Postgame Quotes - Houston vs. Tulsa - 11/22/14
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2014
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HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tony Levine
Opening Statement:
"First off, I want to give a thank you to our fans, our students and our alumni who came to the game today. I know that the threat of the severe weather and kickoff moving from 2 o'clock up to 11 a.m. was a tough combination, and we really appreciate the people that were here today supporting us and seeing our seniors' last game in Houston."
"I also want to mention that for Tulsa and our administrators at the University of Houston. A lot of things were (organized) yesterday, morning to move the game up - it was the right thing to do in threat of severe weather, and we appreciate everyone making accommodations. I know that Tulsa didn't arrive until yesterday evening, and didn't get to their hotel until about 6 or 6:30 p.m. - it was a quick turnaround for everybody. My thank you to everybody from the conference, everybody from administration and to Tulsa for making this game go on this morning, prior to the threat of the weather."
"When you look at this game, it felt like we started fast and finished fast. Throughout the course of the game we had some momentum swings and Tulsa made some plays along the way to get the ball in the end zone - and that kept the game close."
"At the end of the day, we are very proud of our offense and our guys on special teams for not turning the football over (because) that's huge when it comes to winning football games. Our defense was credited with three turnovers. I was proud of them getting the football back on those three occasions. A couple (turnovers) at the end of the game were pretty big."
"You saw some young men making plays out there. Kenneth Farrow had one of his better games, statistically, in his career here - four rushing touchdowns and I think his fourth game this season with over 100 yards rushing; Steven Dunbar is a true freshman (who) has learned all four of our receiver positions - that is not only rare for a veteran, but certainly rare for a true freshman to come in our program and learn all four positions - we gave him the opportunity to start for us today at 'Z' with Demarcus Ayers banged up from our last game, and what he did out there today did not surprise anyone - seven catches for 150 yards."
"I'm proud of the way we battled."
On Kenneth Farrow and the running game:
"I also want to mention that for Tulsa and our administrators at the University of Houston. A lot of things were (organized) yesterday, morning to move the game up - it was the right thing to do in threat of severe weather, and we appreciate everyone making accommodations. I know that Tulsa didn't arrive until yesterday evening, and didn't get to their hotel until about 6 or 6:30 p.m. - it was a quick turnaround for everybody. My thank you to everybody from the conference, everybody from administration and to Tulsa for making this game go on this morning, prior to the threat of the weather."
"When you look at this game, it felt like we started fast and finished fast. Throughout the course of the game we had some momentum swings and Tulsa made some plays along the way to get the ball in the end zone - and that kept the game close."
"At the end of the day, we are very proud of our offense and our guys on special teams for not turning the football over (because) that's huge when it comes to winning football games. Our defense was credited with three turnovers. I was proud of them getting the football back on those three occasions. A couple (turnovers) at the end of the game were pretty big."
"You saw some young men making plays out there. Kenneth Farrow had one of his better games, statistically, in his career here - four rushing touchdowns and I think his fourth game this season with over 100 yards rushing; Steven Dunbar is a true freshman (who) has learned all four of our receiver positions - that is not only rare for a veteran, but certainly rare for a true freshman to come in our program and learn all four positions - we gave him the opportunity to start for us today at 'Z' with Demarcus Ayers banged up from our last game, and what he did out there today did not surprise anyone - seven catches for 150 yards."
"I'm proud of the way we battled."
On Kenneth Farrow and the running game:
"We rushed for almost 250 yards. I think running the football opened up some things in the pass game and with play action. It really did with Steven Dunbar and the number of his routes that he caught on a 'skinny post' were because of play action off of plays that we had handed the ball off or faked the hand off - the safeties or linebackers came up and we were able to get passing lanes out on the perimeter."
