University of Houston Athletics
Houston Football Weekly Press Conference Quotes
11/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2011
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening statement
"Our players are excited and it is Thanksgiving and it's getting close to the holiday season. Most people do not understand the amount of time our players put in this time of year. They provide the entertainment while other people sit around and watch them. We have another short week, but we have had three Thursday games already this season so we actually have an extra day to prepare. We will practice tonight and tomorrow morning. On Friday our guys will be very excited. This is what you want, two undefeated teams in conference play going for the West Division title and it will be on national television. Our guys have worked hard to get to this point and so has Tulsa."
On the polls and respect
"Nothing has changed. Seven weeks ago we weren't even ranked. If you continue to win it takes care of itself. We don't control that. If we continue to win we won't be ignored. We put ourselves in a position to win a Conference USA Championship and that is our ultimate goal."
On the team discussing making history
"We talked about setting history. Getting the 10 wins and setting school history was special to the guys. As a team these guys have been able to handle everything that has happened this year. They can handle success. We do talk about the milestones whether they are individual or a team. Our team is proud of it.
On the quarterback matchup of Case Keenum and G.J. Kinne
"People are a lot more familiar with what Case has done. G.J. Kinne has been a great player at Tulsa for a while now. His performance last year was unbelievable. They lead our league in rushing. They've got weapons at running back. He is a heck of a player and a great leader. He is a reason they are winning this year. They have won 12-straight Conference USA games. That is a good football team with a good quarterback."
On the key to the team's defensive improvement
"We are in the second year in this system so we have benefited from that. We've got better players on the field. The college game is much different from the professional game. In the pros you will very rarely face a dual-threat quarterback like G.J Kinne. Our defensive coaches, coming from the NFL, have gotten better there. Going from 96th to 31st in scoring defense is significant.
On running game of Trey Watts
"Trey is a good player. He has great bloodlines. (His father was OU quarterback J.C. Watts) It will be interesting to see. There is a reason why they lead the league in rushing. Trey has been around the game all of his life. He knows what it takes to win. You are looking at a team that has won 12-straight conference games. The team's three losses have come against Boise St., Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. They are not going to be intimidated by us at all coming in. They will be ready to play. They will be ready to go. "
On the key of staying focused
"They don't think like you guys (the media). To be honest, they are more mature than two years ago. We have a bunch of juniors and seniors that went through that. We have done a better job of handling it. Our players have done an excellent job of focusing. I told them to ignore the circus and ride the ride. They get that."
On the difficulty of the schedule
"We play the schedule that we are given. You can't have it both ways. We are a non-AQ team. You cannot be a non-AQ team and play an AQ schedule. Our primary goal is to win a conference championship. If we continue to win, good things will happen. Seven weeks ago we weren't even ranked."
On team improvements
"We have improved defensively. Our personnel is better. We are a more mature team. We don't just have seniors but guys that have been through good and bad times. The biggest difference in this team is how these guys approach each game. This team has pushed each other. They have what it takes to remain successful."
On a time that the season clicked
"When you open a year with UCLA that gets your attention quick. We had to be prepared to face UCLA in a home opener. I don't feel that this season there was a point that we started clicking. I feel we got better as the year has gone on. If we haven't improved, we have taken a step backwards."
On the importance of leadership from Case Keenum and G.J. Kinne at quarterback
"There is no doubt that both guys are tremendous leaders. Quarterbacks get all the credit. Many players do not have to deal with any of those things. What separates good quarterbacks is the ability to deal with success and failure. That is where your leadership goes through. The day-to-day grind is when your leadership shines through. We are fortunate to have a guy that is a leader by example. These guys are similar. You can't be successful with a guy who touches the ball every snap that isn't a leader. Both of these guys fill that role."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On if they have enjoyed the season so far
"You spend a little time after each game reflecting and enjoying it, but we know there is so much more ahead of us. We will enjoy everything after the season is over."
