November 18, 2003
Coach Dennis Franchione and selected players met with members of the media on Tuesday at Cain Hall. The Aggies are off this week before hosting 7th-ranked Texas in the season finale on Nov. 28 at Kyle Field. Click the link above to hear what Coach Fran had to say.
Here is a partial transcript of comments made by Coach Fran during the news conference.
Quarterback Comparisons (McNeal and Vince Young, specifically)...
"I think it is always unfair; it doesn't matter what the situation is. It is always somewhat unfair to compare a player against a player because no circumstance is ever the same. It is not unusual to have the analogies made. It doesn't matter unless they play for the same team. There is nothing that is going to be exactly the same, and it varies for who those two people are."
Vince Young and Reggie McNeal as quarterbacks...
"They are very close in their skill. I could see why there can be some comparison of the two, and I think that is a compliment to both of them."
Meaning of beating Texas...
"I think it's always a positive end to the season with a "W". It is certainly a positive to beat your rival. It always gives you a little momentum going into the off-season and recruiting and those kinds of direction. It lets you finish with a good taste in your mouth. It would be beating a top 10 team and another victory at Kyle Field."
On Courtney Lewis reaching goal of 1,000 rushing yards ...
"(joking)Well, we have already charted the first 40 plays and they are all to Courtney.
"I am not going to give a great deal of thought to it. If he comes up 40 yards short, he didn't quite make that magical number, but we will look and see that we were close to having that 1,000 yard rusher; which we started out with as a goal. My game plan is not going to be whether or not Courtney gets to 1,000. We want him to and we hope he does, but he will have to do it within the realm of the plan of trying to win a football game."
Open week...
"Our guys have been out recruiting the past couple of days. I think that the opportunity to get away from practicing and playing and get an emotional, mental and physical rest (is beneficial). We will practice enough to stay sharp this week and then start a little more earnestly on Sunday with the game plan; which will still give us plenty of time. We have had a long grind without an open week to refresh with. I have never particularly liked open weeks before the last game. I think they do far more good earlier in the season than they do before the last game. This one is going to do us some good from all the standpoints I mentioned."
Walk on who can kick out of the end zone...
"We would like to find a walk-on that can do that. We lost that with Cody (Scates). We have covered kick offs pretty well most of the year. Saturday was our toughest day covering kick offs. It is big advantage when you can kick the ball out of the end zone and make your opponent start on the 20-yard-line instead of the 35 or the 38. We are talking about a first down or two sometimes. We would like to find someone who can do that on a regular basis. A non-scholarship would be even better. (If a soccer girl were to walk on) If she could kick it out of the end zone, then I have no problem."
Dustin Long...
"He is handling things very well. He has prepared very well every week and practiced hard every week. It is never easy to be the back up at any position. We all understand in this game that situation has the opportunity to present itself with competition. Dustin has a lot of respect from his coaches and his teammates, and he has handled being backup as best as he could. He has been ready, and went in and did a good job Saturday. Each week we discuss our personnel and how we can utilize them, and what they can do best for us in certain situations."
Has Reggie McNeal regressed as the season has gone on?
"I don't think he (Reggie) has regressed at all; I think he has grown. I think some of our other problems at times have effected how he has looked."
Last Saturday's quarterback play ...
"Reggie was up and down for him. You have to understand, he was sick Friday night at the hotel. The doctor had to deal with him, and he was not feeling well Saturday morning either. Some of that may have had something to do with us getting off to a tough start. I think our offensive line after the first few plays got a better feel for protection and did a better job, and that helped him out a lot in the second quarter and helped Dustin out a lot in the second half. Dustin came in and did a good job for the time that he was in there. He got the ball in the right place most of the time, and he had good protection most of the afternoon."
Franchione's A&M-Texas rivalry viewing as a child...
"I watched this rivalry when I was a kid on TV. My nephew reminded me of that yesterday when he called me. He said 'Fran, you and I used to sit in front of the TV and watch this game as kids.' (tongue in cheek) I was always rooting for the Aggies. I don't remember any specific players from watching the game as a kid. We just liked to watch sports. On Thanksgiving we got to watch those games. It is not like today where you have ESPN (all the time). If I were an eight year old today, I am afraid I would have never gotten away from the television set watching games. Then it wasn't that way, you got to see a few games. I always remember the intenseness of the rivalry, and the specialness of the game, and the pride the two teams played with. I certainly remember the wishbone days and some of the great linebackers that played the game. I don't know if any one instance sticks out more than another one. I would kind of like to see it on Thanksgiving Day again. Thursday and Friday is not that big of a difference. It is Thanksgiving weekend. It is one of those games when you think of Thanksgiving, you think of seeing the game on that day and looking forward to it."
Coaching a rivalry game...
"I love rivalry games. I want to have a moment to enjoy the whole atmosphere of the stadium, the intensity, and the color and the fans. The whole surrounding of this game is going to be fun. Every one of these types of games I have ever coached in, I have always enjoyed and savored. I think it gets your blood pumping just a little bit more. These are exciting games and it is fun to be a part of these games. This is what you coach for and what you play for."
Remembering the Bonfire tragedy (November 18, 1999)...
"Everyone was sad, almost ill at the thought of anything as catastrophic as that (bonfire) happening. It touched all of us in college football. Coaching in the state (at TCU), it touched us even closer. That was a difficult week for everyone who lived in this state and coached college football. Just to think that anything like that could happen. I remember the game afterwards and how hard A&M played and the emotions involved. I remember the respect that both teams showed."