Post-Game Quotes

North Texas at Arkansas

Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium – Fayetteville, Ark.

Arkansas Post-Game Quotes

Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt

On the win over North Texas …

“It’s always good to win. We prepared well during the week and got our heads up during the disappointing loss to Kentucky. But I thought we executed well and the defense gave us a lot of good field position. Overall, it was a good win for us.”

On Darren McFadden resting during the second half…

“It was real nice to have Darren (McFadden) resting during the second half. I’m glad he got to rest up for the next game. He and Felix [Jones] are great cheerleaders on the sideline. So, it was great to have them as confidence boosters during the second half.”

On Casey Dick’s performance…

“Casey (Dick) did a great job tonight. He was very accurate and he did great things, but we, as a team, have to help him. But, I’m very proud of him tonight.”

On the team’s secondary players…

“The secondary didn’t give up anything long, which was a great job on their part. They are starting to play with their eyes more.”

On Brandon Barnett…

“Brandon (Barnett) got a little winded tonight. He’s a little out of shape, but it was great to get him in there. He got better with each carry that he had, which is what you expect out of a running back. I’m very happy with how Brandon played tonight.”

On the game…

“This game was very important coming off a tough loss. But, I tell you, nobody wants to win more than these players. They play with a lot of heart. It was good to get a win tonight.”

Arkansas Player Quotes

Darren McFadden

On the win over North Texas …

“We accomplished what we wanted to tonight. Scoring 66 points is doing what we wanted to accomplish. I’m very happy with the win tonight.”

On the game bringing back confidence to the team…

“I thought this game brought a lot of confidence back to the team. I thought the passing game stepped up very well tonight and the defense played well also.”

London Crawford

On the 61 yard touchdown reception…

“I thought the guy was closer to me when I made my move but after I caught the ball he was nowhere close. Casey (Dick) threw a great deep ball. I didn’t even have to speed up or slow down. It was a perfectly thrown ball.”

“We have been working on trying to have a more consistent passing game. After tonight’s game, I think we will continue to have success passing the ball. The coaches have been telling the receivers to step up and we did so. We have to stay focused for next week’s game and take no one lightly.”

Felix Jones

On the 71 yard touchdown run…

“I tried to find a hole where my blockers were and was able to shed some tacklers to get free. The hardest part was keeping my balance and trying to stay in bounds so I could finish my run.”

“It was nice to get our work done in the first half so Darren (McFadden) and I didn’t have to play in the second half.”

Casey Dick

On the 61 yard touchdown pass to London Crawford…

“We were able to get them to bite on a play action and London (Crawford) put a great move on the defender. He faked an out route, then went to the post and I was able to put the ball right on him and he did the rest.”

“They were giving us the short passes all night so the passing game gained confidence every time we completed a pass. I think the offense will be rolling from here on out with the all-around great performance we had tonight.”

Michael Grant

On his interception…

“The receiver tried to run an inside route and I knew it was coming. Once the ball was thrown, I jumped the route and when he touched it, I took it away from him.”

North Texas Post-Game Quotes

North Texas Head Coach Todd Dodge

On overall team performance…

“We didn’t play nearly as well as I had expected us to tonight. Give credit to Arkansas for having their ducks in a row. It is obvious that losing 66-7 is tough, but we had our chances to grab momentum and keep that from happening. We just did not execute.”

On defensive play…

“We didn’t tackle very well at all, and the numbers don’t lie. Those running backs deserve the hype they get, and we saw it first-hand tonight.”

On offensive play…

We brought [Giovanni] Vizza in early because [Daniel] Meager wasn’t producing. He played well by coming into a stadium like this and not getting rattled.”

North Texas Player Quotes

Daniel Meager, QB

“I was not playing well early, so Coach (Dodge) pulled me for Giovanni (Vizza). We didn’t get off on the right foot as a whole, and could not execute hardly anything.

On remainder of season…

We have to keep our heads up and move forward. The season is not over by any means, so we just have to keep on fighting.”

Maurice Holman, OLB

“We got beat up by the best backfield in the country tonight. Big mistakes against a team of this caliber are going to bite you, as can be seen by the outcome. We took a step back as a defensive unit tonight, and need to get back on our feet this week in practice.”

Brandon Jackson, WR

“The receiving corps was not executing well at all tonight. A lot of it had to do with the environment and the intensity of the Arkansas defense. Credit to the Razorbacks for coming prepared, as we were most definitely not.”