Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder and UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora, Jr.
Snyder Opening Statement:
“Thanks Derrick. We greatly appreciate it, as anyone would. We had that experience in 1998 and we were well cared for and appreciated, with the exception of the loss late in the ball game, we appreciated each and every element of the bowl experience. Your people were very caring and looked after us quite well and made our stay very, very comfortable. We appreciate the opportunity again.”
“I have followed Jim Mora for quite some time and greatly appreciate what he means to the game of college football. He has, obviously, an extremely talented and fine football team, a very well coached UCLA football team, and he has moved that program in an extremely positive direction.”
“We are honored to be there and we appreciate the opportunity.”
Mora Opening Statement:
“Thank you Derrick. On behalf of UCLA, our players, our staff and our administration I want to thank you and the Valero Alamo Bowl committee for selecting us to play in what we think will be a classic matchup between two very fine football teams. This will be our first experience at the Valero Alamo Bowl and we are beyond excited to have the chance to come to San Antonio and have the chance to experience everything that the city has to offer and also get to play against a very, very fine Kansas State football team coached by a legend and hall of famer, Coach Snyder, a man who I just have tremendous respect for and I actually can’t wait to shake his hand. I am a little bit in awe, but really excited to come to your city (San Antonio) and experience what it has to offer and play, in what we think, is a very prestigious game.”
“Thank you again for selecting us and we promise to represent extremely well on the field, off the field and in your community and we are very excited about the opportunity.”
Snyder on possibility of finishing the season with 10 wins and ranked in the Top 10:
“I believe everyone in our program, the young people and our staff and all those that are invested in our program are excited about being there. Obviously, finishing the season the right way is very significant. We have been on both sides of the ledger, and obviously to finish the way you desire too is much more palatable, I think. The experience, and I can go on the past experience we had there, we were cared for and looked after so very well by the staff with the Alamo Bowl.”
“UCLA, I can’t say that we have followed dramatically closely, and I’m sure Jim is the same way, we get invested in our own programs, but we do know what is going on in college football and I certainly admire what they have done. You read off the stats and I have a stat sheet right here in front of me and it is a little frightening when you look at the success of Brett Hundley and the capacity they have to be balanced in their offense to run and pass and to be a productive defense is obviously something you have some concern about, but you also look at their special teams and the numbers would indicate that they spend diligent time on special teams as well.”
Mora on finishing the season with 10 wins and ranked in the Top 10:
“It is certainly our next goal. We have had a very challenging season. We have played the toughest schedule in college football according to some and this is just another opportunity for us to play against a great football team and measure ourselves against a great football team and a team that we don’t see very often. We are just excited about it. I’m terribly excited about it. I just can’t wait for the challenge. We have respected Kansas State and what they have accomplished. I’ve obviously respected Coach Snyder and what he has meant to college football, not only as a coach but maybe more so as a mentor of young men. I am only in my third year of coaching college football. Most of my history is predominately in the NFL, and I’m hoping at some point I will have a chance to sit down with him and kind of pick his brain about some of the things that have made him so successful, and what have made him so impactful in young people’s lives. But for us it is a chance to play in great bowl game in a wonderful city. I have been able to play in that stadium before when the Saints were playing down there during the Katrina years and loved the place. I saw already that the first night there we get to see the Spurs play, so we’re excited about that. But it really is just a great experience and a chance to measure ourselves once again against one of the top college football teams in the country.”
Snyder on walk-ons that have become major contributors:
“Well we have a plethora of quality young people with a very significant value system who I am so very proud of, and certainly Tyler (Lockett) is one of those, our quarterback Jake Waters is one of those. There are so many in our program. Those are the ones who are high profile young people that you read about. Our center B.J. Finney was a walk-on in our program and has been a four-year starter, four-year captain. Of course there is Jonathan Truman who could be an all-conference linebacker for us who was a walk-on in our program, three-year starter. There is probably somewhere in the vicinity of 50 percent of the young people that receive active playing time are young guys that have walked on in our program and earned their way. Nothing was given to them. They earned their way and you have to have a strong value system for that to take place and I’m very proud of them.”
Mora on his team:
“We’ve got a good group of young me who are committed to what we’re trying to accomplish here as a program, both on the field and off the field. Some of the high profile that have been mentioned, Brett Hudley and Eric Kendricks, but there are a whole lot of other guys that contribute just as well. One of the things that I’m excited about is the fact that we only have six scholarship seniors that are graduating this year, so we are a young team that is hungry and still developing, and this is just going to be another step in our progression, and as I’ve said over and over again, for us a chance to play a tremendous team on a big stage and I think that is how you grow as a competitor. It is going to be fantastic. I’m proud of our team and I’m proud that we are getting this opportunity and I’m anxious to get started.”