Coach Hal Mumme Quotes
11/6/00 Press Conference
On the return of OT Matt Brown:
“He was a bit rusty. Matt gave up a few pressures, but no sacks. I thought he did well for not playing a game in five weeks. He had a good game.”
On Jared Lorenzen’s performance:
“Jared didn’t have a very good game, but we also didn’t pick up the blitz with our running backs on a couple of interceptions.”
On the difference between Lorenzen’s performance earlier in the season vs. now:
“It’s only been two weeks since Jared had the second-best day in the SEC. Now he’s had a bad day so everyone is looking closely at everything he does. He’s a freshman playing in the SEC. I think it was Mississippi State’s reputation for pressure more than anything else. It got in his head a little bit and he didn’t do a very good job.”
On Vanderbilt:
“They are very similar to us. We’re certainly going to try to get a win. They’ve had a season very similar to ours. They’ll do a good job with their defense bringing pressure. It’ll be a real challenge for both teams.”
On the losing streak:
“It always shakes your confidence when you don’t have success. We are going to keep doing what we do and try to get better at it.”
On the play of Jimmy Robinson:
“Jimmy wanted the ball. He’s got a great spirit. I really admire him for that. He made some outstanding plays last Saturday. We hope he does it again this week. Jimmy’s really good at running slants, and I think early in the year our opponents were double-teaming him. Now they’re double-teaming the other side if the field so it’s opened the field up a little for Jimmy.”
On being the leader during tough times:
“You try to find the positive things. I rely on my faith and go back to that. A bad day being the Kentucky football coach is still a better day than most other things. You have to realize that you’re dealing with young people that are trying as hard as they can.”
On morale:
“A win would cure a lot of problems. I’m sure they are saying the same thing in Nashville. We want our seniors to go out with a win in their last home game.”
On using headsets during the game:
“There were two reasons for wearing the headsets. The main reason was that Dan Lounsbury was not able to be with us for the game. I think it also helped us make offensive adjustments because (Mississippi State defensive coordinator) Joe Lee Dunn plays at such a fast pace.”
On the seniors accomplishments:
“They’ve helped get us to two bowl games. They’ve had a lot of success on the field. They can look back and be proud of their accomplishments.”
On the Vandy game:
“The defense is very similar to Mississippi State’s defense. You have to account for the blitz first. Hopefully our offensive line will play as well as they did last week and our running backs do a little better job in pass protection.”
Wildcat Player Quotes
Chad Scott, Freshman, Running Back
 Freshman Chad Scott |
Commenting on his performance Saturday versus Mississippi State:
“I felt I could have played better. I ran the ball well, but I missed my assignments on some of their blitzes. MSU came at us from all angles, but overall it was a great learning experience.”
Commenting on team morale going into the game with Vanderbilt:
“We are disappointed with the way we have performed this season especially after going to back-to-back bowl games. But Saturday, we will be playing for pride purposes and we want to win for our seniors because this is their last chance to play in front of the home crowd at Commonwealth Stadium.”
Commenting on playing in the SEC:
“I am pleased with the way I have played this season. Coming out of high school, I knew that the level of play in the SEC was high and that players in this league were all going to be strong and very fast. I feel I have adjusted well and my performances have gotten better as the season has progressed.”
Jeremy Caudill, Freshman, Defensive Tackle
 Freshman Jeremy Caudill |
Commenting on his performance against Mississippi State:
“I was not very happy with the way I played Saturday. I missed a lot of tackles in the first half and thought I would come out and play better in the second half, but I didn’t. Mississippi State’s offensive line was so strong and physical that they knocked us (defensive line) off the ball throughout the entire game.”
Commenting on the rest of the season:
“We have two games left and we are going to play for pride purposes and for next season. This team has a lot left to play for even though we are not going to a bowl game. We want to send our seniors out in style with a big victory.”
David Johnson, Sophomore, Strong Safety
Commenting on the Vanderbilt game:
“It is a much needed win for us. We have lost six games in a row and are going to have to pull together in order to pull out a victory. The past two seasons at this time, we were playing for the chance to become bowl eligible. Saturday, we will be playing for pride.”
Commenting on the play of the defense:
“We have stepped it up in the past couple of games, but we still are not at the level we anticipated at the beginning of the season. We are making fewer mistakes as a unit and have made strides throughout the season.”
Sophomore defensive tackle John Robinson
 Sophomore John Robinson |
“When we went to the five-and-two at Ole Miss, I knew I got the opportunity to start and it was a big deal for me. It is my third year including my redshirt year and I just wanted the opportunity to contribute and hopefully turn things around these next two games.”
“I have become a lot stronger since I have come from high school to Kentucky. Coach Hill has a good program. My legs have gotten a lot stronger and my bench strength has gone up tremendously.”
“The team is trying to keep itself upbeat but when you are losing like that, it eats at you. We are trying to keep a positive attitude and we are not going to worry about how our record turns out. We are just going to go out there and play hard.”
Sophomore offensive guard Kip Sixbery
 Sophomore Kip Sixbery |
“We are going through a rough time right now and we do feel bad for the seniors. But we are going through this as a team. We win as a team and we lose as a team.”
“The offensive line has been out there playing a lot better than we did last year and it is frustrating for us. Everything we do we do as a team. We are one unit.”
On giving up sacks:
“A lot of it has to do with experience on the offensive line this year and a lot of it has to do with Jared [Lorenzen] knowing when to get rid of the football and doing his job back there knowing when to get rid of it on time.”
“Every one of us knows what the others are going to do with the least amount of communication. We have only a few seconds when we get to the line to tell each other what is going on. It is a lot easier for us this year, after playing before with each other.”
Sophomore tight end Derek Smith
 Sophomore Derek Smith |
“I am going to go out this week and do the best I can because that is the least we owe the seniors. We are going to try to come out of these last two games with something positive.”
“One or two things go wrong in every game and don’t let us pull through. That is the only reason why everyone is so upbeat in the games because most know that it is only one or two things that can be corrected.”
“Even though we are a losing streak, I am going to go out there every day, have fun and practice hard. I know we are just going to keep getting better and better.”
Freshman defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson
On his interception against Mississippi State:
“It was just a great play on Coach Major and the defense’s part. They just put that defense blitz in right before the game. We watched Mississippi State do that on Monday so we decided to put it in.”
“I have to go up, engage and check to see if it is a run. If it is a run, then I stay and play run defense but if it is a pass then I rush.”
“I played linebacker in high school. I didn’t get any interceptions so this is my first one ever, even in Peewee ball, just playing Sunday football with the guys.”
