UT Player press conference quotes: August 28

[Harry]

Player press conference quotes: August 28

DE Tim Crowder

On if the Rose Bowl seems like yesterday:

To me it feels like it was six years ago. We're very excited about Saturday because we get to play against someone else. I don’t have to go against Justin Blalock and Kasey Studdard; I get to go against North Texas.

On how difficult it is to concentrate on North Texas with the Ohio State hype:

To me it's not difficult. We go out there with the mindset of taking everyday one day at a time. We all know that if we're not focused on North Texas they might come out here and beat us, and that won't be good for the Ohio State game. We are very focused on North Texas right now and are ready to play them.

On the freshmen:

You know the freshmen are going to be nervous. My freshmen year, I was wide-eyed, I wasn’t scared, but I was nervous to be out there. I'll just tell them to calm down and they'll be all right. After they get their first series, they'll relax.

On the defense:

I think we have the capabilities of being a better defense, but we still have a lot of work to do. We're still working on little things, but as a whole, I think we're a lot further along than last year because we know the defense like the back of our hands.

On Brian Orakpo:

Brian is a great talent. He's come along a lot. I kind of took him under my wing this off-season and was with him in the weight room and doing the little things like stretching and working on pass rushing drills. Right now, he has put it all together and he's going to be a great talent for this year and after we are gone.

OT Justin Blalock

On if it matters what position he plays on the offensive line:

I don’t really care; during camp I played half and half. Whatever the coaches feel is the most productive combination for whatever upcoming game we have is fine with me. I feel comfortable playing another position.

On any adjustments he had to make while working as a guard:

Just getting comfortable, because I hadn’t played there in three years. It's a lot different-you have to look both ways all the time, kind of like crossing the street, because people are coming in at all different angles. At tackle you only have to look in one direction.

On Cedric Dockery:

I think the biggest thing is, he's a bigger guy like myself and naturally blowing people off the ball is what he is going to be good at. Coach McWhorter really emphasizes straining your opponent regardless of your techniques. In any given play you can always give more effort; it doesn’t matter about your talent. I think he has been doing a really good job of trying to out-effort his guy on every play.

On Colt McCoy:

I think he's a really confident guy. He is really passionate about what he does and you can kind of sense that when he's in the huddle talking. He has also made great strides during camp as well. He's been assertive and gotten a better feel for the offense. When he is talking, everybody is listening now, there's no questioning or playing around when he's in there. I think he has done a really good job, not only with his play, but also with his leadership skills.

On how Vince Young and Colt McCoy have been similar in the huddle:

I would say that Vince definitely had a command of the huddle, but he might not have been as well versed as Colt. There are definitely times where the lineman would have to correct him on a play; maybe he called a wrong formation or a wrong direction with the play or something. He had a sense of what was going on, but sometimes his mind was going so many different directions that he would slip up and say the wrong things. I think Colt is pretty good about that. He's done a really good job in the film room working with Coach Davis to the point where he pretty much understands the offense.

On how Colt McCoy has earned the respect of the team:

I think over the course of the summer, he and Jevan both led the seven-on-seven workouts. They both showed up every night for that. I think that is a big part of what you have to do to gain that respect. Also showing up for the offseason strength workouts and having a really good work ethic. Guys are going to see that and see that you are serious about what you are doing and they can't help but gravitate towards that.

On the schedule:

I will miss the off week, it's always a good chance to relax and do something else that's fun, maybe go home and see your family. Football is what I love to do; I'm not too bummed about playing an extra game. As offensive lineman, we hit people every play and we'll have more wear and tear on our body, but we'll be in the training room enough and I'm sure we'll be fine by then.

On if he thinks he is more vocal:

A little bit more, but the thing I try to do is lead by example. I also try to offer advice to the younger guys, whether it be to run a certain play or off the field stuff. I just try to be a resource to them and try to reach out to them. Some of them might not be comfortable asking me something, but I try to be proactive and go ask them if they have questions, just trying to make them more comfortable.

