University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes
November 04, 2000 | Football
COACHES' QUOTES "I was very happy for the win. Memphis gave
a gallant effort. There were a lot of mistakes but there is a lot to learn from.
A lot of our young guys got some opportunities today because of some injuries.
Making a lot of mistake is going to be the case for a lot of the young guys
but we gave good effort.
It would be great if we had the same intensity
in the first three quarters as we have had in the fourth quarter the last two
weeks. We'll see where we go from here. I guess you could call them the heart
attack kids.'
I take my hat off to Dan Stacey, Seth Reagan and
Alex Walls on the kicking team, to Casey Clausen for getting the ball down the
field, to Randy Sanders for keeping his poise and running the ball, and to Leonard
Scott for his kick return. The kicking game was big.
We have a ton of work to do but I am proud of our
kids. They didn't play as well as they hoped or as well as they will play. Casey
was very poised to get the ball down the field. We didn't get it done in the
orange zone but Memphis has a good defense. We sure didn't execute. That last
drive was do-or-die. I thought we had a chance if we executed.
Winning a game like this shows character and this
team has character. There was no panic at halftime."
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH RIP SCHERER "I can't tell you how proud I am of this football
team. These kids are good kids and they deserve better. I wouldn't trade this
football team for any other team in the country. This week we circled the wagons
and hung in there and competed. We didn't let this negative stuff bother us,
divide us or create doubt. They fought right down to the end. "Our goals are
still there This game proved it. "Our kicking game let us down. We had the dropped
snap in the end zone, which gave them good field position. The kickoff when
we went ahead and we didn't punt particularly well.
"Scott Scherer is a tough kid. We thought about
putting Suber in towards the end. We thought we could do more things with our
offense with Scott. I am proud to be his coach and I am proud to be his father."
"Clausen's a gutsy kid and he's a great player.
Tennessee made the plays they needed to make today."
PLAYER QUOTES Wide Receiver Donte Stallworth: "The long
pass was a fade route and Casey did a great job of reading the defense and making
the throw. I just made the catch but got caught from behind. Coach Washington
and the other receivers are going to have field day with me getting caught from
behind. We knew Memphis was going to be tough, regardless of who they are and
who they are. We have three games left with the next two at home. We have a
lot of goals that can still be reached by this team."
Defensive End Will Overstreet: "At
the beginning of the second half the defense knew we had to get some three-and-outs
and keep their defense on the field. We made a bunch of mistakes earlier in
the game. But, we had to eliminate those and get our defensive aggressiveness
back and give our offense the ball."
Quarterback Casey Clausen: "The kickoff
return on the last drive was a big plus. The key was to go out and execute and
put yourself in a position to win the game. The line stepped up and the receivers
made some key catches to keep the drive going. It was a great kick by Alex Walls.
A win is a win."
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH PHILLIP FULMER
TENNESSEE PLAYERS
Placekicker Alex Walls: "A
missed field goal is something that had to happen. You are not likely to make
every one in a season." As a kicker you don't always think it will come
down to a final kick to win a game. But, when it does, that is what a kicker
dreams about. You try to block out that thought that this kick will be a game
winner. We rushed out on the field so I didn't have a lot of time to think about
it. I was more nervous with this kick than any other one this year. It is great
to feel that Coach Fulmer has confidence in my ability. I knew that if we could
get near the 20 that Coach Fulmer had confidence in me to make the kick."
