University of Houston Athletics
Weekly Football Press Luncheon Quotes
10/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 5, 2004
On the game last week against Memphis and Southern Miss on Thursday
"Thanks for being here. We're just getting set to go to Southern Miss for Thursday's game. It's a pretty quick turnaround from last week. But the guys really had a spirited workout yesterday. I'm really proud of our seniors, especially, for taking up some leadership roles for us. You could tell the difference in our attitude, mentality and effort just in the hour-and-a-half workout yesterday. That was a very encouraging sign. We've struggled through some low times, but our guys have maintained faith, effort and a positive attitude, and to me that's a worthwhile benefit of the journey we are on. As long as we maintain that type of composure and faith, the end result will be determined in late November."
There seems to be an impression that you are a little more conservative this year. Is that dictated by personnel, or do you not feel that way offensively? Has the offense opened up as much as you thought it would this year?
"I don't know. Honestly, I haven't thought that, read that or seen that, because I haven't read, seen or listened to anything. We're not as explosive as we'd like to be from an offensive standpoint right now. Some of that could be because we've played some pretty good defensive football teams over the last few weeks, and when you get in games where things don't go exactly how you'd like them to early in the game, then many times what I try to do, right or wrong, is try to slow the game down a little bit to let the game settle down and get in focus. Consequently, you don't take shots early on in a game where you're behind early that you might in a 0-0 game or a 7-0 game. Maybe that's where that is coming from, I don't know. We feel like we have the talent and skill to be explosive, we're just a step or two off and it hasn't happened the way we want it to happen yet."
Are you expecting (Anthony) Evans back this week, or by the TCU game (Oct. 23)?
"I think by the TCU game is the reality of the situation."
You've had to deal with many injuries this season, and is that one of the reasons the team has not been able to week-to-week do what you want offensively?
"I don't think so. We're not just going out there and not playing anybody. Whoever we're playing is going to go out there and do the same things we're doing. I don't think that's a problem at all. I just think we have to do a better job coaching and a better job playing, and the results will be better."
You've talked about in the past about the inability to make the big plays. Is that something you can work on in practice or have you worked on it this week in practice?
"That's something that we constantly work on. We have our big plays, whether they always line up defensively like we want them to or we always execute them like we want to is always a question mark. We have the people who can do it. A big play to me is also a 10-play, 43-yard drive, as opposed to a one-play, 50-yard touchdown pass or run. As long as it gets points on the board, I'm not really concerned how we do it."
The way Southern Miss plays defense is a different style. Are you more conscious about trying to get up early (in the game) because their offense is typically not going to move the ball as much as other teams?
"They are extremely talented defensively and very unorthodox, without a doubt. They do a great job and have been doing it for a long time. They are one of the top defenses in the nation. What they're doing offensively is playing intelligently, I think, because they know they are going to play great defensively. They have good return people on their special teams. They're not going to take a whole lot of chances on their offense. To me, I think that's pretty intelligent and playing to your personnel and your system. They do have people who can make the big plays and will do it on occasion. But if they can have 12 plays and 63-yard drives and eat eight minutes off the clock and win the game 14-12, everyone in Hattiesburg is happy."
What does Southern Miss do defensively that is so different, and why do you think more teams have not gone to their style of defense?
"I really don't know. I like their system and I really think it's good. I'm sure the defensive coaches could explain it a lot better. They have good people. They have good folks, and when you have that, you can expand a little bit schematically and do some different things. And they have a lot of confidence in their defense. They've actually given up fewer touchdowns than anyone else in the nation over the last five years in all of the Division I-A schools. They are perennially in the top ten from a defensive standpoint. It's not like they are all of the sudden a great defense. They've been doing it a long time and have been doing it well for a long time. And that's why I think that's why they are where they are."
Do you find yourself searching offensively a little bit?
"Yeah, I mean, we're certainly not where we want to be. I'm not sure you ever do get there. What we have to do is finish what we start. We're not bad between the 20s, but we have to finish and score points, especially in games when points are much needed. We can't just walk away from the table and leave anything on it. And we have to take everything that's on it when we have a chance to do it. That's probably been the most frustrating part. But the more you talk about it and read about it and hear about it, the more it sets in on you. We're going to go out and play ball, we're going to be fearless and we're going to get after it and expect to score."
In talking to Kevin (Kolb, quarterback) last week after the Memphis game, he said that you have to play smarter and avoid making so many penalties.
"We're making some penalties that we're not proud of. Just a wild guess, you could probably turn the TV on this weekend and watch some NFL games and probably see some penalties that they're making that they're not proud of, either. It's just part of the game. If you play, you're going to have penalties. What you have to do is try to overcome the ones you do have and then try not to have self-imposed ones, which are the most frustrating. It's party of the game. You live with it, you overcome it; you can't harp on it. We can find a lot of things to talk about if we want to find everything wrong with somebody or some situation. I like to look for the positive things."
Is it difficult to build chemistry when you have so many new guys coming into the offense all at once?
"Yeah. We've had quite a few personnel changes even within the season. And it takes a while to develop a mesh between everybody. But that's our job and that's our players' job. That's why we have practice time. We get out there (at practice) and get after it and try to get everyone on the same page. But that (team chemistry) has been a little bit of a concern."
