University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Conference Quotes
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
• Press Conference Quotes 
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HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening Statement
"We have another good week this week going up to Dallas, playing a team that if you look at the tape has improved every week. That's what you want. They have a new staff and are playing a bunch of young guys. I knew that they (SMU) were going to get better but I was hoping it was going to be a couple weeks later than this week. They were ahead against Tulsa at halftime (last week) and had a chance to win at the end of the game. They are getting better."
On Houston's defense against UAB
"That was another good win for us. As bad as we were in the first half, we were that good in the second half. Defensively, our guys came out and kept us in the game in the first half. We had some outstanding efforts defensively. They gave up on long drive in the second quarter that got the score to 20. Our (defensive) front in the second half was the difference. They were disciplined in their rush lanes. Everyone was trying to tackle (Joe Webb) by themselves in the first half but they quickly found out the reason no one could tackle him by themselves, either South Carolina, Tennessee or anyone else they played. He is a pretty good player. We stayed in our rush lanes and forced him to scramble. Phillip (Hunt) had three sacks. That's a team game. We played very well defensively in that game.
On Houston's offense against UAB
"Offensively, everyone wants to talk about the slow start. But you look at the tape and there were a couple plays that really changed how the game started. The first play of the game we were fine and then we missed a snap count and hit a guy in motion so it puts us in third and long. In the next series, on third down, they blitz and we hit a guy wide open and had the ball dropped. It was maybe going to be a long play or a touchdown. In the third series, we missed a wide-open Patrick Edwards, 25-yards behind the defense. Instead of it being what it was and struggling, you have 14 points right there or big plays early in the game. We make those plays and its different. Everything is relative. We learned from it and the thing that can be taken from that is this team has grown up. Three weeks ago we didn't respond in that manner in the second half and really come out and play dominant in the second half, a 42-0 effort. That's a team effort."
I was also extremely pleased with our young guys on offense. Our young guys in that situation, because they had been there before, to see Patrick Edwards or Tyron Carrier in the second half in a come-from-behind game, played lights out. That's part of growing up and it's encouraging for our future."
On Houston's special team's against UAB
"Our kickers and punters remain solid. Chase (Turner) had another solid game. (Jordan) Mannisto was kicking the ball deep and that was the difference in the game. We have to find a punt returner. We had one playing in Jackie Hinton, Jr. but he is out for the season and now one of our older guys really struggled the other night. We are working on that. We cannot put the ball on the ground."
One of the differences in the game was our ability to limit turnovers and really limit penalties. Even though things weren't going right, they weren't going bad. It's one of those things as a coach you see it, it wasn't great but it wasn't horrible. Our staff did a good job, our team did a good job and there is a lot to be learned from that."
On SMU
"What you are seeing (in SMU) is a team that has improved dramatically. I have always had a lot of respect for June Jones and what he did a Hawai'i. This guy has a system and he believes in it and it's a proven system for him. Their quarterback is getting better every week. He turned the ball over early this year and you see him making the progression that a quarterback has to make in this system."
They are athletic on defense. They fly around at linebacker. Obviously, what they practice against, they have all kinds of schemes and blitzes against the pass. I like their athletes at linebacker, defensive end and in the secondary. Offensively, they have improved dramatically. They have protected the ball really well. (Emmanuel) Sanders and (Aldrick) Robinson, their two wideouts, put a couple hundred yards on everyone. They are extremely athletic and do things with the ball to score."
Frank Gansz, Sr. over time is regarded as the guru of all special teams. He has been around awhile. He has been extremely solid. We are going to have to be on edge and watch everything because he has seen a bunch of things. They have also scored four times this year off of special teams turnovers. They are an opportunistic team, they can score points in bunches and we have our work cut out for us going on the road. And even though they lost last weekend, they have a sense of confidence, especially playing at home and playing what they considered the best team in league and almost beating them last weekend. It will be a good test for us.
On the difference between the spread offense and the run-and-shoot
"The spread that everyone runs is not the spread that everyone runs. The spread that West Virginia runs is different than the spread that we run, or Florida. Just because you spread it out doesn't mean you run the spread offense, you run certain types of spread. The run-and-shoot has been around for a while and there are variation and route reads that make it unique. Just like the spread that we run is very different than Florida. They all have different variations; some are more run oriented. There are some that are really run offenses that are spread out. That's not the case with SMU and us. This game might take five hours."
On Bryce Beall
"We brought him up three weeks ago and we keep talking about him. For those of you who were around during two-a-days, this is no surprise. Everyone said this guy is pretty good if he keeps going, learns what he is doing and holds onto the ball. It's true for a lot of players and this team, as good as we were in the second half, we can watch it and still improve and play better. He can play better and he knows that. He saw some things that he missed and he made some big plays. He is protecting the ball a lot better. He is getting two hands on it. All these guys, coming from high school, a lot of them were so good that once they broke the line of scrimmage no one every caught them. So he is protecting the ball better and starting to feel things better. He has to get better in some areas but he is a freshman. His ability to make the tough yards and hold on to the ball is going to be the key to our success the rest of the year."
On opponents creating a scheme against Phillip Hunt
"You can see, protection-wise, particularly in the game the other night and against ECU, that particular schemes are sliding line to him and getting help. What has to happen in that situation is that we have to be creative as coaches to either get him in a position to beat that scheme or have other players take advantage of those situations. My preference is for it to be both but a lot of times that won't happen. We had a couple times were Phillip (Hunt) came up underneath to flush the quarterback out and we gave him a little more freedom. The hardest thing to do is play aggressively but be disciplined, especially with defensive lineman. When they see that quarterback that they have been rushing 22 times they just want to do something. It takes one guy out of that rush to get loose and get down the field. We learned a lot playing against the quarterback last week. He is a heck of a player. The disciplined rush in the second half allowed Phillip to make the plays that he made."
Injury Report
"Ell Ash is out for the season. He has a torn pectoral muscle. He is going to have surgery. He tried to do some things last week with that and the ankle and he just can't go at the rate he needs to go to be effective."
SOPHOMORE QUUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On looking forward to the game on Saturday
"I look forward to any game going in. It is supposed to be fun, for everyone. It should be a pretty explosive game."
On the SMU's defense "Their defense is pretty sound. They are getting better every week. They play hard and with emotion and confidence. We will do what we need to do, execute and do our job."
On being named the Conference USA Player of the Week
"It is a great honor. It is a tribute to the team. Phillip Hunt had three sacks, which is a containment deal for him. I have guys that made great runs after the catch and a lot of guys with great blocks. Offensively, we had a great battle on Thursday."
JUNIOR PUNTER Chase Turner
On the touchback kicks
"Not very often do you have a problem kicking a ball too far when you are inside your 50. I did have a little too much on three of the kicks. I was a little unhappy with those. I wish they could have been a little shorter so that we could pin it and help out the defense, but you don't always get the kick you want."
