University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP - POST GAME QUOTES
December 04, 2004 | Football
Dec. 4, 2004
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Tennessee Postgame Press Conference Video
Tennessee Head Coach Phillip Fulmer
On the game...
"Congratulations to Auburn on their effort. I am really proud of our football team. The last time I looked they did not draw out of a hat as to who got here. We have had to fight and get through to get here and we played hard. We had a lot to overcome, especially in the second half. I will have to look at the game film and see what happened. We let Auburn have too many opportunities and that is the one thing we could not let happen."
On Auburn....
"They play great defense. Jason Campbell was amazing. I was just looking at his numbers and that's incredible. They have a load of talent and can play with anyone in the country. They can play against both USC and Oklahoma and compete equally as good."
"I will not talk about how I am going to vote. Auburn is a very fantastic football team, certainly a tope three team in the country. They have shown all along that they are not to be defeated."
On the locker room atmosphere at halftime...
"There was a little more energy and I tried to get them more excited. We just got the interception and that helped. We talked about going in to the second half and reestablishing ourselves and getting more turnovers. Last game versus Auburn, we had the turnovers and they scored on them. This game they had the turnovers and we scored on both opportunities. Take away the big passes and that was keys to the game. Take away all the penalties and we win."
On Quarterback Rick Clausen...
"The first half we didn't do anything with the ball. He had plenty of dropped balls. The second half we managed to do some good things. His numbers were terrible. You know the quarterback is just as good as the team around him, but overall he did OK."
On playing in the Cotton Bowl...
"Dr. Peterson, Mike and I just shook hands with the Cotton Bowl representatives. We are excited about the Cotton Bowl and excited to play in Dallas. We are glad to get the opportunity to play either Texas or Texas A&M. It will be a good chance to get our 10th win and end the season on a good note."
On Second Half Penalties...
"In my 13 years of coaching I have never criticized the officials. Most of the time I have taken up for them. I am going to have to watch the game film later and look at the plays. I am not going to cross that line tonight."
Tennessee Players
Gerald Riggs - Running Back
"The offensive lines played their butts off. I found holes and hit them. We made the best of the plays we had. Based on the plays, Auburn was playing hard, at halftime we adjusted and tightened up our plays. Everybody went out and played their hearts out. It's a team game with seventy other guys out there and I didn't feel like I had to get us much of it. I don't plan what I am going to do in a game, I just play the best I can. As a team we just go out there and make things happen."
Kevin Burnett - Linebacker
"We played really hard tonight. We gave up too much early to Auburn. They capitalize off mistakes and they're a good football team. I thought we gave everything we had tonight, we just came up short."
"I thought Gerald (Riggs) gave us an added lift tonight and I thought Rick Clausen played a great game as well. I was not a big Jason Campbell believer, but he showed me tonight. He played a great game."
Rick Clausen - Quarterback
"I'm so proud of these guys. We just didn't make the plays we needed to. We made mistakes tonight early and mistakes are what get you beat. The effort was there tonight with the guys, we just happened to come up short."
"I thought the penalties hurt us tonight. Penalties are a part of the game, unfortunately we were on the wrong end of them sometimes. Cedric (Houston) and Gerald (Riggs) played unbelievable tonight. I felt we gave Auburn all they could handle tonight. I am looking forward to our bowl game."
Robert Meachen - Wide Receiver
"We always had faith in ourselves tonight. We had become a family over the past couple of weeks and really grown together. We've been through a lot this season and no one thought we could make it. We showed a lot of people what we were made of. We've got a lot of work to do and we'll be back."
"At halftime everybody asked the same question, 'How bad do you want it?' The defense came out and played great, getting us some big stops. We wanted to help our seniors go out in style, we just came up short."
Jason Respert - Center
"We didn't come out and play as good as we thought we would. We waited a little too late to get started. Auburn's a good team. We have to give them credit."
"It's tough (referring to penalties), that flips the field. It bursts your bubble but things like that happen."
"We have to be thankful, we get to play another game. There's a lot of teams out there that don't get another game. (On the Cotton Bowl)"
Jason Allen - Safety
"We just gave up too many big plays, Auburn's a good team. We made a couple of costly mistakes on third down that kept us on the field. We could have played better at times, we just have to live and learn."
Cedric Houston - Running Back
"We knew it was going to be a dog fight. Unfortunately it didn't turn out. It hurt so much knowing it was my last chance to get a ring. The offensive line had a chip off their shoulder after the last couple of games. They just came out and executed."
Auburn Head Coach Tommy Tuberville
Opening Statement...
"What a game. First I would like to say of Tennessee that the team and staff did a great job and played hard. Coach Fulmer did a great job and they gave us a good fight. We thought we could put them away but they wouldn't let us. They played very hard.
"I am proud of our seniors, our team, our coaches and our fans. We have come a long way. We haven't won an SEC Championship in 15 long years. We have great seniors who have made a big difference in our season. They have won with class and character. There is no better team than this in 2004."
