University of Minnesota Athletics
Brewster and Player Press Conference Quotes
10/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
On the Michigan game:
“Well, just in recap of the Michigan game last week, I am very proud of the way our kids played. We had tremendous preparation going into the Michigan game. We came put and played extremely well in the first half and did a lot of great things. Obviously what we didn’t do well in the Michigan game was third down conversations offensively and again we have to eliminate the explosive plays defensively but again I think our kids played extremely hard I don’t think the score was very indicative at all of how the game was played and I think our kids came out of that game with some confidence going in and playing in front of 109,000 fans in that environment, I don’t know exactly how many freshmen we played, but we played a whole bunch. That creates invaluable experience having played in that environment.”
On Illinois:
“This is a fun week because it’s Homecoming here at the University of Minnesota. We’ll have so many ex-Minnesota Golden Gophers back for the game, alums, it’s just going to be a lot of fun.
“Illinois is an outstanding football team, they’re a very improved football team. Offensively, they’ve got a couple of outstanding quarterbacks. Isiah Williams obviously does a lot of great things athletically. Defensively, they’re a solid group. Lehman, their Mike linebacker is the leading tackler in the Big Ten, excellent football player. Their skill group is very solid on both sides of the ball. They’ve also done some really aggressive things in the kicking game they’re trying to block punts, they have blocked punts.”
On playing on Homecoming:
“I think Homecoming is going to be a lot of fun. Its going to be great to be around the ex-players and the former Golden Gophers that want to come back and be a part of the Homecoming experience and so I don’t look at it as a distraction at all, I look at it as a fun week for our football team.”
On Duane Bennett:
“I always thought that Duane Bennett had the chance to be a special back. Every great player reminds you of somebody else and when you look at that number 22, you look at his running style, who comes to mind? He reminds me of a young, Emmit Smith type of kid. I’m not trying to be funny when you look at his style of running, and I’m not trying to categorize him with an Emmit Smith yet, I just see his style that remind me of him. I just think he’s a special talent.”
Linebacker Steve Davis
On his play:
“I guess I’m getting more comfortable trying to go out there and make plays and trying to do something to win. I think that’s how a lot of the guys feel. We’re going out there and trying to play hard and we’re still in every game, but we just keep coming up short and that’s what’s frustrating about it.”
On the leadership of Mike Sherels and John Shevlin:
“I don’t think they’re getting too down about things. They’re senior captains, so they’re trying to work hard to keep team morale up so that we can stay out here and keep playing hard. From what I’ve seen, they still have a positive attitude, just like the coaches around here do. We’re still playing and trying to have fun with the remaining games that we have, so we’re going to continue to play hard and just let things fall where they fall.”
Running back Duane Bennett
On the difference he’s noticed moving from high school to Big Ten football:
“Of course [there is a difference], because these guys are very fast and strong. One hit feels like three hits from high school, so it has definitely taken a toll on me. You just have to take care of your body and get the proper amount of rest and be able to go back at it the next week.”
On whether he considered attending Illinois:
“Actually yes, I went there for a camp after I got a letter from their coaches, but two weeks later they gave me the indication they were going for an older running back, so it didn’t work out there.”
On whether his recruitment by Illinois provides more motivation this week:
“It does a little bit, just because it’s kind of a slap in the face because [Illinois coaches] told me I wasn’t good enough for the Big Ten, but I’m playing in the Big Ten right now. Its not like I’m going to try to take anything out on Illinois or anything, I would just like to have a good game against another opponent right now. In the back of my mind I know that this is one of the schools that passed me by.”
“Well, just in recap of the Michigan game last week, I am very proud of the way our kids played. We had tremendous preparation going into the Michigan game. We came put and played extremely well in the first half and did a lot of great things. Obviously what we didn’t do well in the Michigan game was third down conversations offensively and again we have to eliminate the explosive plays defensively but again I think our kids played extremely hard I don’t think the score was very indicative at all of how the game was played and I think our kids came out of that game with some confidence going in and playing in front of 109,000 fans in that environment, I don’t know exactly how many freshmen we played, but we played a whole bunch. That creates invaluable experience having played in that environment.”
On Illinois:
“This is a fun week because it’s Homecoming here at the University of Minnesota. We’ll have so many ex-Minnesota Golden Gophers back for the game, alums, it’s just going to be a lot of fun.
“Illinois is an outstanding football team, they’re a very improved football team. Offensively, they’ve got a couple of outstanding quarterbacks. Isiah Williams obviously does a lot of great things athletically. Defensively, they’re a solid group. Lehman, their Mike linebacker is the leading tackler in the Big Ten, excellent football player. Their skill group is very solid on both sides of the ball. They’ve also done some really aggressive things in the kicking game they’re trying to block punts, they have blocked punts.”
On playing on Homecoming:
“I think Homecoming is going to be a lot of fun. Its going to be great to be around the ex-players and the former Golden Gophers that want to come back and be a part of the Homecoming experience and so I don’t look at it as a distraction at all, I look at it as a fun week for our football team.”
On Duane Bennett:
“I always thought that Duane Bennett had the chance to be a special back. Every great player reminds you of somebody else and when you look at that number 22, you look at his running style, who comes to mind? He reminds me of a young, Emmit Smith type of kid. I’m not trying to be funny when you look at his style of running, and I’m not trying to categorize him with an Emmit Smith yet, I just see his style that remind me of him. I just think he’s a special talent.”
Linebacker Steve Davis
On his play:
“I guess I’m getting more comfortable trying to go out there and make plays and trying to do something to win. I think that’s how a lot of the guys feel. We’re going out there and trying to play hard and we’re still in every game, but we just keep coming up short and that’s what’s frustrating about it.”
On the leadership of Mike Sherels and John Shevlin:
“I don’t think they’re getting too down about things. They’re senior captains, so they’re trying to work hard to keep team morale up so that we can stay out here and keep playing hard. From what I’ve seen, they still have a positive attitude, just like the coaches around here do. We’re still playing and trying to have fun with the remaining games that we have, so we’re going to continue to play hard and just let things fall where they fall.”
Running back Duane Bennett
On the difference he’s noticed moving from high school to Big Ten football:
“Of course [there is a difference], because these guys are very fast and strong. One hit feels like three hits from high school, so it has definitely taken a toll on me. You just have to take care of your body and get the proper amount of rest and be able to go back at it the next week.”
On whether he considered attending Illinois:
“Actually yes, I went there for a camp after I got a letter from their coaches, but two weeks later they gave me the indication they were going for an older running back, so it didn’t work out there.”
On whether his recruitment by Illinois provides more motivation this week:
“It does a little bit, just because it’s kind of a slap in the face because [Illinois coaches] told me I wasn’t good enough for the Big Ten, but I’m playing in the Big Ten right now. Its not like I’m going to try to take anything out on Illinois or anything, I would just like to have a good game against another opponent right now. In the back of my mind I know that this is one of the schools that passed me by.”
Players Mentioned
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