On how this Friday's game is perhaps the biggest game in UH history
"I treat each week like it's the biggest game I've ever played, no matter who we play or what's at stake. This week's game is for the C-USA West title and we know it's the biggest game for the Cougars right now, because it's the only one we are playing."
On how fun it will be to play against G.J. Kinne
"This is where you want to be at the end of the year, playing good teams with good players and playing a game with meaning. It's going to be a really good game between two really good football teams. It's fun to watch guys like him. He is a great player and has got his team tied for first in the West Division. I give them credit, but we will go out and play our best."
On the team's mentality
"We prepare to be successful. We have a bunch of guys who expect to win. We all think we are winners. It's fun playing with competitors."
On lessons learned from the 2009 season
"We definitely learned a lesson. You have to come focused and prepared each week. To come like that each week is tough, but that is what we have been doing this season. It's huge each week. We can't look ahead or behind. It's a playoff this week and the only thing that matters right now is this week."
On Tulsa's defense
"It's a lot of the same guys that have played there. Same tough Tulsa defense; they'll come out hard and be sound. We do have history with them but I have a good feel for how they play."
JUNIOR KICKER Matt Hogan
On playing at Tulsa
"I really enjoy their stadium. It has a nice closed-off atmosphere, the architecture is beautiful and their field house is really nice. I enjoy playing there even though I've only played there once. It's always nice to go play in different stadiums."
On playing Tulsa two years ago
"Everybody likes to come and talk to me about that game. They'll tell me where they were, what they were doing, so it's great to hear all the different stories about it."
On the personal effect of that game
"The nicest part is that I gained everybody's confidence from that game. Before, I had confidence in myself, my teammates and coaches had confidence in me, but from that game I think I won the fans confidence."
On emotions during the end of that game
"Honestly, there were no emotions. I read an article this week that quoted former Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin about the Alabama game a few weeks ago. He said that the best thing (for a kicker) is to `have no emotions and to just be a machine'."
On the key to consistency
"The key to consistency has been the blocking up front. They have been great this year for me. I have gained a great relationship with the snapper (Brandon Hartson) and holder (Crawford Jones) who I've been with the last two years."
On being another NCAA record holder on the team
"It's nice to be a record holder with the NCAA and the school and to hopefully keep pushing it further. I know Case has the same feelings right now, it's nice to have that."
On seeing a lot of action this year because of the successful offense
"It's great. I love it. I'm trying to score as many points as possible. I love getting to play as much as I do. Our offense is fun to watch and great for me because I get so many chances to play."
On the season so far
"This season has been incredible. The way Case has come back and commanded the offense and how the defense has really stepped up has made this a very special year. I'm glad it is continuing."
SENIOR LINEBACKER Sammy Brown
On the possible BCS run
"We really don't look ahead. We're just trying to prepare for Tulsa and stop their quarterback. He's a great quarterback."
On how Tulsa is different from other teams
"Every week we prepare for everybody the same way. We know they have a good run game so we're just going to try to stop their rushing attack."
On how it feels to have played well as a defense
"It feels good to finally keep somebody from scoring a lot of points. The offense can rely on us to not give up so many points."
SOPHOMORE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN Ty Cloud
On College Gameday
"It was hectic. I had never really even thought about College Gameday coming to our campus. One thing we did a good job of was just focusing on SMU. We didn't really experience Gameday. We were at the hotel. It was a good experience for the fans. Gameday showed up here on Thursday and we went to the hotel on Friday morning, so we didn't really experience that. It was great for our campus, but what was even greater was getting the win against SMU."
On preparing for Tulsa
"They're a great football team. Watching them on film I know they have a good defensive line. Their defense has a good motor and they all run to the ball well. If we want to be successful against Tulsa we have to prepare just like we have against the rest of our opponents. It's a big atmosphere, but we can't let that get in our heads. You just have to watch film, study your opponent, make yourself better all week and fly to Tulsa and play your best. That's all you can really focus on."
