Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
Texas Tech guard Brandon Carter is known as “The Intimidator” because of his intense on-the-field playing demeanor and massive 6-foot-7, 334-pound frame.
We caught up with Carter earlier this week to get his thoughts as the Red Raiders try to put aside their disappointing loss at Texas last week and prepare for a game at No. 17 Houston Saturday night (ESPN2, 9:15 p.m. ET).
What did you guys learn in that loss last week to Texas?
Brandon Carter: We learn every week. There were times of struggles in that game for the offensive line. Texas has a great defensive line. All we can do is learn from that. We’ve done that by watching the film. We still have a couple of open spots (along the offensive line) and have guys who are filling in. We have a great offensive line. We just need those guys to buy into the system. And once they do it, it can really help us out.
How did you react to the disappointment of losing in Austin?
BC: I didn’t have a bad reaction. I don’t have time or the inclination to do that. As a co-captain, I need to make sure that this team stands up and realizes we have nine more games to play this season. We can’t totally forget about it. But we have to get past this loss and go on. I wasn’t disappointed at all. Our guys competed for 60 minutes. We just shot ourselves in the foot too many times with penalties. We need to make sure we don’t have those mistakes in the future. We just need to relax and play football. We’ll be a lot better if we do that.
How is your team going to put that loss behind you as you get ready for Houston on Saturday night?
BC: There’s really not much bouncing back. Everybody was excited we were able to fight hard for 60 minutes. We just kept shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and that’s what we need to work on. We are going to take complete advantage of that. And once we get the mental mistakes out of there, we’ll be fine. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.
What did you think of the toughness that Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts showed when he came back from some of the sacks against Texas?
BC: We had never seen him get hit many times. And when he took a hard shot, it’s kind of a downfall for our offensive line. But seeing him get hit and then get back for the next play was exciting. He just went back out there, did what he could do and played the game.
What is Potts’ leadership style on the field and does his Fu Manchu mustache kind of fit his attitude?
BC: I always took Taylor to be a shy one until I got to know him. Within his character, he’s an outgoing guy. I don’t know if the Fu Manchu is his style or not, but it seems to fit him pretty well. Our teammates enjoy it. He’s a great character and a leader. And if he wanted to grow a full ZZ Top beard, I would be fine with it.
Your running game has struggled a little bit early in the season. What are you going to try to do to help improve that against Houston and during the rest of the season?
BC: With the running game, we’re just as close as we can be to getting it fixed. We’re one block from making some of those plays happen. We just can’t afford to make mistakes like that. We did better against Texas, but we’re still far away from where we want to be. And I think eventually, we’ll get there.
You’ve created a different look for yourself from nearly every college player in the country with your hair, your tattoos and your demeanor on the field. What do you have planned Saturday night in Houston for your game on national television against the Cougars?
BC: I always do my hair different for every game. I always have my face paint on and I’ll run out there like a mad man like I do every week. Next week won’t be any different for me than any of the others.