Postgame Quotes
October 01, 2005 | Football
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TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH Mike Leach
On the defense:
"The defense played well and they rose at key times. The linemen and the defensive backs played well too."
On the game:
"I never thought the offense played consistently. We were too intense. We didn't play well on the punt return. But we did a good job making decisions. Penalties and personal fouls were a factor for both teams. We never ran out of gas. We are not content with just doing our jobs."
On Kansas:
"They played hard. I have a lot of respect for their defense. Our ability to recognize and react to the blitz was low."
On responding to adversity:
"The defense did really well and they did a good job at facing the adversity. The field goal team also did well. The offense didn't respond well to adversity."
On Cody Hodge's performance:
"He did a good job at recognizing at what he had and what he didn't have. We were really wired up and that is beneficial to the defense."
SENIOR LINEBACKER John Saldi
On his touchdown:
"It was the responsibility on the pitch. They just happened to bring it my way. I haven't scored a touchdown yet so it was cool for me to be able to do that."
On big hits:
"All of the big hits just come from us knowing what we are doing out there. We have to feel comfortable with the guy beside us, and like we have always been told big hits will come if you are in the right position. That is what we are doing, is getting in the right positions."
On the overall game:
"A lot of people say it was our first test. I don't know if I believe that. We play a lot of good teams that are well coached, just as we are. Kansas is a well-coached team and they have good athletes on their team. Their quarterbacks do very well. For us to be able to step up and contain them is a big deal right now."
On the intensity of defense:
"There have been a lot of people saying we haven't played anyone this season. So we wanted to come out and prove that we are a legit team this year and I think we were pretty hyped to come out and play this game."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Cody Hodges
On the pace of the game:
"It was faster but I don't think that had anything to do with our execution. Obviously, we didn't play real well. The defense stepped up big time and they pretty much won the ball game for us."
On what was missing:
"We came out that first drive and things looked real crisp. I thought things would just snowball after that. Kansas has a great defense and they deserve a lot of credit for that. Offensively, it got to the point where we were just playing with nine or 10 guys. With this offense everybody has got to be doing the right job at the right time. As a collective group we didn't play with 11 players."
On Kansas' effect on the offense:
"They mixed up their coverage a lot. They didn't do anything that we didn't see on film. It seemed like they had guys everywhere. That is on me to get us on a better play. Coach Leach calls a play but it is up to me to call a different play based on leverage. That is where I have to get better."
On Tech's offense:
"It is disappointing we had only two touchdowns and all of the field goals. I would rather have an ugly win than a pretty loss. We are 1-0 in conference right now and there is still a lot we can work out. We are 1-0 in conference and that is what matters, but we have another week and a different opponent to get better. We aren't satisfied."
JUNIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN Ken Scott
On the overall game:
"You can't beat a Big 12 victory. It is always good to see our guys have big hits. It really unites the defense. We were really well prepared for this game and there was nothing unexpected."
On the defensive score:
"A defensive score is a rare occurrence. We want to try to make it happen more. It doesn't matter who got it (touchdown). What is important is that we got it."
KANSAS HEAD COACH MARK MANGINO
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Texas Tech, they are a very good football team, very athletic team. They really have some quality players on both sides of the ball, run very well, they are physical. I was very impressed with them."
"For speaking about our ball club, I was proud of the effort of our defense most of the night. Texas Tech took the ball during the opening ball and marched down the field and scored, but our kids settled down and with the exception of a couple of big plays, some big pass plays, the rest of the night played very well against an offense that is very high powered. When you look at it, we made some nice adjustments the second half, particular in the fourth quarter and our kids did a nice job on the field with those adjustments. We really only gave up 23 points, our offense gave up a touchdown so that is a look to build on with defensive unit."
"As far as the offense, I didn't think we were crisp at all in the pass game. If it wasn't a misfire, it was a drop, if it wasn't a drop then it wasn't a really run route. Those are correctable things; you know we will get those things corrected. I thought we could run the ball a little bit more than we did, but overall I would say that our team, I like the way they played for four quarters, they played hard and fought right to the end, I think that is a good sign for us, but you know we got to score some more points on offense."
"But I think the biggest difference in the entire game, was just one player, it was Cody Hodges. He's the difference tonight. He is a tough kid, we knocked him down, sacked him and got after him all night and he just kept competing, making play, after play, after play. I know that they probably didn't score a whole lot in the second half, but he got some key first downs for them. Getting out and scrambling out of the pocket, we hit him hard all night. I like the kid, Cody Hodges was the difference in the game tonight, that's the bottom line in my book."
SENIOR LINEBACKER BRANDON PERKINS
On responding to Tech's opening offensive drive:
"I think we had to adjust to the speed of the game and just settle down."
On Cody Hodges:
"He's a kid with a lot of heart. He kept getting up and taking shots. I have to give him a lot of credit. Coach came up with a lot of good schemes to get him. We made contact with him, we hit him a little bit; he's a fighter and just kept getting up."
On their pass rushing:
"You can't be too pleased. We did all right, but we didn't do enough to win."
JUNIOR RUNNING BACK JON CORNISH
On playing special teams, too:
"I love playing on special teams, and whenever I didn't have an injury, I'd try to get in on punt return. I'm on kickoff cover, punt return, and punt cover. I did all of them at the beginning (of the game), but then I only did punt coverage at the end."
On the offense:
"They started bringing people down, which made it more difficult to run. They weren't respecting our pass as much, and we weren't having as much success with the pass as we like."
SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER MARK SIMMONS
On the defense holding Tech to 23 points:
"Hats off to our defense. We were there at the end, but we have to keep fighting. A couple plays here and there, things might have gone the other way, but hats off to Texas Tech. They played a great game."
