Nov. 4, 2003
WACO, Texas - Two of Baylor's head coaches spoke to the media at Tuesday's press luncheon. Below are excerpts from their comments.
Head Soccer Coach George Van Linder:
On wrapping up the season last weekend:
"The Texas Tech game was a good way to wrap up the season. We feel like our team is a flower that is just getting ready to bloom. We wish the season was a couple of weeks longer. The frustration for us as soccer coaches is that Rice couldn't get here... We wanted another chance to show off our talent. We are looking forward to next year and getting into offseason work. When I heard [Rice's] bus caught fire, I felt for them, but we still wanted to play them and make a point that even though we're not ranked high in our conference, we can compete with anybody."
Head Football Coach Guy Morriss:
On facing the high-scoring Texas Tech offense this weekend:
"Colorado tried to come after Tech a little bit, but they were so far back that Colorado couldn't get to them. I think Colorado had a chance, because in the first quarter they just threw it to the Colorado kids. We have to give them some different looks or they are going to eat us alive. I'm praying for a hurricane to come through; that would probably be the best defense for this offense. When you make a living throwing the football, weather conditions can make a difference, but they are used to it playing in the wind in west Texas. They can put points up in a hurry, and we won't settle into one type of defense. I think we did well last week, but we just had trouble getting to their quarterback. We need to have a consistent pass rush, and I think we can solve that with recruiting. Our scout teams just can't give us the kind of competition that we need to make it similar to a game situation. We need to mix it up and hopefully bang the QB up a little bit and hope he has a bad day."
On Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach:
"He has coached every position on the offense, and it seems like he thinks with a different side of his brain than most of us do. Mike has a large say in the game plan, especially the passing game."
On Texas Tech QB B.J. Symons:
"Symons is a good QB and knows what he is doing. The fact that he has stayed the four years surprises me a little, but not the way he plays; he is good and making the most of his time now."
On Baylor's progress this season:
"We are at a point where we are playing hard, but still haven't seen real positive progress. Every week we do see good things; we just need to bring it together by growing and maturing."
