Houston-Rice Football Postgame Quotes
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Rice Owls (1-10, 1-7 C-USA) at Houston Cougars (6-5, 4-4 C-USA)
Saturday, November 26, 2005 * Robertson Stadium * Houston, Texas
Head Coach Art Briles
On the Rice game
"We did like we have all year, we got behind and had to fight like heck to get back in it. Still, I don't think I've ever been prouder of a group of guys. We've had some terrible things happen to us this year, but we fought back and became bowl eligible, so I'm proud of that."
"Our guys really showed a lot of focus mentally. Their attitude has been tremendous. I'm really proud of this team."
On the performance of Anthony Evans
"It's not surprising really, he's been through a rough season, but he fought hard and now we have him back healthy."
On why the Cougars should go to a bowl
"We play exciting football, we are fun to watch. Our guys play hard, and people enjoy the games. If you look at the statistics, we are the number one offense in the conference and number 12 in the nation, so that's a pretty good pitch."
On the possibility of playing in a bowl
"We don't know for sure, but by god we are in the hunt and that's all I can ask for. I'm also proud of our fans for coming out here and supporting us all season long. This is a great game for the University of Houston football program."
On the Cougars' fight
"This was a great team effort tonight, to go down 10-0 and to come back and to win this game was great. It is a great testament to our players belief and attitude."
On whether the Cougars deserve to go to a bowl
"I think we deserve to go without a doubt. I've been saying all year long we're as good a team as any in Conference USA and I think I can say that and our record backs it up. We should definitely be in one, we are an exciting team to watch."
Houston Senior Running Back Anthony Evans
Opening Statement
"It was a great win tonight. I love having this game at the end of the season because it means more. Tonight we were fighting to become bowl eligible and we made something happen. To end the season with a rivalry game and finish where we needed to just adds to it."
On the offensive line
"The past couple games we have been down early and It's all about the big guys up front tonight. If they didn't play the way they played tonight, we would never have been able to walk out of here with the victory. You can say what you want, but this year they made things happen.
Houston Junior Quarterback Kevin Kolb
Opening Statement
"Tonight was just a huge win for our team. Winning tonight meant more to me than getting the record. I knew about it, but I tried to keep things in focus."
On UH's bowl prospects
"We want to go to a bowl game and prove ourselves. We have shown that we can change momentum and make big plays. Now we want to go our and prove it against whoever. We feel we can play with anyone."
Houston Junior Linebacker Wade Koehl
Opening Statement
"I saw a lot of determination in everyone's eyes tonight. I had not seen that all year. Everyone wanted to win and knew we needed to hang on to it. We were ready to go today and everyone got after it."
On the adjustment to defending the triple option
"It was tough and we made some mistakes early on. That kind of offense feeds off of mistakes. They made some good plays, but we were able to make some adjustments and get it turned back around."
On gaining bowl eligibility
"I sure hope we go. We are exciting and a fun team to watch. We are bowl eligible and deserve to go as much as anyone else."
