University of Houston Athletics
Fort Worth Bowl Press Conference Quotes
12/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Dec. 22, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas - Quotes from Head Coach Art Briles at the Fort Worth Bowl Press Conference
"We are very impressed with Kansas. We respect them tremendously. He (Kansas head coach Mark Mangino) talked about the Tangerine Bowl. All of those guys that played in that game have two years under their belt. They are very experienced and very fundamentally sound. They are a really good football team with great direction from their head coach.
"We are proud to be here in Fort Worth. Last time we went to a bowl game we kind of felt like the enemy because we played the University of Hawai'i in their stadium. It's a lot different feeling this time. People here have been great and very hospitable. Of course, Fort Worth is a great town with warm, Southern hospitality.
"We are glad to be here, very glad to be here and proud to represent the University of Houston. This is a big deal for us. It's a great opportunity for us just like it is for Kansas. It's going to be a lot of fun.
"I have Kade Lane and Ryan Gilbert with me today. Kade plays defensive end. He has started 47 games in a row and is very dependable. He is a very good player and very unselfish. Ryan Gilbert is an outstanding young man, great man as he is a great running back. Kade is the same way.
"That is what I am proud of. Football comes and goes, but people stay. That is what is important in life. It's what is important to our football team. We are going to take care of each other; we're going to love each other; we're going to play hard for each other. That is why we are where we are today. It's not exactly where we want to be. Just like Kansas is marching up that hill, we are going to take positive steps in the right direction as a football program. We have a long way to go, but we are going to work hard to get there.
"Our bowl preparation has been pretty good. We went a couple of weeks at home and tried to go on the weekends to not conflict with finals and everything. The thing that I worry about as a coach, and I am sure that Mark does the same thing, is to make sure we are game ready. It's hard to simulate things in practice that you are going to see in a game when you talk about game speed as talented as Kansas is. Once we get on the field and see the speed of the game, we will have to adjust and be ready to roll.
"It's an exciting venue, it's a good matchup and we are certainly proud to be a part of it."
On anxiety of playing Kansas' defense: "I am not sure that anxious is the correct word. Concerned, worried... those kinds of things come to mind. They have an outstanding defense. They have a bunch of guys that have played a lot of games and do a great job on the field. They are a very intelligent football team and very fundamentally sound, very confident. It's a great challenge for us offensively without a doubt. They have a good offense too, so don't for a second think that they are not good on that side of the ball. What you have to look at are the people they are playing against every weekend. They go against some good defenses in that lineup each week. We certainly respect both sides of the ball with them as well as the kicking game."
On Kansas being best defense UH has played: "I would say so without a doubt. We have been against some pretty good defenses across the season. Every week when you ask someone that, that is going to be the answer. Oregon had an outstanding defense; Mississippi State had an outstanding defense. Southern Miss is also a very good defense.
"I don't know. Every week is different; every defense is different. What they have been is real steady across the table. They have earned where they are, and they deserve it."
On returning to the area he used to coach: "From that standpoint, it is special to me because I spent a lot of time through this area. It's fun to get UH back on the map. We went about 10 years where you would say UH and nobody would turn their head and look. Now, somebody might actually throw an eye over at you. It gives us an opportunity to get our name back out in this part of the state and get some respectability back to the program. That is the most important thing."
