Football Press Conference Quotes
12/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening Statement:
"Now is a really busy time. A lot of people don't see it that way but these guys have finals going on, and coaches are out recruiting. We have a huge recruiting weekend scheduled this weekend. We've had three bowl practices. We'll have our fourth today. There is a bunch of things going on.
"It's a great time for college athletics. We'll have seven of our 16 seniors graduate either today or tomorrow. Since we've been here, we've given five of those 16 seniors scholarships. That's what it's all about. I'm proud of our guys and their graduation rates. They have gone up in the last few years that we've been here.
"We're approaching this game like it's the first game of next season. Our guys have earned it to play in a bowl game, but it's an honor to play a team like this. I have tremendous respect for (head coach) Troy Calhoun. He does as good of a job as there is in the country. This is a team that's 10th nationally in total defense. It doesn't take much to get your attention.
"They've only turned the ball over 11 times offensively all year. This is a trademark even though it's a young team. This is a classic Troy Calhoun Air Force football team. They're well coached, well disciplined and play great defense. They lead the country in pass defense. There are only two teams that have scored over 20 points on them all year, and it took one of those teams overtime to get over those 20 points.
"The most impressive statistic is that they held TCU to 20 points in a three-point game. TCU is fourth in the country in scoring average per game. They're right behind us, averaging 40 points a game. Air Force cut them in half.
"It's a classic matchup. It's a football team that has a great kick returner. They do a great job on special teams also. They're a well-coached team, and they don't give ball games away. They've been in some really close games with really good opponents. When you talk about the top half of the Mountain West Conference, they are as good as football teams anywhere in the country. Air Force is definitely in the top half of the Mountain West based on where they've been in the past three years.
"It doesn't take a whole lot to get our attention. We've been on the field with them a couple of times. We know how it works. They have a plan. They're one of the top teams in the country in time of possession. Obviously, they're going to try to take away what we do, and we have to figure out a way to do what we do. That's what games like this are about.
"Our guys are excited. For our seniors last year, their legacy is winning that game: the first bowl game win in 28 years. That really was a springboard to what happened this year. For our seniors (this year), even though they didn't accomplish everything that they wanted, they'll be the first group in a long time to win 11 games. That's important to them because that will be their legacy. That will be the springboard for next year. We're in the top 25 right now but (a bowl win) will keep us in the top 25 for the rest of the year and will probably move us up in the top-15 category for preseason next year.
"There's a lot to play for. Our guys are ready to get back on the field against somebody else after the Christmas Break."
On being associated with the big-name finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award:
"It's not necessarily the names that are associated with it. It's `the' name that's associated with the award. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance last year. When you see the people up there on the stage, and you think of the name that is associated with the Bear Bryant Award, it is a tremendous honor. Individual awards are group efforts so there's a lot that going in with it. It's not just me. It's a really humbling experience."
On the nomination being a measuring stick for this head coaching career:
"I don't how far it is a measuring stick for me as much as it's a measuring stick for the program. For a bunch of our guys to be where they are nationally and for our coaches, it speaks of what the entire group has accomplished in such a short amount of time and what the possibilities are down the road."
JUNIOR QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On Air Force:
"They play hard and they don't mess up. They're very well coached. We're looking forward to it.
"It's Air Force, we know they're going to be working extremely hard this month to prepare for us and they're a good football team. They're better than last year and we feel we are too. They're going to come out and play hard and we have to match them. Being an armed forces team, you know the effort is going to be there."
On the season:
"We obviously didn't achieve some of the goals we set out. We can't dwell too much on that and focus on the task at hand and send our seniors off on a good note."
On the Home Depot Award show:
"It was real fun and exciting. It was good to put some faces to some jersey numbers that you see on TV. They were all great guys and it was fun to be a part of it. It was kind of a different world with all the lights and glamour. I hope to go to more of those type of shows in the future."
On if they knew who Case Keenum was:
"Yea, they knew me. They knew that we threw the ball 75 times a game sometimes. That was probably the main question they had for me."
On the long break:
"The long layoff makes us want to get out there and play. It's time to get off the couch and get on the practice field and move forward. That's the best therapy for me is playing football. We're ready to get out there and start absorbing the scouting report on Air Force. We're all ready to play another game."
On winning back-to-back bowl games:
"It means a lot. There's a lot of proud Cougar fans and a sense of pride around here. It's cool to think that we're changing history and doing something special. We all want to say we contributed. We have lot of young guys working hard and contributing. It's great to see the change of mentality over the past few years."
On the offense:
"We feel like we do stop ourselves quite a bit and that's the beauty of our offense and how we operate. It's not as much as what the other team does regardless if they're blitzing or sitting in zone. We just have to make plays. We need to pick up first downs and turn those into touchdowns."
JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER James Cleveland
On the loss in the C-USA Championship Game:
"We wanted to win so bad and give the seniors a championship and we couldn't get that done. It was heart breaking to see the look on their faces after the East Carolina game. I know they're going to lead us the right way and we're going to try to make the last game a special one."
On the letdown of not playing in the Liberty Bowl:
"We're human so we are a bit disappointed. But we have our head on straight and it took a few days to get over it. We're past it now. We felt like we deserved a better bowl game but we didn't get that done and that was our fault. Now we need to focus on the next game and let the seniors go out on a win."
SOPHOMORE WIDE RECEIVER Tyron Carrier
On starting track:
"Usually I take a week off and start getting treatment. It'll depend on how I feel after the bowl game."
On Case Keenum declaring for the NFL:
"Hey, that's good. Not every day I can say I played with an NFL quarterback. If he does take that step I wish him the best of luck and we'll miss him. But you have to take the opportunities when you get them. I'm pretty sure he wants to win the Heisman and there's a chance he can win it."
SENIOR CORNER BACK Brandon Brinkley
On motivation for the bowl game:
"Like coach Sumlin was saying, to get that 11th game would be amazing in a college season. Seniors are already motivated because this is their last year and the last time they can put on shoulder pads. We just to get out there, and have a chance to win another big-time game."
On if it takes more or less discipline to play Air Force:
"It's more discipline to play Air Force. Out of all of the teams in the nation, the teams I respect more are the triple option teams like Georgia Tech, Navy and Air Force. If you make one mistake, you can give up seven points easily."
On defending against Air Force's running game:
"The teams we've played in the past and this team are completely different. They just play sound football. They get plays off of you making mistakes, so we can't make mistakes. Everyone has to play sound football."
SOPHOMORE LINEBACKER Marcus McGraw
On the rematch:
"It will be the third time in 16 months. It is a building rivalry. It will be exciting to see how much they've improved and how much we've improved. It will be interesting to see what kind of things they throw at us compared to how well we played them last year. It will be a fun matchup."
