University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Championship Postgame Quotes
December 08, 2001 | Football
Dec. 8, 2001
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TENNESSEE QUOTES
Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer
"I am very disappointed in the game. You can't expect to win with all the mistakes that we made. We picked a bad time to play our worst game of the year. We did have a good year, but we did not finish well. We had good practices all week. We had a lot of energy and excitement but we came out flat and didn't finish the job."
On LSU QB Matt Mauck:
"Mauck did a fantastic job for them. We saw him on film during the week and we knew that he was mobile. I was very impressed with his poise, We hit him a lot and he kept getting back up. He showed a lot of composure in a big time game."
On the intentional grounding call:
"We had a fullback screen call. I will have to go back and look at the film, but it seems to me that on a screen pass, a player will be near the ball, but I couldn't say for sure right now.
On missing the Rose Bowl:
"I am very disappointed that we are not going to the Rose Bowl. We had a chance to get there but we just came up short at the end. We still have one game to play, we don't know where yet, but we will come out prepared and hopefully go out with a win.
Running Back Travis Stephens
"I can't believe it. We had our opportunities to win the game, we just didn't do the job. They came out trying to stop our running attack, and they did a good job. We thought we had a better chance throwing, we just couldn't get it done."
Defensive Lineman Will Overstreet
"You can't blame this on one play or penalty. We just came out and didn't play our best game. They came out and really executed. They just came out and they beat us."
"They (Mauck and Davis) played great. They lost two of the big players, but they seemed to play better. They mixed it up from last time with all the quarterback draws and also were able to spread our defense out."
Defensive Lineman Albert Haynesworth
"We had too many letdowns. We can never accept it. This taste is going to be in my mouth until next year. We were in condition. We didn't get tired. We didn't capitalize on turnovers. We let them do whatever they wanted -- running or passing. Domanick Davis is a great back, too. We just didn't do our jobs. They wanted it more than we did. Mauck made some passes and great runs."
Quarterback Casey Clausen
"We beat ourselves tonight. We played hard, but you can't turn the ball over or have penalties. But give LSU credit. They did a good job. I felt good the whole game. We just didn't get it done tonight. We didn't think we'd make as many mistakes as we did."
Wide Receiver Kelley Washington
"I felt we were really prepared coming into the game. We didn't make the most of our opportunities and that killed us tonight. I can't take anything away from LSU. They played a great game and had a great plan. The dropped balls and fumbles really killed us."
LSU QUOTES
QUARTERBACK MATT MAUCK
ON WINNING AN SEC TITLE...
"Everyone dreams about doing it. For it to actually happen is something that is very special to me."
ON HIS MENTALLY WHEN HE FIRST GOT IN THE GAME...
"I was pretty nervous in the beginning. As the game went on, I started to forget about everything and played my hardest."
ON THE TEAM BELIEVING THEY COULD BEAT TENNESSEE...
"We expected to do it. As crazy as it sounds, we believed in ourselves."
KICKER JOHN CORBELLO
ON THE RHYTHM HE WAS IN TONIGHT...
"After the first one, I got into the flow a little bit. I was really showing some confidence."
ON THE LACK OF RECOGNITION HE RECEIVED DURING THE YEAR...
"I think a kicker's job is to make sure his name is not mentioned. If it is in the paper, it usually is not a good thing."
ON WHAT HE TOLD HIS TEAMMATES AFTER THE GAME...
"I was telling them I'd rather kick PAT's instead of 45-yard field goals anyday. But it is a great feeling to contribute."
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BYRON DAWSON
ON CAPTURING AN SEC TITLE...
"It feels great. It was the biggest game with BCS implications, and the whole country was watching. It felt good to play the role of spoilers."
ON THE TEAM'S SECOND STRING CONTRIBUTING...
"It shows the heart the team has. We always knew the second team was important. They are always one play away from playing, and tonight they were key."
ON LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SUGAR BOWL...
"It's a great accomplishment to make the Sugar Bowl. We'll just try to go out and repeat what we did tonight."
FREE SAFETY DAMIEN JAMES
"Right now is unbelievable. Today, everyone came in and didn't give us a chance, but we came out and got it done the second half."
"Coach Saban really got on the defensive backs at halftime. They had two big plays in the first half on us so we stayed deep and made sure they didn't get behind us and we took care of business."
WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER BRADIE JAMES
"We go out every week and try to get respect, and in order to get respect, you have to beat the great teams. All we heard this week was Tennessee going to the Rose Bowl, but today we proved them wrong. Right now words cannot describe this feeling."
MIDDLE LINEBACKER TREV FAULK
"I think the main thing was the third quarter, where we tried to make it as easy as we could on our offense in the second half."
"Travis Stephens was our main concentration and our Defensive line did a great job. It was just a great win."
HEAD COACH NICK SABAN
On Tonight's Game:
"Obviously I like the way our team played. I am pleased with the commitment of our team all season long. The opportunity to play in the Sugar Bowl is well deserved, especially for all the players who helped make it happen. We came out well in the 2nd half and beat a very good football team. Beating Tennessee is great for this team, the players believed in themselves all season and wanted to show the country that we are a good football team. They were a great football team, a 10-1 Volunteer team came into this game on a roll."
On Character of the Team:
"Rohan and LaBrandon Toefield have played outstanding all year, but the injuries to them gave other guys an opportunity to come in and show what they could do. Everyone believed in themselves. Matt and Damien James came in, in a big ball game and played outstanding."
On Fourth Down Conversion at End of Game:
"I thought it was important when the ball was inside the 1 to score a TD. I didn't want to kick a field goal and give the ball back to Tennessee. It was hard for me to kick a field goal down there on the one. When we scored it was the icing on the cake. When you score on a play like that it's a good idea, and when you don't succeed it's a bad idea.
