University of Tennessee Athletics
December 27 Press Conference Quotes
December 29, 2000 | Football
Coach Phillip Fulmer
(opening comments) Welcome to Dallas. We've had a few problems getting
everyone in town because of the weather around the country. We've tried to
stay in constant touch with the guys that aren't here. Hopefully we'll be
able to get everyone in this evening. Reggie Coleman, Andre Lott, Cedrick
Wilson, Eric Parker, Dominique Stevenson and Travis Stephens are the key
ones that are in transit and obviously we would like to have here for
preparations, but we will work through that.
We're into game week mode. It's a little bit of a distraction not having those very important players here yet, but we've tried to turn it into an advantage. I think our kids will go out with great focus today and pick up on the work that we did in Knoxville. I'm really happy with our focus and our energy we showed in Knoxville as we prepared for an outstanding Kansas State team. Hopefully that will carry over as prepare for the game on Monday.
Kansas State is an outstanding football team. They have an outstanding group of coaches coaching them and had a great year. We know that we need to be at our best to win versus Kansas State.
In many ways we're still a young football team that is growing in many areas. Obviously I've liked the results of the last six games that we've played. We're treating today as if it's a Monday of game week. We always have a meeting on Monday and talk about setting the tempo and mentality for the week. I told them that we're creating habits that we'll use in the game. I expect our guys to go to the practice area and continue to work.
We're very exciting about playing in the Cotton Bowl. These folks have great history and tradition. We've had great experiences playing here in the past. The hospitality of the city of Dallas and the Cotton Bowl people are great. We're very grateful to the corporate sponsors of all of the bowls, but particularly Southwestern Bell for its sponsorship of the Cotton Bowl. They make it a fun trip. Dallas is a great city to visit, and the right combination of fun and work is very important. Our team has been to a number of these kinds of settings in recent history. But we have a lot of young players, so this is a team that you have to keep your thumb on them a little bit to make sure they understand what you're here for, and that's to win the football game.
(on where the players are stranded) Memphis and Little Rock, two places you really don't want to be right now. It hit them before they could get out. Reggie Coleman, Andre Lott and Cedrick Wilson actually were scheduled to come in on Christmas night, but they couldn't get out.
(on if the Vols have always met at a bowl site individually) We've always done it that way, and we haven't had this kind of an issue before. We will certainly look at a change in the format for the future, especially if we're traveling west.
(on if Kansas State is similar to Tennessee) I think they are similar to us in a lot of ways. They play a very aggressive style of defense. They try to stop the run with a lot of different people and make you execute in the passing game. Offensively they are similar in that they will hammer it at you and they are capable of the big play. Obviously they are outstanding in the kicking game, and we feel that at times the kicking game has made a difference in our season. It's going to come down to who can stop the running game the best and who can make some of the big plays that make the difference in the ball game. Protecting the ball and field position also will be factors.
(on the play of his team the last six games) We've made progress. We've matured as we've gone along. The play of Travis Henry throughout the year has been a solidifying area for us. Our offensive line was quite young to begin with, and they've played better over the stretch. I don't think they've reached their potential, but they've played better and that's given us a better chance.
(on the play of Casey Clausen) The emergence of Casey Clausen as a freshman allowed us to grow the most. Every time he goes out there he learns something new. Our sack ratio went way down with Casey because he sees the field and has decent mobility and can move around and make a play. We thought that he gave us the best chance of being our best in the long run. Casey has a knack for making a play. He has a swagger about him, and he has the confidence of our players. He has a strong enough arm to make the plays and he sees the field as well as anybody we've had since Peyton Manning. He's still growing as a player. He's kind of where Peyton was his freshman year.
Punter and senior captain David Leaverton
(on not having everyone in Dallas) It really hasn't been a distraction for
us. I think we only have a couple of guys that aren't here yet. All they
have missed is a couple of administrative meetings. Every one of the guys
were in Knoxville for all of the practices there. I don't think we'll have
any kind of a problem missing people here. We're treating this like a
business trip.
(on the tradition of the Cotton Bowl) Growing up in Midland, Texas, I've been to the game as a fan. I came here for the Texas Tech-USC game in 1995. I was rooting for Texas Tech at the time because my dad is an alumnus from there. I believe they got shellacked in that game. My granddad attended the first Cotton Bowl and has film of that game. It's a game with great tradition. It's well known throughout Texas and the country. It's had great following throughout the country for many years. I couldn't ask for a better way to end my career than to finish it in my home state. I have about 30 members of my family that will be coming here from all over the state to watch me play. We're looking forward to a lot of fun.
Quarterback Casey Clausen
(on the layoff after the end of the season) We had a good week of practice
before we came here, and that has kept us sharp. We've just tried to go out
there and improve and stay focused on the game. We've talked a lot about the
game, and now it's just a matter of getting ready for Monday.
(on what sparked their six-game winning streak to end the season) Coach
Fulmer challenged us during the bye-week after we lost to Georgia and were
2-3. He challenged each one of us as a player and as a team. He told us to
forget about what had happened in the past and to do the best you can the
last six games. I think each one of us improved our game, and our chemistry
as a team improved. In the Alabama game we played for the first time up to
our potential. We had a couple of bad breaks at the beginning of the season,
but we knew we could play with anyone in the country. We put things together
the last six games. Now it's a matter of playing well against Kansas State.
(on his first bowl game) It's exciting for me. Everywhere we go I'm taking my video camera. I am enjoying the experience and having fun with it. At the same time, we're focused and concentrating on the game. It's exciting to be in a January 1st bowl game against a good team like K-State. I'm looking forward to it.
(on the problems Kansas State's defense poses for Tennessee's offense) They are a really good defense. They fly around and make really big plays. I watched them against Oklahoma and the way they pressured Heupel. Obviously if they can pressure a Heisman candidate like him, they're going to try to pressure a true freshman like myself.
Running back Travis Henry
(on the weather) It's cold right now, but it was cold when we left Knoxville
so we're kind of used to it. We have it in our minds that it's going to be
cold on game day, so we're not going to worry about it. We're just going to
go out and play our game.
(on preparations for the game) With Christmas right around the corner, everybody wanted to go home, so it's was difficult to stay focused. I thought we had a pretty good week of practice before we left Knoxville. I think we're ready to play physically and mentally.
(on the Cotton Bowl being his last game) We started off slowly at the beginning of the year, so being 8-3 and to be here at the Cotton Bowl is a great accomplishment. Now I just want to go out there, have fun, do the things I've been doing all year and for us to win the football game. We came together midway through the season. We've been fighting all year, and we want to end on a good note.
(on playing in a January 1st bowl game after being 2-3) When we were 2-3, a lot of people thought it was over for us. We just fought hard to get back in the hunt for a New Year's Day bowl. We knew what we had to do to do it, and we came together. Casey came in and got the job done. We started rolling as a team from there.
Defensive end Will Overstreet
(on Kansas State's offense) We've seen some of the people they've played
before, like Nebraska. We think they're going to try to come out and be more
physical than we are and beat us that way. We've got to set the tone in that
sense and show them we can play that way, too. They have a bunch of great
athletes that can make plays. We've got to come out and limit them and let
our offense control the clock.
(on showing that the six-game winning streak wasn't a fluke) We want to set the tone that the six games weren't a fluke and that we were just playing weaker opponents. We want to show that we've improved and we can play with anybody in the country.
(on how to defend Beasley)I think he's one of those guys that makes you have to stop the run first. Once they're in third and long situations, then you can get in that pass rushing mode and get after him. You have to be continuous and come after him every play.