"I think running the ball opened up our passing attack and Kenneth, Ryan Jackson and our offensive line had a lot to do with that. We did have a couple negative plays in the running game, but we battled through that and at the end of the day, (the running) was very consistent. I thought getting the ball and going for it on the 1-yard line and getting it in the end zone on those first two opening drives was critical for us - for our momentum and confidence."
On the play of Steven Dunbar:
"I think running the ball opened up our passing attack and Kenneth, Ryan Jackson and our offensive line had a lot to do with that. We did have a couple negative plays in the running game, but we battled through that and at the end of the day, (the running) was very consistent. I thought getting the ball and going for it on the 1-yard line and getting it in the end zone on those first two opening drives was critical for us - for our momentum and confidence."
On the play of Steven Dunbar:
"If someone (outside of) our program came to one of our practices and watched Steven Dunbar, the way he practices and asks questions at meetings, you'd think he was a veteran. The familiarity with your offense is not very good for an 18-year old just coming into your program - but if we have any receiver go down at any receiver position, he's the guy that bumps over - his knowledge is outstanding. His knowledge of our offense is outstanding. The way he practices and prepares is like that of a veteran."
"When you talk about an 18-year old true freshman, there are some certain situations that they haven't been in at this level - he had one of those two weeks ago. I would predict for the next three years in our program, he won't make that mistake again."
On the efforts to control the ball and the clock:
"When you talk about an 18-year old true freshman, there are some certain situations that they haven't been in at this level - he had one of those two weeks ago. I would predict for the next three years in our program, he won't make that mistake again."
On the efforts to control the ball and the clock:
"No one in our program ever said 'we have to control the clock.' In the second half, Tulsa went up on an 8-minute (or longer) drive that resulted in a score. We got the ball back and went down in about one minute and score."
"The thing we want to do is play to our strengths, move the football and the chains and see what the defense is going to do. We've been running the ball well except for our previous game. The three games prior to the Tulane game, we ran the ball extremely well - it takes pressure off of everything and sets up our offense for throwing it. Do we want to run the football? Yes. Do we want to control the clock? No, not necessarily. If we can score on one-minute drives on 45-yard touchdown series, we'll take that every series."
On trying to get things going after slowing down a bit in the first quarter:
"The thing we want to do is play to our strengths, move the football and the chains and see what the defense is going to do. We've been running the ball well except for our previous game. The three games prior to the Tulane game, we ran the ball extremely well - it takes pressure off of everything and sets up our offense for throwing it. Do we want to run the football? Yes. Do we want to control the clock? No, not necessarily. If we can score on one-minute drives on 45-yard touchdown series, we'll take that every series."
On trying to get things going after slowing down a bit in the first quarter:
"When you look at the second quarter, we got the ball down the field and I think we were second and medium - we tried to throw a wheel route off a play action to a back in the backfield, they did a nice job and covered it, Greg did a nice job and tried to extend the play and took a seven yard sack. After second and medium, we're now third and behind the chains - I think we converted seven or eight yards on the third down but it only got us to I think fourth and four. Because we took the loss on second down, we had to punt - and the next series on third down we had a dropped pass. We had negative yards, but if you get positive yards - getting third down and manageable is critical to keeping drives alive, and I think we got back to that."
On being bowl-eligible:
On being bowl-eligible:
"At this point, I'm happy for our student-athletes and our seniors. We had 15 days left to play and now we've extended our season. That's great for our student-athletes and our seniors, but at this point, we've still got two games left of the regular season. We can look up in two weeks and be anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4."
"In the past seven years that I've been here, we averaged 10 freshmen every year. This year we're playing four. What that tells you is that we're starting to get the depth that we need and by extending our season and playing into the end of December or early January, you get 15-18 more practice opportunities for these young guys. We will do everything we can to be successful and win the bowl game - but it gives an opportunity for these veterans who have been through a long season to go after an hour and fifteen (or so of practice), and keep the guys who haven't played this season - whether they're the older guys or the guys who have been redshirted - to get another 30 or 45 minutes, almost another set of spring practices in. Another thing is the scout teams, they're giving the look of our opponents that we will face, in terms of fundamentals and technique.
