Postgame Quotes
11/26/2022 7:58:00 PM | Football
TCU Head Coach – Sonny Dykes
On the game:
"It was good to finally play a home game. It's been a while and I'm really proud of our guys. I thought we had a great week at practice. It's the best one we've had in a long time. I think the guys could kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, we had good little grind there for a four-game period. We played on the road at West Virginia, played on the road at Texas and on the road at Baylor and it was a pretty good little grind there for us. The guys got through it, and it was good to have a chance to play back at home. We played well; the defense scored two touchdowns and we really played well in the kicking game. The guys played hard, and it was good to have the chance to play a lot of different players. Chandler Morris has done an outstanding job all season with working hard and being a great teammate, so it was really good to get him playing. He played well, which was exciting. Emani Bailey, I thought he carried the ball well and it was good to see him play. It was a fun night. Obviously, our guys will celebrate for a little bit tonight. We will see how the Kansas/Kansas State game goes and we will start getting ready for it first thing in the morning. It was a great win for our program and I'm proud of our guys. It was a real tribute for our seniors. I know we have a lot of guys who played a lot of snaps for TCU in this stadium. I know it meant a lot to the team to send those guys out with their last home game in Amon G. Carter Stadium ending in a victory."
On the statement this game sends to the CFP committee:
"I don't know. I know the history with TCU and Iowa State with big victories and that it didn't work out particularly well in 2014. As I've said all along, I think this is different. I think college football is different. I think this committee is different, and I think the Big 12 is viewed differently than it was then. You know, it's a gauntlet. I think the people that really study the game know how good this team is. To go through this thing undefeated and win these road games shows that we have a good football team. Whoever we play next week is going to be really good. It doesn't matter if its Kansas State or Texas, they are going to be really good. We are going to need to play some of our best football next week to have a chance to win. I'm really happy for our guys tonight, they really got to enjoy themselves. It's been a bit of nip and tuck here in this last stretch, so they got to enjoy it."
On the absence of Quentin Johnston:
"We were going to try to save him if we could because we keep needing him to play. The thing is, he gets healthy then he kind of gets banged up again. It will swell up and it will take him the rest of the week. Our thought was, let's try to get him to the Big 12 Championship game if we could. He did a great job working out tonight and he was available, I think if we needed to have him. The guys picked up the slack and I thought we played really good at wide receiver. Some of our young guys got the chance to play a little bit. Blair Conwright played well, and Jordan Hudson did some good things. I thought we threw the ball better tonight than we have in a while."
On overcoming challenges and what lies ahead:
"We've had three tough road games in four weeks. It's hard to win at West Virginia and I think everyone knows what kind of team Texas is capable of having. With Baylor last week, honestly, we were just kind of hanging on. Winning those games shows a lot about the resolve of this team. It hasn't been easy, and these guys have welcomed every single challenge. Now, there's another one this week and we are going to have to beat someone twice which is never easy to do. But that's okay, this team will be up for it. We will prepare our best and will give it our best shot."
On the possibility of the "moment" getting the team:
"I don't think so. I don't think the moment will bother these guys one bit. I really don't think so. As I said, I think it's been in the back of their mind for a while and now we are getting to talk about it."
TCU Quarterback Max Duggan
On playing in the Big 12 Championship game
"It's the next game, but I don't think we need to make it bigger than it needs to be. It's a football game, we have to prepare the same way and we're going to go into it with the same mindset. We don't know who we're playing yet, but we know we've played them before. The lights aren't going to be brighter and nothing is going to be different."
On the support from fans
"It was awesome to see. It's Thanksgiving break, everyone is at home and the weather was underwhelming but to see them show up and support us, it really means a lot. It helps us, we love when they show out and are loud. We hope they make the short trip over to Arlington next week to help us out again."
On what it would mean to get an invite to New York for the Heisman
"It means I'm playing with a lot of great people under a great coaching staff. For it to happen, it would show more in those guys than it would in me."
TCU Safety Millard Bradford
On how the transfers have impacted the secondary
"The competition we give each other and we push each other every day. We all expect the best from each other."
How it felt to dominate the game
"It felt good. It was the first time I felt we played a good game offensively and defensively."
TCU Cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
How important it was to have a statement win for the CFP selection committee
"Coming into every game, we know we have a lot of doubters. We know what type of team we are and we showcase it constantly. We're undefeated and we show it every Saturday, no matter how it starts out, we're going to finish on top. Today we showed the true team we have and I'm thankful that we performed how we did."
On being able to focus on the Big 12 Championship game
"We like to take every game one step at a time. We're going to approach this coming week as such. This coming weekend, we're ready for it and we'll prepare for it."
