Oct. 4, 2010
Head Coach Gary Pinkel
Injury report:
"Right now we only have one player that's going to be out and that's Aldon Smith. The medical staff just feels right now he's not ready to play."
On beginning Big 12 play
"We're excited about beginning conference play. We had a bye week last week and now it is eight weeks with the desire to play our very, very best eight weeks in a row. Playing in the Big 12 Conference, as you well know, every single week you're going to play a good football team."
On facing Colorado:
"We start with Colorado who is playing very, very well. They had a very impressive win over Georgia Saturday night. I just think it's a team that's playing very, very well. They are very good at the defensive side."
"Their quarterback, (Tyler) Hansen is really doing well. I'm very, very impressed with him and how he is quarterbacking now. You can just see the experience take over. He's using his athleticism, his quickness and his speed and puts a lot of pressure on the defense in many, many ways. He keeps drives alive and he converts third downs and I'm just very, very impressed of how he's matured."
"They're running the football well. That's what they believe in doing and playing good defense and that's got them off to a very good start this year. Our challenge is to work hard and try and play our best football game. We're going to work very hard to do that."
On moving into the AP top-25 poll this week:
"You know I don't really look at that. I want to be in the polls at the end of the year. I know our fans like that kind of stuff. Obviously we know what winning at a consistent level does. We also know it's very fleeting if you don't take care of your business, so we'll see where it goes."
On the penalties increase this year:
"I want to be a disciplined team. Sunday after our last game I had a frank talk with our team about that. That yardage ultimately has a lot to do with winning and losing football games. And making critical mistakes, that's Missouri beating Missouri. So it's discipline and it's also judgment. You can be aggressive, you can be flying around, and you can be the nastiest legal team in the Big 12 and still be a disciplined football team. So that's my concern and we're going to work hard and try to get better."
On playing without DE Aldon Smith
"It's still a team defense, basically that's what it is. People who replace injured players have to raise their level up and play well and all the players around them have to play well. That's just part of football. Certainly, Aldon is a great young player and he certainly adds a lot to our defense. But as the season goes on, who knows who we'll be missing in a game, for whatever reasons, and somebody's got to step it up."
On thinking of it being a new season starting Big 12 play:
"It's Big 12 Conference play. We ended the non-conference season 4-0 like we wanted but now the games are tough every week. Everybody is a competitive team in the Big 12 and we're excited to play Colorado."
On Colorado's momentum after its win over Georgia:
Anytime you beat a high-quality team you're going to have momentum coming into the next game but we're excited to play them."
On 70 percent of catches coming from Moe and Egnew:
"They're getting open. And if they're getting open and I'm not throwing them the football then that's my problem. If they're getting open and they're my first two progressions, they're going to get the football."
On WR Wes Kemp:
"He is a crucial part of our primitive blocking game. He's done an awesome job. His time will come and he knows that we just have to take what the defense is giving us and when he's open we're going to try to get him the football."
On the bye week:
" The big thing was getting our team healthy. We had another week of doing treatment, getting in the weight room and getting our bodies feeling good, like we did in the preseason. It just helps us overall. I rested up, watched a bunch of film and hung out and really just got away from football a little bit."
On Colorado:
"Their corners are very physical. I haven't gotten to see a lot so far because it's kind of hard to see on TV but we're going to start watching film here in a little bit. They'll jam you at the line so we have to have some good releases."
On Colorado having an edge with a difficult schedule:
"It depends what kind of edge you're looking for. We are well rested and they just got beat up a little bit on Saturday, but they've played some good football teams and we have too. I think some of the teams we've played are a little underrated. They will start to get recognition later but right now we're just trying to worry about playing Colorado."
On the distribution of passes:
"It's not an issue for me. As long as we are getting completions, then we're doing well. The guys in the slots a lot of times are the first reads. It's not Blaine's job to go past the first reads if we're open. So we have some plays for some of the other guys and that will start to develop a little more as the season goes on but right now we're just going to keep trying to catch the football."
OL Tim Barnes
On Colorado:
"After beating Georgia last weekend they are going to come out here ready to go. We have beaten them the last few years. I know they're probably tired of it so they're probably going to come out here wanting to get after us. We have to make sure we come out here prepared to play four full quarters and play our best game. It's Big 12 now so we have to be prepared."
On it being the second part of the season:
"We have the non-conference games and those are really important to us. We want to win them all but we want to come out here and win our Big 12 games and that starts this Saturday. We just have to take them one at a time, and go out there and try to get a good victory. It will be a good victory if we go out there and do what we need to do."
On this being the last time to play Colorado as a Big 12 team:
" No one is really talking about it around here but I know it's on guys' minds. It's on my mind. It's the last time they're coming to Mizzou, the last time we're playing them, and it's my senior year so it's kind of just in the back of your mind. You use it to fuel your fire but it's not in the forefront or anything."
WR Wes Kemp
On blocking:
"You have to take it upon yourself to help the team out. We have four explosive backs this year so just trying to help them out on the outside."
On Moe and Egnew having a two-thirds of the receptions:
"A lot of the offense is predicated on the slots, so the slots are going to get open a lot. That's how our offense runs, just like in the past with Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffmann, Danario Alexander and Martin Rucker. That's just kind of how our offense is."