"Your schemes in those three phases is limited, so you get into December and you get a chance to get back to working with the young guys in your program.
On the defense:
"In the past seven years that I've been here, we averaged 10 freshmen every year. This year we're playing four. What that tells you is that we're starting to get the depth that we need and by extending our season and playing into the end of December or early January, you get 15-18 more practice opportunities for these young guys. We will do everything we can to be successful and win the bowl game - but it gives an opportunity for these veterans who have been through a long season to go after an hour and fifteen (or so of practice), and keep the guys who haven't played this season - whether they're the older guys or the guys who have been redshirted - to get another 30 or 45 minutes, almost another set of spring practices in. Another thing is the scout teams, they're giving the look of our opponents that we will face, in terms of fundamentals and technique.
"Your schemes in those three phases is limited, so you get into December and you get a chance to get back to working with the young guys in your program.
On the defense:
"We've given up I think 59 points defensively in the last two games, which is uncharacteristic of us. We were a top-five defense, nationally two games ago - I don't know where we are now. When you lose a young man of Derrick Matthews' caliber - in the beginning of the season, I'd hear in the headsets 'great play by Derrick,' and now at times you're hearing 'this guy fit that gap wrong' or 'this guy related to two instead of three.'
"It's a fast game, you're looking out there right now and you see Matthew Adams, who's a true freshman, playing a lot of football for us now. Khalil Williams is on a bunch of special teams - there's a bunch of personnel, motions and formations and he's got to know what to do. Howard Wilson is a young man who was a linebacker in high school, he's a true freshman and got his third interception of the season today. "
"These young men are getting better and better every day. So it has been uncharacteristic of us to give up almost 60 points, but I think many would agree that throughout the course of the season, our defense has played extremely well."
HOUSTON JUNIOR RUNNING BACK Kenneth Farrow
"It's a fast game, you're looking out there right now and you see Matthew Adams, who's a true freshman, playing a lot of football for us now. Khalil Williams is on a bunch of special teams - there's a bunch of personnel, motions and formations and he's got to know what to do. Howard Wilson is a young man who was a linebacker in high school, he's a true freshman and got his third interception of the season today. "
"These young men are getting better and better every day. So it has been uncharacteristic of us to give up almost 60 points, but I think many would agree that throughout the course of the season, our defense has played extremely well."
HOUSTON JUNIOR RUNNING BACK Kenneth Farrow
On having a good game:
"Our offensive line played great and our receivers were down field blocking. So we were able to hit some big runs and get in the end zone quite a few times today."
On starting off strong and then slowing down in the third quarter:
On starting off strong and then slowing down in the third quarter:
"They just made some adjustments and we counted that and got back on the right page and started moving the ball down the field. That's going to happen in every game, you're not going to be able to score on every drive. You have to see what is going on and I think everyone did that and made the right adjustments to get us back in the end zone."
On being in the backfield and seeing gaps:
On being in the backfield and seeing gaps:
"It was stuff we went over during the week to prepare for the team. The offensive line was on the same page and was working up the backers and we were able to hit some creases. "
On seeing something the week before in their defense and whether it was a plan to run the ball:
On seeing something the week before in their defense and whether it was a plan to run the ball:
"Yeah. We watched and we saw the team had success so we got out there and got some good ones early and then we were able to keep it rolling. The offensive line really got in the groove and opened up hole for Ryan and me today. So it was a good game today by the offensive line, the receivers, and everybody else."
On it being a back-and-forth game:
On it being a back-and-forth game:
"We knew the defense was going to go out there and force turnovers. They do that every game and I think that is 33 in a row. So as an offense there has been games where we were not scoring and they were holding the offense. So it was good to work as a unit today, being able to go down and score and cut them some slack until they finally got those big three in the fourth quarter. So we were able to pull away."
