Oct. 30, 2010
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TEXAS A&M POSTGAME QUOTES
SENIOR LB Michael Hodges
On forcing the goal-line fumble... "That might have been the turning point. I remember telling someone on the sideline how huge that was. It was exciting and was a huge turning point in the game.
On the impact of big defensive plays when the opponent is close to scoring... "Coach Sherman always talks about those being a 14-point turn. Not only would they score, but especially today we were able to go down and score a bunch of points. It was tremendous not only for the defense but for the momentum of the offense. We need to make more big plays like that."
on the significance of this game... "Well, last week the win was big but we really needed to come back and convince ourselves it wasn't a fluke. Kansas is a good team, but Tech had won more games and we knew they'd be a bigger challenge. Also, coming back home, the fans left disappointed last time so to get them back on our side was huge. Our trademark is 'fanatical' and all three phases played really well."
On Ryan Tannehill... "He was tremendous. He was solid, came in there as a leader and didn't miss a beat. His first ball was a little off to Swope, he had the nerves going a bit, but he stepped up to the challenge and did really well."
HEAD COACH Mike Sherman
"I thought today was a well-fought football game in all three phases. Offense, defense and special teams all contributed and that's encouraging. I asked the guys all week long and in this ballgame in particular to raise it up a notch and play with fanatical effort, and show our fans what we're capable of. I thought they raised their level to a very passionate energy and I was very proud of them for that."
On his quarterback plan through the week... "On Tuesday I talked to Jerrod (Johnson) and Ryan (Tannehill) and said I was going to treat the game the same as last week, but give Ryan the start this week. I told Jerrod he may play, just like I told Tannehill the week before. I told him he may play, or he may not. I wasn't going to back myself into a corner. That was the conversation I had with them on Tuesday."
On evaluating Ryan Tannehill's performance... "Well, he threw an interception on a blitz, the guy jumped up and make a nice play. I thought his pooch punt was good, he did a nice job there. But he definitely did a nice job. There's no question he had a very good day. I've got to say this, it's hard to go out there in your first start and he responded pretty well. I thought Jerrod was very supportive of him in a very difficult situation and he couldn't have been more enhancing in helping Ryan through the course of the game. That's a difficult role for him. He's obviously not used to doing that. But Ryan did very well and made some good checks and good throws."
On Trent Hunter's forced fumble... "That was the play of the game. No question about that. The play of the game. When we recovered that in the end zone and got out to the 20, I do think we scored after that. That was the play of the game. They had a chance to go up 14-0. That's why I always say in a football game, no matter the final score, one play can make the difference. If they go up 14-0 we may have to play the game differently. That one play was the play of the game."
On Christine Michael's injury... "He ran an inside zone play and took a shot on his tibia. He cracked his tibia. He's going to be out for a while. I don't know everything about it but I know he cracked it. Obviously we're disappointed. He's a big part of our team and was playing a whale of a ballgame and had a great week. We're going to miss him if he's not available, which it looks like he might be."
On the team's red-zone success and the offensive line... "On the offensive line we have two freshman tackles. I thought the offensive line did a great job today. They really gelled together. (OL Coach Jim) Turner talked to me last night and he said he thought this would be the game they really came together. I think the whole group really gelled. It allowed us the opportunity to do something and have success in the red zone. When you can run the ball in the red zone it allows you to throw when you have to, and we were able to do both today."
On Jeff Fuller... "Jeff's a playmaker. I thought there were a couple more plays he could have made. But he made a fair amount of plays out there. He's a special player. He's someone you know is going to go up and get the ball. He has strong hands, a great leaping ability and a good body. Jeff has worked extremely hard to get to this point. This didn't just all fall into his lap. He worked hard through the spring and the fall to get his game to this level. I'm proud of Jeff, he's grown up. He's a man, both on and off the field."
On the team's momentum heading in to Oklahoma... "Well, certainly I don't know if two games can create momentum but we certainly feel good about today, having beat Tech at home. Next week is huge, a big game for us. There's no question about that. I'm looking forward to it. Oklahoma is a great football team and is very well-coached. It'll be a great setting."
