Gary Patterson Media Luncheon Quotes -- October 1, 2002
10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 1, 2002
After a bye week, TCU head coach Gary Patterson returned to his weekly media luncheon on Tuesday at the Justin Athletic Center. He discussed the Frogs' "off week", their last opponent, North Texas, and the upcoming homecoming showdown with in-state C-USA-rival Houston.
On his philosophy on a week without a game:
"We don't call them off weeks. We try to have a two-week preparation period. We kind of do things opposite of what most other teams do. We really try to get after it the first week, which everyone calls the off week. But today (Tuesday) will be the last really physical practice that we have and on Wednesday and Thursday we'll be in sweats and helmets.
"If you look around, you'll see that the teams that stay the healthiest are the ones that have a chance at winning ballgames in the latter part of the season. For example, two years ago Southern Miss started off 6-0, got banged up and ended up barely going 6-5 or 7-4. It's tough when you lose people. You have to find ways to keep people healthy and you have to be able to call ballgames that way too, understanding that you have to keep them as short as you can and try to score one more point than the other team does."
On North Texas:
"I think a lot of people have been a little bit critical of the North Texas game. But, if you watched their game versus Arizona, you found out that North Texas is a lot better football team than a lot of people give them credit for. The only touchdown Arizona scored was off a fumble when they got the ball on North Texas' 14-yard line, and (Arizona) was the seventh-ranked offensive team in the nation, total yardage-wise. I think that sometimes people need to quit worrying about the name of the school and understand that everyone has 85 scholarships. So we are glad to have a 'W.'"
On the upcoming Houston game:
"It is a very important game for both of us because we each have one loss in the conference and you put yourself behind the eight ball if you have two. The nice thing is we are finally going to play a home conference game, especially with it being homecoming and a day game. We've seemed to come out well during day games in the past. I think that the guys are also pretty excited. When we were done with North Texas, I think they were glad we had a week off. They were a little tired and banged up.
"I think anything can happen in this ballgame. We might see some fakes to try and create a big play. They are a vertical-type offense. They would like to throw the ball vertically, down the football field. Last year we were able to defend that pretty well, but they hurt us with the play-action pass. We will have to do a little bit better job in this game. If I remember correctly, they turned the ball over four or five times when we played last year, including once in their end zone. So, with two weeks to prepare, I think that both teams have worked on taking care of the football and not giving up easy points."
On Houston's offense:
"I don't think that Houston has changed throughout the years. You always know you are going to play against good skill players when you play Houston. Their wide receivers are big. KeyKowa Bell, from Kimball High School in Dallas, is a very, very fast wide receiver. (Brian) Robinson and (Brandon) Middleton both are big receivers that they can throw the ball up to. The running back, Joffrey Reynolds, has had a great year so far. A lot of people might say that is because who they have played, but let me tell you it hasn't had anything to do with that. He runs downhill. He has an offensive line that has to average somewhere between 330 and 350. They will get in your way and let Reynolds cut off them. He has done a great job of breaking tackles at the line of scrimmage and going the distance. Like we have had to do against the other good running backs we've faced, we've have to get in his way, get great leverage and be good tacklers. If we do that, that gives us a chance.
"The other guy that they have not talked a lot about lately is a running back who transferred from Texas named Chris Robertson. I read a lot of the press guides that come out and theirs says that they expect him back from knee surgery in time for this ballgame. He played against us last year and we are preparing to have to go against the bigger back in addition to the running back that they have right now (Reynolds). You can never quit preparing and looking for those types of things."
On Houston's defense:
"They are very similar to us. Dick Bumpas is their defensive coordinator and he and I have worked on the same defensive schemes since our days together at Utah State. We have both gone in our different directions, but there are a lot of similarities. So we know each other and we know the weaknesses. We are probably a little more of a pressure team than they are, except when they get in third and long situations they bring in a three-man rush and do a lot of blitzing out of that set."
On Houston's quarterback situation:
"They will probably throw the ball a little more with Nick Eddy in the dropback game than they did with Barrick Nealy. Nealy was more of an athletic guy who they would run draws and get on the edges with bootlegs, and if no one was open, he'd run for the first down. Eddy will still scramble and do things running though. I just don't think it's as scary as when you had a 6-4, 220-pound quarterback who probably runs a 4.5 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) getting on the edge and having a defensive end tackle him like you had with Nealy in there. But the thing Eddy gives you, especially when I watched him against Texas, is that he is very adept at getting the ball into the hands of the people who need to have it. He was the starter coming into the season. He is able to read the blitz better. So I see them probably being able to expand their offense more."
On TCU's running backs:
"They haven't played bad. Last year, this (Houston) was Corey Connally's breakout game. He is probably running as well as he has since the beginning of two-a-days right now. Ricky (Madison) is running well right now and you'll also see Lonta Hobbs get some carries."
On TCU quarterback Tye Gunn:
"It's his time. He really hasn't acted any differently in the past week than before. From the very beginning, he has said that he was just waiting for his chance. Maybe on the inside he is a little more excited, but on the outside he hasn't acted any differently right now than the first day that he walked in as a true freshman.
"He knew coming in against North Texas how they were playing defense and he told (quarterbacks) coach (Dick) Winder, 'I'm not going to do anything stupid.' Here you have a freshman who hadn't played in any ballgames getting on the phone and saying 'I'm not going to do anything stupid.' Not that he was scared, but he just understood how the game was going and knew when it was his chance to make plays. He made a comment last week that on his long scramble (versus North Texas) he knew that the blitz was coming from one side and that the one place that he could run with the football was on the side where the blitz came from because nobody would be left over there. Some seniors know that, but I don't know very many freshmen that know that."
On TCU's injuries:
"I think Sean Stilley is day-to-day. Everyone says six-to-eight weeks, but that's what they said about Marvin Godbolt and he was back in two. Both Sean and Kenny Hayter's rehabilitations are coming along. They may still be questionable for Army, but there's a good chance they'll play against Louisville.
"Sometimes you coach on teams where players get hurt and they never seem to ever get healthy. But here, we have people like Quint Ellis who was hurt and was in six times a day for treatment, finding time between classes and practice because they want to play and they want to have a chance to win. The one thing that I know about this team is that at the end of the season, I am going to be very proud of them because they have handled themselves on and off the field the way you want them to."
