“Kentucky’s going to play somewhere around New Year’s Day and I’m happy to say it’s not just basketball. We don’t know where and I don’t care. We’re just happy to be playing. In the lockerroom after the Tennessee game, I think our guys were just anxious to play again.”
(On bowl preparation practice)
“We’re going to spend the next two weeks in kind of a training camp situation. We’re going to split workouts working with the seniors and veteran starters working on our basic offense and defense and some conditioning. Then the next hour and a half, bring back the younger guys and work on the fundamentals. We’ll probably work in three or four scrimmages to get some game situations. We’ll get about eight good workouts.”
(On the quarterback situation for next season)
“We will have on e quarterback for this offense. One will rise to the top. It may be the end of spring before we know, but we’ll have a starting quarterback. We can win with any of the three. I like all three.”
(On QB Dusty Bonner)
“First of all, Dusty Bonner is abrilliant person. He’s a very good student and very bright.He’s a winner. You look at his high school career and Ithink he lost two games and those were both statechampionship games. At a place like Valdosta High, that’s apretty high-pressure job. Physically, he’s a strong kid. Ithink the only thing he needs to work on is long throws andhis intermediate throws.”
(On QB Chase Harp)
“Chase Harp is a coach’s son. He brings alot to the table, because he’s always been around it. He hasgreat pocket feet. He’s probably the fastest quarterback wehave. He’s got a strong arm. I think Chase needs to ingraininto himself and his teammates that he can be a leader. Heneeds to work on transferring his leadership skills to ouroffense.”
(On QB Mike Scipione)
“Mike Scipione is a great physicaltalent. He’s the best pure passer we have on the team. Hereally throws the football well.”
(On the season)
“It’s been a fun year overall. Obviously,beating Louisville was a huge deal at the beginning of theyear. John L. (Smith, the Louisville coach) should becomplimented. The comeback win over Indiana was fun.Obviously, the LSU win was huge. The Mississippi State winwas huge. It’s been a fun year all the way around. It’s hardto narrow it down.”
“We only faltered one time this year, in terms of play, andthat was the last game against Tennessee. I think the eventssurrounding that game had a lot to do with that. But, if youthink back to 1997, there wasn’t a game like South Carolinawhere we came out flat. We played hard all year. There mayhave been spots where we didn’t play well, but we playedhard. I’m very proud of our guys for that.”
(On Tim Couch’s practice)
“We’re going to hold Tim out thisweek. He could go. Really, he doesn’t need to go. It’ll be agood time to let Matt get some reps and work with theyounger guys.”
(On the Heisman)
“Ricky Williams had an outstanding gameagainst Texas. I think he probably had more votes beforethat game. I think he’ll probably win it, but I’m not goingto concede it. Tim’s my favorite player. If I got to vote,I’d vote for Tim.”
(On disciplinary action)
“I’m going to continue to do ourdisciplinary action the way I did this last one, without toomuch telling what happened. I think our fans in this statefollow our team closely enough to where they can readbetween the lines and know what happened. He (Jonas Leining)was doing something that he shouldn’t have been doing andI’m going to leave it at that.”
(On the new UK alcohol policy)
“I’m all for it. I think thatanything we can do to prevent a week like before theTennessee game, I’m all for it.”
(On Tim Couch’s decision to stay at UK or go pro)
“I thinkTim has to make this decision. Over the next 10 or 15 years,Tim’s going to get to be a quarterback. Because he’s such agood player and the NFL is such a secure market, he’s goingto make a lot of money. If you look at it as a 15-year deal,he’s going to make a lot of money any way you cut it. Thequestion is, what will be his legacy and what’s the best wayto leave a good legacy. I think the guy that walks up behindthe center and take the snaps are the guys that get to leavethe legacies. Everybody else becomes an asterisk or ananswer to a trivia question. I think taking his time andreally exploring the situations and maturity always helps.If he comes back to Kentucky, he’s guaranteed to be thestarting quarterback. My son’s graduated and there’s nolonger a threat there. I don’t feel like any of the three(returning QBs) would beat him out. He’s guaranteed to bethe starter here. That’s not necessarily the case if hecomes out. He could end up in a place like the Browns, whichwould be an expansion team. Although they may be anoffensive minded group, they’ll be doing it with expansionlinemen. Either way, it’s a tough situation. If he’s thestarter, he’s going to have too many expectations put on himand no line in front of him. If he’s the backup, he’s goingto have all of those people around town wanting him to bethe starter. I don’t know if that’s necessarily the way hewants to start his career.”
(On next year’s offensive line)
“We’re going to have a solidoffensive line next year. It’s not going to be the householdnames like the line we had this year. I think Coach GuyMorriss has already done the hardest coaching job he’s had,coaching the offensive line that we had. That was taking theguys that we inherited from the previous staff that weretotally run-oriented and convincing them that our scheme wasthe way to do things. The guys we have now are players we’vehad from the beginning.”
