Week 15 99

Coach Burnett Talks About Week 15

December 5, 1999

LaMarque Quarterfinal Game

I thought our kids did a great job of taking care of business in the Lamarque game. All week long in the papers and the media, the talk was LaMarque and their record-breaking playoff run, and also how physically talented they were. I think it's a tribute to our kids they didn't let that interfere with their preparation and their focus on what it takes to win.

I thought our kids did a great job of executing our game plan, and that takes concentration on their part. Emotionally we were sharp as a tack. Our kids have done a tremendous job of containing their emotions during the week, and then being able to turn it on when it's time to turn it on.

LaMarque was everything we thought they would be. They were very good on offense, and very tough on defense. A big key to it was our kids defensively played real physical. The key offensively was that Dustin did a good job of executing our offense. Also the crowd that was gathered and its support was a really big asset.

On Schertz Clemens

Schertz reminds me of the Indians. They are well coached. They're going to spend a lot of time trying to put their players in position to win the game. They play with a whole lot of emotion and effort.

Defensively they run a 4-3 defense, and they really do a good job of getting a lot of people to the football. Offensively they feature some misdirection plays and some option. We're really impressed with their quarterback. He seems to be the catalyst of a lot of the things they do. Their fullback is a real hard-nosed player. He's a great blocker and tough runner. They have a tailback who has tremendous speed. He's quick as a waterbug.

They're coming into this game with a whole lot of confidence being 14-0. We expect a battle.

Injuries

We came out of the LaMarque game with some bumps and bruises the we think we can mend up by Saturday. Nothing major, because at this stage of the playoffs you've got to suck it up and go.

Defensive Leaders

Defensive leaders against LaMarque were:

	OLB Shawn Lang--6 first contacts, 2 assists, 1 deflected pass
	LB Cody Clark--7 first contacts, 3 assists, 1 quarterback pressure
	CB Jeremy Neeb--6 first contacts, 1 tackle for loss, 1 deflected pass
	DE Justin Mercer--1 first contact, 3 assists, 3 quarterback pressures
	S Chris Gohlke--10 first contacts, 1 interception, 1 deflected pass
	OLB Jared Hanks--5 first contacts, 2 assists, 1 tackle for loss
	DB Thomas Baxter--4 first contacts, 2 assists, 1 deflected pass

--Matt Burnett, Head Coach