Houston vs. Marshall - Quotes
10/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 22, 2011
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2011 Houston Cougar Football Postgame Quotes
Houston Cougars (7-0 / 3-0 C-USA West)
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011// John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium //Houston, Texas
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Kevin Sumlin
On how they were able to score quickly
"Their philosophy coming into the game and how they attempted to play us had something to do with that. We sputtered around there the first few snaps and got loose on a deep one. They had a pressure package, and if you're going to do that then we have guys that can make some plays and some quarterbacks that can get the ball to them. Our screen game was big and when we took some shots down the field and protected it we were good there too. With the pressure they brought, our screens were extremely effective tonight."
On how his team was able to adjust to the pressure
"They came into the game knowing they wanted to pressure the quarterback. I thought our offensive staff did an excellent job adjusting during the game. That gave our team things that we could execute against, the blitz on situations where there were long downs and first down and we could take some shots. We were extremely effective not only executing but also play calling too."
On the play of the defense
"The quarterback got loose but he also got loose the week before and that's why he's in. He's a shot in the arm for them. He didn't necessarily hurt us with quarterback-designed runs but just on scrambles. We have to sure that up. We're not happy with the amount of yardage we gave up, but we got a goal line stand and two critical turnovers. We only gave up 28 points. We're averaging 22. It wasn't a great defensive effort but we just have to be more consistent. There are flashes in there where we play well but we have to be more consistent. The telling story was the third down situation. They made some third downs easily and we didn't get off the field early, letting them drive the ball."
On how well the offensive line played
"Coming into the game was interesting. We're not going to vary from what we do. We see a variety of different defenses. They came into the game and said they were going to try to knock Case out of the game. That was their game plan. You can make of that what you want, but they said they wanted to see our second quarterback and they did."
On senior quarterback Case Keenum breaking the total offense record
"To watch him grow over the last few years and be able to handle a lot of different things makes me really happy for him. You can see that our team is very happy for him. I feel real good about our team chemistry. But we talk about individual awards being team awards. There were a lot of guys who caught short passes and ran like hell tonight. That makes it all worthwhile. To watch him grow as a person and go through what he's gone through. With the ups and downs personally and with the team, you couldn't be happier for a person. Everybody was wondering about the media attention but that comes with winning. You can see the maturity level of him as opposed to two years ago. He's always been a well-grounded guy and a tremendous leader. I'm really happy for him."
SENIOR QUARTERBACK Case Keenum
On what his emotions were when being honored at midfield after the game
"It was an incredible honor but having the guys around me made it even more special. It was great doing it here at Robertson Stadium in front of a home crowd. It was very special and meant a lot to me."
On how things came together during the game
"Our offensive line played extremely well tonight and our tempo was really good there. We were able to figure out some things that they were going to do. It was a lot of fun and that is why you come out and play."
On how aware the team was that Marshall's defense wanted to get him out of the game
"Our coaches have done a pretty good job at making us aware. It was good motivation for us during the week to know (what they were saying)."
On how it feels to get one of these statistical milestones under his belt
"It feels good. I thought about it after one of the throws but now that it's over its time to move on. It's all about Rice now."
On what its like being in a zone
"It's a great spot to be in. We practice at that level and try to get into a groove and stay there. We did a really good job staying there."
SENIOR RUNNING BACK Michael Hayes
On what it's like seeing the open field
"The only thing that goes through my head is scoring a touchdown. The receivers do a really good job at blocking for us."
On what it's like when offense gets in a zone
"It feels good but we practice it every Thursday. We have a thing on called "Perfect Play Thursday," where there can't be any drops or redo's. We get to a game and get into a groove that's what we practice and that's what we expect.
On the friendly competition between him and Charles Sims
"It is just being a football player. You want to be the best out there. Charles and I want to prove that we are the best on out there. It's great having us both out there working together."
SENIOR LINEBACKER Sammy Brown
On making big plays and turnovers
"We wanted to come out and stop the run. We knew their quarterback could run and stop the ball. Coach tried to put pressure on them and blitz them."
On Vinny Curry
"We knew Vinny Curry was a great player, but we just wanted to come out and beat Marshall."
On the development of younger players
"Derrick Matthews is a great player and is coming along well. He is getting better each and every week."
On the feelings of being undefeated
"It feels good to be undefeated. Now we have to get ready for Rice."
REDSHIRT JUNIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN JACOBY ASHWORTH
On if there were any challenges today
"It took the front playing big and physical. We knew Vinny Curry was a heck of an athlete. We just had to come up and get our minds right and be physical."
On Marshall's defensive talking about taking Case out of the game
"We put that on our shoulders to keep him clean. We do that every week. It was just like any other game."
On the way the offensive line has developed this year
"The new guys have really developed this year. We are finally meshing together and playing as one. We are doing well, but we just need to continue to improve and get better. I look forward to getting better with them."
On the team continuing to play after being ranked and undefeated
"We don't worry too much about the rankings. We are focusing on the conference championship, but it does feel good to get a little bit of recognition."
On Case breaking the record of total yardage
"I am proud of him. To see him finally get that record is special; he deserves it."
MARSHALL HEAD COACH DOC HOLLIDAY
On the UH offense
"They're good and they have done that to a lot of people. Unfortunately, they did it to us tonight. The biggest disappointment for us tonight was that we didn't tackle very well. We pride ourselves in being great tacklers, but not tonight. We knew what we were facing and they very skilled."
On how hard it was to play catch up
"I looked up and the craziest thing is we won the time of procession, something which we wanted to win by the half. In the first half they had the ball for 9 minutes, and we had it for 20 minutes and I looked up and the score was what it was. They are a quick-strike offense. You have to give a lot of credit to Case Keenum and Coach Sumlin for running that offense tonight."
On Case Keenum's 15 consecutive pass completions
"I thought it was more than 15, every time I kept turning around I was waiting for him to make a mistake or a bad throw and never saw anything."
On A.J. Graham's performance
"He did some really good things. We had like 500 yards of total offense, which was nice to see. In a game like this, you need to score in the red zone, which we didn't do a couple of times. We are moving the ball better than we have done in two years, we just have to make sure to put the ball in the end zone when we are in the red zone."
On if UH was overrated tonight
"They weren't overrated tonight because they beat us out there. I promise you that because they are a very good football team."
On UH blitzing more as the score increased
"They are an aggressive defense, that's what they do and they didn't change throughout the game. They got after us a bit in the first half, and they didn't change in the second half. Everyone thinks they are a great offense, and they are, but they got a lot of athletes running around on defense."
On UH's ability to shut down Curry
"(Keenum) got the ball out of his hands. The problem is when you put pressure on Keenum; he gets the ball out of his hands quick to a receiver. They really slowed our pass rush down with a lot of screens. The outsides screens were big in controlling our rush."