HOUSTON JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK Adrian McDonald
HOUSTON JUNIOR DEFENSIVE BACK Adrian McDonald
On having a touchdown taken off the board:
"You just have to play until the whistle. I didn't hear a whistle so I picked the ball up and saw the ref running with me. You practice how you play and play until the whistle. It got overturned but my guys know that the effort is there. We got three of them today and that is just what we do defensively."
On Steven Dunbar taking on a bigger role:
On Steven Dunbar taking on a bigger role:
"I feel like he is mature for his age. He doesn't get down on himself and is cool, calm, and collected. He likes to learn from the older guys, like Greenberry in front of him or right beside him. So that's the guy you can learn good things from."
On thinking about the turnover streak at all during the game:
On thinking about the turnover streak at all during the game:
"No not at all. Offense will do something good, then we will give up a touchdown but they still encourage us, which is big. We are one unit and it feels good, it gives you more motivation to go out there and okay harder. Offensive players talk you up a bit and get your mind right."
HOUSTON SENIOR LINEBACKER Efrem Oliphant
HOUSTON SENIOR LINEBACKER Efrem Oliphant
On having to make stops late in the game:
"It was big for the team and defensive wise we just needed to go out there and get a stop. We were able to create turnovers, which we should do but everybody was doing their job out there. We let a few of the plays slip on us, but being able to get that stop was a good edge for us."
On giving up more points in the past two games and the loss of Derrick Matthews:
On giving up more points in the past two games and the loss of Derrick Matthews:
"Its not because of the loss because after we lost him, we still played good defense. It just comes down to us doing our jobs and a lot of people picking up the slack. Sometimes we don't do what were coached to do in practice and we got a little out of whack but its just time for us to get it back together and work as a whole."
On new guys having chemistry in the defense:
On new guys having chemistry in the defense:
"We have people that have to fill in. We have a young linebacker and two young DB's that are playing a lot for us. So its just them being on the same path that we are on."
On getting a win on senior day:
On getting a win on senior day:
"It's a great feeling, especially to be home. I'm just thankful for my teammates who went out and gave their all for us seniors who are leaving this stadium. It means a lot to get the win and I am grateful."
On his best memory of playing at home:
On his best memory of playing at home:
"Just the atmosphere. With the fans, the student life, coaches, players, and everybody hyped about the game. Being able to drive up and do the little cougar walk is a memory that is going to stick with me forever."
On whether being bowl eligible changes the team's focus:
On whether being bowl eligible changes the team's focus:
"Not at all. We have SMU Friday so that is all we are focused on."
TULSA HEAD COACH BILL BLANKENSHIP
TULSA HEAD COACH BILL BLANKENSHIP
On facing Houston:
"I'm very proud of the way our team played. This is a very good Houston team that we knew we would face and I thought we stood in there and stood toe to toe with them."
On Tulsa's offense:
On Tulsa's offense:
"Well, the offensive line was doing a good job up front. Zack Langer runs very hard. I think Houston has an issue and has to match up with Keevan and Keyarris and they get boxed in a little less and we're able to take advantage of it. Like I said, Zack ran very hard. We still were able to get the ball out to the edges and make some plays too."
On the atmosphere of the game:
On the atmosphere of the game:
"I think it was one of those where I could see it coming down a two-point call at the end or overtime or something. It just felt like it was going to go back-and-forth. You can give Houston a lot of credit. They made the plays when they had to. All in all (I'm) very proud of our guys and the way that they played."
On the three interceptions by Dane Evans:
On the three interceptions by Dane Evans:
"I don't think that's indicative at all of the way he played. You get to the end and you're throwing against three men. We're taking a couple shots and he would still like to have them back and still thinks he could make those throws but it is what it is. That's how it is with quarterbacks in terms of interceptions. They don't keep asterisks by them if it's at the end of the game. I thought No. 9 played very well for us. He made a lot of good decisions that kept us in the game."
