University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Football Holds Weekly Press Conference
9/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 14, 2010
HOUSTON - Head football coach Kevin Sumlin and members of the team took questions from the media as the University of Houston prepares for its first road game at UCLA on Saturday.
HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
On his team playing in the Rose Bowl
We've never been there. I'd say out of the 66 guys that are traveling, probably 60 haven't seen a mountain in their life. One of the reasons we want to play the game is because it's part of the experience for young men that a lot of people don't have from this area of the country. It will be a great opportunity for us. It's a great venue for those who have not been there. It's a great place to play, particularly at the time we are playing. For ours guys it will be something they will never forget and even for some of our coaches, who haven't been there. We are looking forward to it, and it should be fun.
On Case Keenum's status
He is day-to-day.
On facing UCLA's offense
They've played two games. Kevin Prince is their starting quarterback. They've gone to the pistol, that's what they do on offense and we're going to do what we do on offense.
On the multiple options at the running back position
We've had that for the last couple of years with different guys. With the addition of Mike Hayes, it's given us another dimension. I said three weeks ago that our running back position went to, `Oh no,' with Charles Sims being out, to a position of strength. We've got four talented running backs that we can use at anytime and I think people saw that Friday night.
On the added running attack in the UTEP game
We played to win the game. What we do during the game is take advantage of the best opportunities for us to win; see if that's what the defense is going to present. We aren't going to put a square peg in a round hole. I think what it shows it the capability of our players and coaches can adapt to a situation. When we get into the games, some things change. We've got to be ready to execute things as the situation presents itself. I think our coaches were able to take advantage of it Friday night.
On the progression of back up quarterback Cotton Turner
He came here for a reason from junior college. He is a guy that had a knee injury early in his career and I think that set him back. He has been in the program for a couple of years. He didn't just show up here, he has been practicing in the system for two years.
He got plenty of reps in the spring. I think everyone can see his improvement from the spring. He probably got more reps than Case did, with the number of scrimmages in the spring. You try to prepare the best you can for situations like this. I think the preparation our staff has done with him, his own preparation, being with and behind Case and how he prepares every week has really taught him what to do mentally. Physically, that comes from that.
As a back-up quarterback you don't get the reps during the week that the starter does. And the opportunities that you get during practice have to be mental. You have to do things in video and the film room that the starting quarterback does. It's like a dance, you've got to be ready to run out there and operate. As I said Friday night, confidence for back-up players, no matter what the positions, is developed in practice.
The first thing you have to do as a player, I think people don't really understand is, is to be able to develop confidence, not in yourself, but in the other players around you; that you can get it done. Then you have developed confidence in your coaches to think you can get it done. It doesn't matter what you think. The only way to do that is in practice for other players to say, `Hey, This guy is all right.' Or in practice they'll look and say `Man, I hope that guy goes get in the game.' You can never under estimate that. He has been able to do that during practice.
On naming a third-string quarterback
No, I don't know yet. We'll see Saturday and hopefully we don't.
SENIOR DEFENSIVE BACK Jamal Robinson
On taking the trip to Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a nice place, but we're not there to sightsee - it's a business trip for us.
On UCLA being 0-2
You don't want to be 0-2 and then be 0-3, so we're expecting them to come out and give it their best shot. They're a great team. They have big and strong athletes. They look really good, but we're going to give it our best and go from there.
On playing in the Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl has a lot of history, a lot of great players have played there. It'll be a great atmosphere for us and we're going to go out there and embrace it, but at the same time it's a business trip for us. There's going to be big awe factor with looking around the stadium and embracing the game and playing in such a historical place, but we can't get caught up to much.
On advice for Case on tackling
I told him he might want to keep his head up next time. Next time we'll have him walk off the field instead of tackling people.
On being in the top 25 and playing UCLA
In the top 25 people are gunning for you, when you lose a game you're out of it. We have to keep winning and moving up.
SOPHOMORE LINEBACKER Phillip Steward
On playing UTEP again after a bad loss last season
This year we came in focused. We said `last year was last year' and we wanted do everything fresh and clean when we started off. We said we were going to stop the run from the get go, so we made sure no one was going to get the run during the game.
On the defensive strategy
In (the defensive) line, we make sure they have the pressure on them and then we send them to the outside linebackers. Our main focus has been on putting pressure on the quarterback.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR Jason Phillips
On the change from Case Keenum to Cotton Turner
It doesn't change our plan. We are going to do what we do. Our system is in place, our players are confident in what we are doing. Cotton (Turner) is confident in what we are doing. Our players believe in Cotton and that's what we are going to do.
On telling Case to get off the field after an interception
I want him to do what Brett Favre does after throwing an interception, and that is walk off to the sideline.
SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER James Cleveland
On blocking
We worked extremely hard during the offseason on our blocking. We made that the focus of our competition instead of yards and catches. We are going to see who has the most big blocks. That person is the champion of the week. Each victory, a blocking champion is named.
On how badly UCLA got beat this past week
That means nothing but that they are 0-2. Around the NCAA, Virginia Tech lost a close game to Boise State and lost another game to James Madison. So this week Virginia Tech will not come out flat but come out energetic. That is the case with UCLA. The Bruins lost a big game to Stanford, not scoring any points. They are going to come out hungry and with their guns firing and we have to do the same.
On Cotton Turner as the starter
He knows what he is doing. He has been in this offense and has excelled very well. Last game he came in and had a tremendous game. He had one incompletion, and I didn't realize that it was the one I dropped over the middle. He would have been 100 percent if it wasn't for me.
On the running attack
It is ironic, because when we are blocking we don't see the broken tackles that the fans see. So we have to watch film to see it. It was incredible to watch Hayes and Beall making people miss like that. I have never seen that in my whole life.
JUNIOR RUNNING BACK Bryce Beall
On what he and Michael Hayes are wanting to do this weekend
We want a chance to consistently have good games, just be consistent. This week we will take whatever the defense brings us and just keep running hard.
On taking Michael Hayes under his wing
It's hard to be the only running back and having a running back come around that is as good as Mike really helped me out a lot. We help each other out by giving feedback. When Mike is out on the field, I tell him what he doesn't see and when I am on the field Mike tells me what I don't see.
On the contrasting running styles of Michael Hayes
Mike will tell you he is a little bit faster than me. He is good in open spaces, whereas I am a up-the-middle runner, just trying to keep the chains moving.
On receivers wanting to block
It is great. It makes our runs a lot longer. We can't break for 30, 40 and 50 yard runs without our receivers blocking on the edge.
JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN Chris Thompson
On being ranked
We are still the same team, whether we are ranked No. 23 or unranked. I don't pay attention to the rankings until the end of the year. That's when it matters.
On playing at the Rose Bowl
It is just another football game. They have lines on the field the same as Robertson does. I have never been to California but I have heard the weather is good. This is strictly a business trip. We want to go in and play fast, physical football just like we always do.
On UCLA's defense
They are a good, physical team up front. They are big guys, athletic guys up front. They play hard. Their record doesn't speak for them at all.
