Kansas State at Missouri
Nov 16, 2002 | Football
Nov. 16, 2002
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KANSAS STATE HEAD COACH BILL SNYDER
Onthe seniors...
"I thinkit was big for our seniors. Obviously, not very many of them played last timewe beat Nebraska, some did but not all of them. I'm sure it's quite meaningfulfor them."
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On a possible Nebraska comeback...
"Weneeded to just keep doing the things, just keep doing the things you do. Keepsawing wood, that's kind of the deal. That's what good football teams do and Ithink we're getting a little bit closer to becoming a decent football team."
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On Kansas State's play today...
"Ithought we played well. I told our football team that I thought we were alittle better this week than we were last week and probably a little bit betterthan the week before. I think we've made progress, obviously, since thebeginning of the season. I think it has been pretty steady, and certainly we'replaying as well right now as we have at any point in the season. Nebraska maynot have played as well as they would have liked nor as well as they arecapable of, I'm quite certain of that. But again, I think we had something todo with it. And again I do think they are a very fine football team."
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On Ell Roberson...
"Ellplayed very well. Again, it's just part of the maturation, part of the process.Like everybody else, he's just getting himself better week in and week out."
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On the K-State defense...
"Ithought our defense played so well. You talk about the number one rushing teamin the conference and the number three rushing team in the nation and we heldthem to 97 yards rushing, that's a days work. That's excellent work. They got afew plays on the option with Jammal and Jammal's a very talented, very finequarterback. But by-and-large we played extremely well, and we always fairlywell against the run."
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On Darren Sproles...
"He's oneof those guys in that stretch when we were struggling a bit and he was rightthere looking up at you saying 'I'll do it. I'll do it'. He didn't care aboutthe 100 yards, what he cares about is what he does to contribute and help thisfootball team be better and be successful. So, immediately I give him the balland he fumbles it and that led to the touchdown if I remember correctly. Buthe's obviously a very talented young guy. I've said it so many times and I saidit last spring when everybody asked the same questions. He's a tough nut. Youjust don't run through the University of Nebraska. That's a very sound, verysolid, excellent defensive football team, and you just don't run throughtackles, and Darren did that."
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On beating a team with rich tradition...
"We havea great respect for the University of Nebraska, we always have and we alwayswill. I think they are a tremendously talented, good football team. Among allthe flowery things I say, I mean every single bit of it and I always have. I'vebeen around here too long and I know what kind of football program they haveand how they will be. And because of that it does make it maybe a little extranice to win that ballgame. I'm not calloused to that at all. I do want ourplayers and all to understand that we have been there before and done thatbefore, but that doesn't take away the fact that it is a nice win, a very nicewin."
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KANSAS STATE PLAYERS
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"Ithought we were real successful with our blocks. We had a lot of cut blocks andknockdowns. That was the main thing. We were on our blocks and we stayed onthem. As an offensive line, that's the only credit we are going to get. Wereally like to get the yards. It is personal to us. The more yards they get, itreflects on us."
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"Wereally like to block for our running backs. We blocked real well for thembecause they deserve everything they get. We play hard and they play hard. Itgoes together real well."
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"Everyonegrew up watching Nebraska east coast to west coast. It is so sweet to beatthem. They are such an experienced team. Just last year they went to the bigshow. To beat them is just great."
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"They'remaking great plays and they are hitting the holes. The coaches are getting usin the right positions and they are making the plays. As an offensive line, youlove that."
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Sophomore defensive back Marcus Patton
Onhow he made the block...
"I just went in and made the block. I think they were more worriedabout Terence Newman. But it felt goodto make a big play for the team and help us win."
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On the team's effort...
"When we can score off specialteams it makes us realize that we're a good team all around. When you knowyou're a good team you know you can win any facet of the game."
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Junior defensive end Andrew Shull
On beating Nebraska...
"It'sreally big for us to beat Nebraska. They were a really good team and they cameout in the second half starting to get back into the ballgame. We came outtoday on fire."
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On season regrets...
"I thinkit's human instinct to have some regrets, but if we get caught up in looking back,it's not going to do us any good. We put those behind us a long time ago. We'reready to move on and face the Tigers in Columbia."
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On large scoring margin...
"It meansa lot to us. Anytime you can beat a team like that, as good as Nebraska, itmeans a lot to our program and to our fans. I would like to think we're in ourinfancy stage trying to go out and compete everyday. I think we did a great jobtoday."
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Senior defensive tackle Tank Reese
On beating Nebraska...
"BeatingNebraska, the feeling is always great. Nebraska is a good team, I really can'texplain the feeling. I'm so excited and glad we won."
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On feeling of it being the last game at Wagner Field...
"The lasttime on the field against a power-house like Nebraska and we won. We came outgreat and made it happen. Our defense, the Lynch Mob, is a very powerfuldefense. I hope by now we're number one in the nation because we can stop anyrun."
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Junior linebacker Josh Buhl
On today's game...
"Ourmomentum was very high. We prepared very well and played very well. We played agood running defense and they had a good running offense. We were just on topof our game today and did a lot to screw-up what they had. We shut them down."
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On the team's confidence...
"We havea lot of confidence in ourselves and we have confident that if we know we canrun the defense right, we'll make the plays for ourselves. We shut theiroffense down."
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On the season to this point...
"I wishthings would have been a little different for us starting off, but we'replaying some really good football right now. We're on top of our game and we'rethe best we have been all year. We're doing things we have never done before."
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NEBRASKA HEAD COACH FRANK SOLICH
Onthe game ...
"We played a very good footballteam. In order to get it done against them, we would have had to play well inall three areas. That was our intent and (we) really did not play well in anyof the three areas. Special team's wise, to have it play out to where we wereable to establish field position; maybe get some points through special teamsplay. It worked the opposite on that end of it. Offensively, did not move theball well enough, did not convert on drives where we had pretty good fieldposition. Defensively, we gave up way too many big plays. They were able to keepdrives going. The bottom line is we did not get it done. They are a very goodfootball team. I thought our players did play hard throughout the course of thegame. We did not play particularly well."
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On K-State's defense...
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NEBRASKA PLAYER QUOTES
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Freshman I-back Daniel Horne
"We'redown 6-21 is the score. We're down by a touchdown. We score again, we're upone. That's what kind of a take I take.If we score, then after that possession it's a whole different ballgame.I don't think it's a big defeat for us. We'll bounce back and come back nextweek."
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Junior defensive tackle Patrick Kabongo...
"He madea bunch of plays. His presence was very much felt. He did well."
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"No.Never, never, never. We always expect to win. They played better than us today.On any given Saturday any team can play well."
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Senior LRE Justin Smith
"Heplayed well today. He made quite a few plays. That was good for our defense andfor him."
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Senior kicker Josh Brown
"I didn'tthink so. This is a hard one to swallow. The knot in my throat has gottenbigger and bigger after every loss. If you would have told me we were going tobe like this at the beginning of the season I would have asked you if you hadrun into a wall or were on drugs because this is not what's supposed tohappen."
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Senior linebackerScott Shanle...
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Senior center John Garrison
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Junior quarterbackJammal Lord
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