Oct. 24, 2000
Two of Baylor's head coaches spoke to the media at Tuesday's press luncheon. Below are excerpts from their comments.
Head Volleyball Coach Brian Hosfeld:
On the team's state:
"We're playing a lot better now, just not getting the bounces or the calls to go our way."
"We know we can compete with anybody. We're still figuring out our line-up a little, but I think we've settled that a bit."
On the team's postseason prospects:
"We're not out of this yet. We're 5-6 in conference, with nine matches left. We're almost at a point where we need to win every game to get a postseason bid... It's like being down 3-0 in the World Series... The opportunity is there for us to finish higher than fifth [in conference]."
On upcoming opponents:
"Our mindset is, we know it's crunch time. Both Kansas State and Texas are playing well right now. K-State is coming off a good first round... We match up really well against them. If we play like we did against Texas Tech, it should be an exciting match that should go our way."
Head Football Coach Kevin Steele:
On last week's game against Nebraska:
"It was a disappointment. We weren't very good. It's always a tough challenge to play a team as talented as that team... Probably the most disappointing thing was... that for the first time this year, we didn't have a manageable score around halftime, either late in the second quarter or in the third quarter. Every game this year has been that way, which is a drastic change from last year."
On the team's injury situation:
"Probably the biggest thing coming out of the game was the injury factor. Samir Al-Amin is doubtful. McKinley Bowie is questionable. Kris Micheaux is questionable. We'll get Eric Giddens and Anthony Simmons back, which will help. On offense, Melvin Barnett is doubtful at fullback. Joe Jackson is questionable to doubtful at center, and Eric South, our backup center, is doubtful."
"We're pretty thin offensively. We've had a lot of key injuries. We've got a lot of guys playing for us who weren't on the offensive practice field earlier in the year."
On this week's opponent, Texas:
"Texas is running the ball real well right now... Major Applewhite seems to be hitting his stride to where he was before the injury... They've got some good young receivers playing at a very high level."
On the state of the program:
"Records are no indication of the resilience of this football team."
"What I worry about is the looks in the eyes of the young men down there everyday... You control the things you can control: the energy, the work ethic, the attitude..."
"Everybody that comes to work here everyday knows we're getting better. Kris Micheaux told me the other day that 'it's just a matter of time'." I was at work Sunday watching tape, and I had two players call and seven stop by to see us, to check on us."
On the quarterbacks:
"Number one, these are quality young men. Number two, they're being asked to do a job in a very difficult situation, because they've had minimal reps. They're getting their experience on the job... That's a tough way to learn a job."
"I thought when Guy Tomcheck came in he had a little more rhythm. His footwork was better. At times, he had some confidence, at other times, it didn't click... There were some positive things we took out of it."
On Texas QB Major Applewhite:
"Major is a proven player. He's taken a lot of snaps, a lot of successful snaps. The injury got him out of his rhythm... Now, he's found that again. He's back in stride."