S Michael Griffin

On if he is nervous for opening day:

No, I'm not nervous. I've been through this for three years, and I'm ready to get this started. I'm just tired of two-a-days and I'm ready to start playing another team.

On how he feels about his brother Marcus starting alongside him:

I'm very happy for him. I believe he earned it, I believe these last two a days he went out there and worked hard and learned all the concepts.

On who is more excited, him and Marcus or their family:

I would say that family and the family friends are more excited. We're getting more mail from them everyday with, 'Will you sign this?' or 'Can we get a ticket to the game to watch the boys we used to baby-sit?' We've gotten a lot more mail from family and friends.

On how his brother has improved the most:

I think the reason he's starting now is because it finally fell into place. We had quite a few seniors last year and a few open spots. There was a battle between a lot of safeties and he went out there and proved to coach that he knows the concepts and that he can play. He improved on his cover skills, but he's also a great athlete and a player and he wants to get the job done. He went out there and proved that to the coaches.

On if anything new has been added to the defense:

It may be the same stuff as last year. I'm not sure exactly what the defensive game plan is going into this game, but I'm pretty sure by the end of the season you're going to see some new things.

On his punt blocking skills:

I think my basic thing in trying to get in to block a punt is to get a great get-off and hope that my teammates do the same. I think you need a lot of speed to block a punt. It's kind hard to back peddle as fast as somebody getting into the three point stance and taking off. If we get a great get-off I think it all works its way out. Somebody is able to close a gap here and somebody closes a gap there, then somebody is able to get there. Also, I don't only concentrate on blocking punts, I know that Aaron Ross can return punts and I enjoy blocking for him as well.

On the leadership in the defense:

I think that Tim Crowder, Brian Robinson, and Robert Killebrew all came together and decided to step it up as one cohesive unit instead of one individual being a leader. On defense, you need everybody to rally to the ball, you need everybody to get there. You don’t need one person trying to get all the tackles; you need everybody to get to the ball. As a team, and a unit we all try to lead by example and hopefully the second and third strings will just follow and realize what they need to do. The more people you have around the ball, the more turnovers you can cause and big plays can happen.

RB Selvin Young

On his excitement:

It's a little bit more exciting your senior year. I still have the same expectations as every other year, but I just feel it a little bit more because this will be my last chance to experience some of these things. This is my last time and this is my last time being here. I was always one of those ones that wanted to fight for the seniors, and now I get to experience it.

On if he remembers being a freshman:

Time flies, it's been a great experience and a great ride here. I feel that coming here has made me into a man and prepared me for the rest of my life. I'm excited about it.

On what it means to be a senior:

Hard work pays off. It's something I like to think about and I say it to myself. We have a talented group of guys on this team, so we have a lot of high expectations for ourselves. For me to be a part of that and to be a part of the leadership on this team makes me feel good.

On if he is prepared for the game:

Mentally, I feel like I've shown everything that I have to show. I feel like I have been mentally ready and mentally ahead to play this game. Now is the opportunity for people to see me physically ahead or physically close to my mental aspect of the game. I'm excited myself to see how I am going to perform, because I have high expectations for myself also and I just can't wait.

On if he feels old when looking at the freshmen:

A little bit. A lot of guys took me in when I first got here. As an older guy, you get to see the younger guys and how they develop. When they come in as freshmen and their eyes are not as wide as some of the other guys and they're out there trying as hard as they can, I was one of those guys and those are the guys I have been taking under my wing – the people who are trying to come in and help the team, the guys who are unselfish and understand their roles. Those are some of the things that I did early on, which prepared me to be a leader on this team. I just followed those steps each and every year, and I progressed mentally and physically and gained respect from my teammates and coaches, and I feel like that is the role that I had worked for.

On the quarterbacks leading the team:

Whether it is Colt McCoy or Jevan [snead] or Sherrod [Harris] I have confidence in the decision that coach makes. All I'm doing is running the ball and picking up blitzes. I have confidence in just about every recruit that comes here to Texas. I have not really seen too many duds. The last few freshmen that have started here at Texas have been undefeated, so coach is not going to make a decision to hurt this team.

