This comes in from our correspondent, Zach Hanby:
(Edited transcript of Coach Venables' "brief" post-game meeting with reporters)
"That was great (in the first half). Our guys came ready to play. If not for a couple of plays in there, they would have had a really, really great night. I have this bad problem that I always think about the bad plays. The one down the sidelines where T.J. Green was covering a guy; dumb call. We also blew the coverage down the middle of the field there on that last drive. We left the one guy uncovered, but gosh, I love watching our guys battle. It's such a fun game to be a part of.
"It's something we talked about earlier in the week. You have to have a road dog mentality, an edge to you, a toughness about you if you're going to go on the road and play a program like this and in an atmosphere like this, a team that was desperate to win.
"To win at the line of scrimmage and stone their run game and create pressure was in our mind the only way we had a chance to win. Right before we left the hotel I told them we'd have to come up with a stop for us to win this game. It's neat to see them have that kind of success there tonight. It was good."
On Kevin Dodd's improvement:
"He's a self-made guy. Marion has done an incredible job getting him to learn how to be a defensive end. He has put a lot of work into his body, his technique and understanding. He is the ultimate in terms of paying the price and waiting. Things don't always happen on our time. He's a fabulous example for all of our guys. You just keep fighting and working and be ready for your opportunity. Boy was he ready tonight. And he wasn't the only one. He's had great humility all along the way."
*** There will be additional availability with coordinators/players in the coming days despite the open date week, so we'll have more from Venables/Elliott/Jeff Scott at that time.
(Edited transcript of Coach Venables' "brief" post-game meeting with reporters)
"That was great (in the first half). Our guys came ready to play. If not for a couple of plays in there, they would have had a really, really great night. I have this bad problem that I always think about the bad plays. The one down the sidelines where T.J. Green was covering a guy; dumb call. We also blew the coverage down the middle of the field there on that last drive. We left the one guy uncovered, but gosh, I love watching our guys battle. It's such a fun game to be a part of.
"It's something we talked about earlier in the week. You have to have a road dog mentality, an edge to you, a toughness about you if you're going to go on the road and play a program like this and in an atmosphere like this, a team that was desperate to win.
"To win at the line of scrimmage and stone their run game and create pressure was in our mind the only way we had a chance to win. Right before we left the hotel I told them we'd have to come up with a stop for us to win this game. It's neat to see them have that kind of success there tonight. It was good."
On Kevin Dodd's improvement:
"He's a self-made guy. Marion has done an incredible job getting him to learn how to be a defensive end. He has put a lot of work into his body, his technique and understanding. He is the ultimate in terms of paying the price and waiting. Things don't always happen on our time. He's a fabulous example for all of our guys. You just keep fighting and working and be ready for your opportunity. Boy was he ready tonight. And he wasn't the only one. He's had great humility all along the way."
*** There will be additional availability with coordinators/players in the coming days despite the open date week, so we'll have more from Venables/Elliott/Jeff Scott at that time.
