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Say What? Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury talks UTEP

UTEP heads to Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders, here's what Kingsbury said about Saturday's matchup.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

On Last Week

"Yeah, there were some positives, but like I touched on, the biggest disappointment was not finishing the game. That's what I felt. Coming off the field, I still feel that way. But there were some positives from young guys who made some plays, which was good to see when the lights came on, but lots of room for improvement."

Concerns on playing UTEP

"A lot. We played them last year, obviously, and were very fortunate to get out of there with a win late. They went to a bowl game last year. Coach Kugler's in his third year. You can tell the players are understanding his schemes, what he wants to do. They were second in the country last year in time of possession, so they're going to hold the ball and they're going to pound you. They like to run the rock and do a good job at it. One of the top running backs in the country. Lot of the things scare you. Defensively they're aggressive. Changeup a bunch of looks, and give you a lot of pressure and you have to win."

On Aaron Jones

"Just a very good player, and they do a good job of -- their offensive line does a good job of finding ways to get him the ball both in the run game and the pass game. We faced him last year and he had a great game. He's a guy that we're going to have to find a way to get to the ground. But he's a very talented play"

On Texas Tech's offensive line

"Not bad. The false starts were concerning to have an experienced group like that put us in first and 15, second and 15 four times, which I don't think we had four of those the entire camp. So we have to get that figured out. As a unit I thought played fairly well, kept Pat on his feet and provided some good holes for the running game."

On Texas Tech's defense

"First and foremost, eliminate the mental mistakes. A lot of things we had repped a ton in preparation for that that we saw and just didn't react appropriately. Then tackle guys in space. We really struggled in space and getting guys down. We have to tackle better."

"Luckily we have that game from last year to base a lot of what we're selling them this week on. Them holding the ball, possessing the ball. So offensively when you get drives, you've got to try to make them count. Defensively you've got to be ready for a downhill run game, play-action pass, and sit in there and stay focused on some of those long drives."

"They'll be challenged. When they watch that film today, they know there is a long way to go, and they know what's coming. Based upon last year and playing this team, it's a very good football team and they're going to come right at us, so we better be ready."