Q. Kyle Flood made the comment, the coaches say that you can be a thermostat or thermometer, and that you're a thermostat. Why do you think you're a thermostat, as opposed to a thermometer?
JAKE MAJORS: I would say I want to keep learning. If you have a growth mindset, you want to keep doing more and more and more instead of just letting the environment control you.
For me, I want to keep learning from Flood and I want to keep learning more about the offense. When Coach refers to that, I want to keep learning. I take that as a compliment. That's awesome.
Q. Curious what you saw from the offensive lineman who stepped in after the injuries, and what did you think of Hayden Connor?
JAKE MAJORS: Overall I thought the offensive line did a great job executing. It's tough losing two of your starting O-linemen but the way they were able to be shuffled around and move in and execute at that level it was awesome to see. Shows you how far we've come as an organization.
As far as Hayden, I give him an A plus. He did a great job communicating and identifying the fronts. Super proud of him.
Q. I was asking other guys about Trevor Goosby, being a young guy at tackle what do you see from him mentally that makes him handle that responsibility?
JAKE MAJORS: He's like a sponge. Like I said you can being a thermostat or thermometer. He's like a thermostat. He kind of comes in with the same mindset of always wanting to keep learning. He asks great questions to Kelvin and Cam and whenever he asks a questions, he applies it to the field. It's unique to do that at such a fast pace. That's what stands out to me about Goosby is he's just so gifted.
Q. Can you take us through the play that you were hurt on? It didn't look great. Not every day you're down on the turf like that for that long. Can you take us through what happened there?
JAKE MAJORS: Just really it was second down, we were passing the ball. I saw the ball get tipped up. Defense caught it. Want to get in front of the guy just to cause him to have to move and someone else to get the tackle and I felt myself get blind-sided and kind of landed on my back the wrong way and went from there where I needed help getting off the field. It wasn't a good feeling but just to be able to see the guys get shuffled in and execute at a high level, they did a great job without me. Super proud of them.
Q. When the two running backs got hurt in the preseason, you and Gunnar were really out spoken and you challenged those running backs to step up. What put it on your heart to do that, and how do you think they responded?
JAKE MAJORS: Yeah, at the end of the day, I know that we needed them, and they have exceeded all the expectations that anybody could have for them. Blue and Trey do a great job complementing each other. Blue when he gets out in space, good luck tackling him. And Trey, he's going to put the crown on his helmet in your chest.
We have got these two guys that have two different flows to the game but they execute at such a high level, and for them to just keep getting better and better every week, like I said, it shows you the growth of this organization from the past couple years.
Q. There's a lot of pressure on the quarterback at Texas. From your standpoint how have you seen Quinn, the further along you guys get into this and as the season goes on, how have you seen him handle the press and external noise and everything that comes with being a quarterback at Texas, how have you seen him manage all that?
JAKE MAJORS: I think he's done it the best out of anybody I've ever seen just because he knows who he is as a person. He's a faith-based guy. At the end of the day he's worried about how he reflects Jesus Christ, and also he just knows that no mistakes are going to ever define him. This game doesn't he define him. He's going out there and leaving it all on the field not for himself but his teammates.
He's very team-driven. He wants the best for this team and he understands he has a big role. So he's going to execute as a high level for his teammates because he loves his teammates.
Q. Steve was talking about a come-to-Jesus meeting about not committing penalties. So I wanted to ask you what the message was there. And your thoughts on facing the former Longhorns or Arizona State's team.
JAKE MAJORS: To answer your first question, was talking about the penalties, just making sure that you're not getting too emotional in the heat of the moments and you just realize that what you do reflects on your team and it doesn't just hurt yourself. It hurts the whole team.
To answer your second question, I think it's really cool getting to play these guys that I knew when I stepped here in 2020 with Alford and Troy and Jake Smith at the time who was already here. I think it's super exciting. I'm sure it's super cool for them to play the team that they once played for.
But at the end of the day, it's College Football Playoffs and we are playing to win.
Q. Being the all-time starts leader at Texas, what does that mean to you? Are you too focused on chasing the National Championship or can you take time to appreciate what you've done the past four or five years?
JAKE MAJORS: It's definitely crossed my mind the past two weeks because someone has brought it up to me multiple times. But I wouldn't be here without the training staff and the nutrition staff that takes care of me every day. I give all the accolades and all that to them because I wouldn't be in this position, the health of my body, without them.
It's super cool to have my name in the record book but at the end of the day, I'm going out there playing for my team. It's cool to look at it, recognize it but at the end of the day, I'm out here playing for my teammates.
Q. To get into the last 14 was huge but this year, trying to get to that point, your second playoff game, what's the run been like for you guys?
JAKE MAJORS: It's just been something that we expected because we knew we were capable of being here but we weren't entitled to it. So we just kind of had to work for it. To see week-by-week this team get better every day and every week, it's just been cool to see, and we expect to be here and we expect to keep improving.
Q. You mentioned getting to campus in 2020. I wonder if that whole year, have guys taken advantage of the additional year and how much do guys need that year back because of how crazy that year was from a development standpoint?
JAKE MAJORS: I don't think that year was ideal for anybody. They only get told so much about their freshman year and how it would be, and then for it to be cut short by COVID and stuff like that I definitely think it's cool for people to be able to use that year and experience what college is like. For me it's oath been beneficial to have that year to come back and be part of such a special team and historic team. However people see it, it's very benefit for people to come back who missed out on their freshman year.
Q. Asked Kelvin Banks this. There are 125 teams that would love to trade places with the Elite Eight. How much are you appreciating this journey and the opportunity to win the National Championship, just three games away?
JAKE MAJORS: No doubt, that's a great question, and I think I've just kind of seen it firsthand today how everybody has been in the facility talking with each other, just enjoying the just a moments, knowing that the season, you get a maximum three more weeks and that's it, and so many more team would trade to be in this position. Just taking it in every day, enjoying every moment, and just again, like I said, giving it all for the guys next to you because at the end of the day, it's a team sport and we've got to do this for each other.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports