Gary Patterson Holds Weekly Media Luncheon
10/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2003
FORT WORTH, Texas
(On the Houston game): "It's been a long time since we've given up that many points. The bottom line is we're finally getting healthy on offense. We stepped up and did what we needed to do. Brandon Hassell did a good job for us getting the ball in the hands of our wide receivers."
(On playing a game during the middle of the week): "What I like is that we're on national television. There's also the opportunity four days after that to be the only undefeated team in the country. Oklahoma and Miami have two of their toughest rivals this weekend. However, you always have to go through teams like Louisville and Southern Miss to win a conference championship. Like I've been saying since the beginning of the season, last year we had to prove people wrong. This year we have to keep proving them right.
"It's great knowing that people will be watching two top-25 teams Wednesday night. I thought it was great last weekend when ESPN College Gameday was at the Northern Illinois game. The under-the-table stories are what make the game flourish. People remember the seasons that are little bit odd. At the beginning of the season, we were supposed to be good because of Tye Gunn and Lonta Hobbs. This season we've had guys like Brandon Hassell, Cory Rodgers, Robert Merrill and Reggie Harrell that have become stories as well. That's what college football is all about."
(On Louisville): "Louisville is a much more physical team compared to what they used to be. They always have good football players and have one of the top three teams, talent-wise, in our league. They've kind of been the leader in Conference USA. That's why it's fun to play them. It's great football when Louisville and TCU play.
"We have to score points. You don't shutout a team with athletic skill players like Louisville. It still comes down to scoring one point more than your opponent. I was happy to see our offense break out and do what they're capable of against Houston.
"Louisville's whole skill package is scary. Besides Kentucky, this is the game they've wanted to play since the beginning of the season. I expect to see the best game out of them they've played all year long."
(On conference realignment): "The only reason people will look at you is when you're successful. In this day and age everything comes down to money. Why is a conference like the Mountain West interested in us now instead of five years ago? It comes down to what you have to offer."
(On who TCU's starting quarterback will be against Louisville): "Brandon Hassell will start against Louisville. I don't think Tye Gunn will play at all.
"Tye is week-to-week. He pulled his groin pretty badly. We'll be lucky if he's back for a bowl game. He took a pretty good shot against UAB. I will this, though, that Tye Gunn is Tye Gunn, and he came back from that shoulder injury a lot faster than we thought."
(On who TCU's true backup quarterback is): "If you watch how we've handled our program, we try not to make distinctions. I think that's why our kids get along so well. They understand we aren't going to label them. We may talk to them behind the scenes about what they need to do to get better, but we don't do things that might embarrass them publicly."
(On what he said to Houston Head Coach Art Briles after Saturday's game): "I told him I thought he out-coached us. I told him to keep his head high and keep doing what he needs to do. We need all the schools in Texas playing well to keep kids in the state. That includes a team like SMU even though they're our cross-town rival."
(On the play of Cory Rodgers at Houston): "I told him he dodged some bullets in that game. When I look back, our kids from that area usually don't perform well against Houston. Hopefully the jinx has been reversed. I'm not sure if I've seen as great a catch as Cory had on that first touchdown."
(On Bo Schobel being named a semifinalist for the 34th Rotary Lombardi Award): "Bo's put in a lot of work and is a very good player. Hopefully he won't be held back because he doesn't play for a school in a BCS conference. He's very deserving of that award."
(On comparing Aaron Schobel and Bo Schobel): "I think it's hard to compare them. I think Aaron is probably a little meaner, while Bo is a little faster. I wish we could clone them. It will be strange not having a Schobel here next season. There's been one in all six of my years with TCU."
(On having the weekend off): "Saturday is going to be like Tuesday. We'll have Tuesday practice on Saturday. We'll make arrangements so we can see a little bit of the Oklahoma and Miami games. It's nice to get a chance to watch the big games."
