Yeah, we're we're excited to get back to work this week for a much improved rice team. there's no way you can look at the record because I think they've probably played one of the toughest schedules in conference USA. I think eight out of 10 teams that they played already already Bowl eligible and a lot of those games came down to to the wire. I think they're finding their identity under a new head coach and really getting better each and every week they've really been unproven so really good football team. You know the by week came at the perfect time for us. I don't know that I've ever seen or had a season that we've had this many injuries. we're far from we're far from a hundred percent injury wise but it did get us you know an opportunity to get some of the minor. you know injuries bumps bruises this past week healthy and hopefully we can get some of those guys back and ready to go this weekend. you know I don't have to explain the situation to our team. they understand we have to win our last two in order to get Bowl eligible. you know. Have a lot to play for you know I know we have to have a tremendous amount of detail. you know in our preparation this week in order to go out there and have success. you know I feel very confident that the leadership on this team will you know get us there in the right way and and continuing to you know, make sure that we're doing everything possible in order to go have success on the road and this is one of those weeks. you can't have any room for regret when you come home from rice so you know. Excited about the opportunity and looking forward to a great battle this weekend. Respond. Yeah. he'll be good. How was the team responded after the Louisiana Tech game over the course of the past? it's always you know just struggled early. You know you know when you don't have success and you don't play the way that you need to in order to to win a football game. It's it's never fun. again. it's got a battle back and you gotta learn from mistakes and you gotta you know find a way to rebound and get them back together and making sure that you don't let the same. Beach twice That's what you can't let happen and so we've had some ups and downs. you know we gotta fight through it and and make sure that you know our mindset and Psychic is the way it needs to be going into this week. Let's see their first last week. What did you see from that game? How does that well? I continue to play physical and hard. I mean that's you see that on tape each and every week they've looked they've they've played a lot again like I said they played a tough schedule took the tech to overtime had a chance to get. number of other games they've had opportunities kinda what whether mistake was happened or not. They had opportunities to win those football games and so you know I think you know the last week doesn't surprise me. I think they're a team that can step in and beat anybody in our conference. you know they haven't had the success as they wanted throughout the year obviously they're they're extremely physical and tough football team and they're gonna continue to play hard regarding the Hamilton. This is last season. Can you say about this time for Texas? Yeah. you know obviously a great player for us. It's really grown and developed and you know, stepped up and and been a great leader for us. obviously he's that guy upfront you know that brings the juice and the energy and you know hopefully we can close it out for the right way High school. you played in a lot of different positions. The whole line was also told that coach I really didn't like putting my different positions. How do you feel like? his multifaceted capabilities helped me defensive well again. you know I think they did a great job in high school, putting one of their best players. you know a lot of different positions to help them be successful and he he's a he loves football and so he he has a high football IQ and you know he's able to do those things but you know the transition you know to the deadline. you know there's a lot of hard work early. You know in order to develop and get get bigger. at the same time using your quick twitch and all the things that make them get at what he does and so there's been a lot of hard work put in not only on the field but off the field and I'm proud of them and you know again. I'm I'm excited to you know to finish out the right way with them getting towards the end of the season. Have you seen any of the younger guys step up as leaders? you know they're they're always continuing to grow. We're always trying to build our. You know the leadership of this team whether it's freshmen throughout all of our classes and you know our old guy. Not a good job at this young group. you know continuing to install our culture our core values and you know building on their leadership. some guys have stepped up. There's no doubt looking forward to you know a lot of these young guys that we I feel like we got a a lot of talent and then this this younger group and you know some guy that stepped in and made some plays for us. I mean, look at a lot of the receivers and DVD's that's. It's works out about the future but now it's just a matter of now. they're getting some reps. They've gotten some game time and the experiences which is only gonna carry over into this off season and help them become better. You mentioned the Darius. I think this is just third year that he's been a team captain. If I'm not mistaken, is he kinda grow up grown into that role where everybody on this team wants to him to kinda set the tone for well. I thought coming in he, he was one of those freshmen that really led that group you know all that freshman. That first year and I thought he did a great job. He's vocal you know he has a great work ethic and you know it's kinda evolved over the years. You know it's it's challenging early, especially when you got you know we had some you know older guys that were I've been a part of this team or great leaders and sometimes not wanting to overstep. you know some of those older guys around you and and letting them have a voice, especially it's harder when you're not out there making as many plays you know and so he's added develop into that that role and he's done a great job with it. Is that something that's in the course of your career is that something that's fairly unusual to have a guy be a seed captain three years in a row like that, it is it's it's it's rare to have a three -year. you know captain but at the same time every year is different. every team is different and you know I think we've played a lot of young guys here the first couple of years and so a lot of those guys were pressed into roles early to where they had to step up and again some of You know you have great leadership skills but at times it takes you getting out in the field and proving yourself and making sure that you're able to validate you know that role as well and so that's why I think you know, sometimes with those the younger men. it's it's not that they don't have great leadership qualities. not that they're not great leaders of their group. it just kinda has it as it goes through the Time your role gets bigger as it goes specially when you're out there and compete and making plays as you guys. you mentioned that this is you guys are a bit of a tight spot trying to get more eligible. Do you look to those kind of guys like dairies season? Try to there is Mason Fine. there's a number guys I mean again. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this group. a lot of these guys came in together. I think they've done a tremendous job here with their time and and you know changing the culture and making sure that you know. A lot of games with those guys and so I wanna make sure that our team wants to make sure that we send them out the right way and so we got our backs up against the Wall. We're in a position to where there's no room for air like I said. it's important to us to prepare the right way and go win football games. You mentioned earlier in the year that the the challenge for him was to get the strength added to that quick Twitch, as you've always said that he asked, is he grown in that way, But you know this is really the year to where he's gotten. You know close to 260 and being able to carry the weight not lose it throughout the year again, that's something that that you know he had to buy into and have a great off season in order to come in you know where he needs to be and be able to sustain it throughout the season and so he's put in the work and he's done a great job with it's been important to him practice facility now that you've been able to utilize it with the cold weather we've had in the last couple of weeks. Yeah, I mean, obviously you know when the fields are wet, they don't drain it get slippery. you know there's more room for injuries or pools or rolling in ankle here there. I think it's important but I still think you have to practice an elements as well and then this is gonna be important to just because if it's raining or a little bit cold or damp that you're not gonna be able to go out and utilize the the grass fields, but you gotta be able to play in it too. So it's been good for us though. Because there has been some days to where it's been extreme weather with some lightning and whether you're on and off the field and how long the delays it is important and then also being able to do both. you know, go indoors. you know or excuse me, go outdoors and get your work in and then when it's time to maybe get some other good work without some of the distractions you know it's good to be able to get those door indoors and and and and controlled. Settings so it's been great. the indoors phenomenal. They did an unbelievable job with it. I think it's second to none for me is your first impression. I love ball, I was very passionate and you could tell he he really had you know the leadership skills to step in and we had high expectations for him. immediately he was a guy that was you know probably more developed than a lot of guys in that class and he was passionate about ball. That's what we're trying to find guys that fit our culture and guys who love ball won't wanna be around it every day wanna you know if they're eating up with it a lot of the times and they're willing to put the work in I don't care how many. You have a lot of these guys will be successful just because of their passion, and he definitely had that. You sign you do a contract extension after the last couple of years it kinda gives you an extended period They're build and now North Texas also signed Grant to to another extension. What is that do for you as you start to build this program because they give you some stability there. What does that do for? I don't look you know to be honest. I don't truly look at the stability aspect of of a contract. More importantly, I think of what do we need to do in order to build a pro. that's gonna sustain and and have have success in your own basis. I understand the standards they've grown as we've continued every year. you know winning games are going to Bowl games. Now we gotta win ball games. we gotta continue to get the ball games. you know those are things that as the standard look, I think North Texas is unbelievable University and I think that with the resources and the people in place that we can do special things here. it's a matter of making sure that again continue. Build and grow and can you get better when you sit in the living room with the kids, parents and those players and they know that you've got you know a control definitely helps. Yeah. you're not in the last year of your contract and I mean that would be very it's very challenging going and recruiting guys if they don't know that you're gonna be the head coach there but again on the flip side, there's it's always something right. It's either you're having that success and people are telling them that you're not gonna be part of your University or you're not and people tell him you're not gonna be a part of the University and so I try not to focus on that as much as building relationships you know again. that's the biggest thing with me and recruiting with the with the prospects their families, their coaches, their communities finalize relationships and show them what North Texas has to offer because again, it's an unbelievable University. with great people guys here that truly care about you know further in our mentor and our student athletes and to being great not only on. Off the field and again with our our leadership, it's the resources are in place in order to to have that success. You mentioned that you guys are kind of a tight spot here towards the end of the season. How do you guys go about handling that his players and coaches or you know continue to lock in and focus just trying to prepare the right way again it starts with the preparation. I've said it throughout and then once you have a great week of preparation, you have to go out and perform on Saturdays this coaches and players some. You know we we've done that some weeks we haven't had that success. so again it's still going about your everyday business of making sure that you're continuing to get better and hopefully get a better week of preparation. Then you have the week before you guys go on the road this week. It's been kind of a tough spot for you. We've talked about it through the year. You know I'm trying to bring the energy on the road. Is there anything that you guys look at that. you can do differently to maybe breakthrough on the road. Yeah, I mean again You're not gonna have everybody on the road and it's just not reality. you're not gonna have your fans behind you and it's reality you have to feed off you know the other crowd you have to feed off each other and again when it comes down to it, You gotta be mentally tough enough to go in there. It doesn't matter whether it's on the road or at home. everybody has a job to do coaches and players like and you gotta go out there and execute and perform again. that's it is what it is. there's a lot of teams that go on the road and have success that don't have you know the same amount so. To me, the focus is on is is going on the road and making sure you you tighten up you know your focus and let's go make place price rely on Tom Stewart in their victory over the Middle Tennessee. what can defense really force them out of pocket and then this past week? Well, they're gonna have to do a great job. I mean they they give you a lot of different personnel groupings you know they they're very physical team. They wanna first off. you know get that run game going get off and. Once you start crowding the line of scrimmage, she's gonna start play action and getting the ball over your head and so you gotta do a good job of making sure your eyes are right in your run fits and then being able to see low high high hat making sure that you know outside, you're gonna have to be physical. you know when you're covering those receivers up, They're big strong guys that can you know they'll throw 5050 jump balls too, and they've come down and made a lot of place and so you know it's gonna have to be a total, obviously, team effort and defensively you know I think. We're gonna have to step up an oppositions and make sure that we play a physical football game cuz that's what's gonna come down to in my opinion. the most physical team will win this seems like it'll be kind of a special game for Jimmy Considered he was committed to rise for a little while what do I don't know you have to ask your meal that I mean what does he contributed to to your team over? He's been a great teammate. You know. he's been a guy that he's extremely smart. you know he's had to play multiple positions at at times. you know some of the injuries that season like it's shoot law tech. I think. You know he played a position that he hadn't practiced all week cuz we were he was planning another position and and you know we felt like we had the depth of the other one and so again, he's a guy that that understands the defense. he's really smart which is one of his biggest strengths and you know he's really growing into it and he's done a great job for us. Thanks guys appreciate it.