University of Houston Athletics
Football Press Conference Quotes
9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
Opening Statement:
"It's game week finally. We're excited; I know the players are excited. They're tired of playing each other and tired of hearing the coaches yelling the same things at them every day. We're looking forward to this week. It's been good for our players this past week and yesterday because we've scaled back, letting our guys get their legs back underneath them. We'll be back today and, tomorrow, we'll be back in full pads for preparation this Saturday.
"Things have gone pretty well. We've stayed away from injuries for the most part and have progressed rather well. We have a really well infusion of young players and new talent on this team. We don't have a lot of seniors on this team, but the older guys have embraced the new guys and have really taken them in. We have three new junior college players who came in January, and the majority of our freshman players came in June for summer school. These guys have really taken them in.
"This Saturday, we'll see how these guys will do. Some of them will be playing a lot quicker than some of us thought, but that's the reason why they came here. That opportunity is there for them, and hopefully they'll take advantage of it.
"We have a big challenge this week against Northwestern State. I have knew Bradley Dale Peveto for a long time. He's a coach with tremendous pride and used to work here at the University of Houston. He has a lot of ties in this area. It's interesting because we have taken similar paths in our careers.
"We have to be prepared for anything. It will be an interesting challenge for us in a number of ways. They have 22 seniors on this team. They are a winning team and went 7-5 last year. They have nine defensive starters and seven offensive starters back, which is different from our situation. This is an experienced senior-laden team. They have our attention, and we're looking forward to our attention.
"Right now, nothing has changed from an injury standpoint. Wes Scourten will be out for this game; he's still trying to rehab his foot. Fendi Onobun, the basketball transfer from Arizona, has a high ankle sprain, and he's out for this game along with the regular guys we talked about earlier this year.
"We did get word from the NCAA that A.J. Dugat and George Bamfo are now cleared and eligible to play. They've been practicing since last week, and they're ready to go. We'll try to speed up their progress and get them ready to get in the game Saturday at 6 p.m."
On the significance of A.J. Dugat joining the team:
"It's good for the kid and it's good for his family. It's worked out in our favor, and I'm happy about it. More than anything else, I'm happy for the kid and I'm happy for his family because all the speculation was based on conjecture, and no one knew the facts of the case except for people involved.
"For him, it's a sigh of relief, and it's a sigh of relief for us. Once he received the news, he, his mother and grandmother were very excited. We're excited as a team. I wish it would have happened sooner, but now is better than never. We'll try to speed up his curve and see where he will be as soon as possible."
On preparing to play an experienced team with a new coach:
"Any ball game, you have to be prepared. It's more of a preparation for yourself. We have to prepare ourselves for anything. As long as we're sound in what we do and as long as we focus on things that will help us win, we'll be fine. You never know what's going to show up at the first ball game even if you watch tape.
"People change every year; there's new wrinkles. It helps if you have an established coach and you have breakdowns and things like that. We just have to be prepared. We have a general idea based on coaching philosophy just like everyone."
On the positives of the defense:
"We have some new faces and a lot more depth than we had last year. This will allow us to be a little more multiple in what we do. We were pretty vanilla last year because we didn't have a lot of depth. We may have had a scheme that wasn't suitable to our team last year. The positive is that the personnel is going to be young.
"We are two deep all the way across the board; we have eight guys in the secondary that we can play, and we're going to have eight guys in front we can play. Our strengths are going to come from our linebackers. They are talking to the guys upfront and communicating with the back, and that's where our leadership starts."
QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On the team's expectations:
"We're really excited. There's been a lot of talk and everyone has an opinion. When it comes down to it, we're ready to play. Were tired of talking about it and ready to put some actions behind our words. We're excited about Saturday."
On being calmer after last year:
"There's always experience. You can't put a price on experience; especially with the same guys that are out there and the chemistry we already have established. It's comforting knowing that my teammates know what I know, they're thinking what I'm thinking. There's confidence in that, and it makes it easier to make good decisions because we can communicate really quickly."
