April 29, 2000
Opening Comments: “I couldn’t help but think on that first field goal, when David Miller hit the upright and it fell through, that it might be a sign of things to come. I thought it was a great omen. There is some offensive coaches with their lip hung down now, we played for the coaching staff of the losing team to provide for the winning team and staff – the best barbecue you ever had. They are in there trying to figure out what to bring.”
“All in all, everyone has been through spring games before. There is always a lot of evaluation in these games, but I think that is difficult. There is always a temptation, when you get out there in front of the fans, to do too many things. I fought that temptation today. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. It was a good day.”
On Gary Godsey: “I am excited about Gary Godsey’s improvement this spring. With all the conversation after recruiting, when we signed four quarterbacks, there was speculation that Gary wouldn’t even be a quarterback in the spring. He put all that aside and went out and improved every day.”
On keeping the team together: “I go back to the locker room after the Stanford game. We went out there without 21 scholarship players. The reasons have been talked about, injuries, behavior issues, and now our goal is to keep this team together. I feel very good about that. We have developed some leadership on this team. We have a young, hungry football team and I am excited about the future.”
On team potential: “This team has the most potential of any team since I have been the head coach. We have a little more team speed. From a talent standpoint, once we get all the pieces back together (due to injuries), this team has a chance to be a very good football team in the fall.”
On senior walk-on kicker Matt McNew: “He (McNew) once kicked a 52 yard field goal in the Texas high school football tournament. He has exhausted his eligibility in soccer at Notre Dame, and he wants to give football a shot. He has been really impressive with the kickoffs, and if we had to play tomorrow, he would have a really good chance at being our starting kickoff man. He has a chance to be back in the fall with a scholarship.”
On Arnaz Battle: “He (Battle) really didn’t have much of an opportunity to show what he can do today. We eliminated the option. He has a much better chance at beating you with his feet than his arm right now. He had an excellent spring. I am excited about him and Kevin Rogers is really excited about him. He has done everything we have asked.”
On the rotation of Tony Fisher, Terrance Howard, and Julius Jones: “We just flipped a coin. Right now, we have three tailbacks that are equal. Chris Yura helped himself today. We might have to find a spot for him. “