University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Conference Quotes
11/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2006
HEAD COACH Art Briles
Opening Statement:
"I am proud of our players and everything that they have accomplished this year. We set some goals early in the season and we are on the path to accomplishing all of them so it's a good deal and I am proud of our players for that and the coaches for getting us into this position. We are extremely excited to have the (championship) game at Robertson Stadium for a variety of reasons. One being our family, our friends, the fans and our student body can come to the game and give us a great opportunity to win it. The second one is that late in the season playing at home is a big advantage because teams get worn a little bit during the season, physically and mentally, and I think you get a boost from the home crowd. We are extremely excited to have the conference championship game here in Houston. Plus, it's an opportunity to showcase our university and the city of Houston across the nation."
On playing the whole season without a bye week:
"We've grinded every week and that's why with our season falling like it has fallen it couldn't have been any better. Going into the season we knew if we came through and got into this position for once we would be the fresher football team and for once have the upper hand and be a team with a few extra days of preparation. We've been on the other side of that four times this season and this time we are on the correct side of the coin."
On staying focused with the holiday weekend and the bye week:
"The good thing about us this year is that we have great senior leadership. Those guys have done a great job of keeping our players focused. We are on the path to finish the job. It's certainly not finished, we have a lot left in front of us, and it starts at 7 p.m. at Robertson Stadium."
On the watching the other conference games this weekend:
"They deserve a break. It's hard for me to relax watching a game because all I do is critique and analyze things you might do or things you could do. I don't imagine I will sit around and watch a lot of football. I might go to a couple high school football games because we haven't been recruiting much this fall but we get the chance this weekend."
On the competition between the top and bottom teams in the conference:
"I think nationally it is (unpredictable). I think there is so much parity across the nation and in every conference you can see it. I am not sure there isn't a 10-point swing between team all across the nation within their conferences, from top to bottom. It's a game where every play could be the play of the game. That's why it is so important to do your best every time the ball snaps. There are no guarantees."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Kevin Kolb
On playing this far into the season: "It's very satisfying because of what we have gone through in the past and not meeting our expectations. We were this talented last season, but we just didn't get it done. It's nice to be here and know we are mentally tough enough to be here. There have been some battles to get here but we know what lies ahead and if we lose this game it means nothing."
On playing the entire season with the bye week at the end:
"You try not to think about that stuff in the middle of the season. You just try and take it week-by-week. I know people are tired of hearing that but that's what you have to do with a season like this and with this much grinding and fighting. We've done it and it's very nice. You can see the mental aspect of everyone's practice. It's very intense right now. It's exciting and everyone is having a good time."
On having the bye week before the conference championship:
"It's a huge advantage. We have played four teams this year that had their off week before (playing) us. That kills our offense because we throw a lot of different formations and stuff at them, and they get the extra time to study us and get ready for us. Finally, the tables have turned and we have it on our side. We get the rest and we are a pretty hot team right now. We are looking forward to it. It's going to be fun."
On not letting the bye week distract the team:
"If this happened after the Tulsa game when we were hot and we had the last two games that determined what we were going to do it would be different, but this is such a big game, the next two games are, that there is no reason to let up. We have good senior leadership all the way through and everyone is serious about this year. This is the year to do it and we are here, it's time, so let's get it done."
On playing either Southern Miss or East Carolina in the conference championship:
"We feel good about both teams. If you were to pull someone from the bottom of the conference it would be just as tough of a game. Everyone has been surprising everyone. It doesn't matter who we play. Every game you have to take the same way and it won't matter (who we play)."
On the advantage of playing at home:
"That's why last weeks game was such a big deal. We may not have played like it for 60 minutes but it really was and we knew it going in. Being home for us, especially the way ticket sales have been going, we are excited to get this game where it needs to be and it's going to be an awesome atmosphere."
SENIOR SAFETY Will Gulley
On playing straight through the season without a bye week until this week: "It made us a better team. We just didn't cruise through. We had to work for it. A lot of the games we were down in the first half and we came back. It just showed us how good of a team we really are. It helped us in the long run, not just cruising through but grinding and grinding. Now we get the weekend off for Thanksgiving and we get to be with our families before the conference championship."
On having a weekend off before the conference championship:
"It feels good. It wouldn't have felt good if we hadn't made it to this point. It will feel good to get a rest and feel fresh for the game. There have been a lot of teams that have been fresh for us so we will get a few extra days. We don't know who we are playing yet but we will get a few extra practices in and we will be ready."
On playing the championship game in Houston:
"It's a big advantage so that students and fans can come out and support us. If we were going somewhere else we would have fans but not as many as we are going to have because we are at home. We are just happy the fans get to see the game."
On bouncing back after losing three straight in the middle of the season:
"We never got down on ourselves when we lost the three (in a row). We were grinding during those games too, and when we lost them it made us stronger. We have to go play every game. We can't just show up, you have to show up and play. It helped us out and made us stronger as a team and when we started winning we just said we have to keep rolling. We are hot and we just have to keep it going like we are now."
On the team's mentality following the weekend off:
"They are going to be ready to play. We have been playing every Saturday and a lot of them are ready to play right now. We could have played this Saturday but it's a much-needed break and everyone can get healthy. It will make us more hungry because we are going to be so ready to play."
