Tyler Wilson 11-19
By: Adam Alter
Updated: November 19, 2012
Arkansas senior quarterback Tyler Wilson speaks with the media Monday to discuss playing in his final game as a Razorback.
Quotes provided by UA Sports Information.
QB-Tyler Wilson (on emotions) - "I think (Coach Smith) is emotional for all of us. It kind of hit me yesterday. I was eating dinner and it hit me that this is my last go-around, as well as for a number of people. It is an emotional game. I expect everybody to come to work this week and treat it like that."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on goals for this week) - "Last week there was some uncertainty; if we win we could have a chance for a bowl game. Well, this is it. We've got one game left, and you know this is it. So why not go out there and light it up one more time? That's how I'm looking at it. You can go back and look at everything, and it's tough. I've learned a lot. I don't regret coming back for anything. I got to experience living here another year, learning a lot of things, building relationships with teammates even through some tough times. Now you get to go out there and lace them up one more time on this field. It's going to be special."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on Head Coach John L. Smith) - "He'd been here since my redshirt freshman year all the way through now. So we've been together. He's meant a lot, a lot of relationships with the staff members, not only him. You build those relationships that will last forever. That camaraderie you build with your teammates. The last six months have been tough, but there's so much good that overwhelms that other stuff. That's what so fun about it. Those are the memories you'll have."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on what he's learned from Head Coach John L. Smith) - "He always has a smile. Whether he's feeling it deep down in there or not, it's the way he expresses himself. It touches everybody. It says hey, make it a good day. That's what he believes, and that's how he portrays himself. That's the way that everybody takes it and moves on because of it."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on playing LSU in Fayetteville) - "Little Rock's great and it's been tradition to be there for sure. Not being able to go to a bowl game at this point, to wrap up my career here in Fayetteville, is the perfect ending. This is where you want to play your last game."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on WR-Brandon Mitchell returning) - "It's big. There were certain plays last week where I thought that maybe if he was in there it might have been a little different in helping us. It's going to be a big benefit to us. He's a Louisiana guy, so he's going to want to play big in this game. He's going to come to play. I know he's going to prepare. I'm going to get him the ball and see if he can make some plays for us. He should be fresh, his body should be fresh. Maybe he'll be a bit faster and do some good things for us."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on the senior class) - "You think about the Liberty Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, which was an awesome time. The conclusions of each individual year. Liberty Bowl we get a win, Alex Tejada kicks a field goal. Sugar Bowl, we had a chance to win, should have beat Ohio State. It was a fun year and a 10-win season. I got to learn behind Ryan (Mallett). That was my first year to come out and do some things. Then last year, with the Cotton Bowl, how exciting that was to be a part of a team here that matches that 11-win mark. As a program you're flying really, really high. The expectations that went into this year, the term 'national championship' was a relative term, not only to the local media but to the national media. Our senior class and my time here has been a fun evolution of things that have happened. To say that you have a mark on that is fun and something that I'll remember forever, although the past few months haven't been what we expected."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on Arkansas fans coming to the LSU game) - "It's Thanksgiving. We always have a big show of students here. That was one of my big concerns originally, with all those guys going home. But it's LSU. They're coming to town, they've got a lot of their season riding on the game. We get to come out and try and spoil it a little bit and have one more good game. One of my favorite movies is For Love of the Game. Kevin Costner is a pitcher and they want him to start against the Yankees. His catcher goes "Oh, it's a throwaway," and he goes "Not to the Red Sox." Because they're playing for the pennant. That's kind of the same scenario that I feel about this week. Not for the Yankees or the Red Sox, not for LSU. It's a big game for us, big game to go out on top, and we've got that opportunity."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on TE-Garett Uekman passing away last year) - "That was tremendously tough. You go back, and you look at everything, that's always tough. A year ago tomorrow is the day. Last week we talked about that as a team a little bit as we were going out to play Mississippi State. You can't ever take anything for granted. Make sure we realize how much more there is to life. It puts it in perspective a little bit."
