University of Houston Athletics
Weekly Press Conference: Oct. 5
10/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE: OCT. 5
HEAD COACH Tom Herman
STUDENT-ATHLETES: Greg Ward Jr., Chance Allen, Steven Taylor
HOUSTON FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES (PDF)
HOUSTON (4-1, 1-0 American) vs. SMU (1-4, 0-1 American)
TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas • Thursday, October 8, 2015
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tom Herman
Opening Statement
"Proud of our guys; a win in conference, on the road, in a tough environment. (I'm) Excited especially about our defense. Offensively we had our issues for brief moments of time that lead to our defense playing 58 snaps in the first half, in their house, on the road against a fourth ranked offense in the country and gave up 10 points. To me that was the key to the ball game."
On defense against Tulsa
"The situations they were put in during the first half by our offense and special teams, for them to respond, and us to have a 21-10 lead at half time was crucial. For us to come out and finish the game, our offense got on track a little bit. Again hat's off to the defense. They turned it over twice again. For all intents and purposes, minus the last drive when we were up 21 with two minutes left, they had 17 points and 380 yards, which for the fourth ranked offense at home that's a pretty good day at the office for our defense."
On the offense against Tulsa
"Offensively (we gained) a lot of yards; not that many points for the amount of yards as we got. We've got to clean up what and how we're doing in the red zone. Obviously short yardage we spent a lot of time these last two days reevaluating what our philosophy is and who we want to be. Short yardage in the red zone: to make sure we're more efficient in those to areas to go to the places we want to go. I know the total numbers through a third of the season are really good offensively, but the one that sticks out to me is we're in the 100's in red zone scoring, which is one of our plans to win. Play great defense and win the turnover battle, we're doing both of those really well, but scoring touchdowns in the red zone we're not, and we're not doing that well on defense either."
On preparation for the short turn around
"I spent a lot of time these last two days evaluating what we do on offensively and defensively in the red zone. It's tough because you're down two days of preparation. We played 90 snaps offensively and defensively Saturday. We were out on the field in pads on Sunday around 24-26 hours later in a two hour-long practice with pads. That's what we do. That's the culture. I don't know what SMU is doing, and I don't really care how they are getting ready for this game. But I know for us we're going to put our pads on and hit each other because that's the kind of culture we want to bring to the table Thursday night."
On offensive struggle during the game
"It needs to get better in the red zone and in short yardage. Our quarterback was out of sorts in the throw game and the read game. We asked him to do a lot of reading in the run game and he didn't make great decisions. There is a lot of area of improvement in the offensive side of the ball. Again, I don't think I ever felt worse after 638 yards and 38 points on the road in a win. There were a lot of moments in the game that were not up to our standards.
"It's everything. We're probably not doing the greatest of jobs getting our guys in the most advantageous play. When we're in the red zone in short yardage we're going to go fast. That's our gung-ho. We're not going to take our time running some jumbo package and put three defensive linemen in the game. We're just not good enough to do that. We are not good enough on the offensive line to do that. So we're going to go fast. Sometimes it will lead to confusion on our part as much as the defense's part.
"We've got to weigh the negatives with the positives. We went fast with Greg (Ward) running third and short and it turned into a 36-yard touchdown. There are positives and negatives. To be quite honest with you this is Division I football. At some point you're always, if you keep doing the math, we'll put in another tight end in the game; great they add another person to the bust. We'll put a wing in the game they'll add another person to the bust. We put a fullback in the game they add another person to the bust. At the end of the day they guy carrying the football can't block for himself.
"When you're in the red zone, especially at the goal line, they don't have to defend the length of the field. There is going to be a free hitter. There is going to be somebody left unblocked. We've got to do a better job at the tailback position too, of lowering our pads and running that guy over for one yard. To get stood up on the goal line in short yardage and get tackled sideways, that's not good business. We have to be the aggressor down there. Offensive line has to get a little more push. We've got to do a better job as play callers getting them in an advantageous play, and the tailback has to do a good job of running over the free hitter to get the extra yard.
"It's all the same issues. It was fourth and one or fourth and two except for the punt the kid was poor coach to run the football on. But other two we did get we have to do a better job of getting more push up front and putting them in advantageous positions and getting our tailback to create a yard or two after contact."
