How do you deal with
the loss of Marion Barber III, a 1,000-yard rusher?
"Not much you can do
about it. You've got to move on. You have to get the next guys ready to play.
(Laurence) Maroney. Gary Russell, get him in the mix a little bit. We've got a
young guy named (Justin) Valentine who plays fullback who might have to step up and be
more a ball-carrying type guy."
You have
had a tandem back system with two players handling the carries. Is Laurence
Maroney the type of back who can handle full-time duty?
"I think so with
maturity. Obviously, he is a two-year guy. He needs another off-season program.
He has gotten bigger and stronger since he has been here. Let's face it, in our
offense you need more than one good running back, because those guys take a
pounding. Russell is going to have to step up and Valentine is going to be more
of a role player, I would think, and we will go from there."
Amir Pinnix moved
to defensive back for the Music City Bowl. Would you move him back to the
offensive side?
"I'm not sure. Probably
not immediately. I think that is something that we still have to experiment
with and see how he does on defense."
Coach Mason
talked about the impact of Marion on and off the field
"He has been a tremendous
kid for the program, being a local guy. You obviously don't replace a player
like him overnight with his leadership and what he did on the field. He wasn't a
guy who did much talking, but he sure did play on Saturdays."