University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Conference Quotes
9/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Listen to the Press Conference
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening Statement
"Last week was good for us. We were pleased as a staff at how our team responded. You always worry in the opening game about who and what you are until you get in front of some people and play someone else. For the most part, our execution was pretty good and our effort was good. That is what we are going to evaluate last Saturday on.
"We have some things that we need to improve on. We need to eliminate some pre-snap penalties that we had and take care of the ball better on offense. For the most part our execution was pretty good. It's hard to argue with 14-of-14 (completed passes for Case Keenum) in the first part of the game. Obviously, throwing and catching wise they had protection. Our defense played very well, especially in the first part of the ball game while our offense took a little time to get going. Our special teams were able to keep the field position where we needed it to be to pin them down and give us good position at midfield. It was a team effort early in the first half and in the second half it benefited us to be able to play so many players and put them out there without us as coaches behind them coaching them the whole time. We played a lot of guys and we got some good experience. It was a reward for some of those guys who have been practicing all week. Hopefully, it's a long season and that experience will pay off down the road."
On the high number of newcomers that saw action against Southern
"We have said from the beginning, it doesn't matter if you have been here five years or five days. If you can play, can demonstrate that we can trust you as a player and that you are ready to play at this level; we are going to put you out there and play you. There is no substitute for experience and some guys did some things and got better as the game went along as opposed to going the other way. You like to see that, especially from the freshmen because you don't know what they are going to do. Practice is a lot different than a game. You don't have time to correct things. The freshmen are going to add to our depth and we are going to need a lot of them as the season goes along. It's a long year.
On going back to the state of Oklahoma
"I didn't work there (Oklahoma State). It's a completely different place over there. It's just a game and its cliché but it's one game at a time. We celebrated on Saturday and then we got back to work on this week's game. Every game is big; its college football. It's a game and it's on the schedule. We are going to prepare for this week just like we did last week."
On improvements following the Southern game
"I was disappointed with how a couple of guys took care of the ball. We can't put the ball on the ground like that. We have to be able to address some of our issues in the red zone. We have to come away, in these games coming up, with touchdowns. We have to eliminate pre-snap penalties. We were able to bail ourselves out, but we put ourselves behind the eight ball a couple times. Aggressive things are going to happen, penalties after the play but we have to eliminate the ones before the snap. That's all individual. Those are misalignments and jumping offside or things like that that players control and we need to eliminate those.
On the continuity of the offensive line when Michael Bloesch came out of the game
"We have some guys that make us feel good about our first unit. It's different playing offensive lineman. I use the old line it's a nickel is different than five pennies. When you just put a guy in there it's a different communication set. When we started rotating the offensive line and we wanted to get guys out of there, it's hard to get them all out rather than one or two out. It's a different kind of continuity than at running back or tight end. Michael (Bloesch) got out of there and we had to put Isaiah (Agson) in there. Sebastian (Vollmer) played the whole game because we wanted to keep some continuity. We had to make a decision and instead of putting five completely new guys in there with the communication, we left one of the old guys out there and he got some experience and did well."
SENIOR SAFTEY Kenneth Fontenette
On facing Oklahoma State this weekend
"It's the Big 12. Oklahoma State is always tough. We are going to have to be better than good. They are a solid team. We are going to have to bring our "A" game.
"When you play a team like this, you want it to be a game or two into the season so everyone knows his role - when everyone is used to playing in a game. We are just going to go out there and give it all we got."
On going into Saturday's game as an underdog
"We are always the underdog around here. It seems like nobody really gives us a shot."
On if the Cougars are playing for some respect this weekend
"We are playing for some respect. We hope to open a few eyes with our play and hopefully pull out a win."
SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On what he learned from last game
"We learn every week. Every game is a learning experience. You learn what you did well, and you learn what you need to work on."
On how they will prepare for Oklahoma State
"We are going to go at it like a hurricane. We are going to prepare the same way and do the same things we do all week. We are going to go to the hotel the night before and get up and go to the game. It is just the same schedule, but instead of people yelling for you they will be booing you."
On playing at T. Boone Pickens Stadium
"It is another game. It is fun going into an atmosphere like that. I hear their stadium is a fun place to play. I've never played there before. It should be a lot fun and there will be a lot of energy there. There will be a lot of excitement."
On what the team needs to work on for the rest of the season
"There are a lot of little things that need to be tweaked and fine tuned. We have good film from the last game and that is the best way to learn."
On the approach for the next game
"Our approach will always be a little different, depending on who we play, but the focus will always be on us, what we do and how we do it and then we will execute."