On Tulsa's defense:
On Tulsa's defense:
"There were moments like that, that continue to haunt us defensively in that we can bend, bend, bend till we break instead of the bend and don't break. But there were a lot of moments including the very last series, getting the ball back and giving us one more shot. There are some good things going on with the defense but they're very in demand right now playing without a lot of players. It's just hard."
On the way the momentum swung:
On the way the momentum swung:
"We just felt like we had momentum. Momentum is one of those things that when you coach and you play the game, you feel it and it has a strange way of switching sides in the middle of a drive. There were certainly moments, especially in the third and fourth quarter that you really felt the momentum changing."
TULSA JUNIOR SAFETY MICHAEL MUDOH
TULSA JUNIOR SAFETY MICHAEL MUDOH
On how he feels about the defense now and throughout the season:
"We made plays, but it's just inconsistency. We have to play four quarters. Just because we make one play doesn't mean we can let up the next play because that's how we give up big plays. It's just the inconsistency of the mind of staying focused and staying locked in."
On the offense being able to match the opposing offense:
On the offense being able to match the opposing offense:
"Shout out to the offense. They did their thing. They came out and they put up 28 points. That's on us. When the offense puts up 28 points we have to hold our opponents under 28. The offense did their best and they did a phenomenal job. We just have to make sure that we hold our end. "
On the big play given up on the last drive:
On the big play given up on the last drive:
"He threw it to the sideline, he broke a tackle and ran for like 60 yards. That's just been the story of the season. Just giving up those big plays. Who knows, if we had stopped him there it would've given us another chance to fight but they started their first down on the two-yard line so it's pretty tough."
TULSA JUNIOR QUARTERBACK DANE EVANS
TULSA JUNIOR QUARTERBACK DANE EVANS
On the offensive play:
"Everything that we game-planned, they did, but we expected a little more middle of the field closed looks. We were prepared for the middle of the field open too. We were running good, we had good timing when we threw easy little swing pass. I think we took the shots when we should have taken the shots; we were just clicking as an offense. "
On the back-and-forth feel and confidence throughout the game:
On the back-and-forth feel and confidence throughout the game:
"That is the way any offensive player wants it. You want to have the ball to win the game like we had the chance and like we did in the third quarter and all throughout the game. We never thought that we were out of it. Our job is to score every time that we have the ball and we might as well just do that."
On interceptions and how they if the game:
On interceptions and how they if the game:
"Especially the last one because I just missed that throw. The second one, to (Keyarris Garrett), I got hit right after I threw it and I couldn't really do much about that. The last one makes me mad because I can make that throw everyday in practice I just threw it a little too flat."
TULSA JUNIOR TACKLE GARRETT STAFFORD
TULSA JUNIOR TACKLE GARRETT STAFFORD
On the conversation with Dane Evans after the last interception:
"We just have to brush it off. We were in a position where he just had to get a receiver to get a play on it. Somewhere in there it just did not happen. You can't let that get at you for too long. I know how it feels to be in positions where it feels like I made the difference in the game. That's not how it is. So I just tried to make him not feel like it's all wrong."
On the offensive situation:
On the offensive situation:
"We just try to go back to our basic plays that have options here and there and really allowed Dane to operate the offense and take it down the field. If they give us the numbers in the box, then look at the box. If not then you have somewhere to go with it."
On Tulsa's fourth quarter comeback attempt:
On Tulsa's fourth quarter comeback attempt:
"We scored, they scored. Our offense, when they score, that means we have to score. We obviously have to stop them. I think that's how this Houston game is always. It's competitive."
On what he's looking forward to in the next week and how does he move on from the last game:
On what he's looking forward to in the next week and how does he move on from the last game:
"We have to find 11 guys that are willing to get on the field and love to play football. You don't need a big speech. You just need guys that want to play, regardless of what's going on. We're going to go out there and give it our best this week."
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