Kelvin Banks, Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm, and Jake Majors speak to media before the Cotton Bowl

Offense was on the media schedule for Monday evening with the Texas Longhorns in anticipation of its upcoming College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Ohio State at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Friday, January 10th, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx. Here’s some of what they had to say on Sunday.

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C Jake Majors

Q. Jake, how similar or different is Ohio State’s defensive front to Georgia?

JAKE MAJORS: Good question. I would just say that they’re very big up front. They kind of replicate an SEC front. Very talented linebackers. Very sound secondary. So, for us, it’s — we’ve just got to own our game plan and trust our techniques to put us in the right position against these guys.

Q. Jake, this game, everything it means being a half-hour or so from all the guys in DFW, for you personally, what’s the best part about playing this game so close to home?

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah. Like you said, just playing close to home. I grew up in Prosper, which is about an hour away from Arlington, so to know that it will be an easy transition for my parents and my girlfriend’s family and stuff like that, it means a lot. Close for my extended family to come from West Texas. So, just excited to be able to stay in the great state of Texas and play a football game at AT&T Stadium. I’m a Cowboys fan, so it means a lot more to me because I’m a big Cowboys fan.

Q. Just given where the program was when you first arrived to where it is now, is there a sense of pride that you are leaving the program in much better shape than what you found it?

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah. I’m just happy to be a part of it, man. When I first committed to Texas, I said this a good bit, and I’ll say it again, my commitment wasn’t just for my personal well-being. It was to bring Texas back to where it belonged in the early 2000s. So, to say that I’ve been a part of this journey for Texas has been a true blessing. All glory to God for being here, being in this exact moment, getting ready to prepare for a historic game like the Cotton Bowl.

All credit to Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) as well, because without him, he wouldn’t have set the blueprint, the foundation for this program.

Q. Jake, obviously, you guys on offense have really jumped out to fast starts against Clemson and against Arizona State. How much do you need that same sense of urgency given how Ohio State is playing loose and confident and scoring a ton of points?

JAKE MAJORS: I think everybody’s objective is to come out swinging, come out fast and have a hot start. Like you said, it’s very important. Ohio State is playing really good football right now, and if we want a chance, we’ve got to match that and exceed that. So, we’ve got to put our best foot forward and come out swinging and come out fast.

Q. Jake, just real quick, I wanted to ask about fourth and 13 against Arizona State. When those guys were creeping to the line, how much of that did you see? Or was that all Quinn [Ewers] seeing that? What’s your vantage point and take on that whole play?

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, for me, it was easy for me to see. And I was about ready to turn around and tell Quinn to hold up. But he saw it just in me. Total experienced veteran play from Quinn just to recognize all the traits of cover zero blitz and to get us in the right protection to be able to convert on that fourth down.

Q. From your football mind, and when you look at the Ohio State defense, is there anything that they do that you guys have to adjust for in this week of practice? Or is it a standard, they’re coming at you with the bulls? Or are they going to throw anything at you, a scheme at you that you haven’t seen before?

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, that’s a good question. I’d say that they have a very unique style of defense. And like everybody we’ve played this year, they’re really good at what they do. And so, for us, it’s just recognizing tendencies, what blitzes match with what coverage, and then just to know what are we going to do to match that. But like you said, their defense is who they are, and so we’ve just got to prepare the right way to match it.

Q. Jake, I’m just wondering, what gives you confidence that the run game is going to look more
like what we saw against Clemson than what we’ve seen in some other recent games against Georgia and Arizona State?

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah. I would just say that we, as an offense, the running back room, the tight end room, the O-line room, we know what we’re capable of, and what we’ve put on film is not our best. And we can have a chip on our shoulders with that. And we understand that there are high expectations, and we’ve got to meet those expectations.

We were frustrated, but at the end of the day, we were able to win. But what we did wasn’t good enough to our standard. So, everybody kind of — that next day, we were kind of walking around with a chip on our shoulder, ready to get back to work and get this run-game going.

Q. Jake, I know you talked about Ohio State defensively a minute ago, but you faced Jim Knowles, DC, when he was at Ohio State in ’21. I know it’s been a minute since that game. But is there anything that you go back to from that study that looks similar to what Ohio State is doing now? Or is it just — is it pretty drastically different from what you remember?

JAKE MAJORS: I think there are some similarities from what I can remember. Like you said, it’s been a while. But to me, it’s just a completely new defense, just because of his personnel and the type of players he has at Ohio State. And so, that allows him to play call differently and stuff like that. And for us, it’s all about recognizing what’s in front of us and executing at a high level.

