Oct. 7, 2002
Wildcat Den
Commonwealth Stadium
Lexington, Ky.
Head Coach Guy Morriss
On the week off…
“It seemed to come at a good time. We were getting bumped and a little bit bruised up and mentally a bit tired. So, I think it did come at a good time. Last week we had eight or nine guys with the flu so it was good that happened during an open week. I have not seen the kids since Friday but I know they’re going to be ready to get back to work.”
On the state of mind of the team with SEC games coming up…
“I just have to believe that they’re in the frame of mind that with these next six games, we could win all six or we could lose all six. We have to come back in here, go back to work, play hard and not take anyone for granted. I think their frame of mind is good right now.”
On South Carolina’s defense…
“They play hard and run to the football well. They’ll line up in a three-man line with a four linebackers scheme. They’ll walk a linebacker down and play with two strong safeties. They’ll put eight men in the box and play about 75 percent zone. It’s very similar to Middle (Tennessee) and very similar to Mississippi State. I’m sure they’re going to come after us a bit and test us to see if we can protect and handle the blitz. I think their mentality will be to stop Artose Pinner and the running game and go from there.”
On the status of the team so far this season…
“Defensively we’ve obviously improved from last year. One way we’ve helped ourselves defensively is third downs – we’ve been able to get off the field. Offensively, I thought until the Florida game we were playing pretty well – we were progressing. The thing that disappointed me with the Florida game is that we were playing not to lose instead of being aggressive and playing to win. We have to get back to that kind of ball.”
On South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz…
“The thing that sticks out in my mind is that his teams always seem to play so hard. He’s done a good job of turning the program around there. The kids believe in what he’s doing. That says a lot to me as a coach.”
On Derek Abney…
“He might be the first player ever to score a touchdown receiving and score touchdowns on a kickoff return and a punt return. That to me is what makes him unique. I think pound for pound, he’s probably one of the toughest kids on our football team. He’s a real quality person – a gentleman off the field, a great student in the engineering program, really a team leader. You can’t say enough good things about him.”
UK PLAYERS
Chris Bernard – Wide Receiver
On the team mindset after the Florida loss…
“We definitely haven’t lost any confidence. Florida has a good team, and we knew it was going to be a challenge. We are disappointed in our mistakes, but we feel like we’re a better team this week than we were last week.”
On the balance of the SEC this season…
“The conference is so competitive right now. We know that everyone in the conference is on a level playing field, so we just want to keep working and prepare to win each game left on our schedule.”
On his transition to Kentucky from his home in California…
“I know I made a great decision to come here. I love Kentucky. The atmosphere and the fan support here are tremendous. I feel very comfortable with the team now, too.”
Otis Grigsby – Defensive End
On South Carolina…
“One thing we’ll be watching out for is their quarterback. Every time he drops back there’s a good chance he could run. We have to contain him — we can’t have him running all over the field.”
On Kentucky’s defensive line…
“The guys have been working very hard this year. We always feel like we have to step it up. I know that I need to play better every week than I did the week before. I just want to keep going out there and playing hard. It would be nice to get a few more sacks, too.”
Derrick Tatum – Cornerback
On break coming at a good time…
“We still have a few guys banged up so we needed this time off. We needed this time off to just get our minds ready so we can come out focused this week.”
On being in on 91 plays against Florida…
“I got a little tired so I came maybe two plays. I try to play the whole game and be in there every play. I have to be out there because if I’m not, we have to put in the freshmen. I have to be out there every play.”
On being able to play every play…
“I have to, it’s a must. In the Louisville, Middle Tennessee and Indiana games, I probably missed a total of eight plays. So it’s a must that I be out there every play.”
On icing knees during the week…
“I’m getting old – I’m a senior now. I have some problems with my knees but nothing too major because I’m playing the whole game.”
On concerns of QB Corey Jenkins and South Carolina’s offense…
“It’s the same game plan for us every week – we go out to hit people, to dominate, to punish the quarterback and to punish the running back. If we play our game, we win. But if we come out and don’t play our game, they’ll be tough on us.”
On Ole Miss upsetting Florida…
“I watched it a little bit. I got a little upset because I felt that we should have beaten them. I had to turn it off.”
