Colorado Arrival Quotes

by Press Release - Wed Dec 21 21:47:25 GMT-04:00 2005

COLORADO ARRIVAL QUOTES

The Peabody Hotel - Orlando, Fla.

COACH MIKE HANKWITZ QUOTES

With everything that has gone on at Colorado in the last month, what approach are you trying to take with this Bowl game? Is it fun and games, all business or a mixture of both?

“It's a mixture of both. We want our players to enjoy the great attractions of Orlando, but we are coming here with the idea of winning the game. We weren't pleased with the way we finished the season and this is our chance to change that. This will give us a chance to show what type of team we are. We felt we were a top 20 team...we were playing extremely well and we had three tough losses in a row. We now have a chance to go out and play and change that. We came down here to get in good weather, practice and prepare to win the game. At the same time we will give the kids time to enjoy things provided they give us the kind of effort we need to practice and make this a great trip.”

Obviously the goal is to always win the conference championship, when that didn't happen, what was your reaction to learning you were coming to Orlando?

“Certainly you can't beat this as a destination from a weather standpoint, from an attractions standpoint, from the standpoint of giving kids something to do. It has to be one of the great bowl destinations. If you were allowed to pick a spot to go, this would certainly be on the top of the list.”

Big question on the status of you quarterback Joel Klatt. Is he going to be ready to go?

“He hasn't been cleared yet and it remains day-by-day. We'll wait a little longer but if he isn't cleared we'll have to make a decision to go without him but that's still up in the air.”

You are playing a team that you know little about. Does that make preparation more difficult?

“It works both ways. Obviously they have the same problem in they don't know a lot about us. We had a chance to see them on film in their game against Miami that they lost in triple overtime. We have a lot of respect for their team and their talent. They are probably the best 7-4 team in the country. They lost games in triple overtime to Miami, lost a 10-9 game to a good Georgia Tech team, a tough loss to Wake and another overtime loss to a good Boston College team...they are an extremely talented team and we're excited to play them.”