TCU Cornerback Josh Newton
On beating a respectable Iowa State team
"It feels really good because their record doesn't speak for how they play. They have had some close ball games and at the end of the day, coming into this game, we told each other that they aren't a 4-7 ball club. At the end of the day, you have to respect them."
On feeling like a leader and feeling at home at TCU
"The first speech I gave at fall camp, I knew I had something that hit the team real hard. I feel like that speech jumped our season off. I can't take all the credit because my teammates bought into what I was trying to envision. I don't have a "C" on my jersey, but they see the good energy I'm trying to spread.
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell
Opening Statement:
I just want to start by saying hats off to TCU. Quite honestly one of the best teams we've played in the past 5-6 years. Just a complete football team, offensively, defensively and on special teams. Certainly, hats off to their program, and obviously we wish them the best of luck next week."
On thoughts going through his mind while sending off this group after this game:
"I think it was so emotional last week and I feel like this team has fought, scratched and clawed every way. Our tank was on about E and it wasn't the way that we played the entire season. Again, you're playing a great football team. I think the emotions are numbing and the numbing piece of it is that is not what you have seen in the previous 11 football games. A lot of that has to do with a great opponent and when you make the mistakes that we made today, they are going to make you pay like they did today."
On slow start in the first quarter:
"You kick the ball off, they have two great drives. They are able to put 10 points on the board right away. Then offensively, you go three and out right away and then you turn the ball over to make it 17-0. You can't do those things against a team like this. Obviously, they've got a lot to play for. Their senior day, and they came out with their hair on fire. I don't know if we responded very well from the start and that is the responsibility of the head football coach. Obviously, I failed our kids in getting us prepared for that opportunity."
On special team performance:
"You know you hate that part of it. When you look at what happened on special teams, you feel like there has been immense growth in terms of what we have done. The biggest struggle has been the inconsistency at the kicker position. That's not a negative, you've got a young freshman that is trying to find his way and I would put as much challenge on me. We have put that kid in that situation early in his career. The great thing about Jace [Gilbert] is he is a young guy that you see improving and it is just inconsistency. Even the kickoff return today. We did not really give our kickoff coverage team which is number one in the conference coming into this game a great shot. It is a line drive kick, and they make you pay for it."
On preparing for the offseason:
"I would say that in a lot of ways very similar to year one. The amount of turnover that we had on our roster from last year to this year. We started out in FBS football we were 128 out of 131 in terms of returning players. I think that is the reality of it and lots of growth, lots of inconsistency, and those things are frustrating. A lot of things for us to evaluate where we are and what we need to do to move ourselves forward."
Iowa State Linebacker MJ Anderson
On defensive performance tonight:
"I feel sad for my seniors. They don't deserve to go out like this. It is unfortunate because time and time again we have gone out to practice and just worked. We never got the advantage from it that we were looking for and that is the hard part about it. You just have to keep on working until you can find the answers, you have to keep on working."
On TCU offense:
"We give them a lot of respect and we have faced a lot of teams in the Big 12. I feel like TCU did a little bit of everything. They found every play that every team in the Big 12 has used against us and tried in some way or form to put that into their gameplan today and it worked."
Iowa State Tight End DeShawn Hanika
On what the locker room was like after the game:
"Emotional. If you have been around this program, if you follow this program, you would know what this means to this program. Guys like O'Rien Vance, Anthony Johnson, and Xavier Hutchinson, those are guys that show up every day and they lay down the blueprint of what hard work and dedication looks like. It is up to me, Easton [Dean], Hunter [Dekkers] all the guys that have been here to hold that up for them. It is sad for us to watch them leave, but deep down you couldn't be more happy for them because they left everything out there every Saturday."
On slow start in the first quarter:
"Just the same thing that has happened to us all year. We would have the play dialed up and it is just one person not doing their job. We need to get that fixed and the tight end room as a whole, we take that as our problem. That is our responsibility, if anyone wants to point fingers, you can point them right at us, and you can point them at me. I've got to be better, and I've got to hold guys accountable better. It is nobody else's fault, it is no coach, no player, it is my fault."
On struggles of offense throughout the season:
"It was frustrating. You saw flashes of what we could be and at times we looked amazing and at times we looked terrible. Going from fall camp, we had a lot of confidence and maybe that was false confidence. This season was an eye opener. I personally feel like I let the defense down. One of the best defenses that we have every had in this program and we let them down."
On frustrations finishing at the bottom of the Big 12:
"Watching the film, we are one play away, we are two plays away. All but two of our loses this year were one score games. You turn that film on and it is how many times did we stall out as an offense. How many times did we not make the play. That is what we need to focus on because our defense, they left it out there every Saturday. Us as an offense, we need to be better."
