Rose Bowl Game Selection Quotes
12/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 5, 2010
Head Coach Gary Patterson
On taking time to give back to fans
"For me, it's about giving back and understanding that maybe you're making a difference in their lives. I think that's the cool thing about signing autographs and all that. If you can help a kid go down the right path and do the right thing so they can be successful, then that's what our role is."
On giving credit to the players
"They're the ones who do the work. Coaches can lead, but until a team takes ownership in what it does, it's really hard for a team to be what it wants to be. This team over the last three years has taken ownership. If you look at our record, we've got 36 wins and the only losses are to an Oklahoma team that played a national championship in 2008, to a Utah team that beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and then a Boise team that ended up undefeated two years in a row."
On what has led to the success of back-to-back BCS bowls
"I think it's been a combination of a lot of things. You have to look at the administration and their backing financially, as a university and as an alumni group. We built the facilities we needed to do it, recruiting-wise. We've had a consistency as a staff and as a program where we've stayed and been able to do the things we needed to do. You have to count in the Texas high school coaches and their trust in us that when they send us a young man, we're going to get him a degree and we can push him to be the best he can be."
On if his team has something to prove this year in the Rose Bowl
"No, not really. We understand we represent a lot of people. This will be our 12th bowl in 13 years. I think you've got to be very careful as a program to not treat this bowl game any different than the rest of them. Every bowl game that we've gone in, we've tried to win. If you treat it differently, you're going to mistakes. Our kids have been in big games."
On being selected for the Rose Bowl
"It's awesome. To know all the players that have played there and walk out into a stage that as they say is `the granddaddy of them all,' so to be a part of something like that is very special. I don't think our kids will really understand how special it is until they get a chance to go there. All the practices back here seem like a lot of work, we've got recruiting going on, we've got finals going on, but once we get out of all that and just get a chance to practice. Once we get there, to know that some of the greatest players that ever played the game played in the Rose Bowl and we get a chance to be a part of that."
TCU Quarterback Andy Dalton
On knowing what to expect at a BCS game this year
"I think we will know what to expect. We have grown up a lot from last year. We have a lot of guys who played in the game last year, so hopefully we will have grown up and taken the experience and allowed it to help us."
On the history of the Rose Bowl
"We are really excited to be going there. Being in Pasadena on New Year's Day will be special. Everything has been just so unbelievable, we are happy to be going there."
On getting an opportunity to play on a big stage
"People often say we don't get enough chances to play against automatic-qualifying teams, so this will be a great opportunity for us to go out and play a game in a great atmosphere at the Rose Bowl. We are excited."
