Quotes & Notes -- Texas A&M 35, Iowa State 10
Compiled by Gabe Bock
Quotes
Quotes
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"I'm excited about today, obviously. We have a lot of respect for Coach Rhoads and his staff, and the team they've put together. They've been winning -- they beat Nebraska, they beat Baylor the week before -- so we knew we'd have our hands full. We prepared very hard for this ballgame. It didn't take too much for us to get back to work on Monday. The kids were very focused on our opponent and we knew the impact this game had for us at home, and the implications it had, (to put us) one step closer to some of our goals. It was a big win. I thought Iowa State played extremely hard and well, and we made some plays that just made the difference in the ballgame." -- Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman.
"Except for the second quarter of the Arkansas game and the entire Kansas State game for the most part, I think the team has had pretty good confidence. I thought we were pretty confident going into that game too, if anything we may have been too confident, even though we'd lost the previous week. What you've seen the last few weeks is probably a little more confidence. They're believing in each other. Our quarterback is into a rhythm and doing a great job of leadership. The offensive line has settled down a little bit. You can only be as good as those guys up front because they get the thing going. If you can't protect your quarterback and you can't create running lanes, it's very difficult to call plays. But because of the offensive line and the job they're doing with Coach Turner at the helm, the last couple of weeks have been their best and hopefully that'll continue." -- Sherman on the confidence of the team at this point.
"We gave up a couple plays here and there but we made some plays when we needed to. We had a couple of fourth-down stops and we had some interceptions ... not unlike last week." -- Sherman on the defensive effort in coming up with big plays in critical situations.
"We still have a long way to go in all facets of our football team. But we're taking steps and that's what we talk about. We took some big steps today and we took some last week as well. It's not so much about the coaches as it is the players. The players are stepping up and making some big-time plays and having the confidence to do that. You saw that with (Justin) McQueen and (Jordan) Pugh, and you saw that on a fourth-down stand. You saw guys making catches with confidence." -- Sherman on the players stepping up and making plays.
"In spite of the fact that people looked at the K-State game as such a negative deal, I always try to look at those things and see what can come out of them and use them as a learning opportunity for our team. I think we learned a lot after that game. It brought us closer together and galvanized us. I think we're a stronger team having experienced the K-State game. I'm proud of how our guys handled the adversity. It showed their character as Aggies and their willingness to get things right. And that's all you can ask of these guys, not that they won't make mistakes. They're going to make mistakes, but when they do, they're going to fix them and put them behind them and move forward. That's what they've done." -- Sherman on the team's drastic improvement since the loss at Kansas State two weeks ago.
"I felt pretty good. I think a lot of it goes to our preparation as a whole. Everything we do is built on execution. The coaches drop a good enough scheme to where good things are going to happen." -- A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson.
"It was good. One thing we talked about after an emotional win with an in-state rivalry ... you come back and you want to play well. A lot of times ... too many times, a team wins a big game and they kind of have a lull after that, but we've got to stack wins. That's what we want to do here. We're trying to get a bowl game. This was our next step to that. We've just got to keep trucking, stay focused and keep trying to win games." -- Johnson on the ISU win validating the win last week against Texas Tech.
"He's a tough guy. We knew that when we were recruiting him. He was just trying to make the play. He holds on nine times out of ten. It's just part of the game. You just have to come back and bounce back. Stand up and walk off the field and come back and make a play. That just shows how tough he is." -- Johnson on Uzoma Nwachukwu bouncing back from a helmet-to-helmet collision suffered during the third quarter.
"I'm so proud of our offensive line. They've done such a great job opening holes for us to have two great running games. In the first half, we didn't have many yards but the ones we did have were first downs and key runs. After a strong game, it shows us the importance of the work we put in and inspires us to work harder." -- A&M running back Cyrus Gray.
"It was Military Appreciation Day. My father, step-father and granddad were part of the military. I have a lot of respect for them. That was just my one time to be able to honor my father and my step-father. I didn't think [the officials] were going to give it to me but, once they did, I got an earful." -- A&M wide receiver Howard Morrow on his salute to the troops following a fourth-quarter touchdown catch.
"It does a lot, (especially) coming off of that Tech [win]. Right before that game, our backs were against the wall. Winning that game and coming back and stacking another game on top of that. Every win is more fuel to the fire. We want to continue to get better and work towards that every game." -- A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller on what the ISU win does for the team's confidence.
"He is pulling our offensive along. I don't know what we are ranked, but every week we get better. Every week we take steps forward. We just keep stacking quarters on top of quarters and as a whole just getting stronger." -- Fuller on Jerrod Johnson's continuous improvement.
"I'm feeling good. It's one of those injuries that is kind of a confidence thing right now. Once I get rolling I'm rolling. I can do a full practice and play a game and wake up in the morning and be fine. Every day it gets better and better. It's not getting worse from contact, so I'm really excited about that." -- Fuller on his health status.
