SEC KICKOFF 2002
Southeastern Conference Football Media Days
July 30 - August 1 (Tuesday - Thursday)
Wynfrey Hotel * Hoover, Alabama

AUBURN PARTICIPANT AUDIO
  Coach Tommy Tuberville
  TE Lorenzo Diamond
  LB Dontarrious Thomas

Auburn Quotes from Kickoff 2002 - SEC Football Media Days

Head Coach Tommy Tuberville

"I'm excited about this year. The quarterbacks have worked hard. We have no clue who the quarterback will be. One thing I told them the last few weeks is I'm looking for leadership. Both have same athletic qualities, both have had good times and bad times. We need to find someone to be more consistent. This year we have a better supporting cast around them, a better group of running backs, tight ends, wide receivers. It will be easier for a quarterback to be successful."

"We have four games in a short period of time early in the season. We'll find out a lot about this team. We will be an exciting team to watch, coming off disappointing season, having Western Division title in the palm of our hands, losing to state rival the way we did. It made us a more hungry team."

"I'm excited. I think we have a chance to be good. We have a good chance to compete with everybody we play week in and week out. Over the past seven years, I haven't been able to stand up here and say that. We have a good group coming back and an excellent recruiting class with speed."

On Schedule
"We have four non-conference games and two of them are very competitive with Syracuse and USC. We needed something to get us back to the homes of recruits after a couple of years of negative publicity at Auburn. USC gave us opportunity to get in some doors that were not open to us. Lot of players wanted to play that game. Look at our schedule,we have a mixture of conference and non-conference games early. It's set up pretty good for us."

On the West
"Everybody's got good players. There is not a team you can say will go out and win it. I don't think there will be an unbeaten team. Last year we tied with LSU and we both had 3 losses. We beat up on ourselves. Everybody has good skill players, The team that will win will be more consistent at running back and defensive line. One factor we can't control is injuries. A handful of guys on each team could make a difference in great season and average season."

On the offensive line
"We lost three starters, but this will be most athletic group of offensive linemen we've had in eight years. We are going to have to come together, but we have more depth than we've had in the past. A guy like Carnell (Williams) will make our line look better. They're hard-nosed and had a great spring. We've made some minor changes where it's simpler, so they can get better quicker. If we have a weakness that would be our starting point, but I like that weakness and if that's it, we're going to have a good football team."

"We signed five guys I think can play at wide receiver this year. They can all run and catch. Unlike in the past, five years ago, it was unusual for a freshman to come early and work out. Most of our freshmen have been there, they've worked with our quarterbacks. They've learned. They're not going to be caught by surprised. I'd be surprised if we don't have one or two new starters from this group or at least guys who play half the time."

Linebacker Dontarrious Thomas

"Coach Whitt has spent a lot of time with me to get me ready to play. He knows a lot about the game and has taught me a lot."

"Coach Chizik is great. He keep the intensity level high. We still run the same set. The only difference would be the terminology."

"This year we need to start on a good note and end on a good note. We need to keep the intensity level up."

"Traveling to the University of Southern California for the season opener is exciting. We hope to go out there and play well. It is a stepping stone for us. We need to go out and do well in order to help us accomplish our goals."

"After the down slide last season we were really upset, but we just have to use that as a motivational tool."

"In the SEC, you have to have a good defense to make it. From a defensive perspective, I feel like a defense sets the tone for the game."

"This year I consider myself one of the leaders on the team. Last season, I was just getting my feet wet."

Tight End Lorenzo Diamond

"This offseason has been a tough one. We have t-shirts in the weight room for every game we lost. We use that as motivation."

"I think we lost a lot of our focus last year."

On freshmen receivers: "Those guys are some of the best freshmen receivers I've seen. We're looking forward to seeing what they can do on the field."

On tight ends: "It's a good thing. We've got three guys that can get the job done. Cooper and myself go out and work hard. One of our goals is to be the best tight end."

On USC game: "It's actually made some workouts tougher. We're looking at this game as the make or break game. We have to get prepared mentally and physically to go out there."

On Coach Petrino: "A guy coming from the NFL and having the success that he did, we look at this guy as he really knows what he's talking about."

On quarterbacks: "Both of them have worked really hard. Both have made great strides. We really need one of them to put his foot forward and say hey, I'm gonna start and lead this team. We have confidence in both guys."

KICKOFF 2002: AUBURN PHOTO GALLERY (Click on the thumbnail to see the full size image and caption)