University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-MSU Post Game Quotes
October 13, 2007 | Football
Tennessee Head Coach Philip Fulmer Postgame Quotes
On the game???
???I compliment Coach Croom and Mississippi State. I thought they played really good and he has done a great job with this program and doing the things the right way. He will definitely be making waves in this league. This was a really tough football game for us, coming on the road in the SEC to begin with and jammed in between a real emotional game last week against Georgia and a huge Alabama football game next week. This is somebody you don???t play every year, so we didn???t know a lot about Mississippi State and I thought we prepared really well and I think the staff did a heck of a job. There was some terrific play on both sides of the ball and there were some areas that we obviously had to work on. I???m proud of our kicker; he did a heck of a job today. We don???t want to be kicking it that much obviously but particularly after he missed and he came right back and we asked him to kick that thing right at the end of the half and I think that was a real turning point in the game. Then coming out in the second half and having another long drive much like we did in the first half of the first series. Defensively bowing their neck on fourth down with I think 3 big stops on fourth. The adjustments we made during the course of the game were also huge. We were able to challenge their receivers as we went on to stop the slant and stuff like that and we will continue to grow with those freshmen that way. I thought that it was just a really, really strong effort with everybody concerned. Our running game was solid, we had some big plays in there and Lucas Taylor had a terrific day and glad to have the win to say the least. ???
On running back Arian Foster???
???Foster had a big day and he continued to show. This is two weeks in a row that he has had big games and I can say this too, we got some tough guys; Anthony Parker didn???t practice much this week. Chris Scott had a 103 temperature this morning and the staff gave him an IV and was able to get the temperature down and he played very well. It was great to see all that happening. Continuing to work and improve and see what we can do with this opportunity that we now have.???
On the teams ball control in the fourth quarter???
???It did wear them out. The no huddle has a lot to do with that and I think our conditioning is real good and not that theirs is not but we put a lot of pressure with a defensive football team. We had a five minute drive in the fourth quarter for a score. We took time and got points so that was huge.???
On freshman kicker Daniel Lincoln???
???Before the season everybody was wondering what he would do and I am really happy with the job he has done. The consistency that he has shown and I am glad to get the mess out of the way but he is pretty good with letting things roll off his paddle.???
Quarterback Erik Ainge
On the game???
???We don???t play Mississippi State all the time. It was hard to get up for this game like we were last week for the Georgia game. Not because we don???t think that Mississippi State is a good team, but it???s hard when you don???t play everybody all the time. I thought we did a good job of just going out there and getting the win. We knew it wasn???t going to be easy but we got the job done. Our defense stepped up big. Our special teams stepped up big and we got the win.???
On controlling the ball late in the game???
???We knew that we needed to be able to run the football to win the game -- credit their defense. When we had third down and a long way to go, they made it tough. They would rush three and drop eight into coverage and that makes it tough to throw the football when they do that.???
On the play of WR Lucas Taylor???
???He is a great player. I would go to war with number 12 [Lucas Taylor] any day. He deserves everything he gets. He is the hardest working kid I???ve ever seen in my entire life. He doesn???t say much he just gets the job done. I would throw to him for the rest of my career if I could.???
Wide Receiver Lucas Taylor
On the game???
???I think we did pretty well but we still have a lot of things we can improve on. I think this was a statement game. We just stayed focused and did what we had to do.???
On continuing this success through the rest of the season???
???I think we can continue this success. If we just continue our focus and continue to work hard, I think we can continue this success."
Running Back Arian Foster
On the game???
???It was really physical. We knew that they were going to put people in the box. Their whole game plan was to run and stop the run. We knew that coming in.???
On Mississippi State???s defense???
???I think by the way we ran the ball last week against Georgia affected how they were going to play us today. They played a little off the line, more than we expected. We knew this was going to be a physical game. They were some tough guys on the other side of the ball and my hat goes off to them. They are one of the most physical opponents we???ve gone against.???
Mississippi State Head Coach Sylvester Croom
Opening Comments???
