Postgame Quotes
Arkansas vs. Troy
Sept. 1, 2007
Post-Game Quotes
Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt
“Overall I was proud of our effort and it’s good to be 1-0. I thought the defense made some good adjustments at halftime and played better in the second half. They consistently were able to give us good field position. We are going to have to work on our punt return and kickoff teams and clean them up. “
“I thought Alex (Tejada) was outstanding tonight. He was kicking with ice water in his veins and acted like a senior tonight. I have never had confidence like that in a kicker since I have been here. “
(On the touchdown pass to Crosby Tuck) “Darren (McFadden) set up the play very well. It was a beautiful throw across his body and right on time.”
“Casey (Dick) did okay tonight. If the screen pass to Darren (McFadden) would have worked out it would have been six or at least gone for a big play. He also had some people drop some balls which did not help him out.”
“Our kick return game was good. I thought the touchdown by Felix (Jones) was the biggest play of the game. We got a nice wedge and he took it all the way. With the new kickoff rules, the opposing team is going to have a big choice on where they are going to kick it.”
Arkansas Players
Jonathan Luigs, C
“Our offense looked a little sloppy. Big ups to the running backs, and hopefully we can build upon what they did tonight. (Alabama) is going to be tough, but we have a bye week to get ready for them. It’s good to start 1-0, but we have to put it behind us and concentrate on Alabama.”
Darren McFadden, TB
“It felt good to hit Crosby (Tuck) for his first career reception and touchdown, and I’m glad he got to be a part of the victory. There are still a lot of things we need to do in order to get better as a team, and we definitely have to be ready going into to Tuscaloosa. “
“The heat got to me tonight as I cramped up on multiple occasions, but no big deal. I feel great.”
“I feel as though I played a good game tonight, but there are better performances to come.”
Felix Jones, TB
“Darren played well tonight, and I tried to feed off of his successes. The offensive line was key in our success on the ground tonight, and we found a lot that we can build upon.”
“We had a lot of built-up energy and emotion from the offseason, and it felt great to finally get out there and relieve some of it on the field.”
“Don’t give me any credit (for the return touchdown), all I did was run, the frontline did all the work.”
Crosby Tuck, WR
“It was awesome that my first career reception and touchdown came from Darren (McFadden).”
Reggie Fish, WR
“I don’t think we have any permanent problems with returns. First-game jitters just got to me and Michael (Smith), but it’s nothing to worry about.”
“We need to focus and pick up our intensity during the bye (week) for a touch road trip to Tuscaloosa.”
Troy Head Coach Larry Blakeney
“We probably match up decently (with Arkansas), except for two people; McFadden and Jones. You take those two out of the game and we’re in it. That’s not to knock the rest of the team, I’m really just complimenting those 2 guys. They’re fine football players. You can tell by the way they conduct themselves.”
(On Darren McFadden)
“That guy is hands-down the best football player I’ve ever seen.”
(On his team’s mindset)
“We didn’t come here for a moral victory. We came here to win. I’m really proud of our kids and our coaches. We’ve got a team that can compete if we stay well and get together. We’ve got to find some glue to hold us together. When we do that, we’ve got a chance to do something with this team.”
(On Arkansas’ 2nd half adjustments)
“They changed up on us a little. Reggie (Herring) doesn’t like playing zone, but they played a little bit of that. The biggest thing was that every time we got our eyes up, we messed up on something. We had two penalties on kickoff returns, and we just killed ourselves in field position.”
Troy Players
Marcus Richardson LB
“I had a few missed assignments, which is not a good thing with a Heisman candidate. His back up is not to bad either. I tip my hat to them.”
On Darren McFadden
“He is a high power running back and I had a great time.”
Omar Haugabook QB
“I felt like I broke my hand. I didn’t hear a snap, but I was a little scared because I am not used to being injured. If I was needed to come back into the game I would have been right back in it.”
“We have a long season ahead and have to forget about this one and move on. I have confidence in all my receivers, offensive line and running backs, so the momentum to turn around very quickly.”