On Greg Ward's performance
"There is a really high expectation level we got really good coaches and what we feel like are really good players and quite frankly we were playing a defense that had been struggling lately. The expectation around here is when you add those things up the level of play should be a lot more consistent and to that expectation level. Greg (Ward) is barely scratching the surface in terms of his development as a quarterback. Tremendous athlete. He didn't do that, Coach Applewhite didn't do that, I didn't do that. The man upstairs and mom and dad did that. He can't take credit for that, neither Coach Applewhite. The one thing in my opinion he was getting better was the overall development of being a quarterback, reading the defensive, seeing the field and managing the offense and all that. He took a little bit of a step back nothing panic inducing by any stretch we just need him to play better and more consistently."
On Kyle Postma
"You put him out there and he's going to make some unbelievable throws. He'll see a guy who isn't even in his read but he's open and he throw it to him and it happens to be complete. He's got that Bama swoop haircut; he looks at you and you ask 'how in the heck did you complete that pass?' He'll say 'Oh was I not supposed to throw to that guy?' (I say) 'Well he's not part of the read.' (Kyle says) 'He was open right?' He just has a knack for finding those guys. I don't do him justice. My imitation doesn't do him justice. We'd be very confident putting him in. We prefer that scenario not come up. One of our mantras is competitive focus; when your number is called you're ready to go. I think when Kyle's number is called, he'll be ready and competitive."
On linebacker Steven Taylor
"He just goes. The guy has a tremendous motor. He is a good practice player, I wouldn't say great, but he is getting better. He has a tremendous motor on game day. He takes hits and gets hit about as hard as it comes snap after snap. I ask him if he needs a break and tells me 'No coach I'm good,' and he just goes and goes.
"That is a credit to the high school program that raised him in Cedar Hill… obviously they're breeding champions, but it is very evident in Steven and the way that he plays. I'd like to think that our culture has something to do with it, and it does, but he was raised right and taught at a young age how to play this great game, which is ferociously. He just goes. He picks himself back up and he goes and does it again.
"He is a really good fluid athlete, so he misses very few tackles because he can adjust while he is running at full speed. A lot of guys, the Adrian McDonald's and Elandon Roberts' of the world who we think of as captains, have to come to balance a little bit to make an open field tackle. Steven has this innate ability, because he is so athletic, to bend and contort at full speed and still make the tackle."
On expectations up to this point
"The good thing is that there is a lot of carryover both offensively and defensively. For us when we turned on the SMU film, both sides of the ball took a big sigh of relief and said 'ok on defense they're a 4-3 quarters defense,' and that is what he had just got done playing on offense. They're a tight end spread, a run the ball and take shots deep outfit. They are very similar on both sides of the ball. The expectations of our defense every week are to play great. I don't know how else to put it. We don't put any numeric measurements on that."
"I got on the bus after the game to go back to the airport â€" I like riding with tough guys because I don't like riding with soft guys â€" and so I am on the defensive bus and I said to Todd Orlando: 'Did you ever think that when you started in this profession 20 years ago that you would get on the bus feeling bad about 38 points and 600 yards on the road against a conference opponent and feel good about giving up 24 points and 430 yards?' It's crazy. They played great defense. The last drive, excluded, which you can't because those numbers will be there forever, but for 58-59 minutes we played great defense. We have that ability to do that. What the numbers are at the end of the day I don't know because all I care about is us winning and keeping them out of the end zone."
On switching tackles
"Last week, Marcus Oliver got rolled up in inside drill. He got a little injury on his ankle and did not practice well. I didn't feel comfortable putting him out there in the game limping around. He is cleared full speed, but he is still limping around a little bit, so we'll see how he progresses in this short week. If we had to play tomorrow, the depth chart would look the way that it does. We would move (Alex) Cooper back to tackle and Josh Thomas back to guard. Marcus Oliver would be the next guy in."
On the challenges of SMU offense
"We have to stop the quarterback. We have to get pressure on him because he is a good enough thrower, if you let him stand back there and let him beat you with his arm. There were a couple of key third downs that Tulsa converted where we had everyone covered, but we were a half-a-man wrong in our rush lanes and the quarterback squirts out and he gets the first and slides. With this kid he is not just going to get the first and slide because that could be a real dangerous, explosive play. We have to contain him. It is probably right; that is what people say about us, that if you give the kid time he will hurt you with his arm, but if you are not disciplined in how you attack him and get after him a little bit then he'll hurt you with his feet."