On MVP Jason Campbell..
"I remember five years ago going to his house to sell this program to him when it wasn't in the best of shape. He was very highly recruited at the time and he chose us. i chose him because his dad was a coach and I knew that he would be able to handle tough situations coming from that background, and he does. He is a quiet leader. He is the kind of guy that the other players follow. He has always been a goo player, but he didn't always have a strong supporting cast. With the help of a strong offense especially receivers and the imagination of Al Borges, he has been able to live up to his potential. I am proud of what he has done and what he stands for. I hope that other players will follow in his example. There are a bunch of guys getting ready to go to new York tomorrow and there is one kid not on that bus who should be and that is Jason Campbell. There is not a better quarterback in the country."
On Tennessee's Offense...
"We though we could score a lot of points but they found the wrinkles. They then found a way to score some points. They cut it close for a while. We made some changes and were successful. we finally found the answer on both sides of the ball. They are a top ten team and we beat them twice. That is pretty impressive. There is a lot of pressure in that. When you are winning, every night can make or break you. We have a lot more pressure. Tennessee did not have anything to lose, they were just trying to win an SEC Championship. We were trying to win that and try to get us into the National Championship. That is a lot of pressure to put on these kids. But Tennessee gave us a good run and we expected this to be a fight. They are a good team."
On this season...
"You just cant put into words how an undefeated season feels. All the guys will look back on this season and think about where we started, how we played and how we finished up. It is almost impossible to accomplish this kind of thing with all the preparation that is involved, from work outs, to meeting to practice to academics. This is the first time Auburn has gone undefeated and won an SEC Championship in a long time. This is a great thing for us and I am very proud of what our guys have accomplished."
Auburn Players
Jason Campbell - Quarterback - MVP
"We came out the first half and tried to run different things. Tennessee did a great job of stopping the run (on us). Coach Borges did a great job of coming up with plays to get us where we needed to be. The unity of this team and the offense is what has helped me improve this year. This is my second full year to start as quarterback and it's just really come together for me. This team's unity has been key to our success."
"Running fifty-seven yards kind of just happened. Coach Borges always asks me when I am going to run in a game, but my teammates always tell me not to. We thought we could take advantage of the situation of the game and I could run a little. To win a game like this it is going to cost something. They (Tennessee) played hard and we had to stay with it."
"Having a 12-0 season is hard to do. I feel we deserve a shot at the national championship. We've done what we were suppose to do and we should be proud. You can't take it away from us."
Carnell Williams - Running Back
"That just shows the leadership and coaching staff that this team has. Tennessee tied it, but no one pouted. We didn't lose our poise. We stayed focused. We just told each other that we didn't come this far to lose the SEC championship, and we went out and did out jobs."
"We're not worrying about it. Today is Auburn's day. We're champs, and nothing is going to stop us from shining. We're 12-0 in the toughest conference, and I know we're the best team in the country."
Carlos Rogers - Cornerback
"We aren't worried about the BCS. We played Auburn ball tonight. We played like the best team in the nation, and I think we are."
Travis Williams - Line Backer
"This is so special to go undefeated in the SEC. We are the people's champions. Because of our faith in the Lord and our class, we are America's team. We are playing football the right way."
Marcus McNeil - Lineman
"Overall it was a tough game. We came back from the half, and once it was tied up we knew it was a new game. We rallied behind Tuberville and knew we had to put up more points."
Jay Ratliff - Lineman
"This is a memorable year that you can't forget. We made it. I am so happy to be a part of this team and played. I am speechless about making it this far."
Ronnie Brown - Running Back
"We expected it to be a close game. We had to throw that stuff (BCS) out of our minds. We are excited about possibly playing in the Sugar Bowl. Tonight we played the best we can, and thankfully that was enough. Jason had an amazing day. We knew they were going to try to stop Cadillac and me, so he (Jason) had to step up, which he did."
Stanley McClover - Defensive End
"Everyone's talked about all of our guys in the NFL, so a lot of our young guys have stepped up. We are not a 'no name' defense anymore. We have a name for ourselves."
Brett Eddins - Defensive End
"It's surreal for us to win the SEC Championship. It is a great feeling. We are 12-0 and we are going to go to a great bowl game no matter what. No voter can take that away from us."
Junior Rosegreen - Safety
"Tennessee fought hard. The SEC Championship is like the Iron Bowl. We have to treat this like a rival game, a tough game. Clausen did a pretty good job and we tip our hat to him but we came out on top. We came out fighting and kept our composure and played a good game."
Courtney Taylor - Wide Receiver
"The next step for Auburn is to celebrate tonight. I'm not worried about the BCS, I'll worry about that tomorrow. I've never been a part of anything as big as this. Right now it's all about being the SEC Champions."
Devin Aromashodu - Wide Receiver
"When we got down, we took it like the Alabama game. We had to focus and keep fighting. Our team chemistry has held us together. We all look out for each other and play for each other."
