Phillip Fulmer Press Conference Quotes

Nov. 16, 2004

Complete Fulmer Press Conference Video:
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"We are really glad to have had the open date last week. We used it well in order to get more healthy than we've been in several weeks.

"I really like the way we started practice yesterday. We buzzed around as quick as we've been in several weeks. The leadership continues to show through. We had a good, full-pad practice for a little more than two hours.

"There were some good looks for our quarterbacks as we went ones versus ones quite a bit. We worked hard on short yardage and looked at some of Vanderbilt's option stuff. We had a good dose of kicking. Overall, I think we're off to a good start for the week.

"I liked the intensity of our practice as we look forward to this game. I think our football team is continuing to work to improve. We have several areas we continue to need to address. My challenge to our football team is to get back to hitting on all cylinders, offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. This group has been a very prideful group of young men to work with this year and it was great yesterday to them all back together.

"Jason Respert was back out there. The chatter and the movement going on out there made you really feel good about having our guys back out there.

"Vanderbilt is always a battle, what with the instate rivalry part of it. It's a very important game for us for a lot of different reasons. It means a lot to a lot of folks.

"It starts with their quarterback. It seems like he's been there a long, long time. I have always been very impressed with Jay Cutler. I think he's a guy you'll be seeing playing on Sunday. They have done a good job with him doing a lot of different things.

"It's complicated by his ability to throw the football and run the option. Our defense will have a challenge that way. They have a big, physical offensive line, fast running backs and wide receivers that make plays. It makes them hard to defend.

"Defensively, they have a big group of guys up front, linebackers that are solid and they give you a lot of looks in the secondary.

"Our focus has been on improving. It's still a young football team in many ways, particularly with only two seniors on the defensive team and, offensively, rallying around Rick Clausen. Rick has a personality about him that's a real plus. He can rally the troops. He'll spend the extra time with them in the film room. He's a popular guy off the field. He certainly has adequate ability to run an offensive team. The best asset he has is his ability to think, to understand what's happening, to see and recognize coverages very quickly.

"All the things that win games, like ball security, takeaways, kicking game and short yardage, an area where we need to get better, are what we're focusing on this week.

"As I said, the open date came at really good time. We're excited about the opportunities that are out there in front of us. I'm looking forward to our team playing with great intensity, passion and confidence as we have a chance to clinch the Eastern Division championship."

More questions and answers from Coach Fulmer:

1. Give an overall assessment of the quarterback situation heading into the Vanderbilt game Saturday.
A- "We would rather have our guys who have played all season out there, but I'm extremely excited we have the experience level for the third and fourth team quarterbacks we have. I'm very excited about Rick Clausen and his understanding of our offense and what we try to get done. He played very well in the second half against Notre Dame except for the one turnover. I'm looking forward to seeing how he does, because I think he'll do very well."

2. What qualities has Rick Clausen shown that will enable him to step into his new role as starting quarterback?
A- "Rick is smart, understands the offense and is a guy I think the team will certainly rally around. He has the leadership ability you like going into a game and he's a heck of competitor."

3. Comment on the development of Jesse Mahelona, who has shown a flair for making big plays from his defensive tackle position.
A- "Jesse has been a fabulous addition to our football team going all the way back to spring practice. You could tell he had the motor to be the kind of player we needed in the defensive line. He's actually elevated the play of the defensive front. Everybody's busting their rears to improve. Jesse's the best example of that we've had here in a long time as to the strides he has made and the influence he's had on our defensive football team."

4. Tell about Jay Cutler, the Vanderbilt quarterback, and what the Vols can expect from the Commodores offense.
A- "We're always going to get Vanderbilt's very best effort, regardless of their record or how they've played throughout the year. They're going to play the heck out of us. I have great respect for Jay Cutler. He's a really fine quarterback and an outstanding competitor. We've had to really work hard to get ready and play well against them."

5. Comment on the game's return to Vanderbilt Stadium on campus after a couple of games at the Coliseum.
A- "I'm glad. I think it's a much better setting than the Coliseum was. I'm looking forward to getting back in that stadium with a great turnout of Tennessee people."

Comments of Vanderbilt Head Football Coach Bobby Johnson:

1. Your team has had leads in six of your games and you have been in position to win some of those games at the end. How have you been able to use that to motivate your team?
A- "It is kind of frustrating to all of us, because in all of those games we felt like we had a chance to win. When you don't get that done, I think it is even more frustrating to your players, coaches and your fans. It has been pretty tough to deal with, but I think it shows that if we play well, and play well through the whole game, we can compete out there in this league and our team has a chance to win. We have to try and get better in certain situations and do the things we can do, and not worry about the things we can't control so that we will have a chance to win at the end."

2. Talk about the play of your quarterback Jay Cutler and what he has been able to do for your offense.
A- "Jay is the person that kickstarts our offense. He throws the ball extremely well, and he can run the option, scramble for first downs and do whatever you need him to do. The thing about Jay is that he knows what we are trying to do in our offense. He knows it inside and out and he can anticipate things. That makes it a whole lot easier to coach. The other thing about Jay is that he is a competitor. He has taken a bunch of licks this year and has been injured a couple of times, but he has really come out and competed and given his best effort every week."

3. Your defense is led by the play of Moses Osemwegie, and your team had several key stops last week against Kentucky. Have you seen improvement during the season?
A- "We are getting better defensively and Moses is an important cog in that play. He is a steady player and he has good speed, can run and he does a good job of getting people on the ground. We have had problems with our tackling this season, but Moses is one of those people that we can count on most of the time to get his guy on the ground. Everybody talks about closing the deal, and last week several times on defense we had a fumble and we turned them away. They missed a field goal and they had a short punt which we turned them back. They had a blocked punt in the fourth quarter and we turned them away again. I saw that as progress that we had made. They (Kentucky) just got a great play at the end of the game to beat us."

4. Do you think the lack of depth on your team has contributed to some of the problems for this year's team?
A- "It doesn't help us. I can tell you that. We are very thin in several positions especially in the offensive line. It is a situation where those guys are battling the whole game and the other teams have the luxury, not all of the times but sometimes, of being able to substitute or bring in fresh guys, or substitute early and have their starters fresher in the fourth quarter. It is not an excuse we are making because we have to get all of our available players ready to play, and trust them if they have to go into the game. We have to keep on and continue with our patterns of substitution to make sure we don't get stripped out, and we have to trust those guys to make plays while we are at it."

5. What are your thoughts about this Tennessee team?
A- "They are just like every other Tennessee team that I have seen, and I followed SEC football a good bit when I was at Furman and South Carolina, and there have been some great ones. We recruited Tennessee, especially East Tennessee when I was at Furman, so we knew a good bit about the University of Tennessee. They are always going to have quality athletes. What sets their guys apart is that always seem to be dedicated to achieve the team goals; get to the best bowl, get to the championship game, go to the BCS bowls. And they have seemed to focus on that this year. It is a tough road to go through the SEC and sometimes you play games like the Notre Dame game, and that makes it a little bit tougher, but we have been very, very impressed."

6. The last two times these teams met in Nashville the game was held at The Coliseum. How do you like having the game back on campus?
A- "I really like having it on campus. David Williams, our vice chancellor in charge of student sports, came to me and asked me if I would like the game back on campus. I said I would. I think it is great for our team and great for our students and fans. David said we will not worry about trying to make extra money at the bigger stadium, but we are going to try and get the game back on campus. We appreciate that and his support of the program. We are excited about having it back here."

University of Tennessee Athletics

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