[All need Baker to help them. And not just catching the deep one. They need him running the medium range routes that maybe he didn’t consistently run properly the past two years and read the coverages and concentrate to catch the little passes in addition to the big ones.] I want to be an all-around receiver, ... Deep balls come, but I want to catch them all. The past couple of years I’ve been behind a couple of receivers. Now I’m one of the oldest receivers, so I look to be more ready.

[After 5-6 and a bowl-less 2004, it’s time the Hogs get it done, Baker said. He likes Osceola and all, but doesn’t want to spend the entire Christmas holidays there.] When the bowl games are on, ... and you are home watching them play, it makes you come together as a team when you get back. It makes everyone come together so you are not sitting at home watching other teams play bowl week. I really do think we’ll get back to a bowl game because from the start of summer workouts everybody has been pushing each other saying, ‘ We can’t go 5-6. ’

[Of course the Hogs will miss Jones, the all-time rushing SEC quarterback, but Baker likes what he sees from Johnson, the sophomore No. 1 as preseason opened, and contending freshmen Alex Mortensen and Cole Barthel.] Robert, Cole and Alex, ... they can deliver the ball so it’s not a big difference. Matt’s ball would get there, but now we’ve got a quarterback who can really put it on the money. Robert has got a stronger arm.

I'm like this yo-yo with a three-thousand-mile string." - Tai

He has 4.3 40 speed. Catching him is one thing, but you're not going to one-arm tackle him. His speed is at a different level. When Jeff hits you going that fast, you feel it. It hurts.

There's a lot of stuff going on. It comes down to not being as deep because of injuries. We'll have to see with illness how people are feeling. This (Drake) meet does not trump the Missouri Valley (Conference) Championship. We'll be cautious if we have to be. But we also know -- shoot, this is one of the only times of the year that track is on the national docket. We want to try and do well if we can.