Todd Graham talks with Joe Theismann before Friday's press conference. |
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GMAC Bowl Coaches Meet the Media For Final Time
Jan. 5, 2008
Mobile, Alabama - Both Tulsa and Bowling Green were on the practice field this afternoon, while the two coaches met the media for the final time at a late afternoon press conference.
In addition to the two head coaches, the featured speaker at the GMAC Mayor's Banquet on Friday night, Joe Theismann, also addressed the media.
"We've had a great week. The people of Mobile and the GMAC Bowl have been first-class. Our kids have had an incredible week and are very excited about the opportunity on Sunday," said Tulsa's Todd Graham.
"I've had an opportunity to get to know Coach Brandon a little bit. He's a first-class guy and a man that cares about players, and then to top it off with the chance to meet Joe Theismann here today," said Graham. "I told Joe, when I grew up my brother was Joe Theismann in the front yard and I used to try to cream him. I actually wound up being a pretty good defensive player and earned a scholarship, so I owe Joe some thanks."
This morning I had a chance to hear a Cy Young award winner (Jake Peevy) at today's FCA Breakfast," added Graham. "It's just been an unbelievable week. Our kids have had a great week of practice. We're looking forward to playing a first-class Bowling Green team. Coach Brandon and his crew have been first-class. It's an honor to be here with them. We're looking forward to the game.
Bowling Green Head Coach Brandon joked, that "when I grew up in the back yard my brother was Bart Starr, so that probably dates me."
"It's great to be here and play a team as well coached as Todd's crew. I echo what Todd says about this game. We're excited to be back here in Mobile," said Brandon. "We have a great trip down here. We're ready to play this game. We're getting anxious. We had a spirited practice today and they're looking to hit somebody else.
"It's been a tough road to get here. We started out the season with a bang at 3-1, then we went in a slump and went 1-3 and was sitting at 4-4. That's where' we were last year and we went the wrong direction. This year we went the right direction and won out and got back into this game. I really credit that to a great bunch of seniors," said Brandon. "Their leadership was outstanding, and then we had some young guys step up and do a good job of making plays for us down the stretch. We're excited to playing a really solid football team in Tulsa."
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In Theismann's remarks, he congratulated both football teams for getting to Mobile.
"College football to me is always very fascinating. At the college level there's a sense of purity and innocence to it. We've seen it all through the weeks leading up to Sunday night's football and I'd like to congratulate the GMAC Bowl for really having the introductory bowl to what is considered the national championship," said Theismann.
" I think it's very special to be able to play the game on a singular night. You're not playing on another day when three or four other games are being played. This has become a featured bowl. It's the bowl that occurs the night before the perceived national championship football game and I think carries a significant degree of weight to it," added Theismann.
"When you look at these football teams, both of them have lost four games, both have gone through stretches where one loses to Oklahoma big, one to Boston College big, and both teams have come back to represent themselves in a very fine way. I'm very excited about what we're going to see on Sunday night," said Theismann.
TULSA NOTEPAD . . .
FIESTA BOWL MVP WATCHES TULSA'S PRACTICE . . . West Virginia quarterback Pat White was a visitor at Tulsa's practice on Friday afternoon, just two days after leading the Mountaineers to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma . . . his hometown of Daphne, Alabama, is just 30 miles from Ladd-Peebles Stadium . . . White was recruited to West Virginia when Tulsa co-offensive coordinator Herb Hand was the recruiting coordinator at the school . . . White was the Offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl earlier this week.
WHIRLWIND . . . If this week hasn't been busy enough for the Tulsa players, for one Hurricane player it has just begun . . . senior quarterback Paul Smith will lead the Hurricane into Sunday (Jan. 6) night's GMAC Bowl . . . following the game, Tulsa departs for Tulsa and will arrive at approximately 2 am Monday, Jan. 7 . . . Smith and his wife, Krista, will embark on another trip at 6:30 am Monday morning, Jan. 7 en route to Honolulu, Hawaii for the Hula Bowl Senior All-Star Game . . . they will travel from Tulsa, through Denver and San Francisco, before arriving in Honolulu on Monday afternoon . . . his first practice with the West squad will be on Tuesday, Jan. 8 . . . the Hula Bowl will be played on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 12 . . . then the Smith's will depart and arrive in Tulsa mid-afternoon Sunday, Jan. 13 . . . Smith then hops on another plane Monday, January 14, while his wife Krista will begin her final semester of classes at TU (Paul graduated in December with a degree in Communication) . . . Paul's destination is Los Angeles, California, where he will go through workouts at Athletics Performance Inc. (API) for nearly four weeks preparing for the NFL Combine . . . he will then return to Tulsa for a couple days before leaving for Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for the Wuerffel Trophy presentation on Feb. 15 . . . following the Wuerffel Trophy ceremony, Smith will return to Tulsa, then leave to participate at the NFL Combine, Feb. 20-26, in Indianapolis, Indiana . . . the NFL Combine will be televised on the NFL Network.