On the game:
"It was good to finally play a home game. It's been a while and I'm really proud of our guys. I thought we had a great week at practice. It's the best one we've had in a long time. I think the guys could kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, we had good little grind there for a four-game period. We played on the road at West Virginia, played on the road at Texas and on the road at Baylor and it was a pretty good little grind there for us. The guys got through it, and it was good to have a chance to play back at home. We played well; the defense scored two touchdowns and we really played well in the kicking game. The guys played hard, and it was good to have the chance to play a lot of different players. Chandler Morris has done an outstanding job all season with working hard and being a great teammate, so it was really good to get him playing. He played well, which was exciting. Emani Bailey, I thought he carried the ball well and it was good to see him play. It was a fun night. Obviously, our guys will celebrate for a little bit tonight. We will see how the Kansas/Kansas State game goes and we will start getting ready for it first thing in the morning. It was a great win for our program and I'm proud of our guys. It was a real tribute for our seniors. I know we have a lot of guys who played a lot of snaps for TCU in this stadium. I know it meant a lot to the team to send those guys out with their last home game in Amon G. Carter Stadium ending in a victory."
On the statement this game sends to the CFP committee:
"I don't know. I know the history with TCU and Iowa State with big victories and that it didn't work out particularly well in 2014. As I've said all along, I think this is different. I think college football is different. I think this committee is different, and I think the Big 12 is viewed differently than it was then. You know, it's a gauntlet. I think the people that really study the game know how good this team is. To go through this thing undefeated and win these road games shows that we have a good football team. Whoever we play next week is going to be really good. It doesn't matter if its Kansas State or Texas, they are going to be really good. We are going to need to play some of our best football next week to have a chance to win. I'm really happy for our guys tonight, they really got to enjoy themselves. It's been a bit of nip and tuck here in this last stretch, so they got to enjoy it."
On the absence of Quentin Johnston:
"We were going to try to save him if we could because we keep needing him to play. The thing is, he gets healthy then he kind of gets banged up again. It will swell up and it will take him the rest of the week. Our thought was, let's try to get him to the Big 12 Championship game if we could. He did a great job working out tonight and he was available, I think if we needed to have him. The guys picked up the slack and I thought we played really good at wide receiver. Some of our young guys got the chance to play a little bit. Blair Conwright played well, and Jordan Hudson did some good things. I thought we threw the ball better tonight than we have in a while."
On overcoming challenges and what lies ahead:
"We've had three tough road games in four weeks. It's hard to win at West Virginia and I think everyone knows what kind of team Texas is capable of having. With Baylor last week, honestly, we were just kind of hanging on. Winning those games shows a lot about the resolve of this team. It hasn't been easy, and these guys have welcomed every single challenge. Now, there's another one this week and we are going to have to beat someone twice which is never easy to do. But that's okay, this team will be up for it. We will prepare our best and will give it our best shot."
On the possibility of the "moment" getting the team:
"I don't think so. I don't think the moment will bother these guys one bit. I really don't think so. As I said, I think it's been in the back of their mind for a while and now we are getting to talk about it."
TCU Quarterback Max Duggan
On playing in the Big 12 Championship game
"It's the next game, but I don't think we need to make it bigger than it needs to be. It's a football game, we have to prepare the same way and we're going to go into it with the same mindset. We don't know who we're playing yet, but we know we've played them before. The lights aren't going to be brighter and nothing is going to be different."
On the support from fans
"It was awesome to see. It's Thanksgiving break, everyone is at home and the weather was underwhelming but to see them show up and support us, it really means a lot. It helps us, we love when they show out and are loud. We hope they make the short trip over to Arlington next week to help us out again."
On what it would mean to get an invite to New York for the Heisman
"It means I'm playing with a lot of great people under a great coaching staff. For it to happen, it would show more in those guys than it would in me."
TCU Safety Millard Bradford
On how the transfers have impacted the secondary
"The competition we give each other and we push each other every day. We all expect the best from each other."
How it felt to dominate the game
"It felt good. It was the first time I felt we played a good game offensively and defensively."
TCU Cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
How important it was to have a statement win for the CFP selection committee
"Coming into every game, we know we have a lot of doubters. We know what type of team we are and we showcase it constantly. We're undefeated and we show it every Saturday, no matter how it starts out, we're going to finish on top. Today we showed the true team we have and I'm thankful that we performed how we did."
On being able to focus on the Big 12 Championship game
"We like to take every game one step at a time. We're going to approach this coming week as such. This coming weekend, we're ready for it and we'll prepare for it."