On whether this offensive performance was the best of the season... "Statistically on paper, I'd say it was. I thought the offensive line played one of their better games collectively. We weren't able to run the ball very well in the first quarter and a half. We started running a bit better. We were forced to throw the ball and create some opportunities in the passing game. I think in the final analysis it probably was one of our better offensive days."
On Ryan Swope... "I thought he made some difficult catches in tight coverage. He was able to separate with some people right on top of him. He did make some significant catches and really contributed to our success today."
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Tim DeRuyter
On Trent Hunter's forced fumble... "That was huge. I think that was the play of the game. If they score right there they go up two scores, and things aren't looking real good in Aggieland. He's got a knack for making the big plays and he made a huge one there. Trent putting his head on the ball is as big a play in the ball game as there was."
On keeping Taylor Potts in check... "We mixed some things up coverage-wise and I thought we had good pressure on him in the first three quarters. We didn't finish the game well and I was very disappointed with that. We did a good job through three quarters and mixed some things up against them."
JUNIOR QB Ryan Tannehill
On the game... "It was a lot of fun. I thank God and Coach Sherman for the opportunity to go out and play. The team came together and we made plays today."
On setting the record... "I didn't even know I had the record. They told me after the game. That's a team effort. The offensive line was holding up for me, I was able to make throws and the receivers were going up and getting the ball for me. We got some 1-on-1 situations and as an offense you like that. You've got to trust your guys and they were able to make plays for me today."
On getting the start and getting a win over Texas Tech... "I knew it would come sometime or another. I guess I wasn't expecting it to come this year when this year started. But the opportunity arose and you have to make the best of your opportunities. It's always a great feeling to beat a Big 12 south team. It's great to beat those teams. My dad went to Tech I will probably rub in his face a little bit. But it was a great win for this team."
On the up-tempo offense and his overall performance... "Fast tempo is where we perform our best. We hadn't been playing to the tempo we need to play. We came to the realization as an offense that that's what we need to do. The guys responded well. We practiced hard all week. The guys get tired but they grinded through it and you couldn't ask for more today. I definitely have throws today I want back. There are a few throws that stick in my head. The interception hurts. But I've got to make better throws."
On the offensive line's performance... "I have to give huge props to the offensive line. (Texas Tech) were bringing a lot of heat and blitzing a lot of guys. We were able to make some checks and the offensive line was doing a great job of picking up those guys and allowing me time to make a throw. (They did a good job) Not only pass protecting but run blocking. We started off not on our best foot on the run game. We were able to establish the passing game and we came back to (the run) and they were making huge holes."
On his week and when he found out he would start... "He let me know early on, Tuesday. From that point on I started taking first-team reps. It was really great for me to be out there and get more reps at practice and help me get in tune with the wide receivers and the offensive line. Jerrod is a great quarterback and he stood in there with me today. There are no harsh feelings. He was telling me what he saw. You can't ask more. It speaks to his character. He's a great friend and a great competitor. Jerrod has this team at heart. He wants this team to win. I can't ask more from him."
On whether he thinks he'll start next week... "You've got to keep battling. You can't get complacent. Jerrod may start the next game, you never know. I have to go out and practice hard and polish up the things I didn't do well and be ready for next Saturday."
On having a guy like Jeff Fuller to go up and make plays... "Jeff's a great receiver for us. He's big, he has great hands, he's able to go up and make a play for you. He's kind of a of security blanket for you out there. I have trust in him but also in the other guys too. I'd throw the same balls to their guys. We have great receivers across the board."
On setting the record... "I am thankful. God has truly blessed me and put me in a position to go out and perform. Through the offensive line, the wide receivers and the backs, it was a team effort. We all came together. Breaking the record is exciting and I'm happy. I'm just trying to enjoy this one right now."
JUNIOR WR Jeff Fuller
On Tannehill's play... "He really stepped up and played a big game. With a big crowd, he went out there, executed and had fun."
On play where he got hurt... "It was a fade, it was a pretty good throw, I should've snagged it. I did it, and got a pretty good knock to the chest. Our doctors were very precautious, telling me to lay down and everything, but once I got up I was fine."
On Tannehill and Texas Tech defenders... "Ryan was doing a good job of putting the ball in the right place, giving me opportunities to go up and make big plays. Tech was trying out different guys. I'm just going to beat the guy in front of me."
