Dykes Sounds Off About Upcoming Season
July 21, 1999 | Football
July 21, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech Head Coach Spike Dykes held his first press conference of the season on Wednesday morning, previewing the upcoming 1999 Red Raider football season.
Following are some selected quotes from Dykes' press conference.
On the strength of this year's team:
"The great strength of this team is that we'll have 80 guys on scholarship and out of those 80 there's not many that can't contribute to this team. Even though they may not all be All-Conference players, we don't have much dead weight, and that makes you capable of being successful."
On replacing key losses on defense:
"We lost a lot of guys on defense and that worries you a bit. Darwin Brown was a guy we took for granted around here. Montae Reagor, you don't just replace an All-American like that. But we do have a good nucleus coming back on defense. We got the Reagan Bownds type of guys that aren't very big, not tremendous speed, but they are great football players. Then we also got the Dorian Pitts and John Norman types, guys that have a bit more flash. They're younger and I think they're going to blossom this year, so we're excited about that.
"Really, I think the defense is going to be okay because we've tried a lot of guys. We had 25 guys ready to play every game on defense last year. I think that we're replacing great players with great players. I think, for example, that Devin Lemons will step in and take the place of Montae Reagor. Now, hes not going to be Montae Reagor right away, but Devin Lemons is a pretty good player and we got a lot of good players ready to step in."
On the opening game at Arizona State:
"It's a tough place to start. It's what we need. We can beat ASU if we go down there and play a good game, don't make a bunch of mistakes. They've got one of the premier programs in the country, although they had a disappointing season last year. They have great athletes down there.
"It'll be a packed stadium, a good place to start no doubt about it. It'll be a tough chore, but I think how you get good is by playing good teams."
On star running back Ricky Williams:
"What makes him good is that he's tougher than a yard dog, he's got a great work ethic, he's tenacious, he's quick. He does everything you ask of him and then some.
"Hes going to have another good year. He was good last year and I think he'll be good this year. If he were at some other places he'd be one of the top two choices for the Heisman Trophy. It's too bad he doesn't have those kind of opportunities, but these things usually work themselves out."
On this year's recruiting class:
"The quality of this freshman class is good. Even though some of them may not be as highly regarded, they are good players and we got some exciting players on that list. I can see some of those guys coming in here and contributing this fall. We really did get some nice athletes."
On star recruit, running back Shaud Williams:
"He was one of the top running backs in the state and a lot of guys in that position want to know what the offense will be like, they want to play right away, they want to know how often they'll carry the ball. Shaud isn't like that. He just signed and said 'I'll stand in line until I earn my turn.' He's got the same attitude that Ricky (Williams) had when he came in here and that's, 'Im going to do everything in my power to get on the field. Any way I can help, let me know and I want to do it.' It seems that's just the type of guy he is and that's how he was through the whole recruiting process."
On the strength of the other teams in the Big XII:
"The league is pretty tough, top to bottom. We didn't get a chance to play Kansas State or Kansas last year. Except what I saw on film you could tell they have tremendous talent. Colorado has a ton of speed and we'll see how things work out there with the new coaching situation. Texas and Texas A&M have tremendous momentum coming off of great years. Baylor has a ton of speed and they really have some quality football players. They just scare you to death.
"Oklahoma State is really a sleeping giant of the conference. They just come out and win every Saturday. Nebraska, you just know they aren't going to stay down for long. Kansas State isn't going far down. Bill Snyder is a great coach and he'll keep those guys competitive. Iowa State signed 18 junior college guys, which scares you because you know they can perform. Oklahoma has a great defense, I think it was fifth in the nation last season,...so they're excited about what's going on there. Of course Missouri is being overlooked, but I think they should be strong again.
"If I had to pick, I suppose I'd have to give the nod to Texas or Texas A&M in the south. Colorado or Nebraska or Kansas State in the North. But really it's pretty even and that's just what the doctor ordered. It's kind of fun not knowing who's going to win every Saturday."