Everything Texas Longhorns' Pete Kwiatkowski Said After Win vs. Clemson Tigers

Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski met with the media following the College Football Playoff win over the Clemson Tigers.

Zach Dimmitt | 6 Hours Ago

Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski speaks to media at the Sheraton Hotel on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Texas Longhorns will face the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

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AUSTIN -- For the first time since the offseason, Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski met with the media following Saturday's 38-24 win over the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff.

Here's what "PK" had to say:

On the fourth-down stop:

"Yeah, it was obviously a huge, huge moment in the game. For us to get that stop, to hold it to a two-score game was huge, and for the offense to be able to get the ball, take some time off the clock, and when we did go back on the field being up by two scores, it totally changes how you call a game knowing that they had to push the ball down the field to score quick."

On Clemson QB Cade Klubnik:

"He's a really outstanding player because he can hurt you with his arm and he can hurt you with his legs, and he's a tough competitor. There's no quit in the guy. His ability to extend plays, his ability to run the ball, that was a big challenge to us because they ran him in quarterback draws and designed quarterback runs, and they're really good at throwing the football. For us we had some different things that we were trying to chop up the front to make it hard for him to run those quarterback draws and still be sound in the back end with our coverage calls."

On if Klubnik was best dual-threat QB Texas has faced this season:

"Some of them like Arkansas, they have a good quarterback that was throwing the ball really well and was very good running the ball. A&M, what they did with their quarterbacks running the ball. Yeah, there was a lot of -- I can't think of them all off the top of my head, but those two come to mind that have the ability -- the dual threat type quarterbacks that put a lot of stress on the pass rush, trying to get to him and not give up quarterback runs, and then their ability to extend plays with their legs and be accurate with the football. You saw that tonight. He did a pretty good job."

On Klubnik's ability to extend plays:

"His ability to get out of the pocket, his ability to run designed quarterback runs, and then we call them RPOs, but he has the run pass option. He drops back, we're playing with a light box, he's going to run the draw. If we're playing with two backers in the box, he's going to throw the football. So it was a cat-and-mouse game all night long. Just trying to change up those pictures."

On his evaluation of the defense at this point in the season:

"Well, starting way back in January, the guys showed up on a mission to get better and improve on what we did last year, and getting to the first game, getting through the first few games, the guys' preparation has been outstanding week in and week out. They show up win or lose with that mindset. We've got to get better, and they have. The confidence that we developed early in the season has just grown. Today we put those corners in a lot of one-on-one situations, and they made good plays on some 50/50 balls. I know the guys were frustrated that they could have played it better, and we'll go back to work and we'll improve."

On defense stepping up in big moments this season:

"Everybody, no matter what situation we get put in, they have the mindset that they're going to attack it, and that's a resiliency, being able to handle adversity. It's just a tough bunch of guys, mentally tough guys that it doesn't matter what kind of situation we put in. We're going out there, and the goal is to get the ball back for the offense, and they've done that all year long."

On different players always stepping up for the defense:

"We've got a lot of good players that care about each other and play for each other. It doesn't matter who's making the plays. Everybody plays a selfless brand of football, and whoever is the guy that steps up and makes the plays, they feed off of it, and that's what team defense is all about."

On Jahdae Barron, Michael Taaffe and others calling him a genius:

"Well, yeah, I'm humbled by that, but without these guys executing at a high level, I look like a schmuck. They get all the credit because they're the ones that are out preparing. We're putting them in position, and they've got to go out and execute and they've done it on a consistent basis this year."