Gary Patterson Media Luncheon Quotes -- October 8, 2002
10/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 8, 2002
Besides reflecting on last Saturday's homecoming victory over Houston, TCU head coach Gary Patterson used Tuesday's weekly media luncheon at the John Justin Athletic Center as an opportunity to look to ahead another homecoming showdown this coming Saturday at Army. Below are various thoughts from Coach Patterson on his 4-1 squad, as well as the triumph over the Cougars and matchup with the Black Knights.
On playing Army in West Point on homecoming:
"I think that it will be the most exciting game, as far as atmosphere, that we have played in this year. It will be a packed house. It is the Academy's 200th anniversary. It's homecoming. Probably everyone who has ever graduated from the United States Military Academy will be there. So it will be very exciting."
On playing an 0-5 team in Army:
"We don't talk about them as much as we talk about us. We're 1-1 in the conference, so our whole goal is to get to 2-1. Our ultimate goal is to win a conference championship and to be able to do that, you have to focus on winning the next game. This week, that happens to be Army, which means just as much as Louisville, Southern Miss, Tulane, or any other game that we have left. This is a big game for us."
On Army:
"They have been moving the ball on everybody. They have outgained their last two opponents offensively. They have just had turnovers because of their youth at quarterback, and you never know when that could change. They are also a different team when they play at home. Two weeks ago, they were losing 7-6 to Southern Miss at the half at home, but (Army) threw six interceptions. Having played Army when I was (coaching) at the Naval Academy, I predict that they will probably play their best game so far against us."
On playing on the road:
"For us to be special, we say that we have to win big away games. One of those big games is this week at Army. In the first conference (road) game, we didn't get by Cincinnati, but I actually think that this team focuses better when we play on the road. Every team is different, but this team does."
On TCU's running backs:
"There is a possibility that Kenny Hayter could be back this week. I wouldn't say that Lonta Hobbs will get the majority of the snaps. I think that one of the older backs will start the ballgame, either Ricky Madison or Corey Connally."
On TCU's quarterbacks:
"There is a possibility that Sean Stilley may be ready this weekend. I will be able to tell more about both (Stilley and Hayter) on Thursday. We would not have played Sean last week if we had to go to a second quarterback, and Tye (Gunn) will be the starter this week. But there is a possibility that, if needed, Sean could be back. He will travel with us one way or the other.
"Sean did a great job on Saturday of talking with Tye, being supportive and doing things that you need senior leaders to do. (Stilley) was into the ballgame, watching signals and plays. I'm sure he wasn't happy about not being able to play, but I'm positive that he was happy that Tye did real well. I heard him say so."
On TCU's injuries:
"We've had a bit of a shakeup since we started two-a-days due to the injury bug, but we're probably as healthy right now as we've been (all season). That probably has a lot to do with being able last week to get our legs back beneath us and not being as tired."
On TCU's wide receivers:
"Of our two starters (Adrian Madise and LaTarence Dunbar), one is averaging 19 yards a catch and the other is averaging about 16. Also, Kevin Brown had a big catch (versus Houston). He is back healthy, runs great routes and is on our special teams. It depends on what teams give us as to who you will see. We highlight things to get the ball in Adrian's and Dunbar's hands, but teams have to be very careful because Terran (Williams) is one of the fastest guys on our team. There are a lot of guys who are working awfully hard, like (Shane) Hudnall, and have put themselves in a position to play a lot of football."
On tight end Cody McCarty's transition from quarterback:
"It's been a little bit of a struggle because we have also asked him to play on a lot of special teams. When playing quarterback all through high school, their scheme was back 10 yards in the shotgun and throwing it, so he wasn't really a part of the intensity of the game. That is one thing that he has had to learn since he's been here. I think that (tight ends and special teams coach) Dan Sharp has done a great job of bringing Cody along. He's been tough on him, but at the same time has made him understand that he is cared for and gotten him in a situation where he has confidence. I think Cody has a bright future here. He's very, very athletic. It's just the intensity part that we are working on every week."
On TCU's defensive line's performance against Houston:
"I would say it was probably their best performance of the season, mostly because, without us having to blitz, they were able to make some tackles for loss, which is what we are accustomed to around here.
"A key has been that we are getting relatively healthy again. For the offensive line too, you can't get better at moving people off the football unless you can practice it. For a two-week period, we could hardly do any middle drills because we couldn't afford for somebody else to go down and not be able to play on Saturday. Before the game against Houston, we were able to get back into middle drills because we had people back and they stayed healthier. With more live work against each other, we improved. Houston was the leading rushing team in the conference and we held them well."
On TCU's offensive performance versus Houston:
"I think that Tye made a big difference with his ability to scramble with the football and gave us another dimension with his ability to run the option. The other thing that happened Saturday that made a big difference was blocking on the edge. It was a much better job by our tight ends and wideouts. If you want big plays, you have to knock secondary-level people down, and that's something that happened on Saturday. We changed up some of the schemes with what we were doing. We're getting to a point in the year, with having more people back, that we can actually do more (offensively)."
On LaTarence Dunbar:
"He will always be a high-energy guy. He has hurt us a couple of times with (aggressive) plays, but as a general rule, you know where his heart is. He only plays one way - to win. If you ask (TCU track coach) Monte Stratton 'Is (Dunbar) the fastest guy on the track?' he'll say no, but if you have a relay and you want to win a championship, you will put him on it because he will find a way to win. That's the kind of attitude that wins championships."
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