Greg Mattison Quotations

It was really exciting. To have the opportunity to play against your son and see him start and play as hard as he played, I didn't watch him much, but every time I happened to look up there on the screen up above there, he was playing his heart out, which I knew he was.

When he broke his leg I said my only hope was that he would play in the bowl game. Here he goes and plays in the bowl game and he intercepts a pass and runs it back for a touchdown -- that's tremendous.

That's a big battle for us. This is one of those things, as a defensive line, and as a defense that wants to get itself over the hump, you look for games like this ... You've got a lot to prove.

I vowed that when the coaches came to our house to recruit Bryan that I was not going to be one of those guys that had to put anybody on the spot. All I did was listen. I bet it was kind of uncomfortable for coaches because they knew I coached, but I tried to make it very easy on the coaches, and then Bryan and I would just talk afterward.

The No. 1 thing always will be is that our home state of Florida is where we want to recruit. Two players being equal, we'll take the Florida young man every time.

He's growing up, that's all it is. He's buying in. He's got pride. Joe's got unbelievable pride. Joe wants to be very, very good and Joe's starting to play very, very good.

I think I've spent the last 12 to 15 years and only scored about 14 points a game, and I want you to know it's a lot easier to call defenses when you have a lead. I am the biggest fan of the offense in America.

It was like a light went on for him at the end of the fall. And he's keeping it up. He's playing like a starter now.

Bryan told an Iowa announcer earlier in the year that if UF played Iowa, Mom would root for Iowa because she loves her son more. There's probably a good chance of that. I don't know. The thing I keep in mind with her is the car she drives is being paid by Florida.

Here's a kid that came in here at 212 pounds and now he's got himself up to 280 pounds. Kids don't come in and play good at 212 but when they get the experience and keep battling, you never know.