Weekly Press Conference Quotes
October 03, 2005 | Football
Oct. 3, 2005
2005 Texas Tech Football
Weekly Press Conference
Head Coach Mike Leach
On Nebraska's defense:
"They tend to blitz a lot and a little more than they did last year. I think it has been a big part of their package to begin with and they have done more of it and reinforced it this year."
On comparing Kansas and Nebraska defense:
"They (Nebraska) zone blitz a lot. Kansas was predominantly a man blitz while Nebraska utilizes more of a zone blitz."
On being blitzed:
"You want to be able to recognize it. You don't care if they blitz you or if they don't blitz you, but you want your players to be able to recognize and identify it."
On senior quarterback Cody Hodges:
"He got knocked down more times than he should have, but that is part of the deal of being quarterback and playing football, you are going to get knocked down. I think he is fine and that is all part of it. I certainly would rather him not get hit, but if he does he just needs to get back up and go."
On Nebraska's west coast offense:
"I think it is good. I like the scheme of it and they shift a lot of guys around. They have good coaches there and they will be coming off of a big game where they threw for over 400 yards. I think it is a good offense that is improving."
On linebacker Sylvester Brinkley:
"I thought he played good. He is a big, explosive guy and he is getting more reps and more familiar with it. I thought he played well and hit hard in the last game. He also did a good job because he was around the ball nine times and made a play on it eight times."
On Texas Tech's defense:
"I think they are playing together well. I think we have improved and part of it is we are older. We just have to keep improving. In football it is always football teams and our defense played a major role last game. If you were to specifically ask who controlled the game against Kansas it would be the Texas Tech defense. Both teams had an offense and special teams involved, but the Texas Tech defense controlled that game and I think they deserve quite a bit of credit for that."
On Nebraska's improvement since last year's game:
"I think our defense played a big part in last year's 70 points. We got all of those turnovers close, a lot of times inside their 20 and sometimes inside their 10. We moved the ball well last year and we just need to do it this year. I think they are better on defense and I am not sure if we are better on offense, but we are comparable. If we continue to improve we have a chance to be better. We are more physical at receiver and we have a veteran running back. We are also doing some good things upfront on the offensive line, so we have a chance to be better."
On kicker Alex Trlica:
"He has done a good job emerging as a player. He had done a very good job on kickoffs even before he started kicking those field goals. That is the best game he has played that I have been a part of."
On Nebraska's Memorial Stadium:
"It is a loud place and everyone says how friendly their fans are, but when it comes down to it they are rooting for the other team like all fans. The thing that I am impressed with is how the stadium comes together and how it has been remodeled through time and history. It has a quality of history which is impressive. The other thing is the more unique feel in college football. Everyone talks about Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, but in college football this stadium has that feel about it. They have a lot of tradition there and it is a neat place to play."
Quarterback Cody Hodges
On his physical health:
"I feel good. I was a little sore yesterday. I spent the whole day in the training room yesterday; but we have a good staff, so I felt a lot better this morning than I did yesterday when I woke up."
On last year's game against Nebraska:
"Obviously, Nebraska is going to be an overall better football team. They are 4-0 and have been in their system now for two years. It is not going to be that same team we played last year. You can pretty much throw out last year's game compared to this one."
On Nebraska's defense:
"Naturally, they blitz a lot. Probably after watching the Kansas game they will blitz more because at times we didn't handle it too well. We just have to be ready for that. Obviously, everything we saw on film against Kansas we can correct."
On making changes:
"We met late Sunday afternoon to watch film, but before we met with Coach Leach I watched it on my own just to see. We talked about it last night and he just wants me to give our offense better plays. He (Leach) will call the plays but sometimes the defense will be a step or two ahead of him just because they can adjust. It is my job if I see leverage to attack it."
On the game being the first road game:
"I think it is good for us. We have been at home for four games and a change of scenery will be good for us. I think we are ready to go somewhere else. Nothing against playing here at Lubbock, but it will change up the routine. Obviously, it will be a good challenge to play in Lincoln. They are going to have a rowdy crowd. I think for myself and the other guys we play better on the road in a more hostile environment."
On Nebraska as a team:
"We have to be locked in. We can not overlook them. They are 4-0 for a reason. They are a good football team and their offense is clicking a lot better this past week than it was earlier. We know it is going to be a true test. We are concerned about one game; we do not want to look too far in advance. Hopefully, we go in there, play well and get a win."