On offensive weapons:
"We have a bunch of weapons and I'm excited to see what some of the new guys are able to do. We're going to have five or six guys on the sideline that could be playing. We have some depth and some guys who are working hard."
On the Heisman candidates:
"I still don't even think it's real, I'm honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as a lot of those guys. It's something that will take care of itself. I just have to make sure, week by week, I take care of business and take care of the cougars. The awards and accolades will come at the end; it will come with being the best team player I can be."
RUNNING BACK Bryce Beall
On the start of the season:
"I'm excited to see how the offseason went for me. I feel stronger and quicker. I'm anxious to get out on the field and start hitting someone else besides our own team."
On concerns for Northwestern State:
"We don't know what they're going to do. All we can control is how we play. They have a new coach and we're in the second year of our offense so there are still some changes to our team."
On expectations:
"Coming off a bowl win and having a lot of starters returning from one of the best offenses, there will be a lot expectations. We don't worry about what others expect from us, we worry about what we expect from ourselves. We expect the best out of each other. We can go out there and play how we're supposed to while we have fun, and those expectations become realities."
On what improvements can be made from freshman to sophomore year:
"I expect to be one of the best running backs in the nation. When you come in as a freshman, you don't really know what to expect or how much playing time you're going to get. But after getting that year of experience down, I'm expecting to dominate."
On being a leader:
"I try to lead by example, and I try to run hard. We have a freshman running back (Charles Sims) and I'm trying to teach him some of the things I learned last year."
SAFETY Nick Saenz
On expectations of the defense:
"We really don't pay attention to anything outside. We need to eliminate the deep ball. If we can do that, then we should be fine."
On adding weight this offseason:
"I just worked hard. Coach (Larry) Jackson put me on a weight program and the weight came up pretty quick. I ate five times a day; good healthy meals. My strength has gone up especially this summer."
On depth changing up the defensive philosophy:
"We've changed lot. We have more man defense. Coach (Sumlin) feels we have more speed at the cornerback spot and he feels we can do a lot more with our athletic ability at the backend."
On how he felt about being a starting safety last year:
"I was very surprised with the opportunity last year. I thought the two safeties ahead of me were very good, very athletic players. They taught me a lot about the game when I got here."
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Matt Nicholson
On being a senior:
"In regards to how to treat the younger guys, I try and just show by example the best I can. We have a lot of young guys, and they have to get ready to play. They have to grow up fast, and they have to start working and act like seniors even though they are only freshman."
On expectations from the defense:
"There is a lot of potential this year in our defense; a lot of young guys who haven't been at this level, but that can be a good thing. We have to keep getting better every week, we have to learn from our mistakes that we make. We have to execute everyday. Everyone has to be where they have to be. If we do that, it will be alright."
On the start of the season:
"This week is a high. I'm just ready to get out there. We are all tired of going against each other so we're ready to go."
WIDE RECEIVER Tyron Carrier
On how good is this team:
"Good, but we have to know what we have to do. We have to perform the game plan really well, and we have to have confidence in our selves. The only people that can really beat you are yourselves."
On being a Houston native and playing college football for Houston:
"Its ridiculous. You have a big turn out at every game - family, friends, coaches and teachers. It's crazy and fun. You get a lot of support, and people let you know when you do well."
MIDDLE LINEBACKER Marcus McGraw
On summer schedule:
"I took the summer to get a little better. I stayed in Houston for summer school, and I got a good work out with Coach (Larry) Jackson. I got a little bit bigger and faster; that was my goal this summer. I gained 10 pounds."
On this years preparation compared to last year:
"It seems a lot easier. I knew what I was getting into as a freshman. I didn't know anything and was going through the motions. Now, I'm being a leader; motivating and talking more."
On having more tackles than last year:
"I can only expect more tackles than my freshman year, because I am experienced now. Now that I'm in the middle, I can move left and right a little bit faster than being on the weak side."