TCU Cornerback Josh Newton
On beating a respectable Iowa State team
"It feels really good because their record doesn't speak for how they play. They have had some close ball games and at the end of the day, coming into this game, we told each other that they aren't a 4-7 ball club. At the end of the day, you have to respect them."
On feeling like a leader and feeling at home at TCU
"The first speech I gave at fall camp, I knew I had something that hit the team real hard. I feel like that speech jumped our season off. I can't take all the credit because my teammates bought into what I was trying to envision. I don't have a "C" on my jersey, but they see the good energy I'm trying to spread.
Iowa State Head Coach Matt Campbell
Opening Statement:
I just want to start by saying hats off to TCU. Quite honestly one of the best teams we've played in the past 5-6 years. Just a complete football team, offensively, defensively and on special teams. Certainly, hats off to their program, and obviously we wish them the best of luck next week."
On thoughts going through his mind while sending off this group after this game:
"I think it was so emotional last week and I feel like this team has fought, scratched and clawed every way. Our tank was on about E and it wasn't the way that we played the entire season. Again, you're playing a great football team. I think the emotions are numbing and the numbing piece of it is that is not what you have seen in the previous 11 football games. A lot of that has to do with a great opponent and when you make the mistakes that we made today, they are going to make you pay like they did today."
On slow start in the first quarter:
"You kick the ball off, they have two great drives. They are able to put 10 points on the board right away. Then offensively, you go three and out right away and then you turn the ball over to make it 17-0. You can't do those things against a team like this. Obviously, they've got a lot to play for. Their senior day, and they came out with their hair on fire. I don't know if we responded very well from the start and that is the responsibility of the head football coach. Obviously, I failed our kids in getting us prepared for that opportunity."
On special team performance:
"You know you hate that part of it. When you look at what happened on special teams, you feel like there has been immense growth in terms of what we have done. The biggest struggle has been the inconsistency at the kicker position. That's not a negative, you've got a young freshman that is trying to find his way and I would put as much challenge on me. We have put that kid in that situation early in his career. The great thing about Jace [Gilbert] is he is a young guy that you see improving and it is just inconsistency. Even the kickoff return today. We did not really give our kickoff coverage team which is number one in the conference coming into this game a great shot. It is a line drive kick, and they make you pay for it."
On preparing for the offseason:
"I would say that in a lot of ways very similar to year one. The amount of turnover that we had on our roster from last year to this year. We started out in FBS football we were 128 out of 131 in terms of returning players. I think that is the reality of it and lots of growth, lots of inconsistency, and those things are frustrating. A lot of things for us to evaluate where we are and what we need to do to move ourselves forward."
Iowa State Linebacker MJ Anderson
On defensive performance tonight:
"I feel sad for my seniors. They don't deserve to go out like this. It is unfortunate because time and time again we have gone out to practice and just worked. We never got the advantage from it that we were looking for and that is the hard part about it. You just have to keep on working until you can find the answers, you have to keep on working."
On TCU offense:
"We give them a lot of respect and we have faced a lot of teams in the Big 12. I feel like TCU did a little bit of everything. They found every play that every team in the Big 12 has used against us and tried in some way or form to put that into their gameplan today and it worked."
Iowa State Tight End DeShawn Hanika
On what the locker room was like after the game:
"Emotional. If you have been around this program, if you follow this program, you would know what this means to this program. Guys like O'Rien Vance, Anthony Johnson, and Xavier Hutchinson, those are guys that show up every day and they lay down the blueprint of what hard work and dedication looks like. It is up to me, Easton [Dean], Hunter [Dekkers] all the guys that have been here to hold that up for them. It is sad for us to watch them leave, but deep down you couldn't be more happy for them because they left everything out there every Saturday."
On slow start in the first quarter:
"Just the same thing that has happened to us all year. We would have the play dialed up and it is just one person not doing their job. We need to get that fixed and the tight end room as a whole, we take that as our problem. That is our responsibility, if anyone wants to point fingers, you can point them right at us, and you can point them at me. I've got to be better, and I've got to hold guys accountable better. It is nobody else's fault, it is no coach, no player, it is my fault."
On struggles of offense throughout the season:
"It was frustrating. You saw flashes of what we could be and at times we looked amazing and at times we looked terrible. Going from fall camp, we had a lot of confidence and maybe that was false confidence. This season was an eye opener. I personally feel like I let the defense down. One of the best defenses that we have every had in this program and we let them down."
On frustrations finishing at the bottom of the Big 12:
"Watching the film, we are one play away, we are two plays away. All but two of our loses this year were one score games. You turn that film on and it is how many times did we stall out as an offense. How many times did we not make the play. That is what we need to focus on because our defense, they left it out there every Saturday. Us as an offense, we need to be better."
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