November 19, 2001
Are the injuries a reason for why the offense has seemed to struggle the past few weeks?
"Yes we were limited early on in the year. It is hard to run the ball without a tight end. So we've had to teach him (Thomas Carriger) a few things and hopefully get him better at those things. Last year we spent a lot of time using two-tight ends and two receivers, but this year you just have to throw all of that out. I look at some comparative things and see that Texas only scored three points against Oklahoma's defense. I have to look at it and evaluate it and tell myself 'I have a freshman tackle, a freshman tight end, a freshman tailback, and Jamaar Taylor is like a true freshman.' It doesn't do any good to sit around and dwell on it, instead we work hard in practice to find another layer to fill in at those positions."
Is junior WR Greg Porter close to full speed yet?
"He is not full-speed yet. He is still limping pretty badly. He is practicing. He is going through some drill work. His foot is OK when he is running straight ahead, but it does give him some pain when he has to make a cut or turn quickly. He could possibly get five or six snaps on Friday."
Is it difficult to get an accurate appraisal of the job offensive coordinator Dino Babers has done?
"Without a doubt. It is very hard to evaluate his offensive scheme. There are so many factors that make it so difficult on an offensive ooordinator. On offense if you have someone miss an assignment then it really shows up. I think that injuries have really affected the offensive production. I think he has done a good job."
Does this week's UT game remind you of any that happened in years past?
"Ironically there has been very few times where both teams were evenly matched on paper coming into the game. There has always been a little bit of varying degrees. Looking at this year most people will say invariably that Texas is the better team. They are ranked #5 and we are unranked. In many cases it has not had an affect on the outcome of the ballgame. The game has always been closer than what it was expected to be."
Do you feel that you are the underdog in this game?
"There is no doubt that if you look at the way both teams have performed that they have performed better than we have. We are coming off of a couple of disappointing losses and they are coming off of a pretty good streak of really looking better."
Is it important to knock Texas out of a BCS spot?
"That would be a side-effect yes, but that is not something I am telling our team. We have got ample reasons to just want to win the game. The Texas game is one that provides enough motivation itself. There are not levels of motivation. You are either motivated or you are not."
What is the feeling you have about the absence of the Bonfire?
"I think anyone connected to this school can tell you that Bonfire is at the top of the list of the traditions this school has to offer. How it affects the students and the people that have been involved is something that plays a huge part in this week's game. To the ones on our team that have not seen it they cannot understand what the feeling is like to stare out from the stage and see 60,000 people that are all out there to see you and the Bonfire. It is hard for those guys to picture what it is that they are being told about Bonfire's in the past."