On who Colt McCoy compares to:

I didn’t really have much of a chance to play with Major [Appelwhite], but Colt reminds me of Major a little bit. His poise and just the way he goes around about himself, he has a little bit Vince in him in his personality. He demands perfections, he hates to lose, and he is very competitive. When you look at him you see a smile, but we have had a chance to see it all. I'm really impressed by him.

TE Neale Tweedie

On the differences between this week and camp:

We really look forward to this section of our year because we finally get to see all of our hard work materialize into a game plan and a score on a scoreboard. Two-a-days and spring ball and summer workouts are finally coming together, and we’re forming a game plan. It’s really great to be able to hit someone else besides the guys in orange.

On his personal goals:

I hope to be a solid contributor. I hope to fulfill all the duties that Coach Davis asks me to. I hope to start all 13 or 14 games that we get into, and I really look forward to being someone that the coaches can rely on and count on and go to when we’re in a tough spot.

On not looking past Ohio State:

It’s hard to look over the first game of your last season. Being a senior is a really big deal to me. Finally getting to contribute – to start, to play. Those are all very important things to me and putting North Texas aside for Ohio State is not something I’m capable of right now. I’m excited about North Texas, and I feel it’s the first time since I’ve been at UT that I’ll be able to be a solid contributor and do the things that I want to do – make a start and all the other things that I want to do.

On his improvement:

Obviously, strength and speed and footwork are focal points of the offseason. I had to step into a spot this season were I was forced to be a leader and speak up and try and motivate people. I think there were a lot of guys that were put in that same position. Younger players on the team need leaders and need to have teammates that lead by example. I feel I’ve tried to do that this offseason, and that’s been one of the big changes this offseason. Our position has always been one that’s been looked at as being [filled by] a very hard worker. David Thomas was one, he never stopped; he was like a machine. I hope to be one of those guys; someone that Jermichael Finley and Peter Ullman look up to and say, “We want to have a work ethic like that guy.” I certainly was felt that way about David Thomas.

On the new big screen causing difficulties seeing the ball:

It doesn’t really have too big an effect. Our 7-on-7 workouts in the bubble – the lights are a different – but I think it’s just one more thing to have to adjust to. The reps will come and you’ll be able to see how the ball looks in the air – to see the release and how the ball looks in the air. I think we’ll be okay though.

C Lyle Sendlein

On the ability of any back to be successful behind this line:

That’s something that we strive for. We hope that you’d be able to put anybody back there and they’d have the chance to be successful. All we can do is our job and keep the guy in front of you from getting to the ball.

On Colt McCoy's ability to command the huddle:

He's done a much better job since the spring. In the spring, he as a little timid and his voice was a little less confident. Since then, he’s been a lot more confident in the huddle and been a lot more vocal, and taken more of a leadership role in the offense. At this point, I consider him one of the more vocal leaders in our offense. That’s probably something that some of the older guys should do, but some of us don’t like to speak up. A lot of us like to lead by example and do [our] job.

On the differences between Vince Young and Colt McCoy’s options in the offense:

It’s the same. We’re not going to change our whole offense because one guy leaves, even if that guy is Vince. We’ve been practicing this offense ever since I’ve been here. Colt will have his three progressions and he’ll have his hot route option, if the blitz happens to come. That’s something that he’s picked up really quick, he’s done it in one year, and it’s something that usually takes a couple of years to learn – our hot routes and how important it is to get the ball out when they're blitzing. I’m really impressed with his progress in that part of the game.

On the first week:

Everybody is really eager to get out there and show people what our team is going to be like this year – how we’re going to handle that big target on our back from last year. But we’re just excited to get out there and hit a different color jersey.

OG Kasey Studdard

On what he is looking forward to in the first week:

Just seeing how this team is going to click and when the season starts how each person is going to react to being on the big stage. How the team will deal with the refs, the noise, long drives, short drives – that reaction is what I’m looking for.

