Tulsa vs. UTEP Postgame Quotes
11/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2010
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TULSA HEAD COACH Todd Graham
Opening Statement...
"Good teams, even when they don't play well, find a way to win. It was one of those days for us. There were times when we didn't play very well. We were a little bit flat at times. But I'm very, very proud of our guys. They showed great, great leadership. That's what good teams do. When you're a championship level team, on the days when things aren't hitting exactly right, you figure out a way to win and our guys did that. I'm really proud of how they responded at halftime. It wasn't just me and Coach Morris and Coach Randolph and Coach Patterson leading. We have some great leadership leading out there. You come in here and look at the stats and we have 540-something yards. I thought we had like 200 yards. We have to score points. We had too many stupid penalties. Our mental focus just wasn't there. We're supposed to be kicking a deep right kick, and it looked like we were onside kicking down the middle and stuff like that, which is very, very uncharacteristic of us. But we were able to overcome that, and I'm very, very proud of our players. It sure is gratifying to be going into the final week and have a meaningful game in November. We're excited about this next week. Short week, short turnaround. We're fired up to have Southern Miss in here, and we'll have to figure out a way to go get a win. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, we'll be in south Florida playing for a championship."
On Damaris Johnson...
"Wow. I think he just moved into fourth place all-purpose yardage in the history of college football. I told the kids in the locker room, `Guys, remember when we went to the hall of fame? Well, Damaris is going to be in that hall of fame.' The kids are really proud. He's the first one to stand up and talk about the guys throwing him the ball and the guys blocking for him and that type of thing. The team's a really, really close football team, but that kid, with what he does, I don't know anybody that's better. He is absolutely phenomenal, extremely tough and an unbelievable playmaker. He just has great courage. I think he has been big in pulling this team together. We're really proud of him. Sometimes you just sit over there and go `Wow'. He is something special to watch. He's worth paying money to come just watch him on plays. He's spectacular."
JUNIOR QUARTERBACK G.J. Kinne
Opening Comments...
"Our senior leadership really stepped up. Charles Clay really took the game into his hands on a big third down at the end. It wasn't pretty, but we got it done."
On the TD throw to Charles Clay at the end of the half...
"He made a great play. He does that all the time and that is why he's going to be in the NFL someday."
Talk about Damaris Johnson and his ability to make plays...
"He does a great job. The kick return was huge and that third down and 12 was huge. He always comes up in the big games and that's why he's so good."
With a win like this, does this prove to others that you guys deserve a shot at the title
"I think we do. Like I said, it wasn't pretty but we still won. I think that's the mark of a good team. Hopefully everything will roll the right way for us. We just have to come out and beat Southern Miss next week."
Talk about grinding this one out...
"The whole week I just felt like this was a trap game. Coming off the big win against Houston and having Southern Miss next week, we had to come out here and grind it out. We were able to do that because we could run the football."
Did anybody talk to Damaris about his NCAA record before the game?
"I don't think before the game, but after the game, Coach Graham made a big announcement to the team and just talked about how special that is and how lucky we are to play with someone like that."
Was anybody thinking about the record?
"I don't even think Damaris was thinking about it. He just thinks about winning. He's a special individual."
Is this win more satisfying because of how you had to play to win it?
"I think so. I've never had two touchdown passes called back in a game before. We just had some stuff that didn't go our way, but we just kept on fighting and eventually we won."
Talking about just controlling what you can control (conference standings)...
"We just need to beat Southern Miss. It's going to be a short week. We've just got to come out ready to go and have a good week of practice. I feel like we'll do that."
JUNIOR KICK RETURNER/WIDE RECEIVER Damaris Johnson
Talk about becoming the NCAA All-Time Kickoff Return leader. When did it hit you? What was the team's reaction?
"It was a surprise...I'm just kidding. It was pretty good. All the guys came out and motivated me. They wanted me to get this record and I did it for them. It was for those guys. They do everything right and I just follow them."
The first kickoff was a squib. The second two were way back in the back of the endzone. Did you think, `Maybe I won't get a chance today?'
"It ran through my mind, but I wasn't worried about that because I knew we were going to get the ball in good field position, which was good for our offence. Then at the end they just kicked me one and I just got lucky and broke it."
In a game where everyone was just grinding things out, how important was it for you to make plays?
"It was really important. We were sluggish at times and just weren't connecting. I knew we just needed a spark, and I caught one pass, reversed on the field, and I saw Jameel Owens coming across. He laid a big block for me. I just wanted to get a spark for the team and I think that kind of set the tone."
Was the record in your mind before the game?
"I knew I only needed four yards and that once I got it I was going to break the record. We were more focused on just winning the game and just trying to complete our season. Right now we're just playing championship football and that's what I like about our team."
Did you feel like there was a lack of energy? Did you feel like this was a trap game?
"Yeah. We came out kind of sluggish, but I'm proud of our team. We grinded it out. We picked it up. Defense played really well today. We made key plays."
After the UTEP 62-yard kickoff return, were you feeling pressure to go make a big play?
