Nov. 24, 2009

Head Coach Brady Hoke

Opening statement:
"This is a huge football game for our seniors. We talk about senior leadership; we talk about playing and winning for our seniors. This is going to be the last time 98.5 [percent] of them ever play organized football. As a former player, I don't think you realize it until it's kind of over with, but we try and talk about that a lot because we're going to play for them every year and want them to finish on a very successful note."

On the "hangover level" the last 3 days:
"I don't think there's any. I think our guys have gone to work on Sunday and every week in a good fashion. I was brutally honest with them about how I thought we played in the first half and how we fainted a little bit and turned it down, the environment, and went out in the second half and played like you're capable of playing. They appreciate honesty just like everybody does in life and sometimes it's tough love and it's hard but it's the truth."

On what constitutes "brutal honesty" to the players:
"I don't know if in this form we can say that. Pointing out the things that we do well and then pointing out the things that we don't do well. If you turn a hit down, I'm going to call you out. If you're not giving effort, you're going to get called out. This is a team and so it's not just the players, it's all of us. Myself, if I make bad decisions, I'm going to tell them. There's enough blame all of us."

On UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe:
"He's a terrific football player, obviously, and you feel really bad for that young man. He's a big part of their football team. Just like when we lost Vincent [Brown], there's other guys who step up and I'm sure that [UNLV] Coach [Mike] Sanford will have those guys ready to step up and play a heck of a game. For Ryan, you feel really bad for him because you don't want to see anybody get hurt."

On Dominique Sandifer stepping up:
"[Dominique Sandifer]'s been playing pretty well and I think he's scratching the surface of his abilities that he has. He is a guy that coming out of spring we thought would be a pretty good football player for us. As he matures ... and learns, I think he'll continue to get better as a player."

On Miles Burris' role on defense:
"The framework of the defense and he's the guy who rushes passer and holds the line of scrimmage probably as good as any of those [line]backers that we have. Really he fits the scheme more as an outside guy in what we do. He's a strong guy who holds the point pretty daggone well and he's got the ability to put pressure on the quarterback."

"You look at us as a team, we're not exactly the fearsome foursome when it looks like putting pressure on people but he's one of the guys who has a pretty good feel and an ability. Him and Andrew Preston are the two guys who really, from backer position, in my opinion, do a good job. Andrew had a couple hits last week on the quarterback and he has [a] pretty good knack for that."

On how good TCU is compared to the BCS upper echelon:
"Not playing the others, but playing [TCU] I guess the thing I would have to compare it is being at an institution like Michigan and the players that we had and the speed that we had. They have every bit as good of players and they've got a quarterback who really is making great decisions for them. I think that's probably where the maturity of their team has come. You talk about their defense a lot, but their offense protects their defense a long by staying on the field and converting on third down. I think it would be great, if it could happen, to see TCU playing those teams."

On how to get to the level of TCU and Utah:
"Number 1 I think it starts in your recruiting. I think having the ability to recruit, having the ability to develop players through your weight room, through your coaching, through the fundamentals, and through the techniques. I think on a smaller scale, we were able to do that at Ball State. We got good players, which means good coaches."

On if you believe the program could go to that level:
"I don't think there's any doubt. I wouldn't be sitting here. We've got to do a good job of staying with our philosophy and staying in what our belief system is and staying working hard in the recruiting. You're not going every guy, that's a given, but you've got to have guys of character and guys who have ability and guys who have a passion for the game and guys who really value what a degree means."

On if you coach differently depending on the talent you recruit:
"I don't think you coach any differently no matter who you're coaching. There's got to be a consistency in every day in what you do. I don't know if I would characterize it that way but I do think the way you recruit and how you recruit the young men you want to represent your university and their character is extremely important. Character wins in life and it wins out there on the field."

Student-Athletes Ryan Lindley, Peter Nelson, and Luke Laolagi

On playing your last game as a senior:

Luke Laolagi: "It's a big game ... being your last college football game, you're always excited. It goes by fast and no matter how many times you're told, it never seems that fast. We're going to be excited, we're going to be pumped, and we're going to play hard."

Peter Nelson: "It's going to be a lot of energy. It's going to be very emotional. This senior class, we're a pretty tight-knit group. We've been around each of the for five years. Most of us have been around and especially through the different coaching changes and throughout everything we've been through, we've really gotten to know each other and go through a lot. I think it's going to be very emotional and we're going to be ready to play."

On overall thoughts of the season:
Ryan Lindley: "I think there's a lot of positive things to look at and that's what you need to do when you look back and analyze a game afterwards. Obviously Saturday night, you're frustrated and you're upset because you lose a game but you come back Sunday and Monday and really look back and see what you can take from games like that. I think one thing, as an offense, our running game's improved dramatically over the past three weeks, past four weeks. It's something that we've really compounded on each week and we continue to find things and Coach [Al] Borges is making some schemes that are looking good. I think there's always room to improve in every aspect and that's what we're looking to do each week."

On if it hards to play well and then have a game like Utah:
Lindley: "I think it's a part of the learning process, I guess. I think one of the things I've thought about, and looking backing back, is consistency is the key. That's something that personally I need work on but a good offense is going to be consistent, consistently good. I think that's something to just continue to work on and all you can do is go out this week and play your best."

On Miles Burris:
Laolagi: "It's great to see him play and run around. Coming in as a freshman as big as he was, he knew was going to make an impact early and that's what he did. He's been coming along, improving every week, and it's fun to watch."