On Tony Hills:

He’s like me, but talks a little more than me. [Laughs] No, we don’t talk that much, we just like to play hard and hit everything.

On the line’s role in calming the quarterbacks if necessary:

You have to – we’re the older guys. The crowds are going to do that, say things like “Put this guy in, put that guy in.” We know that, as a team, we can't let that divide us. We’ll get together and let them know not to worry about it. Just get back together and get our jobs done.

On when Colt began showing confidence in the huddle:

I don’t know really where it started. We were watching a lot of film – and as an older guy, you watch other guys on film; something I didn’t do when I was younger. I watch everybody and I’ve really seen how each person has grown. Our quarterbacks have matured very quickly.

On Selvin Young having a break-out year:

I can’t wait to see him run. He’s focused and healthy. He’s trained hard and rehabbed, and he’s healthy and I can’t wait for him to get out there and be the Selvin Young that we all know.

CB Tarell Brown

On the arm:

I feel good. I’ve been training all summer to get it back to 100 percent. I feel like Mad Dog has done a lot of work with me trying to strengthen the muscle and bone.

On being out of summer workouts:

It’s exciting for me because I’m back on the football field, we’re I’m happy to be. I’m ready to get going. I missed the whole spring, and I tried to help in every aspect that I could – helping the younger guys, coaching, running, doing little drills. I’m just excited to be back with my teammates and coaches again.

On being able to hit a different color jersey:

I’m so excited; I’m tired of hitting each other. I’m used to hitting Selvin and Henry Melton all the time so now, to hit a different color jersey, it’s exciting. It’s exciting for everybody on the team, we get the opportunity to go out there and just have fun. We’re just focused on North Texas right now. No thoughts at all on Ohio State. We have to focus and take it game by game. If you don’t, you’ll end up falling short when you’re least expected to.

On the personnel losses in the secondary:

We always feel like we have the guys to reload. We have the talent back there – Texas has been known for having great defensive backs. We’ll be set back there. I’m impressed with the young guys. I like those young guys – they’re going to be exciting to watch when they get a little older.

CB Aaron Ross

On getting back to games:

I’m pretty excited. I was just telling Tarell that this is our last year around, and it’s come so fast. It seems like we just finished the last season and the Rose Bowl. I’m pretty excited about it.

On the effect of last year's National Championship:

We’re a very confident team, but we’re not arrogant at all. We put last year’s team behind us a while ago and we’ve moved on. Just getting into this season, we know that we’ve got to take it one game at a time, from the opener to the Big 12 Championship before we can even look at the National Championship.

On the loss of Michael Huff:

Mike is a great player, as you can see by what he’s doing with the Raiders right now. But, we’ve got great athletes to step into his place, like Marcus [Griffin]. Myself, Tarell [brown] and Michael [Griffin} have really grown, mentally, in the secondary. I think we should be just fine.

On the experience of the first game for the freshmen:

Once they step in front of, what I think now is some 85,000 people; they’ll be able to experience [that emotion] once they step out on the field. I remember the first time I stepped out there. After about two or three plays, I felt I hadn’t run at all in the summer of anything. Tired, dead tired, like I had played a full game. They’ll be able to experience that.

[The older players] will be there to talk to them, keep them under our wing. Tell them to keep a level head and just calm down. Everything will work out. Everything slows down [for the upperclassmen], after all those snaps; every game is just about the same. People talk about the Ohio State game, how it’s going to be our biggest game, but every game is the same. We watch film, study the offense and put 11 guys out on the field.

On being ready to return a ball for a score:

Always, Coach Akina does a great job with our punt return and the guys up front really do a great job blocking, so I really can’t wait to get back there and return some.

