Oct. 30, 2001
Three of Baylor's head coaches spoke to the media at Tuesday's press luncheon. Below are excerpts from their comments.
Head Soccer Coach Nick Cowell:
On last week's two losses:
"We went into last weekend with the hope of finishing fourth in the conference, but with the possibility of finishing as low as eighth. It looks now like we will finish probably sixth or seventh."
"The team really didn't play near its potential... Against Kansas, they did fairly well, trailing 2-0 at the half... They played very well against the wind... We missed a couple of chances in the second half to get back into the game."
On the season as a whole:
"Last weekend was the story of our season -- injuries. Out of 30 players we started the year with, we have only 14 field players left standing... Melissa Humke and Rachel Kacsmaryk both went down."
"It's been a learning experience. Every game right now is pretty tough. We're going with a field player in goal, because Emily Koch is really hurting right now... It will probably be Stephanie Dempsey in goal the rest of the year. She's done a tremendous job for having had no experience."
On the upcoming weekend's slate:
"We're treating this weekend as a time to give our younger players some experience... This is time to plan for the Big 12 Tournament and even look ahead to next year."
Head Volleyball Coach Brian Hosfeld:
On the past week's results:
"We played a lot of volleyball last week... Fortunately, we came out in the positive end of it. We saw a lot of people step up, especially against Texas... We had key execution at the right times from everyone on the team."
"We had good attendance for our UT and Kansas matches, and that definitely helped us."
On the team's upcoming games:
"We play Colorado, who is now No. 22, and then Texas A&M, who I think is No. 14. We have to play a lot of defense -- really put our heart and energy into it. We've got the ability, we need to maintain our hitting percentages all the way through."
On the conference as a whole:
"There is definitely parity in the league... The power rankings showed that when we were down around seventh, eighth in the conference, we were still 29th or 30th in the nation... Us, the Pac-10, and the Big Ten are all right there."
Head Football Coach Kevin Steele:
On Saturday's opponent, No. 5 Texas:
"Here we go again, No. 1 and No. 2, now No. 5. The University of Texas is a very, very good football team. Talentwise, they may be the most talent I've seen on one team in a long time. They are so fast defensively... Usually when you watch a defensive team, you have one, maybe two guys who you say, 'Watch that guy the whole time.' It's hard to pick that out with Texas."
"Their offensive line is a big, strong group that gets on you and mauls you... They've got talent across the board... This is a big challenge. Our guys are looking forward to the opportunity to play Texas. They bounced back, had a good practice yesterday. They're focused on playing the kind of football they know they can play."
"We have to make sure we score every chance we get, and play a very good defensive game. But that's not unusual for playing a top-five team... If you get into a high-scoring game versus a top-five team, you're in trouble... You have to keep them below their scoring average."
On Texas running back Cedric Benson:
"He runs the football and he runs it effectively. He makes the offense flow a little differently... He's a power back. Elusive, and he makes good cuts. Somewhat of a 'punishing runner'. Not necessarily blinding speed, but certainly fast enough. Kind of like Emmitt Smith, not a track runner, but he has outrun a lot of people."
On last week's 63-19 loss to Texas Tech:
"We had good improvement for a three week stretch [against TAMU, NU, OU)... I thought that would equip us, make us a better football team. Looking back, maybe our tank was a little low, maybe we were a little empty."
"What happened last week was not about one player or one position."
On recovering from last week's loss:
"Normally, you evaluate the game tape. But when something like that happens, totally unforeseen, you evaluate everything... the practice... how you made calls... everything. We reviewed everything that time would allow. When you look at our practices, we had one of our better practices Tuesday... A lot of effort, energy, very good execution... There are some things we've adjusted, but nothing huge in terms of the way we prepare on the field."
Comparing last week to the team's earlier 41-0 loss to Iowa State"
"There were some things done then that we can go back to, but it isn't totally the same situation... Ironically, after Iowa State, we had Texas A&M... After this, we have Texas, kind of in the same light."
"It does give us more optimism, which was revealed in how the guys showed up for work Monday mornng -- with energy and resolve... The energy of the next opponent makes for a pretty natural rebound."
On the team's quarterbacks:
"Davon [Vinson] is very athletic, one of those guys who when you go out to warm up and talk to the opposing coach, he asks "who is that guy?"... He throws the ball very well... He knows where to go with it, he just needs to make sure he reads the coverage right... He runs the ball well, and has got a calmness about him."
"Josh [Zachry] comes in and has been very effective, for what we've asked him to do... I think Greg [Cicero] will be the first to tell you that he is not pleased with the numbers he's put up, but Greg has the talent and the ability to get things done."
On DB Bobby Hart:
"Bobby is one of those guys who gives a coach peace of mind. Whatever job we've asked him to do... Bobby just says OK, and it's easy for him. He's a very confident young man. The pressure doesn't bother him. It's almost like the more difficult the task, the more excited Bobby is about it... He just loves to compete."