On his history with SMU head coach Chad Morris
"Yeah, we have tons of history. We know each other really well. When he (Morris) was at Clemson and I was at Ohio State we tried every year for professional development. For two years in a row, our offensive staffs met together. In fact we met together before the 2013 season in the spring, and then we wind up playing Clemson in the Orange Bowl that year. We met again the following spring going into the 2014 season. We have shared a lot of ideas together. We have very similar philosophies when it comes to offensive football and I have gotten some good thoughts from him, and I'm hoping he got a few from me. In the offseason we talk quite a bit. I consider him a friend."
On the strategy for practice this week
"It's crazy to think that these gladiators played 90 snaps with broken fingers, bruised bones, and dislocated shoulders, and 26 hours later we are right back out, putting the pads on and having an hour-and-a-half to two-hour long practice. We stayed out until 8:30 at night. Today we will again put on the pads and have a good hour and half practice.
"Basically what I have done is cut some of the individual time and cut the length of the practice to ensure our freshness and how long we are out there on our feet. In terms of the intensity and level of practice, that is not going to change. Today is going to be like a Wednesday for us, and tomorrow will be like a Thursday for us. We will have a full 18-period practice with no hitting, which is a normal Thursday for us."
On the abbreviated practice schedule
"It was our best Tuesday practice that we've had. For you guys it was Sunday, but we practiced like it was a Tuesday. Our body clocks and mind clocks don't even know what month it is. For us, today is Wednesday practice of week 5. Last night was by far our best Tuesday practice, and I don't know if it was better because it was later in the day. We had to go out on the stadium field to practice because our practice field doesn't have lights."
On what it means to play SMU
"We are the only two teams in the state of Texas in this conference. For us, this is a really big game because we run into these guys in just about everything we do from exposure, to media market, to you name it. We want to make sure we have bragging rights for the entire year in the great state of Texas."
On resolving his team's kicking problems
"People are wondering why we go for it on fourth down, right? We have two Division I kickers on scholarship right now and you only get 85 of them. We have invested in two kickers and (Kyle) Bullard hasn't played real well. Just like we would with any other position with a guy that is not playing well, the next guy in line is going to have an opportunity to take the job. Last night, we ended practice with the guys kicking field goals and the whole team around them screaming at them, squirting bottles of water at them and throwing hats at them, the whole nine. We'll do that again tomorrow and make a decision either Wednesday night or Thursday on who is going to be the guy that jogs out there kicking field goals.
"I hate kicking field goals. I really do. It is not because we haven't been good at them lately; it is because the numbers, percentages and the metrics tell you that somewhere in that fourth-and-medium, that fourth-and-short or if you're in field goal range that the risk-reward is probably better for you to even go for it, especially when you have a good defense like we have. I don't see our philosophy on fourth down changing much, but the fact that we have underperformed in that area these last few weeks hopefully gives a little more credence and credibility to why we decide to go for it on fourth down."
HOUSTON JUNIOR QUARTERBACK Greg Ward Jr.
On what is going through his mind
"I'm just ready to go out there for practice today so we can prepare and be ready for Thursday. That's the only thing I'm worried about right now."
On the performance of the offense
"It's the little things that are holding us back, and I have a big role in it. I know if I play better the whole offense will be a lot better than what we have been doing."
On how his accomplishments make him feel
"This is a great opportunity but we're just worried about being 1-0 at the end of the week. We're just worried about the next game; there's nothing else we're trying to prove right now. We're just trying to win."
On the opportunity to play on national TV Thursday night
"God has blessed us to play on Thursday on TV, so we're just ready to come out there and play."
On the team's goal of being ranked
"We want to know at the end of the week if we're blessed to be in the top-25. Our whole team will be happy, but nothing will change in the way we prepare and on the way we work."
How he feels about the honors he's receiving
"I'm not worried about that right now, not worried about it at all honestly. The team and I are just ready to work so we can get a win."
On being a quarterback instead of a receiver
"It feels great to be back there! There are so many things I still need to work on every day. I just have to keep working to get better."
On Adam Schulz and the impact he's made
"Adam is smart, a very smart guy. He helps me out a lot since I'm younger than him, with everything: coaches even our plays. He lets me know what he sees. He just helps me out a lot."
On what he learns in film study
"Whenever we go to film, the little things we actually leave out on the field; it's just mind-blowing. If we fix those there will be way more points on the board than there are now."
On the rivalry game this Thursday night
"We have to be 1-0 at the end of the week. We play our rival, SMU, this Thursday, and it's going to be a big game. It will be on TV. We're just ready to go out there and get a win."