[Harry]

Mack Brown Monday press conference: August 28

Mack Brown

Opening Statement:

This is a fun week across the country because it's the opening day. I didn't realize how exciting opening day in baseball was until I went to the Texas Rangers opening day. It's the same with college football across the country. Everybody's undefeated, most teams are healthy and these young people have waited and worked all spring and all summer to prepare for Saturday's games. Fans look forward to them as well. There will be new opportunities, new chemistry, new leadership and a lot of this we will not know as coaches until we see it during the ballgame. Two-a-days are tough, they're physical and they're a bonding experience, but the success of the team is obviously based on how many games you win. Winning the opener is one of our lead goals, it's the first goal. We're 43-3 at home and one of the three losses was to N.C. State in the opener because we turned the ball over and had kicking game errors. That is the concern about the first game of the year.

The other thing that a lot of people have discussed with our team is repeating. I did find out this weekend that in the last 27 years, only two teams have repeated as National Champions and those were USC and Nebraska. Obviously it’s a very, very difficult thing to do and something that our guys do not need to spend time on now. If you get down to the final game and you're playing for the National Championship, you can talk about repeating. But right now, we can talk about being the best team we can be and trying to beat North Texas.

Practice will be at 3:45 p.m. all week simply because we have classes starting on Wednesday and we're limited in our practice time after Wednesday. So we'll practice the same today and tomorrow to lead into the weekend. We will release our depth chart today. New starters would include: Marcus Griffin at strong safety, Greg Johnson will be the punter, Greg [Johnson] and Hunter Lawrence will compete for the kicking spot for kickoff, as well as extra point and field goals throughout the week, and we probably won't make the decision until game time, and Cedric Dockery and Adam Ulatoski will both play in the offensive line, we just haven't decided for sure which one would start. Today it would probably be Cedric Dockery. We will rotate those two guys along with Justin Blalock throughout the offensive line.

Colt McCoy will start at quarterback. We're really excited about the progress that he's made since spring, probably as much as I've ever seen any young quarterback. We're also thrilled with the way that Jevan [snead] has performed. To think that he is just out of high school and to see the progress that he's made and the competition that he gave with Colt [McCoy] was just unbelievable, and he's one play away (from playing at any time). So Colt will start on Saturday. You'd like to get Jevan [snead] some game time if you can, but we won't script that. Winning the game will be the most important thing, and we'll decide what we need to do as we go through. I'm really pleased with the way Greg Davis has coached our quarterbacks. You look at Major [Applewhite] as an offensive coordinator in his second year of coaching, Chris Simms is a starter at Tampa Bay, Vince [Young] may well start with the Titans, and Chance Mock is playing with the Arena League. I think Greg [Davis] has come forward as one of the great teachers of quarterbacks in the country, and I think we'll see that on Saturday and throughout the year.

Darrell Dickey brings North Texas in here from winning the Sun Belt Championship four of the last five years. He is 32-17 in the Sun Belt I think. They had a disappointing year last year. They have a team full of Texans. Two times ago that we played them, we had 214 yards total offense and didn't score the second half. Last time we played them, we had our way. So those guys will be pumped up and ready to go and our guys need to quit talking about anything other than North Texas.

On if it's easier not to script a quarterback scenario before the actual game:

It is easier simply because it may change before Saturday if somebody gets sick or a finger gets hurt or an ankle gets hurt. So all these plans that you make can change by the hour. The depth chart that we release today is simply talking about if we played today, not if it happens Saturday. I saw Bill Parcells two years ago when somebody said, 'Will that change?' and he said, 'Well I have a right to change it if I want to.' So all these scenarios could change, but as of today, we would play Colt [McCoy] and try to win the game and handle any other situations that would come up. We're really cautious about telling young guys you will play at a specific point, because if it doesn't happen, then you become a liar and sometimes it's just out of your control. So we've tried to back away from that like we used to.

On playing time for Selvin Young and Jamaal Charles:

Selvin [Young] has become a great leader. He's lost 16 pounds. He's playing so well. So he will start, but Jamaal [Charles] will obviously play, and we'll rotate them in some fashion throughout the game. Again we haven't decided. If somebody gets the hot hand on Saturday, because it will be a hot hand if it's in this heat, if somebody gets on a roll, then we'll leave him in, but in this heat, we'll need to play both.

