R.C. Slocum Tuesday Media Luncheon Quotes
Nov 23, 1999 | Football
November 23, 1999
Junior Offensive Lineman Chris Valletta
On the Game:
"This game means everything to us. If we can run the ball against them we'll be alright. The roles are switched compared to last year, and our attitude is, 'We're at home and we don't lose at home.'"
On Senior OL Semisi Heimuli:
"Semisi is unbreakable. Nothing seems to phase him. He loves the game of football, and he deserves everything he gets. Semisi is quiet, but he's one of the best guys I know. He has great character. I would expect him to be emotional about the Bonfire tragedy. He cares about this school a lot."
On Texas:
"Texas is still our biggest rival. We want to win this game more than anything in the world. In light of what happened, the circumstances surrounding the game have changed, but we still want to go out there and beat them. This is my fourth year here, and the whole Aggie spirit and tradition didn't really become real to me until I saw how this school came together last week. I always understood it, but now it will live with me."
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Senior Defensive Back Jason Webster
On Texas:
"They have more offensive threats than they did last year. (Hodges) Mitchell is more agile and faster than Ricky (Williams). (Kwame) Cavil has excellent body control, great hands and decent speed. It's going to be a challenge for us to contain him. We'll have to rely on our execution and focus."
On the Rivalry:
"I've never hated Texas. The rivalry is intense, but I don't hate Texas. I'm glad to see the support and encouragement they've shown."
On the Game:
"Football is a game that has become businesslike. As a team, we have to keep it in perspective. There are much more important things in life. Before the game, I'm sure there will be thoughts about Bonfire, but once the game starts, we'll have to go about our business. We want to go out and win the game."
On This Year Versus Last Year:
"It's true, the roles are reversed this year, but they (Texas) know that. We're not focusing on that. We just want to go out and play."
On the Teams' Emotions:
"As a team, I don't think we have an emotional advantage. We have a home field advantage. We know we're about to play in front of the largest crowd ever to see a football game in Texas. If you can't get motivated by that, then you've got problems."
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Head Coach R.C. Slocum
On Major Applewhite:
"I think he is a real good player, he makes really good decisions. He is very poised, he does a good job of protecting the football, he's a very accurate passer, and he is the key to their offense. I think he is very good at doing what they ask him to do. He is also a very tough guy and does a good job of standing in there and throwing the football even when he has a pretty good rush in his face."
On Getting Pressure on Applewhite:
"Anytime you play against a team with a passing offense, you have to find a way to somehow get some pressure on him to minimize his effectiveness. I've seen teams try to pressure him with a blitz and I've seen him take advantage of that. I don't think he's a guy that gets rattled real easy, but obviously you would like to get as much pressure on him as possible."
On the Outpouring of Support of the Student Body Following the Bonfire Tragedy:
"We talk quite frequently here about the bond that Aggies have for one another, and sometimes it becomes kind of a company line that you don't put a lot of stock in. It's always there, but in times like this you can really see it. I think the way the University Administration has responded, and the way Aggies everywhere have responded has been incredible. I've had e-mails from all over the world expressing concern and sympathy."
On (Texas Defensive Linemen) Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers:
"Those guys are really good, and every team that has played them has had trouble blocking those two guys. Rogers has really gotten better this year, and has become an excellent player. Hampton was already a great player last year. Both of those guys are so physical, and that makes them really tough to block. The two guys on the ends are excellent players too, so their front four really presents a lot of problems. It will be a challenge for us to block them and control the line enough for us to have some consistency."
On Semisi Heimuli:
"He's been a good player in the program. He's been a solid guy who has worked hard in practice. He gave us great effort right from the start and got on the field early. He's one of those guys that week in and week out, I never really have concern about him playing and playing hard. He gives us great effort, and it really means something to him."
On Relationship with Mack Brown:
"It has definitely grown in the past year or so. We're closer now than what we were in terms of geography. I've known Mack for a long time. Going to different coaching functions, I've gotten to know him better, and we've become pretty good friends. We're still thrown into a lot of functions together, and we talk on a regular basis. We have similar jobs with similar problems, and I've enjoyed the friendship, and the honesty we have with each other."
On Spike Dykes:
"I respect Spike as a coach and I like him very much as a person. I think he did a great job at Texas Tech. Spike did a great job of recruiting guys to fit his system, he was very well respected by the high school coaches, and time will prove what a great job Spike did at Tech. I'm sure Tech will go and hire a good replacement, but they will have to look long and hard to find a better coach than what they had. I think any coach you talk to would say the same thing. He liked his job very much and was happy at Texas Tech, so he wasn't trying to promote himself for some other position down the line. He was a very honest person, what you saw was what you got. Compared to the other guys who have had that job out there, you have to look back and say that this guy has done a pretty good job."
On the Home Field Advantage:
"We'll have as fine an atmosphere for college football as you can have. Taking in to account the effect the tragedy will have on the crowd and the atmosphere, it won't be as enthusiastic, particularly in the pre-game as it otherwise would have been, and rightfully so. Even still, with the crowd and the people here it will be a fantastic atmosphere. There is not a better atmosphere anywhere in the country. Teams win more games at home because when things aren't going so well, the crowd kind of keeps you in it. Then when things do go well for you the crowd really gets into it and gets the team fired up. When the other team has problems, they can sometimes be magnified when playing in a hostile environment."
On the Expectations of the Crowd:
"I don't know what to expect. Anything I would say would be pure speculation. I've never been through anything like this before, and no one I know has, so it would be pure speculation."
On Plans for Thursday Night Yell Practice at Kyle Field:
"The entire team will be there together. I'm supposed to make a few comments, but other than that we'll just be there in support. We traditionally don't have a lot to do with the yell practice; at the Bonfire, we've had a little bit more involvement, but this is not Bonfire, it is a modified yell practice. We will be there; we plan to sit in the bleachers down on the south end of the stadium. We anticipate having a pretty large crowd, but nobody knows for sure how many."
On Shane Lechler:
"I've not only enjoyed having Shane as a player, but he's been a really good guy as well. He's been a fun guy to be around. I like him as a person, he's about as solid as they come. I've never come out of a game and thought he had done a poor job that particular day, and that is rare."
