Sept. 23, 2000

KENT STATE HEAD COACH DEAN PEES
OPENING STATEMENT: "I don't know what team showed up today but it wasn't Kent State. We've got to go back to the drawing board and get it right. We're a lot better team than we showed. We didn't play with any emotion. We didn't play hard in the first half, we did in the second half. We got too far behind and got our butts beat. We've got to keep pushing ourselves and keep practicing. We need to keep doing things and doing them right. But it is the same thing as last week. We lose whatever momentum we get. We get ourselves in hole and can't get out of it. Miami is a lot better team than we played last week."

ON DECISION TO FAKE THE FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT: "We thought we had seen something in the film. We felt that if we got a field goal attempt, we would have a chance to get a first down."

MIAMI HEAD COACH TERRY HOEPPNER
OPENING STATEMENT: "I congratulated the players and coaches on a fine week of preparation. I was not surprised by our level of effort and execution. I thought the scout team did a great job of helping us prepare. I feel for Dean Pees. I think they caught us on a good day today."

ON OFFENSIVE PLAY SELECTION: "We were very aggressive in our play calling. I've seen Kent State play better football than that. I think we did exactly what we intended to do today. It was one of those weeks when we received more attention for the loss the week before. I got calls from all over the county. I don't think anybody let it go to their head. I think we played like a motivated team who could not wait to get back on the field."

ON BIG-PLAY SCORING DRIVES: "I haven't seen the stats yet. My favorite football team right now, besides the Miami RedHawks, is the St. Louis Rams. The game started out well. We held them. Then we went down and scored. We haven't played that perfect game yet. It is something we want to strive for."

ON CAL MURRAY: "I'm happy for Cal. We have two great tailbacks, two guys who compliment each other well. It has been a rule around here for a long time, don't put the ball on the ground. Steve will be back. But Cal Murray, wow. He ran hard today. When he gets his opportunity, it is hard to take him out. We want to be able to run the ball on offense."

ON MIKE BATH: "I think Mike Bath played well today. He made some bad throws. He had two checks that were absolutely incredible. Greg Seamon does a great job teaching quarterbacks. You have got to give him a lot of the credit. He (Bath) wants to be a coach."

MIAMI RUNNING BACK CAL MURRAY
ON THIS WEEK AFTER NOT PLAYING MUCH AT OHIO STATE: "I wasn't disappointed. I just wanted to come out this week and if the coaches gave me a chance, I wanted them to know I'm still here. I still have a fire inside me to be the greatest tailback here. I came out with the mindset today, that if I get any kind of an opportunity, I wouldn't take it for granted. My mindset is just to run the ball hard. I want the ball, even if it's just a pass play to block."

MIAMI QUARTERBACK MIKE BATH
ON AUDIBLE CALLS: "I have to credit that to Coach Seamon. We watch film all week. He points out what he wants me to do. We knew something was out there, like on Sly's second touchdown. I knew a blitz was coming and I wanted to get it out here. We combined a couple things and got away with it."

ON SURPASSING 5000 PASSING YARDS FOR CAREER: "I don't care about the numbers. I just want the win."