[College Sports News]

Interesting comments from Miami coach Larry Coker during his press conference this week.

IMPORTANCE OF A BOWL GAME:
"My comment on that is that I want to win this game and make it to a nice bowl game. We don't have that many seniors but you would like to see these seniors go out on a positive note. This is senior night for us and it's for them. When the bell rings you respond and we're going to go out there and do the very best that we can. I think that a bowl game is a reward for being a good team. Good teams win games so we have to win to be eligible. We lost four ACC games by seven points or less and as I told our players, we have to coach and play harder and better. It could have gone wither way."

ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST YEAR
"I was talking to Al Groh before the game (last Saturday). We were talking about what was different between Miami's team now and maybe a year ago. I think it was a big play here and there. You look at number four Devin Hester and the games that he won. Look at the Louisville game we won. We don't win that game without a huge return from Devin Hester. The Florida game in the bowl game, we don't win that game without Devin Hester. Roscoe Parrish against Boston College, Roscoe Parrish against Virginia. It's a huge big play by a certain player and to me I think that's the big difference. I don't really see anything major other than that. I think the one thing that is different though is that we are very, very young. We have nineteen starters coming back on this team (next year). We have some key spots that need to be filled in, but those spots will be filled in. As soon as the season is over, we have a great running back/special teams player that is committed to us, that wants to come if I'm here. We have a terrific wide receiver that is committed and wants to come. I think we have the best quarterback that maybe I've seen since I've been here that wants to come. We have some good pieces here and we have some good pieces that we need to fill in."

ON TOUGH TIMES
"I will tell you and I think everyone in here is old enough and adult enough to hear this. Hard times will sometimes expose you. It does really let people know what you really are all about. We have a great faculty here and our student body here. They really care about this team, this program. Football is an important sport at the University of Miami. I don't want to overstate that because it's football, but it is really important to the University. That's what probably hurts me more than anything for the players and for South Florida and our fans. You know we hurt."

ON THE POSSIBILITY OF RESIGNING
"No. No. That has never been in my mind to resign."

Quotes from Coach Larry Coker's Tuesday Press Conference