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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDIA CONFERENCE


October 15, 2012


Kenny Vaccaro


Q.  Where is this team's confidence level right now?
KENNY VACCARO:  I think it's down a little bit, obviously because we lost the last two games. But Coach Brown had a good meeting with us yesterday and I think our coordinators gave us good messages to keep fighting and everything will be fine.

Q. How important is it to get a win against Baylor to kind of right the ship a little bit?
KENNY VACCARO:  I think it's really important, especially these next stretch of games. I think winning the Baylor game would give us a lot of momentum and confidence finishing the season.

Q. It kind of feels like this is a moment where things could go one way or the other. How do you get everybody on board?
KENNY VACCARO:  I think you just let the team know exactly what you said; that this is a moment that I feel like can make or break our season and how successful we want to be and just stress that every detail is important and we need to focus on Baylor and winning that game.

Q. Does it kind of feel like almost a questioning your manhood moment, just on the defensive side of the ball?
KENNY VACCARO:  Yeah, definitely. There's got to be a point where we get everything together. We've got the players, we've got the talent, we just need to all come together because right now I feel like it's a little bit embarrassing how we're playing when last year we were playing so well.

Q. It seemed like kind up and to the point in the game Jordan got hurt, it seemed like you were playing a lot better. Has that affected things a lot more than people could really realize?
KENNY VACCARO:  Yeah, I think everybody just needs to understand how important Jordan Hicks is and how much his return is going to help us because he's a leader and he holds that linebacker corps together. He's the oldest guy in the room, he's smart, and he's just a great football player. When he can help those guys get aligned, it just makes our team that much better, and you need that guy in the middle because secondary is the back end but Jordan can line up the D‑line and the linebackers.

Q. I know Mac had said he didn't feel like anybody had quit in the Oklahoma game, but when they ripped off some of those big plays‑‑
KENNY VACCARO:  Honestly I really‑‑ in that game the only positive I really did get from that game, I really don't think anybody quit on the defense. I know they were still making plays, but that doesn't mean we quit, it just means they were executing the offense well. I don't think anybody quit, especially in the second half. We came out and we stopped them a couple times. I mean, I don't think there was any quit.

Q. With Baylor, them having your number the last two years, what's this game going to be like for you guys?
KENNY VACCARO:  Honestly just like the question and answer before. Just a momentum builder. I think it's a big game for us just to get the season turned around. I think it's not so much into the whole rivalry thing, I think it's more about our season now, not so much that we've been beaten by them the last two years. I think that all gets thrown away now, and now we've just got to worry about winning games.

Q. These are the moments when kind of everybody starts questioning everything that's going on with the program. Is that really unfair?  You've been rebuilding this thing for the last two years. Where is the setback‑‑
KENNY VACCARO:  I think it really is. This is the time when a lot of people want to blame Coach Brown; they want to blame the coordinators; they want to say we can't tackle; we can't make plays. You can't point fingers in this time because the next game we might all come together and play perfect and everybody is right back on the bandwagon. Honestly our goal is just to stay together within and not listen to what's being said outside our room.

Q. How tough is it?  Is it a good time to be a Longhorn to show the world that you have heart and character and courage and can overcome adversity?
KENNY VACCARO:  It's tough right now. Honestly after the Oklahoma game I never really felt like that, especially being my senior year. The biggest thing I think we can do for me as a leader is just to stand up, be strong and just bring confidence to my team from wherever I can take it from, lead those guys and just show them that if we keep fighting we can get the season turned around.

Q. Is your brother okay?
KENNY VACCARO:  Yeah, he's okay. He is just got a little concussion.

Q. Baylor's offense is prolific, Nick Florence stepping in. What is it about Baylor's offense?
KENNY VACCARO:  I mean, they're a great offense. They've been great the last four years I've been here. They've been putting numbers up. But we've been playing great, also, for the last four years, so that's really not that big of a deal to me, more we've just got to keep playing.

Q. Do you miss RG3?
KENNY VACCARO:  No, I actually texted him today, though, about his TD run.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports



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