Quotes provided by UA Sports Information.
QB-Tyler Wilson (on emotions) - "I think (Coach Smith) is emotional for all of us. It kind of hit me yesterday. I was eating dinner and it hit me that this is my last go-around, as well as for a number of people. It is an emotional game. I expect everybody to come to work this week and treat it like that."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on goals for this week) - "Last week there was some uncertainty; if we win we could have a chance for a bowl game. Well, this is it. We've got one game left, and you know this is it. So why not go out there and light it up one more time? That's how I'm looking at it. You can go back and look at everything, and it's tough. I've learned a lot. I don't regret coming back for anything. I got to experience living here another year, learning a lot of things, building relationships with teammates even through some tough times. Now you get to go out there and lace them up one more time on this field. It's going to be special."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on Head Coach John L. Smith) - "He'd been here since my redshirt freshman year all the way through now. So we've been together. He's meant a lot, a lot of relationships with the staff members, not only him. You build those relationships that will last forever. That camaraderie you build with your teammates. The last six months have been tough, but there's so much good that overwhelms that other stuff. That's what so fun about it. Those are the memories you'll have."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on what he's learned from Head Coach John L. Smith) - "He always has a smile. Whether he's feeling it deep down in there or not, it's the way he expresses himself. It touches everybody. It says hey, make it a good day. That's what he believes, and that's how he portrays himself. That's the way that everybody takes it and moves on because of it."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on playing LSU in Fayetteville) - "Little Rock's great and it's been tradition to be there for sure. Not being able to go to a bowl game at this point, to wrap up my career here in Fayetteville, is the perfect ending. This is where you want to play your last game."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on WR-Brandon Mitchell returning) - "It's big. There were certain plays last week where I thought that maybe if he was in there it might have been a little different in helping us. It's going to be a big benefit to us. He's a Louisiana guy, so he's going to want to play big in this game. He's going to come to play. I know he's going to prepare. I'm going to get him the ball and see if he can make some plays for us. He should be fresh, his body should be fresh. Maybe he'll be a bit faster and do some good things for us."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on the senior class) - "You think about the Liberty Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, which was an awesome time. The conclusions of each individual year. Liberty Bowl we get a win, Alex Tejada kicks a field goal. Sugar Bowl, we had a chance to win, should have beat Ohio State. It was a fun year and a 10-win season. I got to learn behind Ryan (Mallett). That was my first year to come out and do some things. Then last year, with the Cotton Bowl, how exciting that was to be a part of a team here that matches that 11-win mark. As a program you're flying really, really high. The expectations that went into this year, the term 'national championship' was a relative term, not only to the local media but to the national media. Our senior class and my time here has been a fun evolution of things that have happened. To say that you have a mark on that is fun and something that I'll remember forever, although the past few months haven't been what we expected."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on Arkansas fans coming to the LSU game) - "It's Thanksgiving. We always have a big show of students here. That was one of my big concerns originally, with all those guys going home. But it's LSU. They're coming to town, they've got a lot of their season riding on the game. We get to come out and try and spoil it a little bit and have one more good game. One of my favorite movies is For Love of the Game. Kevin Costner is a pitcher and they want him to start against the Yankees. His catcher goes "Oh, it's a throwaway," and he goes "Not to the Red Sox." Because they're playing for the pennant. That's kind of the same scenario that I feel about this week. Not for the Yankees or the Red Sox, not for LSU. It's a big game for us, big game to go out on top, and we've got that opportunity."
QB-Tyler Wilson (on TE-Garett Uekman passing away last year) - "That was tremendously tough. You go back, and you look at everything, that's always tough. A year ago tomorrow is the day. Last week we talked about that as a team a little bit as we were going out to play Mississippi State. You can't ever take anything for granted. Make sure we realize how much more there is to life. It puts it in perspective a little bit."
