Walt Harris Comments Following the First Full Practice in Phoenix
12/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Walt Harris Comments Following the First Full Practice in Phoenix
12/22/2002
Head Coach Walt Harris
Insight Bowl Practice #1
December 22, 2002
On today?s practice:
?We just took four days off so we have to come back from not practicing. We let our players go home and we have to get back into the groove.?
On the players being in shape:
?We came back in pretty good shape, but that?s not football shape. We?re sloppy right now since we haven?t practiced.?
On Oregon State?s defense:
?Their inside guys are very physical and they spin off very well. Obviously they are teaching it because everyone does it extremely well. Their outside ends are very good football players. The bottom line on their defense is that they have ?shut-down? corners. Those guys take you out of the game.?
On running back Brandon Miree:
?Brandon is only going to be a good runner if our guys can get him past the line of scrimmage. That is why they (Oregon State) are ranked so high (defensively) because people haven?t been able to. When you watch them on tape, there are very few teams who have been able to move the ball on the ground. It is going to be a very difficult test and with their ?shut-down? corners it makes it very hard for the quarterback to throw.?
On the seniors opportunity to impress professional scouts:
?This game means a lot. That is what they (scouts) look for playing against good competition. The pro?s are looking how they play against very good players. This is their opportunity to make another evaluation. I don?t think our players are worried about the NFL. They are just focused on the game and want to win.?
On Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson:
?The main thing that makes him tough is the great scheme Dennis Erickson has done for a long period of time. He?s won national championships and was an NFL coach. You don?t accomplish those things without being special as a coach. They just get another guy into the system.?
On the great matchup between Pittsburgh and Oregon State:
?I know this is a good matchup on paper. We just have to do our part. They are a very physical football team.?
On the experience of winning last year?s Tangerine Bowl:
?It was a lot of fun, but this is a new year. We are playing a much more physical football team this year. I thought North Carolina State offensively was a finesse football team. This is a physical football team (Oregon State) they are bringing at us and we better be ready.?
On the practice conditions:
?It is very nice grass and we are thrilled to be here. Being a (San Francisco) Giants fan growing up in the Bay area, I love seeing the pictures around the locker room. This is special for me. They have a picture of Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey all together.?
On the weather:
?Halfway through practice it got kind of nice. There is nothing we can do about that. We?re just thankful to be here and we just need to do the things in order to be successful.?
On wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald:
?It?s pretty exciting to have anyone play at the level that he has played regardless of his age. The fact that he is only a freshman makes it even better. It really makes it great for people that follow college football and the University of Pittsburgh. He?s a great guy too and you can tell by the way he plays. When he catches a touchdown pass, he acts likes he?s been there. He gives the ball to the official. He doesn?t talk during games. He just plays the game. He blocks. We had to take him out of the Miami game because his nose was bloody. He?s a special young man as well as an outstanding football player. He?s a big-time player and he has one more game to play this year.?
On the option of redshirting freshmen:
?When you get into the season, we have to decide what we are going to do to be successful. It is a great compliment to their (Oregon State) depth that have built by not playing any true freshmen. I think we are a little short at that position (wide receiver) and we had far superior talent. I think if he (Fitzgerald) went onto their practice field, he probably would have played too. I?m not sure though.?
On Steve Pederson leaving as athletic director:
?I asked Marc (Boehm) if he would like to address our team and he said ?sure?. He asked me what he should say and I told him to say what is in his heart. So he talked to our team and talked briefly only about the game and why we are here and what we need to get done. I don?t our players are all caught up into it all. I think we are all moving on and we couldn?t be more excited for Steve Pederson and his family. Nebraska is getting a special athletic director. We have to move on and we are very appreciative of the job he did. He was the right man for the job. We needed a lot of the things he did in order to get where we needed to be in order to have a chance. He gave me a head coaching job at a university with a lot of potential and has started to realize it.?