???Congratulations to Phillip Fulmer and his entire team. They did an outstanding job today and it was an excellent football game to be a part of. I am very proud of our players; we lost a tough game today. We probably played as well as we can play today, we had a few tough breaks and missed opportunities but still played an outstanding game. I also want to say this to our fans. I am very appreciative of their turnout and support for today. Our kids played a great game and left their hearts out on the field. It does not matter if anyone respects them; because I guarantee you that those men in the orange and white respect them. If you go out to battle and your opponent respects you that is where it matters.???
On Wes Carroll???s play???
???I thought Wes played and outstanding game. He missed some throws that would have kept our drives alive, but he played an overall solid ballgame. We were so close on several key plays and just came up short. At halftime Wes did not even know his name and he still came out and finished the ballgame. The guy has guts, and we???re talking about a true freshman pushing the University of Tennessee to the limit. He???s got ???it??? whatever ???it??? is. Those guys that step out on the field with him believe in him.???
On the fourth quarter???
???The big Tennessee offensive line banged into our guys, who were worn down, and that hurt us at the end. They had an offensive lineman???s mentality to lay heavy into the defense and hope for the best and that is exactly what they did and that won them the ballgame.???
On team???s performance???
???It is the best full-game we have played since I have been here, when you consider we played against a quality SEC opponent. We are still a very young team and still match up well with most teams. We are short in some areas, but the big difference was in the wear and tear from their offensive line and their quarterback made very few mistakes. We struggled getting off the field on third down situations.???
On playing a senior quarterback and a freshman quarterback???
???Today it was the difference between winning and losing. When we get more experience from our freshman quarterback we will start winning these close ballgames.???
On the fourth quarter interception???
???It could have ultimately been a game changing play, because of the clock factor. Tennessee was going to try and grind out the clock and when we picked (Erik) Ainge off we needed to turn that turnover into a positive and we failed to do so. Ultimately, failing to make something out of that turnover cost us the game.???
On the short game???
???It started out working well for us, but once they began to stop our run, we had to make some adjustments. Our adjustments timing might not have been the most precise, but Tennessee did a good job matching out run game.???
On Anthony Dixon???s running???
???He ran hard through the entire ball game. I also compliment our backs on not turning the ball over and protecting the football. I am proud how the offense protected the football. We gave a good effort today and it hurts because of all the preparation we put into this and it hurts but its suppose to hurt if you care about it. We have to put this one behind us and prepare for another quality opponent in West Virginia.???
On Tennessee???s running game???
???They picked things up and they have a good big running back in Arain Foster. That is why you play big running backs like him, because they are so big after tackling them for so long it begins to wear the defense down. We have to keep the other teams offense off the field to compete in this league.???
Wide Receiver Jamayel Smith
On performance by receivers???
???Yeah, I thought so. Wes (Carroll) had one of his best games and got the ball too us. It was probably the best we have played from that standpoint.???
On touchdown catch???
???Wes (Carroll) put it right on the money. I ran the route like I had all week in practice and he just put it perfectly to me.???
On feeling of playing well but losing???
???It is really tough. You are going to win some and you are going to lose some but it hurts to play like we did and still come up short.???
Quarterback Wesley Carroll
On suffering a concussion???
???That was something I had never really experienced before. It really was not too bad. It is not a long term thing so it is not that big of a deal.???
On respect from teammates???
???I feel like I played well. I did not execute 100 percent but overall, I think everyone played well. I think that they knew that I tried to put the team on my shoulders.???
On feeling after the game???
???It is a hard thing to take. We are progressing but it is still disappointing anytime you take a loss. We just have to learn from our mistakes and get better.???
Defensive End Titus Brown
On Tennessee???s Offense???
???You just have to give them credit. They have a great quarterback and a great offensive line.???
On frustration of not getting to the quarterback???
???It gets frustrating trying to get to him. You work so hard to get back there and right when you do, he makes a great play. I have to take my hat off to him. He is probably the best quarterback we have played yet.???
On confidence???
???We played hard all game. We had great poise and just came up short. We have to come back and keep that up.???
