Oct. 3, 2000

On the Virginia game last Saturday:

We obviously didn't play well to win, but we did some things better. Once again we weren't consistent enough across the board. We didn't put enough points on the board offensively and we weren't aggressive enough defensively to keep them out of the endzone. We got better in some areas, but we didn't make enough progress.

On Aggressiveness of the Team:

In some cases because our squad is so young that you literally have to train them to be aggressive week in and week out. Sometimes you have to watch yourself, because you'll get some injuries and then you'll find yourself backing away from the things that are necessary. Those are fundamentals that need to done at full speed and with collisions in order to get them taught properly. When you back away from those you typically see the results of that in the ballgame when your not as aggressive as you were in previous weeks. We just were committed to not letting that happen to us.

On The Status of Anthony Young:

He'll practice, but he'll probably do mostly running game stuff today and not throw the ball. He's kind of stretched his back a little bit, trying to extend the ball to the end zone. I haven't talked to my staff about who will start yet. We're just trying to get through the week at this point. Both of them are going to play.

On The Advantages of A Two Quarterback System:

What it does it prepares us for two different styles and that is difficult to pull off from an offensive standpoint. The same difficulty that is required for us to prepare for us to work with two fairly different individuals also presents a problem for defense in terms of preparation as well. Both guys have their strengths and we try to utilize them as much as we can. They both adapted well. Some of the things that will happen with young quarterbacks is problems with the clock and game management stuff. I thought both of those guys handled those things really well.

On The Difficulties of A Two Quarterback System:

One big thing is that the snap count is different. The rhythm of the snap count, the voice inflection, the speed of getting off the ball, the location in the pocket is different. Both guys are different in size and dimension so their drops tend to be different. The lineman have to know exactly where he is and exactly where the pocket is without even looking. So that changes and it could change per series. In terms of stretching the perimeter that certainly is affected by the styles of two different quarterbacks.

On The Team's Upbeat Morale:

They see that there is progress being made. They know that the only thing that is going to get them out of this hole is great morale and a great outlook toward the future. They have done a good job of keeping their heads up, but understanding that we have a lot of work to do and that they have to play better. As far as getting down on themselves is something that we try to make certain doesn't happen. That is sometimes a tough job.

On Vanderbilt:

They have played great defense over the years - I mean outstanding defense. If you look back through the years, particularly since Coach Widenhofer has been there, they have had one of the better defenses in that league - and that's a tough league. Most of the games you'd see were fairly close games all the time because they were always in it because of the fact that they could play defense and pressure you a lot defensively and get after you. They are a very aggressive bunch and they have a good nucleus of seniors on their defense as well. I was watching the film of last week's game and I saw their defense stop Auburn and the scoreboard said 3-0. I see their defense stop Auburn again and the scoreboard said 10-0. I see their defense stop Auburn again and the scoreboard said 17-0. I said "how is Auburn scoring if their defense keeps stopping them every time?" Well Auburn's offense wasn't scoring, except for the field goal. Auburn returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and faked a field goal. That just shows you how things ordinarily go. Vanderbilt's defense is always tough. They have some weapons. They are a good, solid football team.