Oct. 4, 1999
Hal Mumme
UK Head Coach
On South Carolina:
?We will not think about their problems too much. We know they have thesecond-best defense in the conference and that?s the main thing that we areconcerned about right now. Offensively they do a lot of different things.They have struggled on offense so far, but I think that they are still kindof finding themselves. The worry you have with a team like that is that youdon?t want to be playing them when they do find themselves.?
On USC?s defense:
?They have done a good job playing a soft zone and keeping everything infront of them, forcing the other team to make mistakes. Arturo Freeman is agreat safety, we have played against him before. Their other guys ondefense are young, but they are playing hard. They blitz a little bit, butnot a lot. They play mainly a zone defense and mainly a four-man line. Theyare not fancy, they just play hard.?
On coping without injured receiver Dougie Allen:
?We will just have to do it like we did Saturday, with Quentin McCord andBobby Blizzard. He (Allen) plays the third receiver spot and we are notalways a three-receiver team, so one of those guys will be able to fill hisspot.?
On McCord?s role in Saturday?s Arkansas win:
?I don?t think that we would have won the game without Quentin. He neededto step up and he did and we need him to step up again.?
On the progress of Eric Kelly:
?I just think he is more confident now as a player. He has always hadphysical ability, but I think he is more experienced and studying the gamemore.?
On the play of the UK cornerbacks:
?Eric (Kelly) and Kenneth (Grant) have played well all season. I know it isa bad memory, but if you go back to the Louisville game, those guys thatthey covered didn?t catch too many balls. They have played well, beenconsistent all the way through. We have not always had help around them andthat is what we got Saturday. We got some real consistent play out ofJeremy Bowie as the nickel back and our linebackers did a nice job ofcovering their receivers.?
On the play of linebacker Jeff Snedegar:
?Jeff really played like he is capable of playing on Saturday. He is anoutstanding player for us.?
On UK?s running game against Arkansas:
?I think it was average. I thought that Anthony (White) had an outstandingday and really made some good runs. Derek (Homer) had a good, solid effort.We did not block as well as we thought we could have and we would like toimprove that this week.?
On quarterback Dusty Bonner:
?I do not think it was his best game, but he did play well enough for us towin. We would like to see him improve this week also.?
On the team?s emotional state:
?I think the guys were excited to play, but I think they got excited theweek before against Florida. I think they carried that excitement into theArkansas game and that is something that we want them to do every week.?
On lots of running plays Saturday:
?We just took what they gave us. We could run the ball so we did. The endof the game dictated a lot of those runs because we got 17 points up onthem. Our defense was playing well so I was not going to make any mistakesthat put them in a bind. So we were really conservative in the second halfof the fourth quarter because we knew they couldn?t score and if they did,they had to score three times.?
Brad Pyatt
Wide Receiver
On the loss of Dougie Allen:
“It hurts us a lot. Quentin (McCord) had a big game last week, and I thinkthat will give him confidence for the future. I need to step it up toanother level, too. Sure, there will be pressure, but I don’t mind it.We’ll just play our best for Dougie.”
On Dougie Allen’s leadership:
“He’s such a positive person. He helped me with a lot of things, and hiswork ethic is outstanding.”
On his own play:
“In the first few games, I was just excited to catch balls. But now I wantmore. I could be more productive once I get the ball. Experience andincreased confidence will help me do more after the catch.”
On SEC play:
“In high school, we played a lot of top teams with Division I players. Idid well against them then, so I think I can do that well again now.”
Kip Sixbery
Offensive Line
On playing winless South Carolina:
“We just have to go in there and get a win. It doesn’t matter if we’refavorites or underdogs, we need to get the ‘W’ and stay on track to bebowl-eligible. We can’t underestimate them.”
On UK’s gelling as an offensive line:
“We’re playing a lot better as a team. We’re getting to know each other outon the field and it’s getting easier to play together. When you know whateach individual is going to do, you can focus on your job and really giveit all you’ve got.”
On his college experience:
“Playing is a lot of fun right now. Running out on that field is a greatrush.”
Anthony White
Running Back
On UK’s goals:
“With Florida losing this weekend, it puts us near the top of the SEC East.Saturday’s win was a big one for us, because in the SEC, you need every winto stay on top.”
On USC:
“We have to stay focused this week. Playing an unranked opponent willsometimes cause you to overlook a team. We can’t afford to do that. Afterwe beat Alabama two years ago, we went to South Carolina and were up 21-0and they came back and beat us. I haven’t forgotten that. They have greatathletes just like we do and they could upset us.”
On UK’s balance:
“I like the way the coaches are rotating Derek (Homer) and me. Derek ismore of a power runner and I’m more of a finesse guy and if keeps otherteams off balance. They don’t know what to expect. I give most of thecredit to the offensive line and the coaches.”
Anthony Wajda
Free Safety
On playing in a physical conference:
“It’s defeinitely physical. Even after the UConn game I was a little sore.College football is a lot more physical (than high school) so every timeyou go up to hit somebody, you better bring everything you’ve got to makethat tackle.”
On UK’s defensive effort against Arkansas:“There is a lot of comment going around that this isn’t a good defense. Ithink we have to come out, play hard, and get some respect back.”
Ryan Murphy
Linebacker
On guarding against a let-down:
“From day one on Monday is when we start analyzing the other team’s film.We’re all about South Carolina right now. It was great win but that’s over.We only play one game this week and that is South Carolina so that’s ourfocus right now.”
On UK being overconfident against USC’s struggling offense:”That is not going to happen. The SEC is a great conference and we can’toverlook any team. I understand that South Carolina is having a down year.
They have a great coach in Lou Holtz and we’re not overlooking them by anymeans.”
