Sept. 17, 2007

Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Injury update
"It's a very small list, so that's very good from our standpoint. We're relatively injury-free at this moment. Right now, the only guy that will not play will be Dain Wise. He had a knee strain. We expect him back the week prior to the Nebraska game. He'll get some work next week. We have a bye week and we expect him back for our first conference game. Mike Prince will replace him, we'll move him up there and we'll go from there."

On Illinois State
"Illinois State is ranked 15th in the country. They're a very, very good football program. Offensively, they run the ball well. Their quarterback is experienced, he throws the ball downfield well, and we're very impressed with that. The running backs are very good runners, they play multiple offenses, a lot of two-back. Defensively, they're a 4-3 and versions of, and they certainly present some problems for us there. That being said, we also have a lot of things to do to become a better football team and we're going to work real hard this week to get that done."

On not taking Illinois State lightly
"First of all, if you're a competitor and you like to play football, you want to win and you have goals. I don't think it really matters who you're playing. It's more that you're trying to become a better football player and a better football team, and you have respect for everybody that you play. That's what great competitors do. It's obvious that what happened at Michigan is a visual aid for everybody. Nowadays there's so much parity out there, everybody can beat everybody, and we would be foolish not to recognize that."

On stopping Illinois State's running game
"They're a very good running football team. That will be a test, and I think we improved on that a week ago. For the most part we need to get better at that and we're going to get tested."

On the kicking game
"Our kickoff coverage, which was so good the previous two weeks, was absolutely awful. It starts with the kicker, and certainly he's [Jeff Wolfert] very capable. We saw him two weeks in a row have good direction and hang time. Hang time is critical now. The other part is we just didn't do a very good job coverage-wise. Needless to say, I'm very upset about that."

On Chase Daniel and his interceptions
" He rarely does that. I think he lost his focus there, he's made so many great throws. After awhile you think he can make any throw. I'm not saying it's good that it happened, but I think for anybody, you get back to making sure you get back to your basics of what you are and why you are such a great player. You look at his numbers and obviously he had a pretty good day, he ran the ball well, I was pleased to see that. He's probably very hard on himself, like he should be, and that's why he's as good a football player as he is. He did a lot of good things, but in the same token, you can't throw five touchdown passes and three interceptions. It doesn't work that way and he rarely does that."

Derek Washington
On becoming a college football running back:
"Learning the plays was the biggest [challenge]. At the running back position, you are not just running the ball, you have to learn how to pass protect and you have to run out for routes as well. So it was much different from last year."

On learning from Tony Temple:
"Tony [Temple] has helped me out a lot. All of us running backs are one big family. We all get along so well. Whenever I need someone for a question, I know that I can ask any of the guys, especially Tony [Temple]."

Lorenzo Williams
On the "Appalachian State" effect:
"I remember that morning hearing [Kirk] Herbstreit from ESPN saying that no one wants to watch the Michigan-Appalachian State game. Later that day, I looked up the score on my phone, and the team's response was a big "whoa." [The team] talked about it realizing that anyone can be beaten."

On having to remind a young defense to always bring their best game:
"All we have to say to [the team] is to remember what can happen if you do not come prepared to play. It's best to remind the guys of things that have happened here before because I've been here the longest."

Martin Rucker
On Tight End Coach Bruce Walker:
"He's very good with training [the tight ends] into very good players. Whatever you need, I'm sure he'll know something. He might not know everything, but he definitely knows a little something about everything."

On Coach Pinkel saying "It's easy to coach good players":
"We try to make [Coach Pinkel's] job easier. Whenever the coach is happy, the players are happy. I just try to stay out of the problem areas, and do as I am told."

Will Franklin
On being ranked No. 25 in the nation:
"It's a good feeling to finally get some recognition. We've been here before, so it's really nothing new for us as a team, especially for the offense who experienced it last season. It's good to have going into Big 12 play."

On wrapping up the non-conference part of the schedule:
"Wrapping up the non-conference schedule will be the best thing for [the team]. Going into this week's [game] will be a tough task because they have a lot of good players on [Illinois State], who are Division I players knowing what the level of competition is. Wrapping things up before conference play is the most important thing for us."