"We came into this week and put last week's win behind us. We couldn't rest on that win to carry us through the week. We stepped up our game last week and we knew we had to step it up again this week. I wouldn't call us consistent yet but we have made two steps in the right direction. These two wins are great. We looked at each game independently. The coaches have talked to us a lot about stacking wins." -- A&M center Kevin Matthews.
"Coach Kines has been preaching to us last week, especially with Texas Tech the way that they make a lot of explosive plays on that offense. If they make a big play, just line back up and make the next play. So that's what we did. We just took it once play at a time and we had people step up and make big plays." -- A&M linebacker Kyle Mangan.
"We had practiced wildcat all week. Trent (Hunter) called me over at last second and told me to bump over and it unfolded right where he told me to go. So, I have to give Trent credit for that one. The hole just opened up and I shot it and Pugh helped me stuff him. It was a great play that helped us out quite a bit." -- Mangan on defending ISU's Wildcat formation.
"It really shows the character this team has. We are a young team, but our senior leaders help us out so much. We just stayed focused like on the fumble and the opening kickoff in the second half. No one griped or moaned about it. We just stopped the ball and got it back for our offense, and they took it back down the field and scored." -- Mangan on the character of the A&M defense.
"This win felt good for us. They ran some offensive packages that Tech was able to run on us successfully. But I think we progressed from last week and recognized what they were running and were able to stop it. We're building some good momentum with this team. Our secondary is progressing well and getting better every game." -- A&M safety Trent Hunter.
"It was good keeping them out of the end zone. A team is going to make yards. They practice just like everybody else. The way we stopped them and the way we held them ... it was big for us and it brought the momentum back to our side. We knew after the plays that we could do it ... and that's what we did." -- A&M safety Jordan Pugh.
"I knew from a week of practice and film study that they ran a route across the field. I knew that was the guy they wanted because every game they hit that same guy. So when I saw the split and saw him come across I knew I could jump it. We got a great pass rush and got the ball in my hands." -- Pugh on the interception and how the play developed.
"As far as that one, I just ran over there. I saw Kyle (Mangan) make the big play. It was all him. He's the one who really stopped it. I just kind of jumped on the pile I guess you could say." -- Pugh on the fourth-down stop in the second quarter.
"That's just the adversity you go through in a game and the season. It's kind of like the losses that we've had and we bounced back with these two wins. Things don't always go your way and you just have to fight back. That's what we did. We just kept playing and playing and fought back." -- Pugh on the adversity with two fumbles early in the second half.
"After the K-State game, the chemistry of the team really came to life. Every team is faced with adversity. It's how you come back from it. The way we came back and the way we worked throughout practice and these games. It's evidence in the results of these games. Nobody quits. Everyone keeps playing. We keep fighting. I think we've got a little thing rolling and we have to keep it going. I think playing with these guys and the chemistry we have is really good right now." -- Pugh on the team's confidence heading into the Colorado game next week.
"We knew we were down some defensive players and knew we weren't at full speed as a football team. We were going to have to score a lot of points to win this football game. Obviously, we didn't get that done. We moved the ball but just didn't get in the end zone. We have a football team that has completely exhausted themselves for this football program. Today was one of the days it caught up to us. We were exhausted as a football team. We fought as hard as we could. A&M is an outstanding offensive football team. We knew that all week. We knew we would have to play real good to get a win." -- Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads.
"It was all our turnovers and mistakes. We didn't capitalize when we had a chance. Nothing against A&M, but it was all on us. Our mistakes kept us from winning the game today. We're going to go back tomorrow and work on what we have to do." -- ISU quarterback Jerome Tiller.
"We did pretty good today for young guys. We do a great job communicating. We struggled on execution." -- ISU offensive lineman Alex Alvarez.
"We had our chances we just didn't take advantage of them. There were plenty of times we could have gotten off the field on third down but we missed a lot of tackles. We didn't make the plays when we had to. A lot of guys looked tired out there. We were ready to play mentally. We practiced well all week and we knew our assignments. We've got to come back and work tomorrow. Win or lose, we'll work on our next opponent." -- ISU linebacker Jesse Smith.
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Mike Sherman / TexAgs.com
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"Except for the second quarter of the Arkansas game and the entire Kansas State game for the most part, I think the team has had pretty good confidence. I thought we were pretty confident going into that game too, if anything we may have been too confident, even though we'd lost the previous week. What you've seen the last few weeks is probably a little more confidence. They're believing in each other. Our quarterback is into a rhythm and doing a great job of leadership. The offensive line has settled down a little bit. You can only be as good as those guys up front because they get the thing going. If you can't protect your quarterback and you can't create running lanes, it's very difficult to call plays. But because of the offensive line and the job they're doing with Coach Turner at the helm, the last couple of weeks have been their best and hopefully that'll continue." -- Sherman on the confidence of the team at this point.
