Texas A&M Weekly Media Luncheon Quotes
Aug 29, 2000 | Football
August 29, 2000
Senior Linebacker Jason Glenn
On Playing Notre Dame:
"I'm just ready to play football no matter who it's against, but it is exciting opening up against Notre Dame. The last couple of times the Aggies have played Notre Dame, the outcome hasn't been so good for us, but we're hoping to go up there and reverse that trend this year. I think our coaches have put together a good plan on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and hopefully we can come out and play the best game we can and come out with a victory."
On the Injuries to the Defensive Ends:
"It definitely affects the outside linebackers. Losing Rocky Bernard is a big loss, not just as a football player but also as a friend. It's going to be tough to get used to Rocky not playing next to me, but Evan Perroni is an excellent replacement and he's doing a great job in practice right now."
Sophomore Quarterback Mark Farris
On Being the Starting Quarterback:
"Nothing has really changed with me. I guess it has changed my football life a little bit, but as far as me as a person, nothing has changed. I don't think much has changed as far as my relationship with Colby and Vance. If anything, I think we're probably closer now than we were before."
On the Notre Dame Defense:
"It's just like any other game. We have to see what the defense presents to us and make our adjustments accordingly. We're going to try to be effective both running and throwing the football."
On His Feelings Before the Game:
"I think there will be some nervousness there, but I'm really just excited. I can't wait for Saturday to get here. Once the game gets started you don't really think about the crowd or what's going on around the field, you just think about beating those guys that are lined up across from you."
Head Coach R.C. Slocum
On Safety Wes Bautovich:
"He is a transfer player from Texas A&M Kingsville. He played there as a quarterback, but we moved him to safety. He has excellent speed, he is a very smart kid, and we have been impressed with him so far. Michael Jameson is hurt and Mike Pinesette missed almost all of two-a-days, so right now Wes is working with our first-team defense. I wish we had more time to get him ready, but I can remember looking out there and seeing Rich Coady in the same situation who was a walk-on when he got here. He started for us for three years and played in the Super Bowl last year, so we've had that kind of situation before. He is giving us great effort and he is the best guy we have at that position right now."
On Bob Davie Being Across the Field:
"There will be so much going on during the game that won't really cross my mind. We'll see each other and visit a little bit before the ball game, but during the course of the game, neither one of us we'll be paying much attention to that. We'll both be focused on what's going in the game, and I doubt we'll really think about it except maybe during a critical situation and I'm trying to figure out what he might do."
On Why Bob Davie Left:
"I tried everything I could to keep him here. He had some good reasons to leave and I really couldn't argue with them at the time. We had some frank conversations and I really think he was torn between leaving here and going to Notre Dame. I thought right to the end we might keep him, but he was ambitious and he felt like if he was going to move up, a move like that might be good for him, and I couldn't argue with him about that. He was definitely one of my closest friends that I've coached with and I've kept up with him since he left. Not only did I like him as a football coach, but also as a person."
On Injuries:
"It is about as bad as I've ever seen. Other than Eric Bernard, I don't really remember losing somebody long term during two-a-days. We lost (Alan) Reuber last spring and we thought he would be back, but he's not even able to practice . We lost Chris Montgomery to a back problem, and he wasn't even able to report for two-a-days. Mike Mahan had some problems but he is back and ready to play. We moved Lonnie Madison over to tight end in the spring thinking we were in good shape at defensive end. We then lost Terry Nichols in the automobile accident. We lost Rocky Bernard to a knee injury, and the next day Ty Warren sprained his ankle and has not practiced since then, and I would list him as very doubtful for the game on Saturday. Billy Yates broke a bone in his leg and he is out six to eight weeks. Michael Jameson sprained his ankle the same day Ty did and he has not practiced since then, and he is very doubtful for the game."
On Lonnie Madison:
"Lonnie will be back working with the defense some today. I feel bad for him because he was really figuring into our tight end plans and he has worked hard to get ready to play tight end., but I'm just trying to fill our positions. We plan on him playing a little both ways. He will probably be the first guy off the bench at defensive end and hopefully we can keep the freshmen from playing because we'd like to redshirt them."
On the Tailbacks:
"We'll rotate them probably by series, but maybe within a series. Both tailbacks will play and maybe three tailbacks will see action. Joe Weber and Richard Whitaker will split time back there."
On the Kicking Game:
"I feel good about it. I'm anxious to see those guys out there. I think we've got some guys that will do a really good job. I think Cody Scates is going to be a great player for us. I've been really impressed with him in practice. I think Terence Kitchens had a really good spring and summer and I feel good about him."
On the Uncertainty of the New Season:
"There is more uncertainty here than there has been in a long time. We've got a new quarterback that we haven't seen play and we'll have an entirely new secondary for the first game. You get nervous enough about opening games anyway, and I think opening at Notre Dame with all of our question marks, it makes it even more exciting. Rest assured though, we are going up there to win the game. Injuries are part of football, and we're excited about the guys we're going to put on the field and we are as positive as we can be about an opening game as we can be."
On Possibly Being Underrated by the Polls:
"I think people see that this is the most inexperienced we've been since I've gotten here especially at quarterback and in the secondary. We do have some legitimate question marks, but I said it last year when we were ranked high, that there is very little validity in the rankings at this time of year. Nobody has seen anyone play and it is very hard to rate teams based on what they did last year. Once you start playing and seeing the strengths and weaknesses of each team you can start judging your picks a little better. It remains to be seen whether or not we are underrated or overrated. Winning takes care of everything, and the polls don't really determine that much. In our conference, if we were to win every game this season we would play for the whole thing."
On Mark Farris' Confidence:
"I'd say it is pretty good. One of the big positives for Mark is his steadiness. He realizes that everything is not going to go perfect, but when it something does go wrong, he's not going to let it get to him. I think that is a great attribute for any player and especially a quarterback. "
On Roylin Bradley:
"He has been a solid player for us. He's started for two years and has made big plays for us, but we've had other guys here that have gotten a lot of recognition and that has taken some away from him. I look for him to have a big year for us this year and really make a name for himself."
