University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Football Weekly Press Conference
9/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 7, 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 Conference USA opener against UTEP on Friday.
Head Coach Kevin Sumlin
On things the team can improve on after game one
"We have several things to improve on. It is a catch-22. We were very efficient offensively, but our guys only played seven minutes. You can't be mad at them if they are scoring, you want them to get more work but that didn't happen. As a coach and a fan you want to score every time you have the ball and we didn't do that. We turned it over a couple of times. Overall, we are happy with how we played."
"We blocked very well, both the offensive line and the perimeter wide receivers. Those players get accolades for being 1,000-yard receivers and catching touchdowns, but this time they showed great perimeter blocking which turned 15-yard plays into 70-yard plays. The effort was good. Our defensive was on the field 22 minutes and that won't be the case all year. I wouldn't be mad if we scored that quickly every time and if we do the defense better get ready. They were out there for 22 minutes and only give up 154 yards and a touchdown. That is good defense."
"There we some things, like the one big drive where we adjusted well during the game. They ran the same plays and we defended those, making them run different plays."
"The other positive was we played 60 players, 10 true freshmen and all three junior college transfers. In total we had 13 new players getting significant playing time and getting into the flow. We can coach them off the video. It is better to coach off the video. There are guys in the first game that surprise you on both sides of the ball. They play real well during practice and get better during the game. Some of these guys you may not see after Saturday's game."
On his relationship with current UTEP head coach Mike Price
"I learned everything from him. He gave me an opportunity to become a college football coach. He hired me without really meeting me in person. I went there and became the graduate assistant. At Washington State, my former defensive coordinator was Joe Tiller, who was under our current linebackers coach Leon Burtnett."
"When I got there, I was on defense for the first season. He called me into the office to tell me that they had a junior varsity football team and he wanted me to be the head coach. With that, I needed to move over to offense. They were one of the very few teams that ran a one-back set. I moved over to offense and was under Joe Tiller."
"Tiller told me that the job paid nothing, the budget is nothing, but you have to win every game. And for added pressure, we have this kid here named Drew Bledsoe. I think he is going to be a very good player. What I would like to do is play him on junior varsity for a few games to work him into the system. So we scheduled junior college teams. Mike said if this works out for you, you coach this guy and he learns this offense then you will always have a job in college football. But, if Drew Bledsoe gets hurt you will never work again."
On senior linebacker Matt Nicholson
"He is a tremendous story. I said before the season that I didn't know how much his injury had an effect on our football team last year. I am not just talking from a football stand point but from a leadership stand point. It is hard to calculate that as a head coach."
"After two-a-days, the players voted him as the captain that tells you what the players think of him, both as a leader and a player. To see the plays he made early in the game; recovering the fumble and picking off the pass. If I was a betting man, I would have guessed that he would have gotten caught on the interception return. He ran pretty well. He is a great example to our players, our young players in particular, who are going through some controversy. Whether it be an injury or a tough time understanding what's going on, he is a story of perseverance. He is a good guy that works hard and it's great to see that happen. It is a good omen for this team."
On facing UTEP
"It's our first conference game, which gets our attention right away. This team is traditionally the best blend of talent. You go to the east of the conference, you have a lot of bigger stronger guys and you come over to our side and there is a lot of speed. This team is the best blend of big, athletic guys. They have a number of junior college players and a number of players they have developed. I saw a statistic the other day that they have 26 seniors on this team. They are an older team, which is not a good combination to play against - an older, faster team with a quarterback that has 37 starts."
"Our guy leads the country with 41 starts and Trevor Vittatoe is tied with (TCU quarterback Andy) Dalton for the same number of starts. Facing an experienced quarterback and an experienced team is dangerous. This team has been high and low over the past few years. But obviously they can play. This is our first conference game and they have our attention."
On the sellout and fan support
"Our players appreciate our fans and our students being there. The student section was full even for pre-game warm ups. The energy the crowd creates is appreciated by our players and coaches. It helps us and will continue to help us throughout the year."
"We used to have a problem with starting games quickly, but now that our attendance is up we don't have that problem. Our guys feel the energy in that stadium and it says a lot for where we are heading and what we are capable of in the future. The energy level is as much of a help to our guys both in pregame and helping them focus. It is also a deterrent to our opponent. I want it to be that way for our game Friday night. Our fans don't mind late games and that was evident at last year's Texas Tech game."
On the play of the offensive line
"We were targeted the right way, and they played very unselfish. We didn't run the ball that much but when we did, we were very efficient with that first group. Isaiah (Thompson) brings some energy. Roy Watts is a very quiet guy the same as (Jordan) Shoemaker. Jacolby (Ashworth) brings a different presence. Coach Anderson is doing a good job with this group of men."
"The idea of offensive-line play is to get five pennies to play like a nickel. Right now that is what we have. We have two sets of those. Our second group came out and played well. I like our depth situation in the offensive line even though we don't have guys who have played in the same positions. But they have played in this program and understand what it takes to win. This game is going to be won or lost up front."
On the defensive side of the ball relishing each challenge after last year
"Based on the complete attitude everyone has about our defense, they relish the challenge every week."
On UTEP Running Back Donald Buckram's injury
"If I was him, I wouldn't care how hurt I was I would show up. They tape me up and I would go out there after putting 262 yards up on a football team."
Senior Linebacker Matt Nicholson
On the crowd and how it helps himself and the team perform
"It helps immensely. On third down we couldn't even each other to make our calls. I've been here for five years and we've never had a showing like that at our first home game. It was spectacular, that's what we need every weekend."
On the key challenges UTEP presents
"We just have to continue to prepare like we have, put in the extra time and just being comfortable with our game plan. We just have to go out there and play as hard as we can."
On how he couldn't have written a better script for his first game back
"Yeah, it was nice. It was a real good feeling."
Junior Linebacker Marcus McGraw
On what gave the defense trouble last year and how he think those issues will be fixed this year
"Definitely stopping the run in general. I think all spring and all camp you don't get that chance to face that big dominant type of run offense. As a defense, we have to focus on being more physical not only in the box but overall."
On his thoughts when he walked into a sold-out Robertson Stadium
"My first thought was that I could definitely get used to this. It got the adrenaline pumping through my body. It was exciting."
On his thoughts when Matt Nicholson returned the interception against Texas State
"I thought I was going to catch him, but he outran everyone. I was very happy for him, he deserved it."
Junior Wide Receiver Tyron Carrier
On the feeling on the field on Saturday
"Our biggest focus was keeping up the effort, everybody doing their job and taking care of one another. That what's we did as receivers."
On blocking
"We're capable of blocking, and we're asked to a lot, but we feel as the receiving crew we didn't execute that very well."
On the city of Houston having Cougar spirit
`We're trying to do something great and turn the city around with more red and white than the other colors."
Senior Quarterback Case Keenum
On last year's UTEP game
"Frankly, most of the team is tired of talking about last year's game with UTEP, good or bad. It wasn't one of our best games. You're not going to forget about something like that. It's two totally different teams and looking forward to the 2010 game totally. We're looking forward and not looking behind us at all."
On the late game time affecting the team
"We play at night most of the time anyway. It feels like a Wednesday today yesterday was a Tuesday and move everything up. We're already in our game week mode and just moving everything up."
On challenges the defense faces with UTEP
"They're a sound team, they're going to make us make mistakes. They play hard, come after us when they do and I'm excited to play because they're always a talented football team. UH and UTEP have always had a good football game in the past, and we're excited to see the game coming up. We're ready to go. "