On leadership shown from the offensive side:

Well that'll continue to be seen during the season because in preseason camp and spring practice leadership is different than when you're in trouble in the fourth quarter. Vince [Young] really didn't show up in that role until his second year, in that Texas Tech game after the tough games with Oklahoma and Missouri back-to-back. But both quarterbacks have stepped up and been strong in the huddle and acted like older guys, and we attribute that to the success they've had in high school. They just haven't lost games, so they think they're going to win. That was one of the key things that Vince brought to us as well. He expected to win. You've got older offensive linemen that help. Neale Tweedie's been around a long time. All of the receivers have played now. Selvin [Young] has kind of taken Vince's spot as the voice, because he lived with him and he sees that on offense. I really feel like we'll have good leadership.

On the young quarterbacks' positive attitude toward learning:

I would think that Colt [McCoy] and Jevan [snead] grew up expecting to be the quarterback at Texas, so it's not a shock for them. It's a life dream for both of them, so when they've come to this position, it's not like somebody who woke up one day and said, 'Oh my gosh'. I think they've prepared for this day for a long time. I see excitement in their eyes instead of fear or questioning or what's going to happen, because they've won a lot of games. I think that will be a key for Saturday.

On the style of offense that will be played this season:

We will be the same style, but we'll probably feature different things. You're not going to run the zone read like we did two years ago as often without Vince [Young] because he had the amazing ability before we were throwing the ball well with the young receivers to make yards with his feet. You'll see the same offense, the same formations, the same type stuff, but it'll just be two different people. We've got to figure out how we get our explosives. Where do they come from as compared to last year, the plays Vince made with his feet were scrambles more than runs. We won't have that ability with these two quarterbacks. They'll have the ability to scramble and make plays, but not like he did.

On the tailbacks:

Selvin [Young] is like he was when he got here. He's lost his weight, he's well, he's confident, so we feel like either one of those guys can be in. The thing that Jamaal [Charles] gives you, as good as anybody in the country, is the ability to take it to the house because he is just so fast.

On who will be returning punts and kickoffs:

Aaron Ross with be first at punt returns, Selvin Young will be second, Quan Cosby will be third, and then you've got the four guys that will be on kickoff returns who are those three and Tarell Brown.

On the anticipation and excitement of the season opener:

The players get so tired of hitting each other. Then they start pushing and fighting, getting frustrated and they see the same plays and the same defenses, and it just gets a little monotonous for them. So they are so excited about today and starting over and working on North Texas. It's new life for them. It's what they spend their entire year preparing for, so this is a fun week.

On the new scoreboard and it’s impact on the players:

They had it working the other night for our scrimmage and it was great because I even stood there and stared at it for a little while. We do think we're beyond that now. We talked about it a little last night, but it is fun that we were able to see it before we play.

On who will start between Dockery and Ulatoski

We will play both, and it is really unimportant trying to decide who starts simply because neither one, we feel like right now, would play 72 plays. Justin [blalock] will, he'll probably play every play if he can, and we'll just move him and let the other two go in, but it really doesn't matter which one starts. Last year, we had seven starters as such. Right now, we would only have six. We are still looking for that seventh, eighth and ninth guy so that we can have the depth on the offensive line that we developed last year.

On the practices among the quarterbacks and receivers:

We felt like they had an outstanding summer just listening to them again. I think that because Colt [McCoy] was here and all those receivers were here, they knew the routine that they had last year, and they were all excited about it. So they came back, and when I saw them at the Big 12 meeting they said, 'Coach, it was no different. We had 100 percent turn out, the guys competed, it was really fun and nobody got hurt. So I do think one of the real advantages for Colt is that he's been in meetings with Greg Davis for a year and he watched Vince [Young]. He watched him in the spring, he watched him in the summer, and he worked with him, and then he had him all fall. I was watching the USC game on Saturday or Sunday, whatever it was, and Vince was standing with Bobby Kennedy and myself on the sideline Colt had his head stuck in the huddle. You would have to think that'd be an advantage for him because he's already been in the presence of that game time pressure.