Q. Coach Sark has kind of let us in on it the last couple of weeks with the fourth-and-13th and I guess audibling to a couple of runs for Jaydon Blue that ended in touchdowns on Quinn’s [Ewers] part against Clemson. What I’m asking is: How much does Quinn do that we can’t see? Because we know about it when we’re let in on it, but I’m just interested in your perspective on that.

JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, there’s a lot that Quinn does, whether that’s audibling routes, protections, stuff like that. There’s been a lot of plays that go unnoticed where he’s getting us into a slide that ended up picking up a boundary blitz that got us a first down that nobody talks about.

So, stuff like that. You guys may never see it. It may seem like a routine play, but to us, that’s Quinn doing his job, being a veteran quarterback and leading his team by executing at a high level. So, like you said, those runs against Clemson and protections against Arizona State, those are just some things of Quinn that really stick out when it comes to recognizing the defense and putting this offense into the best scenario.

TE Gunnar Helm

Q. I just asked this of Quinn [Ewers] earlier. Would love your perspective. As an offensive player, how crucial is it that Quinn is that calming presence for you guys? I mean, no disrespect to guys like Kelvin [Banks Jr.] or Jake [Majors] or veterans like yourself. You guys are all talented players. But how crucial is it to have that quarterback to be the calming presence for you guys throughout the games?

GUNNAR HELM: Yeah. I mean, just obviously as our frontrunner leader on the offensive side of the ball, he’s the one that leads us, gets the play going. Just to see him calm definitely calms our nerves a li le bit. As we’re driving if things aren’t going well, if things are good, he keeps us in a good headspace if things might not be going too good. Keep going three and out, keeps us in a good headspace, just keeps encouraging us. So obviously, yeah, very effective to have him on our side.

Q. I was wondering if you could take us through that score on the first play of second overtime. What’s that route that you’re running? Have you guys run that play before? How do you have to really sell that at the line of scrimmage that you’re blocking?

GUNNAR HELM: Yeah. We run a lot of slide protection and, I guess, gap area protection. So, we ran it last year against Iowa State, and I scored on the same play. But essentially, I fake that I’m sliding down in protection and then leak out the back door. It’s been pretty effective in the National Football League this year and a lot of other colleges. I think Boise State ran a version of it against Penn State. We knew it was going to be a good call. It’s been in the entire season. I think we tried to run it against Michigan and got shot down. But then as soon as we called that one, I was pretty confident that I was going to be able to make a play.

Q. You talked a lot about your journey at Texas, why you committed to UT and committed to
the school. In this playoff, where you get to play these massive games, do you take moments
to appreciate it while you’re in it? And what are those moments like for you?

GUNNAR HELM: Yeah. I mean, coming to a school like Texas, Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) alluded to it today, we’re built for games like this. We play in a lot of games like this in front of a lot of people in big stadiums, on big stages. So, I think that I’m pretty used to it at this point. But early on in my career, it was definitely really eye-opening, not playing at a huge Texas high school football program. I mean, a pretty big program coming out of the State of Colorado, still the biggest one in Colorado, the best one in Colorado.

But I would just say that take a moment, try to take a moment, just to reflect back in the next years just where I was as a player.

Q. Gunnar, how is this team handling being the underdog, playing in the State of Texas? And
what’s been the messaging from Sark (Coach Steve Sarkisian) this week?

GUNNAR HELM: Yeah. Just being where our feet are. Honing back in on our details. Obviously, we’re trusting that our fans are going to come out and make an appearance, especially being up in Dallas, just up the road.

So, we feel like we have the advantage in that aspect. But I think we’re really dangerous as underdogs. We’ve been underdogs for a lot of big games my early years here, such as Alabama at home, and then obviously Alabama on the road in a really tough environment in Tuscaloosa. So, I think the underdogs, the aspect of that makes you really dangerous as a team. But it’s just another game for us. We’re preparing the same way as we would.

Q. We’ve all talked about Quinn [Ewers], his composure and how calm he is. You’ve known him
for a good while. What makes him nervous? Public speaking? Going to the dentist? Do you ever see him get nervous?

GUNNAR HELM: I guess the only way I can answer that is sure as heck isn’t football, because every time I see him, every me I would be pretty shell-shocked as a quarterback, thinking back in it, he’s been the most level-headed that there is on the field. So, he carries himself really well. Carries himself really well off the field. I don’t really have an answer for you on that one. I have no idea what makes him nervous.

Q. As your time in Texas starts to come to an end here, is there something to be said for the fact that you are leaving this program in a much better place than when you showed up?

