October 07, 2003
Coach Dennis Franchione and selected players met with members of the media on Tuesday at Cain Hall. The Aggies are preparing to meet Baylor on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in a non-televised contest at Kyle Field. Click the links above to hear what selected coaches and players had to say.
Here is a partial transcript of comments made by Coach Fran during the news conference.
Did Baylor get your attention?
"Yeah, that was a very impressive win. Watching the tape, they deserved to win, they played very well. They played very well on offense. Aaron Karas (Baylor quarterback) played very well, the running back is playing well, they have good receivers. I thought their defense played solid football. I thought they played solid in the kicking game. They just keep playing and keep doing things, and don't make too many mistakes. They got a lot of turnovers on Saturday. When you get five turnovers, that is going to help your chances to win the football game. This group is playing well."
On the difference between production in practice and in games with return guys...
"You can practice and gather data all you want to on who is the best, but they still have to go out and do it during the game. There is a difference when you are in that situation."
On comparisons to a slow start at Alabama...
"Yeah, there are a lot of comparisons. Coming together, transition, some bright spots, and some down spots. Having been through this before, there are a lot of similarities."
What was the turning point at Alabama?
"We played some really good teams there in a stretch. Although we played them reasonably close, we didn't beat them. I think it was probably the Mississippi State game. We finally played a team and found a way to win. It was kind of coming together up to that point, but we played a team that we beat at home, and that kind of propelled us through the last four games."
On the defense's mental state...
"You know, those guys have worked hard, they have a good attitude, I think they have an understanding that they have to not miss as many tackles and play better. I think they will come out and work very hard today in practice. They certainly have a good attitude about wanting to get better and play better. They just need some good things to happen to them."
Is it possible the defense has been made to look worse by great offenses?
"We have played some good teams. You go down through our schedule, I think our opponents record is something like 16-3. Two of them in the top 20, we have faced the number one offense in the nation, but again, I am not one to make any excuses, we just have to find a way."
On giving up 59 points...
"Well, we certainly know that offense can do that. They have done it five straight weeks now, as far as yards. I think there was one week when they didn't get quite that many points. We are not going to sit around and say 'That is what they do.' and write it off that it is not an issue for us to be concerned about. That is a very good offense that scores a lot of points and makes a lot of yards, but we have to stay focused on what we can do to get better."
On Reggie McNeal's development...
"I thought Reggie did a lot of good things the other night. He is getting a little better every game. You can see his mental development. I think Reggie had a tendency early to rely on his athletic ability. I think he is learning to rely on his mental ability just as much. Not that he didn't before but I think he is learning to prepare, and study the defenses. I thought he was very focused and prepared last week. He is taking some nice steps with each game."
On lost "hidden yardage" in the return game...
"We have a hard time if we have a major deficit in one of the three areas. We have to keep them as close to break even or positive as we can. We have had some good yardage days in our kicking game, but our turnovers have hurt us, certainly in regard to yardage. We have to eliminate those mistakes."
On patience...
"(laughing) Yeah, 'God give me patience and give it to me right now, huh?' Well, I have done this before. I have been through it, and I know the drill. If you are a coach that has not gone through the stage that you are in, you don't know how to respond as well. If you have been through it, you know to keep doing the things that you know. Work, and stay with your plan, and know that is going to take some time. Stick to your guns, and keep trying to put your players in as best position as you can to be successful and not sacrifice the program or the future of the program and keep working at it."
On getting close to the point of turning things around...
"Sometimes, when you are right in the middle of it you don't know what that point is. I think as a coach you know when you are improving in some areas, and you know when your kids are starting to make it through the transition. It is like I tell them, most football games come down to a handful of plays and you don't know when they are going to be. You don't know until you look back. I am not sure I knew that was the turnaround at Alabama until we looked back. When we were 3-5, I wasn't sure if we were going to win any more games or not. I felt like the program and things were moving in the right direction. Eventually we were getting substance issues in place, and we eventually started putting things together."
On maybe having the wrong players for the system...
"I don't think that is a major part of the problem. It doesn't matter what defense you are in you are always looking for a quicker guy here or a more this or more that. Certainly, in three or four years when you have players recruited more to a system you will be able to different things. One of the things we spend a lot of time in game planning now is what can we do? We know we could do this, but maybe our players aren't as good at doing this, so what can we do like this, or comparable that they can do well. You do that every year to a degree. You're always trying to find out what your player's strengths are and put them in those positions. (Is it more difficult in the first year?) I think so a little bit. You're learning about your players and they're learning about offense and defense and kicking game, and when you talk about transition, that's what encompasses all those things."
On frustration...
"I'm not a good loser. If I were, I probably wouldn't be sitting here today. But I've done this for 30 years. I know how to handle the situation; I've been through it many times. I know the different directions things can go. I knew that ahead of time. I think as a coach you spend 90 percent of your time thinking about 10 percent of things that really happen, but at least you're prepared and you know what's ahead and how things could go, and so I'm fine."
On confidence...
"I know that when you're a younger coach and you haven't gone through this, you know you're more apt to not maintain the course and keep steering in the direction you know will work. Having been through several programs, and doing this before, you know eventually whether you're going the right way and how you're doing things. The experience is very valuable to you."
On the importance of the Leadership Council this week...
"I challenged them at halftime the other night, and I challenged them after the game, but I think after any loss you do that. Leaders don't just lead when things are easy, leaders lead when things are tough. That's why they've been put in that position, and I reminded them of that. They know that. Anybody in that position has to step up and lead."