Fulmer Cotton Bowl Press Conference

Comments from Head Football Coach Phillip Fulmer:

"We are exited about getting back to preparing for a game. There's been a lot going on with our finishing finals and recruiting. The biggest event in the off-season was John Henderson winning the Outland Trophy. That's a great statement for him and our football team. His announcement that he was going to stay for his senior year was certainly a plus. There are a number of kids who have been named to some all-star teams, which is also a plus. We were well represented on the All-SEC first and second teams.

"I told the team this morning how proud I am of them with the fight and commitment they've shown, and the bonding that's gone on. They continued to improve. They had their backs to the wall and came from nowhere to get to a New Year's Day bowl game. I'm very proud of the way this team has gone about its business.

"I'm looking forward to going to Dallas. It's the host city and it's always a special time. The city of Dallas always shows special hospitality.

"We have no illusions whatsoever. We realize we're playing a very outstanding Kansas State football team. They have 27 seniors and are a very good football team. You can't help but to admire the job Coach Bill Snyder and his staff have done with this team and over the years to bring Kansas State from nowhere to a very outstanding football program.

"We want to put an exclamation point on this football season. This team wants to be a part of winning nine games six seasons in a row. We're very excited about trying to do that. There were a lot of accomplishments over the year, particularly by our defensive team playing as well as it has, with 50 sacks, a school record, and holding eight opponents to less than 55 yards rushing.

"A phenomenal accomplishment is only having six runs of 25 yards or more by our opponents for an entire season. That kind of thing has certainly gone a long way in our success this year. After struggling early in the season scoring touchdowns, the last 16 times we've been in the Orange zone, we've scored 15 touchdowns. That's been a great improvement for us. Our first quarter production the last six games has also been a big factor in what we've gotten done.

"Coming into bowl preparations, I certainly expect our football team is working to improve and move in a positive direction and, if this morning's workout is any indication, they are listening. Vanderbilt didn't leave a very good taste in our mouths because we'd been the least penalized team in the conference going into that game. Our discipline, ball security and our coverage techniques weren't very good. We have a lot to work on as we prepare for a good Kansas State team.

"Offensively, Kansas State is an outstanding rushing team, and a team that can hit you with the big play in the passing game. Defensively, they're a lot like us with a very aggressive style. In the kicking game, they're the best we've played this year. We understand the challenge. The period while we're in Knoxville will be dedicated to a lot of fundamentals and physically improving ourselves. We'll have a couple of short scrimmages to build on what we've been able to do and get back into the flow of how football's really played and that's full speed. That's not something we've typically done, but our youth dictates that we go out and prepare like it was spring practice. Improving our discipline will be important. We have to prepare to win a big football game. Attention to detail and focus now will definitely pay off for us when we get to Dallas and get a chance to play. That's our approach and our mentality."

On Kansas State:
"They will be a great challenge. I've seen enough of them on television and occasionally on tape to know that they are a very talented football team on both sides of the football and certainly a very well-coached team."

On Playing in a New Year's Bowl Game:
"I think that is something that all programs strive for. The honor of coaching and playing in a game like the Cotton Bowl is really special. The tradition of outstanding bowl games and people across the nation watching is so much greater on New Year's Day, so we are certainly excited about it."

On Resurgence of 2000 Vols:
"It shows a lot about the character of our football program. Our players take pride in wearing an orange shirt. Our seniors have stepped up to be good leaders. I think a lot of things went right for us. First, as a coach you hope your football team gets better during the course of the year and I think our young players did improve as the season went along. The emergence of a healthy Casey Clausen at quarterback and the experience he gained as we went along certainly helped a lot in the ability to use the field and stretch defenses. That also helped open up the running game for Travis Henry. I think our defense played pretty consistent for most of the year and really became a very good unit as the season progressed."

On 2000 Season:
"I've said since the start of the season that I thought Tennessee fans would really enjoy this year's football team and I think that has certainly proven to be the case. This has been a memorable season in terms of where we started, what we went through in terms of injuries and adversity, and where we are now, preparing to play on New Year's Day. This team has made tremendous growth and it is a team I am extremely proud of and a team that has made Tennessee fans proud."

On DT John Henderson:
"John Henderson has had as dominant of a season as any defensive tackle we've had in a long, long time. He not only did it on the field on Saturday, but he did it in practice. He's become a person that the entire football team looks to from a leadership standpoint. He has probably accelerated his progress much faster than anybody thought he might, since it is only his second year of college football. We all felt like he could be that kind of player, but his intensity to be the best that is out there has really given him an opportunity to become one of the all-time great defensive players at Tennessee."

On Henderson Winning the Outland Trophy
"We've had a lot of good players who have won awards, but this is as special as any of them because of the person John is. This is a great statement to young people about school, and about team, and about having your priorities in order.

On QB Casey Clausen:
"I think Casey has surprised everybody. You don't expect a freshman to show the poise he's displayed, nor the results and kind of numbers he has posted.. He's a tough competitor, something we didn't have any idea about until he got on the field. He's a bright guy and has gotten better every game."

On RB Travis Henry:
"Travis Henry is certainly deserving of holding the Tennessee rushing record and going over the 3,000-yard career mark. It has taken him a long time to get all the credit he deserves for everything he has done for the Tennessee football team. In his own way, Travis has contributed as much as anybody who's been here."

On LB Eric Westmoreland:
"Eric is a guy that can make a lot of plays, be it against the run or the pass. He's very much the leader of our defensive football team. He's a tough guy, a great tackler, runs well and plays good pass defense. We think a lot of him as a player and a person and that is also reflected from the players' standpoint in that he was elected one of our captains."

On PK Alex Walls:
"Alex was been Mr. Consistency for us all year. At the start of the season he was the difference in several games and he's one of those guys that practices the same way he has played. We chart kicks in practice and he very rarely misses one. He has come along way this season and we are very pleased for him. It is good that a player who has that kind of success gets recognition."

University of Tennessee Athletics

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