Seeing the Katy Tigers play for a state title in Class 5A Division II again in 2012 is really not big news. After all, this weekend's tilt against Cedar Hill will mark the Tigers' sixth appearance in a state final over the past decade. But what is most impressive about this most current appearance is that this year, Katy's traditionally high-powered offense has been defined by a stellar running game. In the past, the Tigers were known for slinging it around thanks to the likes of former quarterbacks Andy Dalton, now with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals and Bo Levi Mitchell, who played in an FCS Championship Game with Eastern Washington. But this year's Katy team who is 15-0, is obviously no slouch. Gary Joseph's roster features four Division I commits in defensive back Isaiah Brown (Tulsa), defensive lineman Matt Dimon (Oklahoma), wide receiver/defense back Kyle Fulks (Baylor) and running back Adam Taylor (Nebraska). Their matchup with Cedar Hill at 4 PM on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium could truly be one of the better title tilts of the weekend. Here are Coach Joseph's thoughts on this weekend.
What are your thoughts heading into Saturday's matchup with Cedar Hill?
Joseph: Every year is very special. For these kids, it's a great deal. It's a good deal. I'm excited for them. They deserve the opportunity to play for it and I'm glad they get the chance.
What do you think about your final opponent of the 2012 season?
Joseph: We've seen film on them. They're extremely, extremely talented, great speed. Their offense is probably as dynamic and as good an offense as we played this year and we've played some pretty good ones. Their quarterback is a fine football player. Of course, you can't have four Division I commits on your football team and not be very good. I've been really impressed with the offensive line. Those kids do a good job up front. They do a good job blocking. They protect the quarterback. With the skill kids they have and their offensive line, they're pretty dang good.
Your offense has posted huge numbers. Talk about how great your offensive line has been this season.
Joseph: That's one of those things, it's not just our lines. It's our fullback. The whole thing has made it work. Our quarterback's done a good job too as far as helping with the running game. The biggest thing for us is just our kids have gotten back to doing the blue collar stuff-getting after it. Our line does a great job of tying people up that our running back can get to the second level. With the running backs like we have, if they can get to the second level they'll get you three or four yards. You can get the tough yards and that's the difference right now. We're able to get the tough yards.
Talk about your junior quarterback Kiley Huddleston and how he's developed throughout the season.
Joseph: He's grown up quite a bit. Probably the biggest thing I can tell you about him is the maturity. He's been a pretty astute quarterback as far as making calls and stuff for us. His passing has improved. It's still not where we want it to be, but it has improved. Think the whole thing with him is we've talked with our quarterbacks about how well they need to manage the game. We're at the point in the year where we need him to come through, make some passes and make some throws and do it well enough to give us a chance. That's what we're looking for, is an opportunity to be successful.
Quinn Atwood and Isaiah Brown have combined for 17 interceptions. Discuss what this dynamic duo has meant to your defense.
Joseph: The other day [against Cibolo Steele] for the first time all year, we blew some coverages. Quinn has been a three-year letterman and Isaiah is a two-year starter. Those are the guys we pretty much rely on. Quinn makes all our checks and calls in the secondary, gets them all lined up and adjusted. I think the biggest thing that he brings to our defense is smarts. He makes some plays and that's helped us immensely. Of course, Isaiah has been a great player for us all year long. The thing he's done is he's been able to come up with the big play. Hopefully he can make the big plays against the people we're playing against this weekend but he's our big-play guy. He's our guy that we will put on their best receiver. The other corner, we played two of them over there. [Kyle] Fulks has been playing more as we got through the playoffs, as the weather's cooled off. He's got really good speed too. You'll see him at corner some too.
What do you feel the key is to beating a team like Cedar Hill?
Joseph: Defensively, we're going to have to slow them down. I think that's the key. If we can't slow them down, then it could be a track meet. We've got to do a great job defensively of slowing them down and trying to stop the running game. As long as they're two dimensional where they can throw and run, they're a very explosive, dangerous football team because you can't really put as much pressure on the quarterback. We're going to have to sit there and try to make them more one dimensional. We're going to have to do a good job in our run bit defense. From a pass coverage standpoint and a secondary standpoint, we're going to have to get enough pressure on the quarterback that he can't stand there and pick us apart. They're too good to do that. I know that. That running back they have, the Hobbs kid and the Hill kid, they have good running backs as good as anybody we've played against. Wideouts, you have two Division I kids out there. It does create some matchup problems. The biggest thing for us is being able to try to sit there and take something away from them. That's what we're going to have to do.
Adam Taylor has had a huge year for you running the football. Talk about the season he's had thus far.
Joseph: He's really a good football player. He's probably as good a back as we've had around here. People were questioning at the beginning of the year, the kid's coming off ACL surgery. He got a little bit banged up in two-a-days. He missed all of spring training. It just took him a while to get back and have a feel for things and have a feel for what was going on. But I think as far as I'm concerned, I think he's as good a back as anybody around.
Your program is obviously no stranger to playing big games in marquee venues but talk about playing Saturday's final at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Joseph: It's an exciting thing for our kids. We'll get there and kind of let them get used to it. We've played in Reliant Stadium a few times and it doesn't have the big screen in the middle or all that, but Reliant's a good place to play. The home field advantage they have as far as having to go into their neck of the woods to play is something that we're going to have to try and offset. Our people will travel well. So I think the atmosphere is going to be great. Both teams will come in with high expectations. I think it will be a good football game.
