Texas Tech University Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
August 30, 2003 | Football
Recap?|? Final Stats?|? Notes
Texas Tech vs. SMU
August 30, 2003
Texas Tech Quotes
Head Coach Mike Leach
About B.J. Symons
"B.J carries himself very well as a leader on this team, and I have always thought from the beginning that he would do well. He's got the ability to handle the football and put it in the air. He is a very leveled headed guy who doesn't get tangled in his emotions, and stays focused on the game."
About the Game
"Our offense will only get better with time and will continue to improve after every game. I thought we did a great job running the offense and making the plays that we needed to win the game."
"We will take quite a lot from this game, just as every team does from the first game of the season. We have a lot of work to do and had a few sloppy plays we need to work out. Overall I was pleased with the effort of the guys."
About play of the Running Backs
"I thought that they played especially well today, since for Taurean Henderson, this was his first time out on the field in awhile. Last year he had minimal playing time and only averaged somewhere around five yards a game. I was impressed with him last year, and was even more pleased with his performance today."
About SMU's play
"They dominated us in a important area of the game and that is number of plays. I feel that with more time, our team will find that rhythm, and will work it out as a team to get better."
Runningback Taurean Henderson
On his individual performance in the game tonight:
I just played my role in the game. I wanted to go and play hard and to stay focused and to play my part on the team. Every time I get the ball I want to do something and make things happen. As for B. J., he is very confident and a great player. I am glad to be out there playing with him He is going to be a good leader for us."
On today's game:
It is a great start and that's what we set out to do. What we talked about in the locker room was just coming out and starting fast and finishing fast. I think we are able to do that and that we got the job done today."
Kicker Keith Toogood
On his leg strength:
"Today I went and got my new pair of pants and they were too big. I went and got my new pair of pants and they gave me Kliff's old pants and said that I had something to live up to. There must be something in there."
On how comfortable things are starting to get:
Everything is starting to hone in. The first few days it was a little sketchy, but we started working together a little more and getting more kicks in. By next week we shouldn't have a problem at all.
On if it was on his mind that the game point might come down to him:
"Every kick has to be exactly the same. You can either be scared or go out and know you have a job to do and do it. That's the mentality I have to have."
SMU QUOTES
SMU Head Coach Gary Bennett
"It is really disappointing. Coming in here I really felt like that we had a chance to make this a competitive game."
On the play of the Tech offensive line:
"We were small out there on the defensive side and they came out and really oversized us. They had a lot of size out there and knew how to use it."
On penalties resulting in the team losing sync on offense:
"All the penalties had a lot to do with us losing sync on offense. Their defense had a lot to do with that as well, I don't want to take anything away from them. They made some big plays and got us out of sync.
On the play of Tech QB B.J. Symons
"I thought he did well. He has had a lot of experience and reps in their offensive system. He has a lot of talented weapons at receiver."
SMU Quarterback Richard Bartel
"The game got away from us there toward the end of the game, mainly because we did some foolish things. It doesn't matter what my experience is, I need to make better decisions out there. I take full blame for the failures of our offense tonight."
On the play of the Tech offense
"It also very discouraging for the defense. Taking on a team like that you know that you can't stop them offensively you just have to try to contain them. That offense is explosive, very different than ours, we can't get into a shootout with an offense like that. It pretty discouraging to look up at the board and keep seeing another seven points."