"We gave up a couple plays here and there but we made some plays when we needed to. We had a couple of fourth-down stops and we had some interceptions ... not unlike last week." -- Sherman on the defensive effort in coming up with big plays in critical situations.
"We still have a long way to go in all facets of our football team. But we're taking steps and that's what we talk about. We took some big steps today and we took some last week as well. It's not so much about the coaches as it is the players. The players are stepping up and making some big-time plays and having the confidence to do that. You saw that with (Justin) McQueen and (Jordan) Pugh, and you saw that on a fourth-down stand. You saw guys making catches with confidence." -- Sherman on the players stepping up and making plays.
"In spite of the fact that people looked at the K-State game as such a negative deal, I always try to look at those things and see what can come out of them and use them as a learning opportunity for our team. I think we learned a lot after that game. It brought us closer together and galvanized us. I think we're a stronger team having experienced the K-State game. I'm proud of how our guys handled the adversity. It showed their character as Aggies and their willingness to get things right. And that's all you can ask of these guys, not that they won't make mistakes. They're going to make mistakes, but when they do, they're going to fix them and put them behind them and move forward. That's what they've done." -- Sherman on the team's drastic improvement since the loss at Kansas State two weeks ago.
"I felt pretty good. I think a lot of it goes to our preparation as a whole. Everything we do is built on execution. The coaches drop a good enough scheme to where good things are going to happen." -- A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson.
"It was good. One thing we talked about after an emotional win with an in-state rivalry ... you come back and you want to play well. A lot of times ... too many times, a team wins a big game and they kind of have a lull after that, but we've got to stack wins. That's what we want to do here. We're trying to get a bowl game. This was our next step to that. We've just got to keep trucking, stay focused and keep trying to win games." -- Johnson on the ISU win validating the win last week against Texas Tech.
"He's a tough guy. We knew that when we were recruiting him. He was just trying to make the play. He holds on nine times out of ten. It's just part of the game. You just have to come back and bounce back. Stand up and walk off the field and come back and make a play. That just shows how tough he is." -- Johnson on Uzoma Nwachukwu bouncing back from a helmet-to-helmet collision suffered during the third quarter.
"I'm so proud of our offensive line. They've done such a great job opening holes for us to have two great running games. In the first half, we didn't have many yards but the ones we did have were first downs and key runs. After a strong game, it shows us the importance of the work we put in and inspires us to work harder." -- A&M running back Cyrus Gray.
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Howard Morrow / TexAgs.com
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"It does a lot, (especially) coming off of that Tech [win]. Right before that game, our backs were against the wall. Winning that game and coming back and stacking another game on top of that. Every win is more fuel to the fire. We want to continue to get better and work towards that every game." -- A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller on what the ISU win does for the team's confidence.
"He is pulling our offensive along. I don't know what we are ranked, but every week we get better. Every week we take steps forward. We just keep stacking quarters on top of quarters and as a whole just getting stronger." -- Fuller on Jerrod Johnson's continuous improvement.
"I'm feeling good. It's one of those injuries that is kind of a confidence thing right now. Once I get rolling I'm rolling. I can do a full practice and play a game and wake up in the morning and be fine. Every day it gets better and better. It's not getting worse from contact, so I'm really excited about that." -- Fuller on his health status.
"We came into this week and put last week's win behind us. We couldn't rest on that win to carry us through the week. We stepped up our game last week and we knew we had to step it up again this week. I wouldn't call us consistent yet but we have made two steps in the right direction. These two wins are great. We looked at each game independently. The coaches have talked to us a lot about stacking wins." -- A&M center Kevin Matthews.
"Coach Kines has been preaching to us last week, especially with Texas Tech the way that they make a lot of explosive plays on that offense. If they make a big play, just line back up and make the next play. So that's what we did. We just took it once play at a time and we had people step up and make big plays." -- A&M linebacker Kyle Mangan.
"We had practiced wildcat all week. Trent (Hunter) called me over at last second and told me to bump over and it unfolded right where he told me to go. So, I have to give Trent credit for that one. The hole just opened up and I shot it and Pugh helped me stuff him. It was a great play that helped us out quite a bit." -- Mangan on defending ISU's Wildcat formation.
"It really shows the character this team has. We are a young team, but our senior leaders help us out so much. We just stayed focused like on the fumble and the opening kickoff in the second half. No one griped or moaned about it. We just stopped the ball and got it back for our offense, and they took it back down the field and scored." -- Mangan on the character of the A&M defense.
"This win felt good for us. They ran some offensive packages that Tech was able to run on us successfully. But I think we progressed from last week and recognized what they were running and were able to stop it. We're building some good momentum with this team. Our secondary is progressing well and getting better every game." -- A&M safety Trent Hunter.