GUNNAR HELM: Yes. I mean, when I showed up, I think we had a 2.7 team GPA. Obviously, we went 5-7, no bowl game. Horrible culture. Nobody here wanted to be here. And then just kind of built on that as I’ve gone on through the years. Next year, I think we had a 2.9, 8-5, lose the bowl game. However, many draft picks.

And then the next year, 11-2 or whatever it was. Get to the biggest stage. However, many draft picks. Maybe 3.0 team GPA. And now this year, obviously, being where we are, I think we have a 3.2 team GPA. Culture is stronger than it’s ever been. And coming down the way, who knows how many draft picks. So, obviously, Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) and the rest of the coaching staff has done a spectacular job seeing the standard for this team. And just this team buying into that standard and seeing the groundwork and building upon itself each year.

Q. I’m curious, you’re known as Mr. Reliable, right? They always find you maybe when the run is not happening, or the passes aren’t dropping. Let’s get it to Gunnar. You score a touchdown and make yardage. So, I’m curious, as the game is going on, are you communicating with either Quinn [Ewers] or Sark (Steve Sarkisian) that says, hey, I think I’m open here. You might want to look at this coverage that I’m getting because I think I can make a difference. Or is it something that’s pre-scripted, and they’re going to go to you when they need to?

GUNNAR HELM: A little bit of both. It’s not so much as they’re going to go to me when they need me. But I think you put the ball in your best opportunity to win, the best player’s hands when you need it the most. And we have a lot of really good players. There’s not one or two that are just the best players. So, I think that’s the diversity of our team, of our offense. We’ve got a lot of explosiveness. But yeah, no, it’s a li le bit pre-scripted, but it’s just the flow of the game. Part of our job as a player, just to keep the connection from us to Coach Sark to Quinn, coming off the field and telling — maybe Coach [Jeff] Banks or Coach Cutter [Leftwich] or Coach Sark just the looks we’re seeing. And it’s their job to scheme up the best plays possible, and they do a great job of it.

Q. When you look at Ohio State’s defense, obviously, Caleb Downs is a big part of that. How
difficult is he to prepare for? What changes for you guys when you have a guy that can play deep safety? He can play down towards the line of scrimmage. He can play almost a middle linebacker. What kind of challenge is he for you guys this week?

GUNNAR HELM: Yeah, huge challenge. Heck of a player. Can fit the run. Very physical on the run. Obviously, one of the best at pass coverage in the country. So, yeah, we’ve got our hands full with, not only just him, but other linebackers. They hit real hard. They’re very physical. Their front is an NFL front. And their secondary is, obviously, an NFL secondary. It’s just an NFL defense as a whole, NFL scheme. So, we’ve got our hands full. It’s going to be a really tough challenge. It’s probably the best we’ve seen.

OT Kelvin Banks

Q. Kelvin, a moment ago, Jake [Majors] was here, and he told us that everybody showed up the day after the Arizona State game with a chip on their shoulders, determined to get the run game back. Could you feel that? And if so, what gives you confidence? What have you seen over the past few days that lead you to believe it’s back?

KELVIN BANKS JR: Yeah, like you said, we didn’t put our best foot forward in that game. And the biggest thing Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) wanted us to emphasize was the run game. And I feel like we didn’t do that. So, we definitely had a chip on our shoulders for sure, because I know we’re better than what we showed on that field. So it definitely gave us a sense of wan ng to go out and practice and do better. So, we’ve been doing that. We’ve been executing very well in practice. We’ve been showing we’re locked in and focused in on the game plan.

Q. Ohio State had eight sacks in its last game. Just what stands out to you when you watch the film about their pass rush?

KELVIN BANKS JR: Yeah, just physical rushers. Not one of their guys take a play off. They give maximum effort every me. So just guys who are going to put their best foot forward for their team and give maximum effort for you. I’d say that kind of just sums up their rushers in one word.

Q. Specifically about Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, what makes them so tough to go against, and what kind of challenge is that for you?

KELVIN BANKS JR: Yeah, they’re great rushers. Like I said, they like to press the pocket very well. They have a high motor, so it’s not like you’re going to block them, and they stop and not try to chase the quarterback. They do all that. They have good counter moves to give you if the first move doesn’t work. So, they’re just high motor rushers and just me being locked in on the techniques that Coach [Kyle] Flood has taught me to make sure I do my best to block those two guys.

Q. Kelvin, just wanted to ask about the heart of a champion, right? That was the conversation before the Georgia game. You described the Bulldogs as that. So, I’m wondering, after the Arizona State matchup, do you feel like that was your heart of a champion moment?

