Colorado University Athletics
GARY BARNETT BOWL MEDIA DAY QUOTES
BOULDER ? University of Colorado head coach Gary Barnett spoke at CU’s 2004 Bowl Media Day Friday at the Dal Ward Athletic Center, as Barnett addressed the media during an afternoon press conference. The following are excerpts pertaining to the EV1.net Houston Bowl on Dec. 29 versus the University of Texas-El Paso (2:30 p.m. MST, ESPN) and notes from the practice session.
GARY BARNETT
On the Houston Bowl: “I had an opportunity to go down and visit with the people in Houston this week, and I think this is going to be a great bowl. I think they are doing a great job. It’s going to be played in a great venue; Reliant Stadium is about as good as it gets. As for practice facilities and those types of things, I don’t think you could have a better arrangement for both teams. It is a great opportunity, and for us coming off the Big 12 Championship, a chance to play again rather than living with that (loss). I think we are really looking forward to that a lot. Just looking at yesterday’s practice, I felt like we had good energy and enthusiasm. A lot of our players are really ready to go play this game, and that’s very encouraging.
“Our coaches have done a great job this entire year, as have our seniors. We are trying to take the approach that this is the first game for us next year. I’ve told the freshmen they are now sophomores, the sophomores they are now juniors and the juniors that they are now seniors. This is the first opportunity for our seniors-to-be next year to lead and take an active role of leadership in this game. That’s the challenge I’ve thrown out to them. Everybody has gone through a lot, and here is it on Dec. 17 ? the smoke has cleared ? and we’re standing. This university, athletic department and administration have had a very successful year. We are all looking to get going and finish it off with a win.
“I have spoken with most of our players since that (Big 12 title) game, more or less to talk about next year and this last year just to talk about what they’ve learned. Nearly every one of them brought up that they can’t wait to play this next game to show and prove that wasn’t them (in the Big 12 title game). They really learned a lot from that game. I think they are anxious to take what they learned and start building on it.
“We know what kind of an emphasis and what a positive atmosphere will be created if you can win the bowl game. Going into the off-season, everybody ? our fans, our alums and the people in the state ? are fired up. Everybody around the university is excited that you won the game, and disappointed if you lost the game. That transcends; it spreads to so many different things ? not just football. All of us come out ahead when we can win a game like this and carry it into the off-season.
“We’ve got a couple of guys where this is their last game. You know it’s their last game. We’ve got a couple of guys where if they don’t have a great game then this is their last game. So you put it on them and you inform them. You don’t keep them surprised. It’s up to them what they have inside and what they want to do, and what’s important to them to play. It really comes down to the individuals and what they want to do with this opportunity.
“I think a lot of people’s performances in this game, like the younger guys, will go a long way in setting the tone where the depth chart starts when we begin practice in April. The further up you are, the less of a climb you have. If you’re at the top, then you’ve got to stay at the top and keep everybody else from getting to you. When I met individually with the players, I said, ?You need to spend the next eight practices we have and this game creating your spot to go into the spring. We’ll have to wait and see if they take that to heart.”
On What CU Must Improve on for Next Year: “I think we have to look at every phase of our game to get better. We look, for one, to obviously improve our numbers on defense. We look to improve in our receiving game and passing game considerably. On special teams we’re pretty good, but there are certain areas we can improve on. We won’t spend as much time on that in the spring as we will on our defense and getting our passing game going.”
On the Houston Bowl Affecting Recruiting This Year: “It’s probably not that important for out of state recruiting. It doesn’t hurt because of visibility, because the game is being played up down there everyday. From the visibility standpoint it’s very important. This game will be more important for next year’s recruiting class rather than this year’s recruiting class. For this year’s class it’s probably not a big deal. Next year’s class ? the visibility, the positiveness that come out of it from being down there and the way we conduct ourselves ? will go a long way towards next year’s recruiting class. Recruiting classes right now are almost filled at every school. (This game) may impact a guy or two, but overall it won’t have a great impact (on the 2005 class) at this particular point in time.”
On UTEP: “I’ve seen a good amount (of film). Our coordinators both stayed off the road the last two weeks watching film and they know them inside and out now. We’re putting our game plan in right now. Two weeks ago we were practicing to sort of get the rust off, but now we’re in the meat of the game plan.
“(Head coach) Mike (Price) and Dennis Erickson sort of developed this offense back in the 70’s. They know all the answers. Everything that you could do to them they have an answer for. That’s what experience brings to you ? being in the offense for a while, especially developing it the way Mike and Dennis did. First thing that comes to mind is that nothing you do to them on defense will be a surprise. They’ve got a solution and at least on paper know how to handle what you do to them. Their receivers and speed of their running back is what really concerns me. They’ve put up points on everybody so it’s a challenge for us and our secondary to be able to play all routes that they run.
“They’ve got two really, really good receivers. (CU defensive coordinator) Mike (Hankwitz) thinks they are great players. The tailback is a 4.3 (40-yard dash) guy. He’s not very big but he’s a really good running back. Those sorts of things really jump off the screen of the video. Their defense is very similar to the defense we played at Kansas ? very sound and skilled in the secondary. They really played well as a team this year.”
On Coaching Against His Good Friend Mike Price: “It’s not me against Mike. It’s our teams against each other. We’ve spent time together and it will be a friendly occasion. It will be fun getting together. But preparing for them ? I don’t care who it is during a game, and he doesn’t care that I’m on the other side. It’s a game and you go do what you have to do.”
On the Importance of the Bowl System: “Every bowl is usually a really positive experience for the two teams and the community that hosts it. That’s one of the reasons I have not been in favor of a playoff. The smaller bowls, and this one you have to put right in the middle, while nationally they may not mean a lot to everybody who’s writing and talking. But to those teams that go and to those programs, and to the community that hosts it, it’s a big deal. Don’t take that away; don’t take that option away. I am worried that a playoff system would do that. The bowl system is the way teams and programs turn themselves around. If we didn’t have the Freedom Bowl, the University of Colorado would have spent another couple years mired in the bottom of the Big 8. That bowl gave us a chance to recruit, have more practices and get this program turned around back in 1985.”
Friday Notes: Barnett said that junior V-Back Daniel Jolly has left the team due to "personal matters." Senior tight end Jesse Wallace, who has been hampered by a sore knee all season long, looks to be "very doubtful" for the bowl game, according to Barnett.