Patterson meets with the media to discuss Houston
12/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 21, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- TCU head football coach Gary Patterson met with local media Friday as the Horned Frogs prepare to depart Sunday for Houston and the Dec. 28 Texas Bowl versus the University of Houston.
Included below are excerpts from Patterson's news conference.
On how the bowl practices have gone ...
"They went really well. It's been a little wet outside, so we were able to use the indoor facility each day, and it saved our legs. We probably had less bumps and bruises injury-wise, because we weren't sliding around in the grass."
On what the Frogs did well the last few games of the regular season ...
"The biggest thing for us was staying healthy. We got (tight end) Shae Reagan and (tailback) Joseph Turner back. We finally were in a position where we had confidence on offense. We played consistent defensively, except for the first half of the San Diego State game. The team was playing with more confidence, and everyone knew what their role was. The common goal was to get to 7-5, and everyone put everything aside and started to climb the mountain."
On playing in Houston ...
"To have a chance to go back and play in a venue like Reliant Stadium is a big deal for us. Recruits will also be able to watch us practice and see how we do things."
About Houston's balanced offense ...
"I don't know if we`ve played anyone as fast as Houston in the last three years, except maybe Oklahoma. They're interesting offensively, because they have triple-option principles in their running offense. They also throw the ball vertically a lot more than most people in that offense. They have both west coast and triple-option principles. (Running back) Anthony Alridge is a guy who can play receiver and is a lot like Aaron Brown. The only guy that we played this year who comes close to comparing to him is (Texas running back) Jamaal Charles."
On how to plan for Houston running back Anthony Alridge ...
"Pray. The game will come down to tackling and leverage. We'll have to turn the knob up Monday and Tuesday and make sure we finish everything out."
On the conditioning of TCU defensive end Tommy Blake ...
"He's in better shape than he was at San Diego State. He was in the low 290s and now he's probably in the middle-to-high 270s. Earlier in the week, he showed shades of the old Tommy."
On how TCU redshirt freshman quarterback Andy Dalton has matured ...
"Our quarterback position has played very well since we put in the rule, after the Utah game, that you're out when you throw an interception. The reason for that rule is because we never did anything to quarterbacks for throwing interceptions. It was to make sure there was an accountability factor. Both Andy Dalton and Marcus Jackson have matured a lot, and I've been very happy with how they've handled it."
On Chase Ortiz and what he has meant to TCU's defense ...
"He's been our big-play guy. He was kind of overshadowed by Tommy (Blake), but Chase's stats had been close with Tommy's the last two seasons. When Chase steps on the field, there's a purpose behind what he's going to get done. He's going to play 100 percent no matter how he does it."
On any concerns whether the Houston natives will press playing at home ...
"I don't think Chase (Ortiz) will because he had an unbelievable game (2.5 sacks) two years ago in the Houston Bowl. I would hope the others wouldn't do anymore than what they need to."
On the bowl schedule ...
"We leave Sunday and will arrive around 4:30 p.m. We have a team meeting at 6 p.m. We get up the next morning and have meetings before our 1 p.m. practice. On Tuesday, we'll start earlier because it's Christmas and be done by 12:30 p.m. We'll have a Christmas dinner as a team and open all of our bowl gifts. Afterwards, they can go with their families and we'll just make sure they're back by curfew. On Wednesday, we practice in the afternoon and then have the rodeo. We'll go into game mode the next 48 hours and be ready to play Friday night."
On how the young players have performed in practice this week ...
"It's amazing how physical our young players are. We also get James Vess back next year, which makes our linebackers better. His loss was probably bigger than losing Tommy (Blake), because you had a junior (Matt Panfil) behind him. With James (Vess), we had a redshirt freshman (Cory Grant) and true freshman (Kelly Griffin) stepping in. You went from a guy who was part of a defense that allowed 61 yards a game rushing to someone who had never played a snap in college football."
On the state of TCU's running game ...
"Joseph Turner had 226 yards rushing in the San Diego State game. Everyone but Aaron Brown is healthy now. The thing that was probably more improved than anything else was the running ability of our two quarterbacks. I thought Andy (Dalton) and Marcus (Jackson) ran the ball a lot better the last three games of the season."