KELVIN BANKS JR: Yes, sir, you could say that, because like I said before, we didn’t come out there and put our best foot forward as a team. We felt like we left a lot out there on the table that you want to get back, but at the end of the day, you can’t. The game is the game, and it happens.

But it definitely shows the heart that we have as a team to go out there, no matter the adversity that we face in those moments, we came out and pulled through at the end.

Q. The last time you all were underdogs was going to Alabama last year. Do you get the same sense of resolve amongst your teammates, knowing that you’re the team that’s being counted out in this game?

KELVIN BANKS JR: I mean, you could say so, yeah. I feel like any me any football team is counted out going into a game, it definitely puts a chip on their shoulder to want to go out there and prove people wrong.

But at the end of the day, we treat every week the same. We come in every week with the same mindset. We try to make sure we have that same mentality of going out there and wanting to go dominate, no matter if we’re the favored or if we’re not.

Q. Bert Auburn struggled a little bit with his kicking. What’s gone on with him since the Peach Bowl, and how do you get his confidence back?

KELVIN BANKS JR: That’s not kind of a question for me. It’s a kind of question for Coach [Jeff] Banks. Bert has been himself. He’s been himself. I don’t think any athlete — people go through slumps. I mean, I’ve had slumps before where stuff happens. You kind of just got to move on from it and just brush it off.

But Burt, he’s been doing fine, he’s been doing good in practice. You know what I’m saying, his confidence doesn’t look like it’s gone away at all. We trust him as a team and we believe in his ability to go out there and make field goals.

Q. Kelvin, so as a team, you guys throughout the whole entire season have always — every game, you try to get better, fix the mistakes, and so on. Against Clemson, you guys had two penalties. Coach [Steve] Sarkisian talked about that was the result of a come-to-Jesus meeting. I’m just curious, how do you guys go into practice, for example, this week. You guys are self-motivated. You don’t probably need a come-to-Jesus meeting, but how are you guys working on that aspect of the game to lessen or refine not as many penalties?

KELVIN BANKS JR: Yeah. I mean, it kind of starts up front with the O-line, if you want to be honest. Pre-snap penal es and stuff like that, that’s stuff that puts you behind and kind of makes it harder for you to go out there and go score and put drives together. So, things like that just have to stop. I mean, It’s stuff we do in practice, where we get in practice, we don’t have the same mistakes.

So just that moment of staying calm, being calm in the field of play and to understand what your job is, and not kind of ge ng too overexcited or too overemotional, because that’s when you start having pre-snap penalties and such.

Q. I was curious about the mindset of the team. Did the way you win bolster your confidence? Or blowing the 16-point lead hurt your confidence? How did you react to those?

KELVIN BANKS JR: I wouldn’t say it hurt our confidence at all. We kind of understood what we did during that game. And at the end of the day, you’re here for a reason. Arizona State was here for a reason. So, we kind of just go in there and think we’re going to play our best game. But obviously, no game is going to be perfect. So, we go in, we win. Okay, now it’s me to go back and fix the mistakes. So, at the end of the day, we’ve just got to look at that and learn from those mistakes and bring it to the next game.

WR Matthew Golden

Q. Matthew, whether it’s you and Isaiah [Bond] this year, or Adonai [Mitchell] last year, the last couple of years, these transfer receivers have come in and immediately kind of built a rapport with Quinn [Ewers] and this offense. I’m kind of wondering, why do you think that is? Is it Quinn? Is it the culture? Is it just God-given talent and cream rising to the top? Why do you think that is?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: No, I would just say it’s the culture that they have here at the University of Texas, just the foundation, and the coaching staff. Just coming in and standing down. Just asking questions about like how to bring your game to the next level. Just being in this offense, it’s changed a lot, and it’s helped me develop my game to the next level. So, I appreciate Coach [Chris] Jackson and Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) for allowing me to bring my talents here. They’ve helped me a lot.

Q. Matt, Andrew Mukuba said that this year, for him, has kind of been like a movie. So I kind of want to get your take on how you think this year has been for you, from when you first got here to where you are now and how it’s fit with your expectations.

MATTHEW GOLDEN: No, it’s been a blessing to be able to play for this university. Just everything that has happened, just waiting my turn. I feel like just me coming here, it was a no-brainer. I didn’t want to go too far from home, so just coming here, just being able to play with the guys. Just the adversity we faced throughout the season, just staying together and staying as one team. I feel like as a team, we’re right where we need to be, and, I mean, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Q. And how can that fourth and 13 play catapult this offense?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: I mean, like I don’t feel like none of us was ready to go home. So I feel like the football gods were on our side, just for that one play. Just knowing that we weren’t ready for our season to end. So just being able to capitalize on that play and keep the season going, it’s a blessing.

