Texas Tech University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
September 06, 2003 | Football
Final Stats?|? Notes
TEXAS TECH QUOTES
Wide Receiver Jarrett Hicks
On the receptions of tonight:
"I am just trying to get my feet wet right now and do it at home games. We are still trying to improve so we will be able to go on the road in Big 12 play and make things happen."
On whether or not he's big time now?
"No - I'm far from that. As the game progresses you get a handle on it and just keep playing."
Strong Safety Ryan Aycock
On being nervous toward the end of the game:
"We planned to come out in the second half and go three out and things just don't go your way sometimes. New Mexico is a good team and they are going to give it their best shot every game. I really wasn't pleased with the way the second half ended up."
On making plays in the red zone:
"We made key plays when we needed to and that's what good defenses do. Sometimes you get into a bind and you just have to find a way to get out. We weren't really pleased with the first half either and I don't think we really responded like we needed to."
On whether or not fatigue is a factor:
"No. Our offense is going to make a lot of big plays and they are going to score quick and it doesn't really take much time off the clock. I feel like we are in good shape. It all comes down to technique and doing the little things right and I think we kind of got away from that a little bit tonight."
Defensive Coordinator Lyle Setencich
On the amount of time defense was on the field:
"I think its good that they were on the field as much as they were. When players get tired, an older player is mentally tough enough to over come it. Older and more experienced players know how to stay focused. I think everyone saw our age tonight. New Mexico exposed our inexperience and took advantage of it."
On the first two games:
"I have seen some things I want and some things I don't want. Most importantly, these two games have given me an idea of what these kids are capable of and what they can do."
On New Mexico's toughness in the second half:
"I think we were really exposed and that caused us to lose our composure, and when you lose your composure you don't see the quarterback. You have to control your eyes and let your body follow them."
On the bye this week:
"The bye is really good for us. There are three of us new on defense so it will give us a chance to see what we can do differently to give our kids a chance to be successful."
Head Coach Mike Leach
On the overall impression of the game:
"It was a good win. There were places we could have played better but places we played well. New Mexico is a good team. They were very well prepared and did some things to get us off balance, but we were able to get back on track.
On B.J. Symons:
"I think he played well. He made some good plays in the first half and did a lot of things that were polished in the second half."
On the offense scoring quickly:
"The offense rolled along at a pretty good pace. The biggest thing is scoring as many points as possible early and having the ability to eat up the clock at the end."
NEW MEXICO QUOTES
Head Coach Rocky Long
On tonight's game:
"Coming in I thought that it would be a shoot out until the end. Yet we came in on offense and couldn't get it together and score. We knew that Tech would put points on the board, but we were hoping we could come in and score too. We just had too many mistakes today."
"Overall, I was very disappointed with our performance. We just didn't prepare well enough mentally for today's game."
About Tech's Offense:
"I think that they are just as good on offense as they were last year. They have the same good receivers and running backs as they did last year."
On Second Half Play:
"I thought that we played very well in the second half. We played with a lot of effort, and executed our plays well. What made the difference is that we did not have as many line up mistakes as we did in the first half, and were able to put points on the board."
Safety Terrell Golden
About First Half:
"It just seemed that every time that we were making a mistake, they were putting points on the board. If we played like we did in the second half, this would have been a different game. You can not say that they wanted this game more than we did, because we wanted it just as much, but we just made too many mistakes."
"We played well in the second half, but you can not come into a game and only play a half. Football is two halves, and you have to play well in both to win."
On Tech's play:
"They just made more plays than we did. We knew that they would come into the game and score and knew that we would have to score too. We just had too many mistakes."
Quarterback Casey Kelley
On the Game:
"We just made too many mistakes to recover from. We didn't take advantage of the opportunities that we had in the first half, and made a lot of mistakes. It's tough to overcome that when you are playing a good team like Tech."
On Tech's Play:
"It's disappointing when you lose a game you were in until the end. They were making more plays than we did, with not as many mistakes as we did. Tech is a great ball club, and they played a great game."
On preparing in the next two weeks for NC State:
"This off-week is going to help a lot. It is going to allow us to work on some things. They are a great team and we have to come ready to play that game and be able to play all four quarters to beat them because they are a great team."
