to give us a chance to make some plays.
Media: Is this a defensive line that could set your young guys back a little bit?
KW: First of all, I have great respect for the guys on that defensive front and the way their team has played. They are playing great team defense. They are statistically better than our guys in about every category. Our line is still growing and learning and still a long way from where it ought to be. There’s some talent there that needs to keep coming through. If those guys think they have it figured out for one second, then we are a long way off and we are definitely doomed.
I hope they will have the confidence to play like we’ve been playing and not make things bigger than they are. They still have to come off the line and play physical and do everything they can to give us a chance.
James Hale: Is Brody still continuing to play at a high level at guard?
KW: Yeah, I think he’s graded the highest every week. We had four or five guys on both sides of the ball that were recognized as players of the game and he was one of them again. I think this stretch of games is personally huge for him because he’s a Kansas guy. He was hurt last year and he didn’t get to play against KU, K-State or Nebraska. These three games have been huge for him and he’s been very excited to play against these guys.
Media: When did you see that Ryan Broyles was going to be a very special player?
KW: When he got into some trouble and red shirted his true freshman year, we thought he might play. He had some nice games last year, but was playing with some really good receivers so he was the three or fourth guy most of the time. I told him when we started this year, that I hoped he was ready to the guy. He was hurt there for a while, but great players come back and are ready to do it. And he’s done that. This year we’ve seen him practice better and back things up on the field week after week. He’s made a bunch of plays after missing two plus games. This year, his ability to practice well and back it up on the field has let him separate himself from the other guys.
Media: So, has his maturity level increased as well?
KW: Yeah, I think so. He’s doing his business on and off the field, practice, workouts and classroom. He’s making gains and we’re seeing it on the practice field, in the weight room and in the class room and that’s transferring into a guy that can make plays over and over.
Media: He seems like he’s a pretty tough guy. He came back early from that shoulder injury.
KW: I think so and he’s very competitive. Every time he gets hit he says he tries to land on the other shoulder. He has great body control and can do it. He’s very strong for his size. For a smaller guy he has good speed, change of direction and good strength to go with it.
Media: Wouldn’t he be a pretty good Wildcat guy?
KW: Well, actually he throws the ball fairly well also. I don’t know. There are several versions of that. He’s not an in the box kind of guy. We had him play Pat White when we were getting ready for West Virginia a couple of years ago. But, he probably could play it, but we’re probably not going to do that as we are just going to try to get better.
Media: Talk about DeJuan Miller, has he taken that next step?
KW: More than anything, Coach Norvell is keeping him in the same spot where he does the same things over and over. He’s had the opportunities and I think he’s taken some advantage of them. He’s practicing better. More than anything, we’ve gotten some of those receivers settled in and playing certain spots. They’re getting a bunch of reps and with those reps; DeJuan is starting to have some success. He’s gaining confidence and is practicing much better. It seems to be snowballing in a strong way for him.
Media: Why is Tennell playing better?
KW: Same deal. We’ve gotten those two guys outside. We don’t flip them very often. They have a certain place they have to go and it helps us go faster. Initially we were playing some guys at a couple of spots. We were uncertain and maybe moved some guys too much. Not by design, but as things worked out we’ve left guys in their spots and as much as anything I think that’s helped us these last couple of weeks.
Media: One of the things that has really stuck out about DeMarco’s game this year is his strength and ability to push the pile forward.
KW: I think he’s bigger than he gets credit for. He’s a little bit stronger this year. He’s got all the moves and shakiness. He’s a big play guy but a lot of the coaches who you talk to in warm ups and stuff always say, he’s bigger than they thought. He looks like a small fast guy with his run style, but he’s got some physicality to him. We’ve tried hard to teach those guys that they will get more yards by running through trash than by dancing and juking. As he’s matured, he sees that. He did a great job the other night picking up some thirds and short.
Media: Does that make you want to use him more in short yardage than you are right now?
KW: That comes back to the blocking deal. One of our worst things has been third and short. He’s not a good runner when guys are in the backfield, but not many guys are.
Media: When asked about the offensive line last summer you said you had confidence in them, Coach Stoops recently said that you had a lot more confidence in them then he did. What was it that led you to think that way?
KW: Well, I’m not going to come out and say my guys suck. Don’t you guys ever watch poker? Really, the only problem that I have is that those guys are more talented than how they have played. But they are gaining on it. The talent level does not match their performance. I see their talent and potential. I see Ryan Broyles starting to play like a great player because he does it consistently. He made good plays early in his career, but now he does it week after week. There is some outstanding talent which has not performed they way they are capable of. And, we’ve been hurt because of the tight end group. Potential, tight end was the strongest area of our team with Jermaine, Brody and Matt Clapp. But now, with Clapp’s broken hand and Brody at guard, that group is gone.
I’m still intrigued by our group. Their talent level is still better than they have played. They will have a great opportunity this week against a talented and proven defensive line. This group is proven and they play like a great team. We have some guys that have a chance to see if they made some strides and are closer to becoming a decent offensive line.
Media: Why over the years, is the one position that people keep leaving the program is the offensive line?
KW: It’s a very difficult deal. It’s a position that takes time to learn to play. The off season work is extremely difficult for those guys. And as hard as you work, if you don’t get to play then guys get frustrated. It always seems to happen in the second year. The first year, everyone seems to expect to be redshirted. The second year is the hardest year for a guy. That’s why we try to play as many young guys as we can, because we want to show them that all the hard work can be worth it. The guys that play don’t mind the lifting and running it’s the guys that don’t play that get frustrated because they’re not getting rewarded. Plus, sometimes you make some misses when you recruit. More than anything, we’re in a society that doesn’t promote hard work and grinding every day. Everyone wants the fast fix.
Chris Messner is a great example. He was a quarterback in high school. Came here as a tight end and finally ended up and an all-league tackle. But, it was a grind for him. There were days I didn’t think we would come back. It’s a very unrewarding difficult job.