On Colt's small town background making a difference in pregame studies:

No, I really don't think that will make a difference. You're looking at blitzes, you're looking at checks, you're looking at your ability to learn how to watch film and study and Colt [McCoy] and Jevan [snead] both were coached very well. Colt even has a dad that is a coach. So I don't think that the size of the town or the size of the crowd has near as much to do with it as their ability to focus as a quarterback.

On the grind of playing such a consecutive long season:

It's a grind; it’s a real grind. It’s a difficult thing. It was something that I was not in favor of for the players because our staff felt like they needed a break, needed a week off. It will hurt the teams with depth a lot less than the ones without. That’s another reason that we feel like that depth is such a key to college football right now, because seasons are long and this heat is really dangerous. It's not just tough to practice in, it's dangerous. Then you can ruin a football team by keeping them out in the heat too much and be dead-legged and then start getting them hurt. We really feel like our ability to recruit well and gain some depth is really key for us to continue our success.

On whether or not he will let North Texas score on Saturday:

Well, you go back and look at the history of the North Texas series and your dad will have done that. Regardless of the North Texas record, except for the game two years ago, they have all been really close. I mean 23-10 was a huge score. I think the score with John Mackovic might have been 33-17. Other than that, they have all been really close. I attribute that to kids being from Texas. They'll be so excited to get down here Saturday and play the University of Texas. Darrell Dickey, as I said, was a quarterback at Kansas State, he was raised in a coaching family with his dad, Jimmy who was a head coach at Kansas State and a great defensive coordinator at North Carolina and Florida and around the country. Darrell will see this as a great opportunity to check his team out and have a chance to come down here and beat us, then he will being big-eyed when he walks in.

On how many wide receivers will play Saturday:

We will play five or six. Limas [sweed] has had an outstanding camp, the best we've seen him. He's lost weight, he's just running routes better probably because he's progressed from a free safety and a tight end as such to a wide receiver and has become an outstanding wide receiver. You can throw five or six guys out there very easily and not have drop off, and that's such an improvement from two years ago.

On the excitement of Jordan Shipley being able to play:

I'm excited about it for us, but more so for Jordan. He's such a competitor and has had such tough luck, and we just pull for him everyday. To his credit, he grew up in a coaching family and he doesn't even mention the injuries anymore. He said, 'I'm well, I'm moving forward with my life, and I'm excited about playing.' So it'll be fun to watch him. One of the exciting things about Saturday is that so many guys will be playing for the first time. Whether they're like Ulatoski being a redshirt freshman or Cedric Dockery getting out there early in the game for the first time. It's fun to watch those guys. True freshman that may play, what a neat thing for them to walk on the field in front of 87,000 for the first time in their life and be excited. We always kid them about, 'We may have to get a highway patrolman to stand next to you so you won't run off in the tunnel before the game, so we'd like to make sure you get out there on the field.' But it's a fun time to watch their excitement this week, and I could see it in their eyes last night.

On having different kickers and punters:

Well, we would obviously like to have the most consistent guy, but if you can share the duties, then we feel like it's better. The only person that I know that consistently kicked off and punted was Ray Guy. He told me that they would not allow him to do field goals. He could have, but they felt like that was just too much to do, and we found that with Richmond [McGee] last year. We put too much pressure on Richmond. If Hunter [Lawrence] can come through and have a good week, then we would like for him to help Greg [Johnson] with some of those duties. I think we missed three extra points in the opening game last year and won all the games, so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned in the short term.

On having more fun so far this season:

No, I think I've had more fun in the last three seasons. After Washington State, I just said. 'I'm going to enjoy this more.' For whatever reason, this burden that I felt is gone, and I've enjoyed the kids and enjoyed the games. Of course we have only lost one since then, so Sally [brown] said that might be an issue too, but we're going to have fun. It's interesting to me when people say, 'Well you were miserable, then you got happy and won all the games.' Well, when we were miserable, we won eleven. So it's not like I made a difference. The I-Pod was big, but it got us one more win.