University of Tennessee Athletics
Weekly Football Press Conference Coaches' Quotes
August 28, 2002 | Football
Aug. 28, 2002
Comments from Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer's Aug. 27 press conference preview Saturday's game (5:30 p.m. - ESPN2) against Wyoming at The Coliseum in Nashville.
* Coach Fulmer's Tuesday press conferences can be seen live each Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. (EDT) during the season on ESPN News.
FULMER PRESS CONFERENCE
FULMER Q&A | OPPONENT COACH Q&A
"We are obviously very excited to get started with this edition of the 2002 Tennessee Volunteers football team. Our team has worked very hard in preparation for this game. It's been exciting to watch the metamorphosis of this team and I am really pleased, as a coach would be, with the growth of our leadership and the work ethic of our team. Now it's time to go play a football game.
"We're not quite as healthy as we would like to be going into this game, but, when you have as much contact as we needed to have with a very young football team, sometimes those are the consequences. Chavis Smith, Steven Marsh, Kelley Washington and Constantin Ritzmann will all be out of this game. I'm very hopeful Steven can get back and play some. That limits us some as far our depth. Of the guys who are out there, we're healthy, healed up and really anxious to play a game.
"I'm looking forward to seeing a group of defensive linemen who have been challenged, really, since January. Can they be as good as they need to be for us to be the kind of football team we want to be? When you lose two first rounders, like John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth, a great player, leader and third round draft choice in Will Overstreet and another really fine defensive end in Bernard Jackson, who are all in professional camps somewhere, it's a real challenge to say we're going to replace those guys.
"This group has had an excellent attitude about taking coaching, they've had a really good work ethic and they've played with exceptional pad leverage. I'm anxious to see if their quickness and speed can make up for some of the lack of experience we might have at that position. It will be fun watching those guys play.
"At wide receiver, who's going to step up? We've been saying that all along, but particularly with Kelley Washington being of this game, it's going to be really important. We have a group of running backs who are all exciting. I'm anxious to see who's going to step up in that area.
"You always have first game concerns as a coach. Have you gone thoroughly enough through your checklist and have you done all the things you need to do to prepare your team? I feel good about it. In the first game, ball security, the kicking game, penalty discipline are all-important, all the areas you hope you have prepared well for.
"Wyoming is a junior and senior laden team, not somebody to be taken lightly. They have an outstanding quarterback who gets the ball to the receivers really well. They have two receivers that can play for anybody in the country. One is a 6-6 guy. I'm sure they'll be looking for some matchups against our cornerbacks.
"They have a veteran group of offensive linemen, with two tackles I've been really impressed with, guys who can play anywhere. It's a real challenge for our defensive football team, not only the personnel but also that scheme. They do a lot of different things that can create problems at different times. They have a sound scheme, are a containing type team that will try to make you run inside the tackles and take a lot of your perimeter game away from you. We're going to try hard to counter that every way we can.
"They give you a number of problems in the kicking game with their formations and their fakes. We're going to have to do a good job to be sure we're ready for that.
"I'm glad to be playing in Nashville, not only from the friendly setting we'll be in (I hope we can make it friendly by playing well), but also because of the heat and humidity that Wyoming might not be accustomed to. I hope that we have little more depth in some spots and hope we can play a lot of people. I'm looking forward to the game. As we prepare today and the rest of the week, it's a matter of putting the pieces together and playing well."
