Gary Patterson Media Luncheon Quotes
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 16, 2004
On Utah and the BCS
"I don't think there is anybody who wants to play Utah. I don't care what schedule they play. When you are going through what they are, I give them a lot of respect after what we went through last year."
"Utah has a lot more pressure than USC, Auburn or Oklahoma about staying undefeated because they are standing outside the door. I don't think anybody out there would want to play them. You can put them in any conference you want to and they'd have a chance to be as good as they are right now."
On the prospect a glass ceiling for Utah:
If there is, then we still have a lot of weaknesses in our system. Ask anyone in the Pac-10 if they want to play Utah because last year they didn't lose to a Pac-10 team and this year they're all seniors. They would give anyone in that conference a run for their money."
On similarity between Southern Miss and TCU:
"They have copied a lot of us on defense compared to four years ago when we started playing them. They are playing a lot of what we do coverage-wise and the way we attack things. Offensively, they're running the option and they play-action. One of their problems has been injuries.
"Jeff Bower has done a great job. I read in the paper that this is his 14th year and in this profession to be at one place for more than five years is a tough thing to do. They've done a fine job of being able to outlast the competition. They are always going to be physical on defense, run the football and not make mistakes."
On looking back to last year's game against Southern Miss:
"I have heard our players talk about how they took us out of the BCS picture. As a coach I look at things differently. I think you have to be careful about playing for revenge. You have to play them because they are a great football team and for me, what they stand between is us having a winning season and going to a bowl game. If that isn't enough of a motivation then we don't deserve to be in the bowl picture."
"When we have played our best ball game, which was at home versus Houston, we can play with anyone. You look at Houston and there's a team that took Southern Miss to overtime and beat Tulane and has given everyone else fits. We came out to play against them. When we bring our "A" game, we can play with anyone in this conference, including Louisville."
"I think Jeff Bower said it best. Offensively, we have a lot of weapons and we need to step up with the swagger that we played with early this season. We play well against the run. We play well some quarters and others the floodgates open. You can't do that if you're playing for a conference title and that is why we are sitting at 4-5 right now as a team. I've told this group that the bottom line is they've got to play for themselves these next two game."
On the crowd at Amon G. Carter Stadium:
"The next two weeks, if it is important for this university, this city and this community for us to get back to a bowl game then we need to have a homefield advantage."
"We need people back in the stands the next two weeks riding the visiting team in the student section. If we have a homefield advantage then we have a opportunity to fulfill some of our goals and do the thing we need to do."
On offenses figuring out the TCU defense:
"Actually, we're not giving up touchdowns in passing sets. The best things in those sets have been quarterback scrambles. Where we've been beaten is in run sets, two back, two tight ends. We're doing a lot of things right defensively. We're taking a lot of things away, but we have to just go out and make plays."
On practices before Louisville:
"Since I have been here at TCU, we have not had 10 better days of practice than before the Louisville game. That was as well prepared as we've been. It's kind of like my golf game, I am great on the practice range. Once I get to the first tee with the trees on both sides you're not just thinking about hitting the ball down the middle because everything else comes into play. We just need to forget all that other stuff and go out and do what we do."
On the Tech hangover:
"If I look back, I don't think we've recovered from the Tech game, not physically but mentally. It was just one loss, and we haven't gained our confidence back as a football team since then. The Houston game was the best overall football game we've played all season as an offense, defense and special teams. That is what I expect to be played these next two Saturdays and we need the fans behind us."
On importance of the last two games:
"There was so much hoopla last year about the BCS. When we play Southern Miss and Tulane this year, they are just as important as the Southern Miss and SMU games last season. The young players don't realize this since there aren't 100 reporters and cameras here. It doesn't make any difference because it is still just one loss or one win. To me as a coach, these next two weeks are just as important as any of the last four games last year when we were playing for a BCS game. It is still about a winning season and going to a bowl game."
"To put it in perspective, let's say we win out. We can still end up in the same bowl game as we did a year ago. That puts it in perspective. The key is you have to win more than you lose, whether you're 11-2 or 6-5, it still comes down to the fact that you're going to be in one of these bowl games. That is most important, having a winning record and going to the seventh straight bowl game."
"This isn't just about the last two ball games this season, it is about how we want next year to start out. Next year isn't going to get any easier, going to Oklahoma to start the season. We become a much better football team if we win these next two games because I get 15 more practices with all the redshirt freshman."
"To beat Southern Miss it is going to be a three-prong effort - takeaways, getting the ball down in the red zone and scoring and special teams."
On his confidence of the team:
"Some people aren't comfortable with their back against the wall. My back has always been against the wall. Some people have a silver spoon, I've never had that. So for me and this team to be in this situation, I don't care. I prefer it to be honest with you."
"Win or lose, the biggest thing I want to see the next to two Saturdays is the team that I have seen the last seven years that is going to claw, scratch and bite to do whatever they've got to do to win by one point. If I see that the next two games then I can live with about anything."
