Patterson meets with the media
9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Included below are excerpts from TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's Tuesday meeting with the media.
The Horned Frogs host SMU Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm DFW Duel - Battle for the Iron Skillet.
Opening Statement ...
"Every seven days we get evaluated as a team. We're not where we want to be right now, but we've been in this position before. We got a big game against SMU on Saturday, because it's a cross-town rival and a chance to get back to 2-2."
On any concerns about the mental aspect of the team after dropping two straight games ...
"You worry any time you lose. However, we have good kids. When you have that, you have a chance to overcome any negative feelings. The biggest thing is that you can't make mistakes."
The difference on bouncing back this year compared to last season ...
"My thing is that I don't accept it. Businesses hire troubleshooters when they have problems internally. The biggest thing is to move forward. There are a lot of reasons things aren't going the way they should be. There were about 12 things that made a difference in the Air Force game."
On SMU ...
"We know we have to play well. SMU is very good on offense with a versatile quarterback. Defensively, they've always played us tough. With any rivalry, you can throw out the records. I don't believe this week will be much different. We understand this is going to be a hard-fought game."
On the game itself ...
"I'd rather it be a conference game, because you have to play it like that. It's a big game because one team is going to be 2-2 and the other will be 1-3. It also has a chance to unite the Metroplex."
On the TCU running backs ...
"There's two ways to look at this. You can dwell on the negatives that you don't have your top-3 tailbacks, or you can see that Ryan Christian had a heck of a game at Air Force and probably runs the ball inside better than Aaron Brown. We can't turn the ball over, and a lot of our third-down problems have been a result of penalties. You can't dwell on the negatives. You have to look for the positives."
The importance of practice ...
"I believe you play how you practice. When you don't focus in the last 20 minutes of practice, you don't do it in the game. Look at what happened in our last two games."
On Thursday games ...
"The problem with Thursday games is not having a 'get-better' practice. When you play on just Saturdays, Sunday night is what we call a 'get-better' practice. You're supposed to get better from Game 1 to Game 2, and Game 2 to Game 3. With a Thursday game, we didn't have a chance to get better from Game 2 to Game 3."
On the TCU linebackers ...
"I think all three (David Hawthorne, Robert Henson, Jason Phillips) have done very well, and we need to get Daryl Washington on the field more."
On looking ahead to the end of the season ...
"When you get to November, the teams with the older set of players will emerge. When you start having to play seven days a week and the grind comes, it will show. I think Utah is 8-0 when playing BCS teams at home. The league was a bit young last year and is now a little older."
