University of Tennessee Athletics
TENNESSEE POSTGAME QUOTES
November 19, 2005 | Football
Nov. 19, 2005
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Tennessee Locker Room
Head Coach Phillip Fulmer: "Well, I guess sometimes before you start building back you have to hit rock bottom. This is about rock bottom. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game, and we obviously didn't make plays to do that. The defense gave us a chance in the second half, certainly.
"You live by the sword, and you die by the sword sometimes. We played a lot of man (coverage) -which was good for us - in the second half. (Jay) Cutler is a very good quarterback, and in the second half, he and his receivers made some plays. That was the difference.
"I'd say everybody's egos are pretty bruised right now. We'll get ready (for Kentucky). We have no choice but to get back out there and get ready.
"At 10:15 this morning I didn't know - with the weather - how many fans would come out. But they were there. They were there at the Vol Walk supporting us. You feel like you let them down ... the administration, the fans. It's a pride thing. You want to send the seniors out well. Sixteen straight bowl games ... that's something to be pretty proud of.
"There's a lot of pride in this program. And there's a really good base of kids coming back for next year. We've got two or three juniors who will probably have some decisions to make (in terms of entering the NFL draft). I believe they'll be back. At least I think the majority of them will. We'll go back to work."
TB Arian Foster: "We needed to step up, and we didn't. You've just got to keep working, keep your head up. We felt confident but just didn't get it done. Nobody likes to lose. No one plays for individual accolades. If you do, you're playing for the wrong reason.
(On his career long run) "It was the biggest hole I've ever seen. I just ran through it. I shouldn't have been caught."
LB Jason Mitchell: "The fact that I got to go out there and play with my teammates one more time and have fun was a big deal to me. It was unbelievable to run through the "T" one last time. I was enjoying the moment. I still love my teammates, the university and the fans.
"It's tough. We should have stepped up and stopped them. We just didn't get it done. It pretty much is rock bottom. It doesn't feel good to come in as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation and not be bowl eligible. We didn't get the stop we should have gotten. Cutler's a great quarterback, just like we knew coming in."
DT Jesse Mahelona: "A lot of things didn't work out in the game. I owe a lot to this program. I'll always be a Vol. It hurts being at Tennessee and not going to a bowl game. Their quarterback is one of the most productive quarterbacks. I think he'll be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the draft. He's comfortable in the pocket.
(On season's struggles) "I think it's more mental. Maybe we got too far ahead of ourselves. We're discouraged and hurt. There's a lot of emotion with this loss and this season."
Vanderbilt Locker Room
Head Coach Bobby Johnson: "We've had some exciting games this year. I'm proud of the team. They hung in there. They played tough and did what they had to do to win.
"We kept playing even when they came at us. We pulled it out with some tired people. It was a good way for a great group of seniors to go out. The game really wasn't for Jay Cutler. It was for the team. Jay was a big part of it. It was a great way for him to go out.
"Earl Bennett is a fine, fine football player. I don't know if there's a better receiver in the SEC than he is.
"There are grown men crying in that dressing room. All the people who have been involved in the series have had it held over their heads a lot. We have said it's our responsibility to make the series more competitive.
"Punting on fourth-and-two wasn't that hard a decision. We had three timeouts left and felt like they wouldn't throw it. They make one first down and the game is over. That's the way football goes.
"Tennessee got more aggressive with a three-man line package, with man or zone coverage.
"On the last play, Kevin Joyce did a great job. We had three linemen and two extra defensive backs. It was a tough throw for Rick [Clausen]. It was the only throw he had and that makes it easier to defend. Pressure is the friend of the defense.
"On the last series, we were going to Earl if they covered in a certain way. I have an excellent feeling about our receivers. They are good weapons to go to."
LB Moses Osemwegie: "I was asked earlier this week what the greatest feeling I have had since I have been here at Vanderbilt, and this is it."
On the last play- "They were driving down and we were trying to stop them. They just ran out of time. We had set up a great defense, and coach came up with some great plays and we were able to execute."
"I think the bottom line for us today was to try and get the ball to the offense. They were doing well out there, and the only thing we needed to do was get them the ball. We knew they could go down and score."
QB Jay Cutler: "With all of the seniors we have on this team and the ones that have been through these battles through their careers, of all the wins we have had, I think this is the most memorable one."
"Everybody knows how much this game meant and nobody was going to let anyone down. They all stepped up."
"I was worried that we scored too quickly. I came off to the sidelined and I said to coach that I think we scored too fast. We have done that before. But there was nothing we could do about it. We were trying to get down there and score as soon as possible. We left it in the defense's hands and they didn't let us down."
WR Earl Bennett: "The last pass Jay called for double slants. I just tried to turn the DB and I got him turned and Jay hit me."
On setting the record - "I am happy that I set the record, but I am even happier that my team won. We beat Tennessee, and that is not something that has happened in like a hundred years or something. So I just happy."