On the Tulsa game
"There was a lot in that game that we missed. We are ready to go out there on the field and correct those mistakes. We're happy we have another chance to play Thursday and fix those and hopefully come out with better results."
On Kenneth Farrow's impact
"He (Kenneth Farrow) is great! Once he relaxes and he is himself on the field, no one can stop him. He's a great leader, a great captain of our team and with him it takes a lot off of me, so that's just a big plus for us."
On converting fourth downs
"Coach trusts us to go out there and get the first down on fourth down. We just have to get better in doing that, and convert them from fourth in one or fourth and inches. As the year goes on we will elevate in that."
On how the team is working together
"I think we're all getting used to each other right now and the timing. It all takes practice. It's nothing else but preparation and that's what's happening to us right now."
How the little things are the most important
"Every week we miss a hole, or a lineman misses a block, or we come off them too early. It's just the little things that we have messed up that have not allowed us to convert on fourth down, but we will get them fixed in practice this week."
On where his athletic ability comes from
"It comes from God. But other than that, I have three older brothers. We all used to play in the backyard. I used to watch them, and they didn't take it easy on me. It came from them."
HOUSTON JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER Chance Allen
On being back at practice a day after a game
"Last Tuesday we had a pretty bad practice. This 'Tuesday' we wanted to make sure everything was sharp and concise. We came out there and did that after a win Saturday. We know that's our mindset going into the next game, that we won the last one, and it's time to get back on track."
On how dynamic Greg Ward Jr. is
"He's very dynamic. To use his legs is big. It helps us receivers to get open, and he has an arm for when he wants to throw it. He's a great quarterback. He's a leader out there on the field. I like him, and he's going to grow as the season goes on."
How Greg Ward Jr. makes a receiver's job easier
"It makes my job real easy. For him to make explosive plays out of nothing, how he might fumble the snap and get a 40-yard gain out of it. He's a tremendous player to be out there with, and I hope he keeps doing what he's doing."
On being more comfortable in the offense
"It's nice. It's going real well. Week-to-week we are starting to get more players involved, and it's going to grow as the season goes."
On being able to help Greg Ward Jr. as a receiver
"Yeah, just more targets to help him out there. He has a tremendous arm and tremendous feet. So just to be out there to help him is good."
On how other receivers are stepping up in games
"It just helps us a lot. Just to get the defense more to worry about going into the next game. Hayden Daniels has been doing well. Tyler McCloskey caught some big balls last game. Steven Dunbar, he's definitely coming along and growing strong. Demarcus Ayers and I are just out there being leaders on the team, making sure everyone is getting up to speed and keeping this thing rolling."
HOUSTON JUNIOR LINEBACKER Steven Taylor
On what it was like going up against Tulsa's offense
"It was fun. We actually took it as a challenge. We felt like we were the best defense in the country, and for us to compete against the No. 4 offense in the nation, we took it as a challenge and we wanted to come out and show the world that we are a serious defense."
On where his extra drive comes from
"I would like to say my passion. I really love this game. I've been playing this game every year of my life since I was three years old. So that's 18 years straight. I just really love the game, and I'm an instinctive player."
On playing football at such a young age
"My dad picked up a ball whenever he was younger, and I just ran and tackled him. He knew then and there that I was ready, so he always trained me and had me work out. I was an outside kid. I liked going outside and playing a lot. I was really active."
On how it felt to get three sacks against Tulsa
"It was very exciting. Coming in, we knew we needed to attack the quarterback and pressure him a lot to make him feel uncomfortable. So to actually go in and execute it was a big deal. It was just a job well done from a defensive line standpoint. Like I said Saturday, our defensive line did a great job in getting movement upfront and holding down their gaps and allowing me to get a lane to make plays. "
On looking back at previous linebackers and being a part of that tradition
"I've had a lot of guys who have mentored me, like Phillip Stewart, Marcus McGraw, and Derek Matthews. They all took me under their wing and showed me the ropes. I'm grateful to be a part of this organization and actually have my name mentioned with those guys. I'm going to do what they did to me and try to bring that leadership to younger linebackers like Camden (Ross) and just put those guys under my wing and show them the ropes. In the future they will be in the same sentence with all of us."
On his friendly competition with teammate Elandon Roberts
"Yes sir, every week. We are always competing to see which guy is going to have the most tackles. There's no benefit. It's just friendly competition for bragging rights. We just have a lot of fun and it actually makes us play a lot harder and have that much more fun on the field."
