Nov. 12, 2001
KENTUCKY VS. TENNESSEE
FOOTBALL PRESS CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 12, 2001
WILDCAT DEN
Head Coach Guy Morriss
On difference between playing Vanderbilt and Tennessee:
“We talked to them yesterday about this past Saturday’s game and pointed out all of the good things we’ve done and what we were really pleased with. But they understand that they’re dealing with a different cat here this week. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to find a way to improve from now until Saturday in order to beat Tennessee. We probably have to play our best football game of the season – eliminate penalties, no turnovers, fly around the field and play with a lot emotion. We must give a great effort. That’s about all we can ask them to do and we’ll see what happens.”
On mental state of team after win:
“It solidifies what we’ve been talking to them about all year long. They’ve hung with us through tough times and it’s good for them to have a smile on their faces after the ball game, it was much deserved. They’ve worked extremely hard to this point. Hard work does not win football games for you but if you don’t work very hard you’re not going to have a chance to win. I don’t think it will be difficult to get them grounded and back to working hard and focusing on beating Tennessee.”
On Tennessee’s defensive line:
“You hear talk around the league that it’s the best defensive line in the conference. I’ve not had a chance to study as much as I’d like to at this point but I know they have great personnel and depth.”
On Kentucky defensive improvement:
“We’ve made some big plays in the game on Saturday which was good to see. I think we had several tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage and Dennis Johnson probably had his best game of the year. David Johnson came up big with the interception. We’re making the big plays but the thing we have to address is getting our kids off the field. We’re obviously giving up too many yards but it’s a situation where you keep working, you stay with it. The injuries hurt us early in the year and we have a couple guys back now that are making a difference.”
Improvement since South Carolina loss:
“It’s a process of players feeling comfortable in the system and coaches getting to know the strengths of our players. I don’t think that there’s ever been any doubt that the players believe in what we were doing. They believe in the coaches that are coaching them. It’s been through their hard work and efforts that things are coming together a little better now. We keep on emphasizing the things that have gotten us to this point and keep on improving.”
On Leonard Burress:
“He got cut and actually landed on his lower back, he’s got a bruised lower back. As of right now, he’s questionable and we’ll see what the X-rays tell us. I think Leonard has a good chance of playing on Saturday.”
On seniors playing last home game:
“They’ve been a good group of seniors. They’ve hung tough through the tough times and provided leadership that you would like to see your senior leaders provide. I think they have a certain degree of pride, as we were not as successful as we would have liked to be this year but they’ve been instrumental in putting in the new system and getting this thing moving in the right direction. They’ve never questioned anything we had them do and they’ve been very encouraging to the young players.”
On beating Tennessee:
“It would mean a lot for the program. I think it would mean that Larry (Ivy) would have to buy a new set of goal posts if we can pull it off. We’ll go into the game and give it our best shot.”
On QB Jared Lorenzen:
“He’s done a really good job. The thing that is impressive about Jared is that he could have gone one of two ways and he went the right way. He’s done the right things and he’s solidified his relationship with Coach Brent Pease. He’s improved in a lot of areas – his leadership has gotten so much better. He does a great job of studying film, doing extra with the receivers. He has a good grasp and understanding of the package and doing the sort of things that we expect our quarterback to do in this offense.”
Safety David Johnson
On the team’s confidence:
“I don’t think we have lost any confidence. I think out confidence is still high, especially since we are coming off of a victory.”
On the season’s last home game:
“We would like to send the seniors out with a win.”
On what the defense must do to win:
“We have to play together like we did last week. We also have to stop the run as they have a great running back. I am really looking forward to the challenge.
DT Derrick Johnson
On his last home game:
“It’s been tough at times, with the losses and coaching changes, but God does things for a reason. Overall it’s been a good experience. I want to go out and try to get a win over Tennessee. Coach (Guy) Morriss and Coach (John) Goodner have done a good job here and they will win here.”
On needing a perfect game to beat Tennessee:
“We have to approach it like that. They have great players top to bottom, so you have to prepare and be near perfect to beat a team like that. Our mentality is different than it has been in the past. We are coming out knowing that we can play with them. But it will still be tough.”
RB Artose Pinner
On what has kept the team confident:
“First of all, we have a family mentality. We know we are going to go through some adversity, but we stick together. Second, we see improvements each week. Knowing we are getting better each week helps us keep going.”
On what the win over Vanderbilt meant to the team:
“Getting that win under our belts meant a lot. Finally getting an SEC win is really big. It helps us go into the Tennessee game believing we can win.”
OL Nick Seitze
On Tennessee:
“Their defensive line has good size and a lot of talent. It’s a good way to see where we are. They have a lot of depth on the line. It’s not just a couple of guys. Most of the line are juniors and seniors, too, so they have experience in college football.”
“It’s going to be a step up playing Tennessee this weekend. They get the best recruits and pride themselves on getting the top quality defensive linemen and defensive backs.”
On Jared Lorenzen:
“Jared’s getting more confidence in the offensive line and we’re more confident in him. We work on calming each other down so we can concentrate on doing what we need to do.”
“He’s been doing a better job learning what the offense is capable of. He’s taking his time in the pocket and making the plays, and we’re doing a better job of blocking and giving him the time he needs.”
Tight End Derek Smith
On his four catch, 130-yard day:
“It feels good to get back on track. All year long I kept on doing the same thing and I guess on Saturday it was just my turn to be open. I kept hustling and fighting throughout the season and now things are starting to work out.”
On the team preparation for Tennessee:
“We’ve been working hard all season and we are going to do the same this week. We came out and had our best offensive game against Vanderbilt and we are trying to keep it rolling against Tennessee. We’re not going to change anything, we just keep working as hard as we can.”
On the Volunteers:
“Tennessee is a great team and there’s a reason why they are ranked in the BCS poll, but there is no reason why we can’t go out there and give them a really good fight. We feel like we are peaking right now.”
