October 24, 2000
Head Coach R.C. Slocum
Is Kansas State's defense the best you've played this year?
"They probably are. I haven't thought of it that way, but I'd say they probably are. They've got great speed and some experience. They're big and physical up front. They've got linebackers that are big but can run. They've got a fast secondary. In their scheme, they come after you. They pressure you. They chase the football. They're a well-coached and talented defense."
How much did getting such a complete effort from your team against Iowa State do for you going into this game?
"Obviously, approaching a game like this you'd like to be in a good mental frame. You'd like to feel good about what your potential is if you play hard and execute what you're trying to do. I thought coming out of that game, we saw we're capable of making some plays if we have all-out effort. You'd like to come out of a game like that with some confidence. Hopefully, we're aware enough to know that it doesn't automatically happen. We'll have to go back and practice hard this week and come out with the same kind of focus as we had last week. I think there is some confidence coming out of that game and feeling good about your team and its capabilities. It was one of those unusual games. A lot of times you win a game and one side or the other has clearly outshone. Every so often, you come out and say that was a team win. The defense played well. The offense played well. We played well on special teams. That's what you'd like going into a game that will be as challenging as this game."
Coming into the season and through the first five games, you were trying to figure out exactly what you had. Was the Iowa State game an example of everybody seeing what you have?
"I think we've been building all along. Going into the season, I said there was some legitimate question marks. I didn't blame other people for asking questions, because I had some myself. We had lost a lot of players, and then we had some injuries like Rocky Bernard and Billy Yates. The quarterback thing was totally unknown. I had said all summer we might be okay, but until you see someone perform on the field you don't know about the quarterback. I didn't know about Robert Ferguson. We felt like he'd be a good addition, but we didn't know how good. We knew were playing young kids in the secondary, and it's not just a guy or two - all of our guys are young. All of them are young with the exception of Michael Jameson and Jay Brooks. As the year has gone on, we've been making some progress with the individual parts. The passing game has been a real plus. I've been disappointed with the fact we haven't run the ball better, but I can look at it and see some real reasons in terms of the instability we've had in our offensive line. I've been pleased with the development. We're a young football team."
It seemed like what you've been building came together in the Iowa State game. Do the players feel that?
I think that was a step up for them as a team to say that we can be a pretty good team if we keep going and keep playing."
The running game seemed to do a much better job against Iowa State with the offensive line push and them maintaining blocks. Was that what helped?
"I thought we did a good job in there. I was worried about their (defensive) line. They were big. We got some movement up front on their defensive line. To run on the interior of a defense, there has to be some movement, getting on blocks and staying on blocks. I thought there were some running lanes created inside their defense."
After winning the Iowa State game, it seems like there are more possibilities in winning the Big 12 South. What does this Kansas State game mean for the team?
"I've said all along that you can't figure these things out. If you ask the fans week to week, they tell you 'this is going to happen or this is going to happen'. From a coaching standpoint, you've been through enough of those things to understand you can never tell what is going to happen. It's (Kansas State) one more opportunity for us to take a step forward or take a step backward. We've got a good team coming in here, and it's going to be very hard. It's an opportunity for us to take a step up and it is for them too. They're facing the exact same situation we're facing. They need to keep winning. If we have any hopes of figuring into the South race, we need to keep winning."
Do you think this team has to be prepared for any additional fire from Kansas State because of the game two years ago?
"I think on both sides there are some memories of that ballgame. They've got some players and we've got some players who were involved in it. You could construe that into some kind of revenge-type thing for getting even from what we did to their season. I'm sure there will be some people who say that. I don't know that their coaches would say that or that their players would feel that. From our standpoint, we remember the game and that going into that game, a lot of people didn't really give us a chance to win. I'm sure there are a lot of people with this game not giving us a chance to win. There are things both teams can draw from that ballgame."
When you remember that game, what's the first thing that pops in your mind?
"It was a great atmosphere and a great game. Going into the game, we had good workouts that week. There were a lot of questions with Randy (McCown) being hurt. Our team really practiced well that week. I thought we kept playing in the ballgame even though we were down. Then we made some big-time plays there in the fourth quarter. There was the catch by (Matt) Bumgardner, and a couple of those plays from Sirr Parker. We came out of there with an exciting win."
Most of the heroes from that game are gone, but one you still have here is Roylin Bradley. What do you remember about Roylin's game?
"He played well. I remember in the fourth quarter having a couple of big plays. I thought he played with great intensity. I remember a couple of quarterback pressures in the fourth quarter. Roylin's been a solid player for us. He's been a starter the whole time, and he's played in every game. Part of it for him is he's not a real demonstrative-type person. He's quiet and he goes about his business. He's not a guy who shows a whole lot of emotion on the field. I think that colors the impression people have of him."
After you made the decision that Mark Farris was going to be the starter, at what point in the season did you breathe a sigh of relief and say "he's our guy"?
"I don't think it was one particular play. I think it was a continuation of the process we went through in the spring and summer of someone putting himself out front. At the time I made the announcement, I thought he had clearly earned the right to start. I didn't want any confusion the week of the game, so I went ahead and did that. After the way he played the first game, we were all pleased. He's continued, so I don't know if there's an exact moment where you say 'he's our guy'. We did that before the season and it's held up. The unfortunate thing is I haven't had the chance to play the other two quarterbacks as much as I would have liked."
Do you have any skepticism of Colby (Freeman) playing on special teams?
"He came to us and said he wanted to do that. It's playing in the game, so I think that's good for him to get out there. It's something he wanted to do. There's some risk involved with it, but I think it's good for him to get on the field."
Talk about the home-field advantage and how much the Colorado loss cuts into that.
"I don't think it does at all. The home field is something a team will always have. Some may be greater than others. Our (home field advantage) has been good. There are a number of reasons. A lot of our players' families are close enough to be here on game day. I think that's a factor. We get large, enthusiastic crowds here. That's a factor. We've lost six games here in 12 years. The kids are aware of that, and they expect to win. We screwed that game up. We should have won that one. That's the only way we feel about it. We're disappointed we didn't win, and I think every player and coach feels we should have won. If we had played like we are capable of playing we would have won."
Kansas State comes in ranked No. 10 in the country. Is this game setting up to be like the '98 Nebraska game with the big crowd and Maroon Out expected?
"I think everybody was looking forward to that game. I think Kyle Field was special that day. There was some electricity in the air, and I'll bet there will be some here this weekend. It's an exciting thing, and for me it's fun to see the evolution of football here in the state of Texas and here at A&M, particularly. We're going to have 80,000-plus people here for a football game Saturday. There will be a lot of excitement. It should be a heck of a ballgame, and I think we have a chance to win."