University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Conference Quotes
8/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening Statement
"We have been practicing for two and a half weeks and the players are anxious to get onto the field Saturday night. And so are we as coaches. As we look at tape we are going to face a pretty good team, a team that was 8-3 last year. A guy that I respect as a coach is Pete Richardson, Southern's head coach. He is a guy among coaches that is known as the dean of coaches in the SWAC (Southwest Athletic Conference). He has been there as long as I have coached. The first thing that jumps out on tape is that they will be well coached, they are disciplined, they know what they are doing and they are going to come in here with 16 or 17 guys from the Houston area. Those are proud guys and they are going to come in here and give us all they want.
"Our focus this week has been about us and getting better. We are anxious to see where we are on Saturday. I don't know where are yet but I do know that we are better than we were two and a half weeks ago. As we progress this week we will find out a lot more about ourselves Saturday night."
On the change in the defense
"We are coming along nicely. It has really helped some players, especially the front. We have some depth that we are developing. Moving Tyrell Graham to defensive end has been a key. We have some guys inside that have really come on and helped us. It has helped certain people. I have been real pleased with how we've progressed. We will be a little bit more multiple than people saw in the spring and our players are picking up the defense well. We are playing to the strength of our players.
"This game will be good for us. You will see a no huddle offense with an exceptional quarterback (Southern's Bryant Lee). He is a runner, thrower, playmaker and an experienced guy who is going to put pressure on our guys. We will have a pretty good idea of where we are dealing with a guy like that on Saturday night."
On his thoughts about his head coaching debut
"I haven't thought much about that. I won't think about that until Saturday. Things are happening so fast. We were just meeting and looking at tape and getting ready for practice today. Saturday is a long day. We play at 6 p.m. so it will be interesting. I don't know (how I will feel about my first game as head coach.) There are all kinds of things going on so it will be interesting. I am looking forward to Saturday and seeing where we are right now as a team and how our guys are going to compete and play in a live situation. That's the thing that I haven't experienced with these guys. From that standpoint there is a lot of nervousness because you have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen but you really don't know.
"There is a lot that goes into it and a lot that's going on right now. No coach is going to tell you he's ready. If he does, he is lying to you. You are going through a list of things saying, `have we done this?' There is a list of situations and a lot of what if's that over the course of time you practice for but that's all a learning process with the players. The players will tell you we have gone over some things that they probably think is nuts and that may or may not happen but hopefully we've covered it."
On his initial meeting with the team
"The players probably have a different story than I would. I don't practice any of that or rehearse any of it. I am myself. We have talked about this on numerous occasions, that this program is bigger than one person. It is about the University of Houston. It's not about one player or one coach. If I weren't here there would be someone else. If Phillip Hunt weren't here there would be someone else. Don't think that you are entitled or have a right to be there. That to me is really important."
On the running game
"We have gotten better since the spring. (Andre) Kohn has picked it up really in the last week. He has skills to be a good player. Bryce Bell has really come in and earned the respect of our team. He might not always know what he is doing the right way, as a freshman does but when you hand the ball to him he goes real fast and makes things happen. If he is going to make a mistake he is going to make it at 100 miles an hour like a freshman does, and he hangs onto the ball. He has earned the right to compete and I think he has pushed Andre quite a bit.
"You will probably see both of those guys on Saturday with Justin (Johnson) and maybe another freshman. Those two guys have surfaced as the two main guys."
SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On the feelings about the first game of the season
"I am very excited. You can feel it in the air, its game week. It is a little bit of a different tempo and excitement in practice. Finally, we have our first chance to look at Southern. We are excited to go into Saturday."
On the type of game this will be for Southern and Houston
"They have a lot of guys from the Houston area and a lot of alumni from here as well. They are going to come out play hard. This is a big game for them and for us too. We're going to play hard and it should be a good game and I am looking forward to it."
On what the team has done to prepare for Southern
"We are all working hard. There has been a lot of film study. We are preparing for the most possible situations we may be put into. Obviously, you can't prepare for all of them, but we are preparing for as many as we can. We are just working hard and getting mentally focused and ready to go for Saturday."
On what to expect on the field Saturday
"It is totally different running your offense against your own team than it will be Saturday. Our defense has picked up the coverage pretty well. It will be interesting to see what happens. It is unknown, so we will see."
On what they plan to do Saturday
"It is a week by week deal. A good start is really key. We are looking to get the ball running early and keep it going."
SENIOR DEFENSIVE END Phillip Hunt
On Saturday's Game
"We're very anxious to play. I haven't played in a game situation in a whole year and I'm just ready to get back in it."
On Southern Quarterback Bryant Lee "We've seen on film. He looks very elusive and he has a strong arm. We are just ready to try and contain him and show what we can do as a defensive line."
On the New 4-3 Defense
"The 4-3 is amazing. A lot of guys have different responsibilities. It's going to allow us to attack the quarterback more. We are just looking to prove a point as a defensive line as a whole. And as a defensive unit, too. At the back end with Kenneth Fontenette, Ernest Miller and Brandon Brinkley - they are all anxious to show what they have. We're just ready and anxious to showcase our skills."
"We really want to prove that we are a legitimate defense and we want to make that known from the first snap of the season to the last. We just have to prove that this year we are a dominant defense."
On Defensive Coordinator John Skladany
"I call him the `Wizard'. He's smart, rough and tough - he's like an old-school player. He wants us to do tackling drills every day. He's just a very hands-on guy. And he's wild."
On Defensive Line Coach Jim Jeffcoat
"He's helped a lot. From an NFL standpoint, he gives us advice and tells us how we can better ourselves for the future. He teaches us new techniques that we will have to apply during the game and as we move on to the next level."