SENIOR DB Trent Hunter
On causing the goal line fumble... "We were just in a base call, kind of man-on-man coverage. It's one of those things coach talks about, he says we need to just win the one-on-one battle. I threw all 190 pounds of me in there, and he fumbled the ball. It's something Coach Sherman talks about, that a turnover in the red zone is a 14-point swing. It's big. Even though it wasn't a touchdown for us, it's big. That's game changing."
On the offense feeding off of the defense... "I see our offense feeding off of us, and when the offense is putting up 600 yards, we feed off of them. And then of course, we feed off the 12th Man when we're at home. It's always good to have a good win at home."
On Tannehill's performance... "I don't think he surprises us, we see him at practice every day. He's so poised in the pocket, if you watch him on the big screen he rolls out and seems like he's throwing the ball away, then he hits one of our receivers for a big gain."
On practicing this week... "I ended up coming back. I didn't have to practice on Monday, but I thought if we wanted success this week, we needed every one out there this week. Something happened on Tuesday in practice, and I was pretty banged up. I hit the training room, then coming out today, I was about 90 percent."
SOPHOMORE WR Ryan Swope
On Tannehill's day... "Tannehill did a good job today, he's a smart player. He's a leader, he did a great job leading that offense today. The main thing, we had that tempo going and we really executed today."
On developing the tempo... "(We are) constantly practicing it very single day at practice, meetings and watching film, critiquing it, then going out executing."
On Tannehill's first throw to Swope... "He wasn't nervous at all, he just misread me. I went flat, I should have gone high. We had to get a feel for their defense, once we figured that out we relaxed."
On the team's back-to-back wins... "It's great to get two wins under our belt, it gives us a lot of confidence going into next week. We have to keep at it at practice, we're going to enjoy it for a day then we have to get back to work and get ready for OU."
On short routes throughout the game... "The O-line gave Tannehill tremendous time. I feel like that helps receivers get open, when he scrambles to, it opens up the middle of the field."
SENIOR DL Lucas Patterson
On Trent Hunter's goal line forced fumble... "It was unbelievable. They kind of got on a roll, seven to nothing, marching down the field. If he doesn't make that play, it would have been a will breaker. Then our offense went down and scored, that was a big play in this game."
On the importance of this win... "Every game is important, but especially this being my last year, it's good to have opportunities to win. With Tech, being a Big 12 south school and getting this win at home, it's huge. This win at home is a big thing for our team and the things we want to accomplish this year."
TEXAS TECH POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE
"We're not near good enough to play a game like that and turn it over and have that many penalties. We shot ourselves in the foot and didn't give ourselves a chance in the 4th quarter, and that's what you've got to have on the road. For us right now we weren't good enough to stop that offense. We were hoping to keep up with them offensively, and we didn't take advantage of our opportunities. A&M came out in the second half and rushed it for almost 200 yards. We couldn't get the ball back and we couldn't stop them. They were 6-for-6 in the red zone. We were just not good enough defensively. We turned it over for two touchdowns that kind of knocked us out of it. We played pretty good and caused a turnover or two. It looked like we had the game under control and then it just flipped on us real quick. A&M's got a good football team. Tannehill looked good. He checked off quite a bit and we made him do it. He knew who to throw it to, number 8 (Jeff Fuller)."
SENIOR WR LYLE LEONG
"We started off kind of fast and then we slowed down. We have to continue to get better and keep it rolling on every drive. We always expect to win, but we've got a lot of season left. We're never going to give up. We're going to get better. That's all we can do, is get better each week. The fumbles hurt. You want to win, that's the point, why you do all the work in practice. It's a team game so everybody's at fault. You win as a team, you lose as a team."
SOPHOMORE DB CODY DAVIS
"Our game plan was to put high pressure on them, and that's what we did. You're going to have some on- on-one matchups when you bring pressure. We had that pretty good, but we've got to get to the quarterback better. The penalties killed some drives and that puts a damper on everything. The refs are going to do their thing, we've got to do ours and not let it affect us. Tannehill did a great job commanding the offense. We were ready for both quarterbacks. The loss hurts. You just go to the next game and keep truckin' on."