[Texas Monthly] The Art Briles Interview

texasmonthly.com: First of all, it's a pleasure to speak to a coach who won his conference last year.

Briles: Thank you so much. It was a nice year for us. Our guys did a great job, and they came through at the right time. Now we've got to build on that and keep going.

tm.com: You're starting your fifth year with the Cougars, and last season you won ten games and captured the school's first outright title since the days of the Southwest Conference. How has the program changed under your leadership?

Briles: The main thing that we've established--and it was one of our main goals--was credibility and respectability. Those were things we felt we were lacking when we took over in 2003. Now we have to keep growing with the wins. We have the respectability and the credibility; now we want to be a dominant football program.

tm.com: How much did it help you with recruiting to say, "We won a conference title last year. Texas didn't do it. A&M didn't do it. TCU didn't do it." Is that a factor?

Briles: It really was. I guess we were the only Texas university that won one. It was good because we play exciting football offensively and defensively, and it created a lot of emotion and enthusiasm for the university. It was definitely a big boost for us.

tm.com: The University of Houston is known for producing great quarterbacks over the years--Andre Ware, David Klingler, and others--but you're losing a talented four-year starter in Kevin Kolb who set a lot of records himself. Is that going to be a difficult process for you?

tm.com: We had a comfort factor with Kevin because he was a returning starter and he knew the system. But the opportunity for someone to break out and lead us is exciting for the players and the coaches. Kevin created a tremendous legacy, and now someone has the opportunity to match that and build on it.

tm.com: Is Al Pena, a senior transfer from Oklahoma State, going to be the guy?

Briles: He's on campus, and that's a big boost for him and for us. But we have three guys that we feel really confident with. Al's one of them, and the other two are Blake Joseph, from Bryan, and Case Keenum, from Abilene.

tm.com: But both Joseph and Keenum are young. One's a sophomore, the other's a freshman.

Briles: That's right. Al has the experience, but the other two have been in the system a little while. We need to see how quickly everyone adjusts and who stands out. That's what fall camp is for. That's when we'll figure it out.

tm.com: You've found success with the Cougars, but before that, you were a highly respected high school coach at Stephenville, where you won four state titles. In fact, for the September issue, TEXAS MONTHLY is ranking the top twenty high school programs of all time, and Stephenville is on the list. How did coaching change for you when you went from the high school game to the college game?

Briles: You know, I get asked that question a bunch. And honestly, football is football. It doesn't matter if you're coaching seventh grade in South Texas or you're the head coach at the University of Houston. It's all about building relationships and motivating players and treating people with respect. That's the concept of the game. Schematically, things come and go that might give you an edge, but the bottom line is getting people to play at a level they didn't think they could.

tm.com: Would you have any advice for Todd Dodge, the outstanding coach at Southlake Carroll who's starting his first season at the University of North Texas? What does he have to do to reach the level you're at?

Briles: If I was going to give anyone advice, it would be to trust yourself. Don't try to change because your position changed.

tm.com: Earlier you talked about "respectability" and "credibility" for the Cougars. When you took over the program, what did you need to do to stand out in a very crowded state, where a lot of people only want to talk about UT and A&M?

Briles: First of all, we started in the city of Houston because we're a large metropolitan area with a lot of things going on. Then you throw in Texas, Texas A&M, and other big universities in close proximity, and you have to do something special to make people notice. There are no givens, and you have to earn the respect you get. You have to put a good product on the field, or the fans aren't going to show up like they might in some other places. For me, that's the intriguing part of the job: When you take a step up the ladder, it's a worthwhile step.

tm.com: Does it help that your conference plays a lot of Texas teams, which is something, for example, TCU doesn't have in the Mountain West?

Briles: Without a doubt. We have a regionally located division on our side of the conference bracket, including Tulsa and Tulane. For one thing, that helps in recruiting because parents can be there to watch their sons play. That's a big deal.

tm.com: You don't have any Big XII teams on your schedule this year, but last year you beat Oklahoma State at home. Is that a game where you say, "The Big XII gets a lot of attention, but we can beat those guys?"

Briles: Of course. First of all, Oklahoma State recruits heavily in this area, so they come in here and take what we feel are our athletes. It was a good opportunity for us to protect our turf, so to speak. But we don't feel inferior to the so-called BCS conferences. We feel like we can play against anyone nationally.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/delayofgame/2007/07/art-briles-interview.php