Sept. 10, 2002
The following quotes are from TCU head coach Gary Patterson's weekly luncheon with local media. Patterson comments on last weekend's triumph at Northwestern and Saturday's home-opener versus Metroplex-rival SMU.
On coming back from 10-0 deficit at Northwestern:
"Being down 10-0 early, I hope the trend doesn't continue this way. Having to fight back in the first quarter is not really the way we would like to do it, but I thought our kids handled it well. I thought the turning point was when they got the ball inside the 20-yard line after we turned it over (on TCU's first possession) and they only got a field goal out of it.
"We played a lot better on the defensive line. We still don't feel we're at where we've been in the past but we feel like we are getting better. With having a short week, we really didn't get to work on getting better because you have to worry about working on a scheme and how the other team is going to play you. But this week will allow us to get back and work on some things that will make us better both offensively and defensively."
On TCU's quarterbacks:
"A lot of people are surprised at how well Sean Stilley has played. But, like I've been saying from the beginning, I think he is a journeyman. He played in games last year, and I would rather have a fifth-year senior coming into this position than where a lot of teams are with a freshman or sophomore. As a general rule, what I have been impressed with is his maturity level, leadership and the way he has run the offense. We're not going to ask him to make outstanding plays. All he has done is get the ball in the hands of people that make plays.
"I was also impressed with Tye Gunn for the short time that he came in on Saturday. I was impressed when he had a dislocated finger on the sideline on Saturday and he went to the trainer, had him pop it back in, tape it up and he went right back into the ballgame. That is just the type of kid that he is.
"I have been very happy at that position so far. I think that is a tribute to Mike (Schultz, offensive coordinator), but I think it's also a tribute to Dick Winder (quarterbacks coach). He is an older coach with a lot of experience and has given us a lot of maturity at that position. He coaches them hard - he coaches them like linebackers. We like to make practice harder than a game and that is what he does. If someone is going to get embarrassed, it is better to do so in front of trees with nobody in the stands rather than in front of 45,000 people."
On SMU's offense:
"I've been impressed with how athletic their quarterback (Tate Wallis) is. For a guy that hasn't played a lot of football on the collegiate level so far, I think that he has handled the offense really well and I have seen vast improvement in two weeks. I don't think they are asking him to do a whole lot of things and they don't have to. They are doing a great job on their offensive line. They have a really good tight end (John Hampton). He is from Burleson and I know him as a player and as a person. He has really developed and is a very good player. Their offensive line is coming off the ball well and the running backs are great cutback runners. In both games, their biggest runs have been cutback runs, so we will have to be very careful about over-pursuing and will have to have great tackling or we will get ourselves in a lot of trouble."
On SMU's defense and special teams:
"Whether it is under the (coaching) group that they have now or under their last defensive coordinator, they have played great defense. They play hard, no matter who they play. They are very quick. They may not be the biggest defensive front that we will face but they are going to make a lot of plays. They are very smart. They don't get themselves out of position. They have two great corners, which allows them to do more up front, and their safeties have gotten better from one week to the next.
On overall the matchup with SMU:
"We feel that one advantage that we may have is that we have a returning kicker, punter and snapper, while they're a little bit younger at those positions. But besides that, I think it's going to be a very even ballgame."
On the significance of the rivalry between SMU and TCU:
"I heard (SMU Head Coach Phil) Bennett say that this may be the biggest game of the year for them. For us it is a big game, but it is the next game. I think you have to be very careful about putting all your eggs in one basket but I do believe it is an important game for recruiting and other reasons. As far as our players are concerned, I think that from both standpoints, the senior groups want to go out with a win. You don't want to be the senior group that lost such a big game and I think that you'll see that their group of seniors will want to win this game as much as ours do. This rivalry has always been a hard-fought, clean battle.
"I not only like playing SMU, but I like it when we get to play any team from the state of Texas. We play SMU, North Texas and Houston and have Baylor and Texas Tech on upcoming schedules. I think all of those games are neat because our kids know a lot of the kids on those teams from high school and all-star games."
On TCU's injuries:
"I think that we are getting back to being as close to completely healthy as we have ever been. Kevin Brown and Josh Goolsby came back this week. It looks like Marvin Godbolt has a good chance of being back by Saturday."
On the abundance of forced turnovers in the first two weeks:
"Two years ago, we didn't force a lot of turnovers, but we were No. 1 in the nation in defense. I think that's just how the cycle goes around. Sometimes turnovers happen in bunches. It's like a hitter in baseball. Sometimes you get on a roll and hits just happen and sometimes you can't buy a hit. Right now we just happen to be on a hot streak with forcing turnovers and it has helped us by giving our offense a short field and a certain confidence level by getting the ball back. With our pressure style, we try to cause turnovers. When you're thinking, you're not reacting and I think turnovers happen when you're reacting. This year, we have been reacting rather than thinking and grabbing. We're a lot older than we were a year ago with 48 letterwinners coming back so more good things are happening on defense."
