October 09, 2001
Can you talk about people saying that the season really starts now for you with the road schedule ahead?
"This is the part of the schedule that everyone has talked about. In the preseason people looked at Notre Dame as being tough, but as they looked toward the end of the season they saw we have a very tough schedule. We recognized it and talked to the team about it and it just comes with playing in a tough conference. The luck of the draw the way the schedules are played out sometimes some teams will have a little tougher schedule than others. There is no doubt that we have a very challenging road ahead of us. We accept that and we look forward to it. Marty Schottenheimer called me this morning and we talked about how the same thing goes for the NFL. Every week you play a team that has good players and is well coached and will do everything they can to get a win."
Can you talk about Colorado?
"When I look at their offense, their quarterback is a lot like Mark Farris with speed. He likes to run with the football. Every ball game he will make some big plays scrambling. He has an athletic group of receivers and his tight end especially is a good receiver. Their running backs are very good. They have 2 or 3 guys that are all very good. Their offensive line is as good as any in the country. They are big physical guys that are well coached and athletic. Defensively they are athletic and they play hard. They are very aggressive and they like to put a bunch of guys up on the football and make bad plays for the offense. I see them as a real good football team. I do no think you go into Manhattan and win and not be a good football team."
Are the guys that were here last year using last year's performance against Colorado to inspire them this week?
"It was a bad loss for us and it was a frustrating loss for us. That was last year and that is over. I think the angle I will take will be stepping up into the thick of the Big 12 race and if we are going to stay in it then we have to go up there a play a great football this year. I will not spend any time thinking we have to play good after what happened to us last year. I think we have a great challenge this week to stay in the race."
Are you trying to get more big plays out of your receivers?
"Well I think every team in football tries to make the big plays. In the game on Saturday, we completed two long ones and had an incomplete one. If you look at it, we do not have a blazing tailback that will just break 80 yards out on you and we just have not had that much success in getting that big passing play. I am disappointed in that and look to continue to work on becoming a more explosive offense."
Did you predict Jarrod Penright to get sacks like he is?
"I thought he'd be a steady solid player. He is a very dependable solid person. He is strong and he works hard. I felt really strong about having him going into this season."
Can you talk about your defense and the last three performances?
"I think we have gotten better every week. Saturday we played outstanding. Baylor's offense made it hard for us to blitz on them because they spread their receivers out and it allows them to have one-on-one coverages. They like to see other teams blitz on them so they can have clear shots to throw to their receivers. If you noticed the defensive scheme that Texas played against Oklahoma that is a great way to attack that kind of offense The lined up with three down lineman and forced them to complete short passes and they only allowed one touchdown. The philosophy is to keep the other teams offense out of the end zone."
Can you talk about Dawon Gentry's skills as a returner?
"I think Dawon has been a steady guy at just catching the football. That is the first thing I look for in a returner is how comfortable they are at catching the football. He has given us a little more in these past few games, but I was disappointed in him earlier in the season because I thought he was dancing around instead of going straight up the field. The best returners are the ones that make ground immediately. As a returner you have to get the ball and go and he did a lot better this past week at doing that."