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Jordan Pugh / TexAgs.com
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"I knew from a week of practice and film study that they ran a route across the field. I knew that was the guy they wanted because every game they hit that same guy. So when I saw the split and saw him come across I knew I could jump it. We got a great pass rush and got the ball in my hands." -- Pugh on the interception and how the play developed.
"As far as that one, I just ran over there. I saw Kyle (Mangan) make the big play. It was all him. He's the one who really stopped it. I just kind of jumped on the pile I guess you could say." -- Pugh on the fourth-down stop in the second quarter.
"That's just the adversity you go through in a game and the season. It's kind of like the losses that we've had and we bounced back with these two wins. Things don't always go your way and you just have to fight back. That's what we did. We just kept playing and playing and fought back." -- Pugh on the adversity with two fumbles early in the second half.
"After the K-State game, the chemistry of the team really came to life. Every team is faced with adversity. It's how you come back from it. The way we came back and the way we worked throughout practice and these games. It's evidence in the results of these games. Nobody quits. Everyone keeps playing. We keep fighting. I think we've got a little thing rolling and we have to keep it going. I think playing with these guys and the chemistry we have is really good right now." -- Pugh on the team's confidence heading into the Colorado game next week.
"We knew we were down some defensive players and knew we weren't at full speed as a football team. We were going to have to score a lot of points to win this football game. Obviously, we didn't get that done. We moved the ball but just didn't get in the end zone. We have a football team that has completely exhausted themselves for this football program. Today was one of the days it caught up to us. We were exhausted as a football team. We fought as hard as we could. A&M is an outstanding offensive football team. We knew that all week. We knew we would have to play real good to get a win." -- Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads.
"It was all our turnovers and mistakes. We didn't capitalize when we had a chance. Nothing against A&M, but it was all on us. Our mistakes kept us from winning the game today. We're going to go back tomorrow and work on what we have to do." -- ISU quarterback Jerome Tiller.
"We did pretty good today for young guys. We do a great job communicating. We struggled on execution." -- ISU offensive lineman Alex Alvarez.
"We had our chances we just didn't take advantage of them. There were plenty of times we could have gotten off the field on third down but we missed a lot of tackles. We didn't make the plays when we had to. A lot of guys looked tired out there. We were ready to play mentally. We practiced well all week and we knew our assignments. We've got to come back and work tomorrow. Win or lose, we'll work on our next opponent." -- ISU linebacker Jesse Smith.
Game Notes
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Cyrus Gray / TexAgs.com
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-The 25-point margin of victory was A&M's largest in a Big 12 game since a 39-point win (62-23) against Oklahoma State in 2005 at Kyle Field.
-A&M has posted consecutive 20-point wins in Big 12 play for the first time since 2002, when they beat Baylor (41-0) and Kansas (47-22), both on the road.
-Iowa State scored just 10 points, the fewest by an A&M opponent in Big 12 play since a 34-10 win against Baylor at home in 2007.
-The Aggies didn't attempt a punt against the Cyclones, marking the first time that's happened since the Aggies beat Louisiana-Monroe, 54-14, in 2007, a span of 30 games.
-The Aggies were over 200 yards in rushing and passing for the second straight game, and for the fifth time in the last eight games.
-The Aggies exceeded 500 yards of total offense for the second consecutive game, and for the fifth time in eight games this season.
-The Aggies matched their season low with only three penalties for 25 yards. They also has just three for 25 against Utah State.
-The Aggies got off to a fast start against the Cyclones, matching their season high with 14 first quarter points (also scored 14 in first quarter vs. Utah State) and scoring on all three first half drives (all touchdowns for a 21-3 first half lead).
-Sophomore running back Cyrus Gray rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries, his second straight 10-yard game. Gray ran for 131 yards last week at Texas Tech.
-Iowa State cycles off the Aggies' 2010 schedule and the Cyclones are probably pretty happy to not have to face Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson for a third time. Johnson accounted for four touchdowns today, three by pass and another via the run and threw for 234 yards on 23-of-28 passing. In two games against the Cyclones, Johnson has accounted for 8 touchdowns (6 pass, 2 rush). He has completed an impressive 80.6 percent of his passes (54-of-67) for 615 yards.
-Junior Von Miller had one sack today, running his season total to 13.5. He came into the game as the national leader in sacks.
-Game captains were junior Jerrod Johnson (offense), junior Von Miller (defense) and sophomore Lionel Smith (special teams).
-Senior running back Ryan O'Bryant (Houston, Texas) represented the student body today for the second time this season as the 12th Man ... O'Bryant wore the #12 jersey twice last season, against Texas Tech and at Iowa State, and previously this season against Oklahoma State.