"I was thinking, `Once I get the ball in my hands, I need to go make a big play.' I was kind of surprised when they kicked it right to me. Maybe they chipped it or something, but I just knew I had to make a big play. I'm that guy that just wants to make a spark for the team and set the tone. I think I did that today."
Talk about the upcoming Southern Miss game next week...
"It's the same mentality. We just have to stay focused and come out and execute. We don't have to change much. I think we're going to be fine."
Have you ever seen this team more confident since you've been a part of it?
"You're always confident when you're winning, and we're on a roll right now. Our goal is ahead of this and we're just trying to win a conference championship, but we have to win in order to do that."
SENIOR RB Charles Clay
Talk about keeping your focus on this game...
"We expected UTEP to come in and give us their best shots. They told us all game how they had been reading their scouting reports. You could tell they were fired up. Early in the game, we got off to a slow start. We just had to come to the sideline and regroup."
What adjustments did you guys make at the half?
"There were really not too many adjustments. We just had to keep our heads in it. We knew they were going to come out fired up. It was nothing they were doing that was stopping us. Penalties and things like that were slowing us down and we just had to correct that."
It's been a while since you've had that many touches. What's it like to be able to go out there and have an opportunity to make plays?
"It's always a good thing to go out there and be able to help your team. I'm not always big on the amount of touches I get as long as we're winning. For the coaches to put their trust in me and give me the ball like they did today speaks volumes for those guys."
Talk about grinding out the game and coming back from behind. Does a win like that really build confidence?
"We just had to come out and do whatever we could to get this win. Like I said, we knew we would get their best shots. They came out faster than we did today and we just had to come over to the sidelines and regroup. We had to correct those minor things that were holding us back. The guys did a good job of fighting through."
What were your thoughts when Dexter made that interception at the end of the game?
"It was nerve-wrecking. I was over on the sideline just chewing on my fingernails. I was nervous, but he broke on the play really well. It was almost like he knew what play was coming. Dexter is a big time leader for this team and he watches a lot of film. It was evident on that last play."
Talk about the TD catch you had...
"Before the play, I knew he was going to come to me. We work that play a lot in practice, and I thought he was going to throw it to my back shoulder. By the time I did catch it, I was back-peddling. He made a great throw and put the ball where only I could catch it."
After the Oklahoma State loss, you said you guys weren't going to lose again. Aside from the setback at SMU, you've done that. Talk about how the confidence has built.
"Watching the OSU film, it was just minor things where we were just stopping ourselves. We had too many times where there were just penalties or guys just weren't focusing. Since then, we've gone into every game trying to correct the things from the last game, no matter how good the win was. From week to week, that just what we did."
SOPHOMORE SAFETY Dexter McCoil
With fourth and ten, game on the line, talk about what you did out there...
"It was fourth and ten. Coach called the play, and I was free basically. My eyes were just being like a safety's [eyes] are supposed to be. My eyes were on the quarterback and I just thank God for giving me the ability to make the play."
Talk about the defense in the second half...
"It wasn't really about UTEP. It was about us. We came out a little bit slower than we usually do, but we went into halftime and talked to the coaches. We knew we had to just step it up and have more intensity on the field."
Do you get angry as a defensive player when UTEP is making lots of big plays?
"As far as me, as a defensive player, I get angry on the inside because I expect more out of myself. Any big play that the offense gets is my fault. I get angry, but we have to just forget about the plays that happen and treat every play like it's the first play of the game."
Going into this game, did you expect UTEP to run the ball as much as they did?
"No. We really thought it would be 50-50, but they tried to run the ball on us. It was okay because we came out with the win."
UTEP HEAD COACH MIKE PRICE
Opening statement...
"We had our opportunities. We just didn't get it done when we needed to. Third down probably wasn't very good. We've been a very good third down team. They passed the ball better than I thought they would. It probably worked against us, Kinne getting hurt, it turned out. He got hurt in the first half. It probably worked against us that they didn't run the ball more. He did a nice job throwing the ball and they did a nice job catching it."
"We got out-offensed, I think, in the game. We weren't clicking throwing the ball. Our running game was good."
On the defense's performance in the fourth quarter...
"We sucked it up in the red zone and made them kick field goals. Our players played hard, as they usually do. We had a chance to win it, but they played better than we did. Their offense played better than we did."
On whether this was the best his team played against a good opponent...
"I don't really think so. I think we could play better if we had a healthy Trevor (Vittatoe) and healthy guys. We didn't seem to make a whole bunch of serious mistakes this game. We had only one turnover, and didn't fumble the ball. We were in it the whole game, back-and-forth, back-and-forth. So that part, it was probably an exciting game to watch."
On the play of Joe Banyard...
"He plays so hard. He is such a good player. (Donald) Buckram came in and gave his best, but he's not healthy either. But Banyard, I can't say enough about that kid. The whole year, a champion."
On Marlon McClure's kickoff return...
"His return was on a squib kick. That happened to us, maybe four years ago against these guys. Davis kid I think returned one for a touchdown. We kicked it short and he returned it. That's what happened. I'm not surprised that both of those kids - their No. 3 and our No. 6 - played well."