Q. Does the fourth and 13 play have a name?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: No, we haven’t come up with a name yet.

Q. So was it just a straight adjustment at the line? Is that really all there is to it?

WR MATTHEW GOLDEN: Yeah, Quinn [Ewers] checked the protection. The play that we had called, it was a cover two-beater. The safety played a li le bit high. I stuck the corner, and the O-line gave Quinn a good enough me just to deliver a perfect ball for me to come down with and grab. So, congrats to us on the win, but I feel like as a whole offense, we’ve still got to go back to the drawing board and just fix the small details to be more successful in this game.

Q. Matthew, I wanted to ask about your move to go to Texas. Like when you entered the portal, what was the thing about Texas that attracted you, that made you want to go there? And what did you learn about this program and your time here so far?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: Just knowing that you’ve got to be able to block playing in this offense. It’s a balanced offense. I saw Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell here before me. I saw what they did with receivers. Just knowing the history that they did with receivers, it was a no-brainer just to come here.
So, me being able to come and play in this offense, like I said, it’s helped me develop my game to the next level. So just being able to play and approach the offense, it will get you ready for the next level or whatever you decide you want to do with your opportunities here.

Q. Could you describe the challenge that you and the other Texas receivers are going to face in going against Davis Igbinosun and Denzel Burke and the safeties as well?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: We know we’re going to play a good defense. We know it’s going to be a 60-minute battle. So just going out there as one team, as an offense, focusing on the small details, just taking it one play at a me. So just going out there, executing, doing everything we need to do as an offense, and just letting the rest unfold itself.

Q. Matthew, I know you’re not going up against Jeremiah Smith on the field, but what do you think of him? And does his presence motivate you to go out there and match his performance?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: You know, just him being young and him playing at the level he’s playing at, it’s different. Congrats to him for having the season that he’s having. I see from Twitter and stuff like that, he’s a well-rounded guy on and off the field. He carries himself like a pro. So just being able to get that matchup against him and the defense that they bring. I’m looking forward to it, and I think the rest of our team are, too.

Q. Matthew, as a whole, how would you assess how the special teams have gone at Texas? Kickoff return, punt return, the kicking game with Bert [Auburn] struggling a little bit. How would you assess special teams, as a whole, this season?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: I feel like special teams changes games. It brings a lot of energy. Changing projections or anything like that. Just being able to capitalize on the special teams side, it makes a lot of things easier. So just knowing that whenever we get the opportunity to capitalize on special teams, we’ve got to take full accountability for it. With Bert, we stay on Bert. Nobody’s perfect, so just being there for him and telling him, you’re going to get another opportunity. So just being able to capitalize off that and not reflect off the pass. Just being there for him. And special teams-wise, just taking accountability for any opportunity that we get.

Q. Matthew, aside from the practices and the drills and stuff going over the game plan, has Coach [Chris] Jackson and/or Coach [Steve] Sarkisian sat down with you individually or maybe as a team and said, “Okay, guys, we have two more battles. It’s important to remain calm. Rely on your skill set. Rely on your training,” to kind of get you in a focused sense of maybe mentally giving you that spot? Have they sat down with you guys and talked to you about that?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: Yeah, they’ve definitely talked to us about it, just looking at the matchup that we’re going against. Like I said, we’re playing a good team. You know, two good teams playing against each other. So just knowing now, when games come like this, you’ve got to be locked in on the small details as a team and play as one unit.

So, knowing that we get this opportunity, and we’re going to take full accountability for it. I feel like we’re right where we need to be as a team. We’re just going to stay locked in as one.

Q. I just wanted to go back to your comments about how this program has helped out your game. Can you just pull behind the curtain a little bit and let us know what about your game has improved, and also how much has Coach [Chris] Jackson’s NFL experience played a factor in that?

MATTHEW GOLDEN: Yeah, he’s helped me tremendously. Just talking off-the-field stuff, just reading defenses and just raw details in general. Just knowing that in this type of offense, you’ve got to be able to be in the zones, know when they’re playing zones, know when they’re playing man.

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So just knowing that you’ve got to be there at the right me for the quarterback, and you’ve got to be at the right depth, whatever route it is, whatever concept, you’ve just got to go out there and you’ve got to be locked in with the small details and do your job. So, I feel like coming here and just having the foundation that we have here, it’s helped me in along the way.