Patterson holds weekly news conference
10/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU head football coach Gary Patterson held his weekly news conference Tuesday in the John Justin Athletic Center.
The Horned Frogs (4-3, 1-2) host Utah (4-3, 1-2) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Included below are excerpts from Patterson's meeting with the media.
Opening Statement ...
"Anytime you're around the .500 mark, every week becomes critical. I was very proud of our kids at Stanford to come back from a 31-17 deficit, especially on the offensive side to do what we did against a team that just beat USC. It's a big win anytime you step out and play someone from a BCS-automatic qualifying league. I was very excited about the defense. On the last drive of the game, we were able to keep them out of the end zone. That's what you have to do in order to win games, especially on the road."
What do you think has helped Utah's turnaround from being 1-3 to having three straight wins?
"Stability. They've had a lot of the same problems we've had with injuries and trying to get people in the right situations. For a while, they had to change their offense because (Utah quarterback Tommy) Grady is a different type of quarterback than what they were planning. (Utah wide receiver Brent) Casteel was a big loss for them. He was the motion guy who came in the backfield and ran all of their two-back option game. They lost a running back (Matt Asiata) in the Oregon State game and they lost (Jason) Boone, who was their All-Mountain West performer at tackle and a three or four-year starter. Both teams have fought back to try and get to a bowl game. With two losses, we're both still trying to win the conference."
How hard is it to play on Thursday after a road game?
"Utah's advantage is they got done at about 5 p.m. Saturday, stayed in their own offices and started breaking down film. We didn't get home until 2:30 in the morning Sunday. Our advantage is we're going to play on our grass and they have to fly here. It's still going to come down to who wants to take the ballgame and get the win."
Talk about getting to the end of a stretch of games before a 16-day break.
"There's no doubt that we've been a tired football team. I believe tired equals injuries, and we have to find a way on a short week to get things done. Yesterday, which was a Wednesday practice because of the short week, we would usually be in shells. Instead, we were in shorts. We're at the end of eight straight games with a couple of short weeks. The key for us is being able to run and our shoulders not be sore. We gave away a little of the physical activity to make sure we have our assignments and be ready to play on a Thursday night. It's not normally something I would do, but I think you have to be smart about it and put your kids in a situation where they mentally feel like you're giving them an opportunity to win."
Did you talk to your team about the rally at Stanford potentially jump-starting the second half of the season?
"No. You just have to take it one game at a time. You talk about the positives, which are that we didn't commit penalties and mistakes. Defensively, we didn't play particularly well yardage-wise, but we played when we needed to. I thought we did a great job of managing the clock at the end. When you do that, you win games."
With both teams having two losses, is this an elimination contest?
"You're not going to win the conference with three losses. Air Force has already played five games and they're 4-1. If you look at anything past this week, you are making a mistake. Every game you set your goals differently, based on how it turns out and how you do things. Right now, our opinion is to keep ourselves in the race, get to 2-2 in the league and 5-3 overall heading into the break. The key is to keep getting better as a football team. Our goal is to be the best team that TCU can be by the end of the season. That's all we can control."
With yesterday's rain, were you able to utilize the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility?
"It helped a lot. In fact, it was even better because it was cool. We'll go back in there today so we don't slip around on the wet grass. On a short week, when your legs are a little bit tired, it's a big deal to not run around in the mud."
How do you assess your special teams?
"Each one is different. We were better last week with our kickoff returns. The punt team has been unbelievable. We didn't play well with our kickoff group. They had a good scheme, and we didn't get off blocks. I think that changes weekly."
