Sophomore defensive lineman Arik Armstead:
(On defensive coordinator Nick Allioti…)
“He’s a funny dude. He tells a lot of jokes. Probably the thing I’m going to remember the most is just him going on his rants and not saying anything specifically because you can’t understand him. He’s always pushed me to be a better player by continuing to be on me and telling me I can do better.”
Sophomore wide receiver Bralon Addison:
(On the Texas defense…)
“They have guys that can run really well. Sometimes, they have mental lapses, but they run really well and get to the ball pretty well. I think the big play has hurt them a lot of times this season, but they run really well and get to the ball. They cause havoc if they are on their p’s and q’s.”
(On the value of the time off between games for the offense…)
“I think it’s been a huge difference. You get all this time off for bowl practices. You get all this time to recover and heal. Especially for the young guys like myself and some of the freshmen, we get this time, like spring ball, where you get these practices during December without a game at the end of the week. You’re just able to get better over this last month. It helps a lot of guys. I think a lot of the people that redshirted were better this month than they were this whole season. It’s just about reps and we got a lot of reps this past month.”
(On the new uniforms…)
“I like them. Any way, shape, or form that we continue to improve is always good. Nike does a great job with continuing to make something better. We [players] sit around and talk all the time about how they can continue to make it better when it is already great, but they always find a way.”
Senior linebacker Boseko Lokombo:
(On defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti’s retirement…)
“I thought it was a good time for him. I feel like he’s done a lot for the program. It’s about that time. I wasn’t really surprised. I think he kind of hinted it last year. It was just good timing for him.”
(On his emotions going into his last collegiate game…)
“I’m pretty excited. I’m just excited to play another one and finish strong. Hopefully, we can do what we can to win this game.”
(On the value of the time off between games…)
“A lot of people are healthier now, so it will be good to play at our full strength.”
Sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone:
(On the defensive ends of Texas…)
“Those guys are high motor and super athletic. [Texas senior defensive end Jackson] Jeffcoat is kind of an anomaly because he is 245 pounds, but he can bull rush a guy better than a 330 pound guy can. With him, it’s just his leverage. He knows how to use his weight. He knows how to use his muscle. He’s really good at keeping his hands off of you, so that is the biggest challenge: locking on to him and keeping him going. That is the most difficult thing.”
(On the group of Oregon players who have played in the AlamoDome in the past…)
“It’s kind of funny, because the few of us that have been here, we’re going around town like we know everything. I have only been here one time for five days and they keep you busy. So for the guys that have been here, it’s pretty special.”