DAVE: It's a tough locker room. I told them that I wish that we, that I, could take the pain away. I wish you could say that you put together a great week and you bounced back from a hardship and put the pieces back together to fight for another day. And to do it all in the right manner. You wish that it would all work out in the end. We all know that's not the case. I respect the team. I think this game in a lot of ways is a microcosm of us. For them to kind of fight and to stick with it, I have a lot of respect for them. We've got a game here coming up quick. Tomorrow we've got to be back at it. I think I'm meeting with coaches early in the morning to watch the tape and with our players tomorrow afternoon to kind of get going for the next one. We've got a game here on Friday, so it's a shorter week. But a lot of credit goes to TCU. I thought they fought hard, I thought they stayed in it. I think they've been in a few games like this one we just played, and have a lot of respect for Coach (Dykes) and that team. But we'll bounce back from this.
(on Duggan) I thought he did a great job of keeping plays alive. Times we were able to get some pressure, I thought he was able to elongate and make plays with his legs. The quarterback draw there at the end was a big play. But I thought he was able to make some throws that were just bang-bang throws. We haven't seen that a ton from him, so I was impressed with him that way, too. To have someone in there where you kind of have to have it all together in terms of your rush lanes and your coverage, it makes it difficult.
(last two possessions) Yeah, sure disappointing series. There was plenty of discussion going into that on the looks that we were expecting. I'd have to look at the film to tell you exactly, but it just seemed like the piles were going the other way than what we want. It's disappointing and it's frustrating after the day of running the ball that we had.
(not being more aggressive on your last series) I would think that if it wasn’t for some of the success we had running the ball. There was tight coverage, for sure, and it was a sellout to stop the run. But there were times they were doing that throughout the game, and the runs we had were accounting for that. So, I’d have to look at the film and see exactly what happened, but I was confident with us doing what got us to that point.
(can you substitute slow on the field goal, to create more chaos) I don’t think so, no.
(easier or tougher to respond after a loss like this) Losing is always difficult. I think when you go through a week and you go through hard things together and you invest and you sacrifice, the thought is always that you’re going to win. So, it kinds of build throughout the week, even if you lost it on a particular Saturday, you build it back up. So, anytime that it kind of goes back down, there is always a hurt that goes with it. I think it’s way brave of guys to continue to give everything they have when they go through some hurts that you go through and to continue to show up and to give their best and be a leader and push others when maybe they don’t want to show up because they don’t want to go through that again. I think, for sure, that’s part of the journey we’re on right now. So, I think either way, it’s difficult.
(the way the team responded in the second half after trailing for the first time) I was way impressed, and it’s been a long time coming for that. And to see it, and then just to be on the sidelines and huddles, to hear it, a lot of it you can feel what’s going to happen prior just being on the sidelines, just the energy that’s there and the talk and kind of the vibe, I guess. A lot of that was good, and you know that we were going to fight through this. So, way appreciated the team. For sure, the loss and the manner of the loss is a true gut punch, but there’s a lot of growth today.
(ever seen a fire drill like that work) It’s something that you always practice, and it’s something that you have to kind of weekly stay up with that. So that when there is that opportunity, then it’s not a shock, that it’s not a thing. So, credit to them.
(on Duggan) I thought he did a great job of keeping plays alive. Times we were able to get some pressure, I thought he was able to elongate and make plays with his legs. The quarterback draw there at the end was a big play. But I thought he was able to make some throws that were just bang-bang throws. We haven't seen that a ton from him, so I was impressed with him that way, too. To have someone in there where you kind of have to have it all together in terms of your rush lanes and your coverage, it makes it difficult.
(last two possessions) Yeah, sure disappointing series. There was plenty of discussion going into that on the looks that we were expecting. I'd have to look at the film to tell you exactly, but it just seemed like the piles were going the other way than what we want. It's disappointing and it's frustrating after the day of running the ball that we had.
(not being more aggressive on your last series) I would think that if it wasn’t for some of the success we had running the ball. There was tight coverage, for sure, and it was a sellout to stop the run. But there were times they were doing that throughout the game, and the runs we had were accounting for that. So, I’d have to look at the film and see exactly what happened, but I was confident with us doing what got us to that point.
(can you substitute slow on the field goal, to create more chaos) I don’t think so, no.
(easier or tougher to respond after a loss like this) Losing is always difficult. I think when you go through a week and you go through hard things together and you invest and you sacrifice, the thought is always that you’re going to win. So, it kinds of build throughout the week, even if you lost it on a particular Saturday, you build it back up. So, anytime that it kind of goes back down, there is always a hurt that goes with it. I think it’s way brave of guys to continue to give everything they have when they go through some hurts that you go through and to continue to show up and to give their best and be a leader and push others when maybe they don’t want to show up because they don’t want to go through that again. I think, for sure, that’s part of the journey we’re on right now. So, I think either way, it’s difficult.
(the way the team responded in the second half after trailing for the first time) I was way impressed, and it’s been a long time coming for that. And to see it, and then just to be on the sidelines and huddles, to hear it, a lot of it you can feel what’s going to happen prior just being on the sidelines, just the energy that’s there and the talk and kind of the vibe, I guess. A lot of that was good, and you know that we were going to fight through this. So, way appreciated the team. For sure, the loss and the manner of the loss is a true gut punch, but there’s a lot of growth today.
(ever seen a fire drill like that work) It’s something that you always practice, and it’s something that you have to kind of weekly stay up with that. So that when there is that opportunity, then it’s not a shock, that it’s not a thing. So, credit to them.
