POSTGAME QUOTES: Houston 49, SMU 28
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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2015 Houston Football
HOUSTON COUGARS (5-0, 2-0 American)
vs. SMU MUSTANGS (1-5, 0-2 American)
TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas • Thursday, Oct. 8ÂÂ, 2015
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tom Herman
Opening Statement
"I'm really proud of our guys for responding to some first half adversity. I'm disappointed. I've got to go back and look at the way we planned for that short week because we got pushed around a little bit on defense in the first half. That's very uncharacteristic of us, especially in the first quarter.
What we did do on defense again is create some timely turnovers, and then our offense turned those turnovers into touchdowns, which was great. Again only 66 snaps on offense, and that was because SMU did a really nice job controlling the football. Our offense was 8-of-12 on third down in terms of converting. We did a much better job on short yardage and obviously in the red zone. We had seven trips in the red zone and all of them resulting in touchdowns.
We really responded offensively to the two points of emphasis going into this week and again I told our guys that this season is a marathon, not a sprint. We've got a lot of work ahead of us to accomplish the things that we've set in front of us."
On the offense's scoring drives and how they put the game away
"I don't know, but it sure felt that way with 8 minutes and 38 seconds left. I felt like that was certainly a back breaker. We had a 21-point lead at the time and we needed to take some heat off our defense. The offense responded like I said with an 8:30, 16-play drive that resulted in a touchdown. I don't know statistically if that is our longest of the year, but it sure was long enough and certainly came at the right time."
On turning the fumble near the end of the first half into a touchdown
"It was a huge momentum shift, to be able to go into half time with a lead 28-21, when momentum seemed to be on their side quite a bit in the first half. To be able to yank that momentum back and go in with some confidence into halftime and be able to come out with it. Then the second possession we took in for a touchdown. So we came out and within two possessions scored another touchdown making a 14-point lead, and I think that was big."
On not clocking the ball before last play of the first half
"That's a great question. We talked about it quite a bit. We had been running Greg (Ward Jr.) on the perimeter so well that I had made that call and told Major (Applewhite) to call that play. So we did and it was successful. In hindsight, the smart thing to do would have been to clock it and try a couple of shots into the end zone. If you don't get them in then you at least get a touchdown. But it worked out for us. We're an aggressive outfit on offense. When those situations arise you don't necessarily go with your gut because the smart thing would have been to clock the ball. But it felt like we were running Greg on the perimeter really well and it paid off."
On the progress Greg Ward Jr. has made as a quarterback
"A ton. Holy smokes. The kid is turning into a quarterback right before our eyes. Like I said last week, he's just scratching the surface right now. I keep looking at these stats and his attempts in the run game are a little bit too high for my liking to be quite honest with you. But some of those are on him. We're calling passes and he takes off and runs, and again they're usually really good. Really good things happen when he does that, but you'd like for him to be able to survive. You'd like those carries to go down a little bit, but to finish 16-of-18 for 243 yards, 16-of-18 is pretty good in my book. We were a bit conservative. We took a couple of shots, but we were running the ball well enough that it was definitely by design that we, especially with their offense playing so well early, we wanted to make sure that we were running the ball and staying on the field a little bit."
On the spark the defense provided in the first half with turnovers
"I don't know if 'need' is the right word, but we certainly did. Whether the offense would've sparked themselves or gotten on track themselves you never know. I don't know if we needed them to, but the fact that they did get those turnovers and bring some light from the offense was really good."
On the team's improving pass rush
"We brought a little bit more pressure, a different pressure than they had seen throughout the game. We were also rotating some fresh guys, which helped. We wore them down, maybe a little bit, especially in their offensive front and got after quarterback pretty good."
HOUSTON JUNIOR LINEBACKER STEVEN TAYLOR
On the defense in the second half
"Honestly, we didn't make any adjustments. We just came out and played hard. They came in and hit us in the face early, and I'm really proud of our defensive line for responding. I'm also proud of our back end for making plays."
On the defense pushing SMU to their goal line on SMU's final possession
"We haven't been finishing games well enough, so we really emphasized finishing games and making plays towards the end. The Tulsa and Tennessee Tech game we let plays go at the end. Coaches were really on our heads for that. We just came out to try to finish better."
HOUSTON JUNIOR QUARTERBACK GREG WARD JR.
On the team's adjustments
"The first half, we did not come out like we were supposed to, but on offense and defense we came back later in the second half. We just have to correct the other things that we messed up in the first half. We just have to execute, and that is what we went out there and did."
On not clocking the ball at the end of the first half
"We had 45 seconds on the clock, and that is the same thing that we have in practice. Coach [Herman} asked us if we thought we could score, and we told him yes. So we went out there and did it."
On finding balance in the rushing and passing games
"It was a lot of preparation. I have been trying to stay in the pocket more and trust the offensive linemen. They were able to protect me tonight, so I was able to stay in the pocket more instead of scrambling."
HOUSTON SENIOR RUNNING BACK Kenneth Farrow
On the second half defensive spark
"It was huge. We came out the first couple of drives and were able to start pretty fast and spread it out. We were looking for a spark to get something going, and they went out there and got some fumble recoveries and gave us the ball with pretty good field position to go down and capitalize on them."
On teammate Greg Ward's dual-threat ability
"It's a big problem for defenses when they have all their guys covering him. He can take off and make plays with his legs. We try to give him as much protection as we can so he can sit in the pocket and make those throws. It's nice to have something when something does leak and break down he can escape out and still make a play out of it."
On making reads
"It is something that we work on in practice. It is a big emphasis for us to convert third downs, converting in the red zone and putting the ball in the end zone. It is just a result of what we did all week and all the hard work and preparation that we put in."
SMU HEAD COACH CHAD MORRIS
Opening Statement
"As it has been: the tale of two halves. It's been this way for the majority of the season. We came out with great energy, we had a great plan, knew what they were going to do, attacking where we wanted to attack. We knew coming in we could run the ball against them, and we felt very confident at 310 yards in the first half. (We were at) 48 snaps so we were on rack to get 96 snaps and over 600 yards of offense.
We have to continue to play. Unfortunately with a team like this, it was uncharacteristic of us to lose the turnover margin. We have been very good in the turnover margin this year, but we had 3 turnovers in the first half. We basically spotted them 14 points. The one right before the half was probably the biggest killer of all of them.
Still, down 28-21 at half and turning the ball over three times we felt we were in a great position. We just had to come out and play the second half. We had great halftime adjustments, but it's totally amazing, it seems as if we are looking for something to go negative or wrong and then it tanks from there. It's been that way. It's hard to explain. As a coach right now I'm very frustrated.
With that we are going to continue to progress, to coerce, and to teach our culture. We have to find a way to play four quarters and understand that bad things are going to happen. We were unable to control the ball in the second half, and we couldn't get them off the field. Outside of that these guys are playing hard. We aren't going to quit. I'm not going to quit. They're not going to quit, I can promise you they aren't going to quit, and I can promise you I'm not going to quit or our staff's not going to quit.
We have an awesome plan and we have to go execute. That's part of the growing pains that we are dealing with right now. We had three freshman that made three freshman mistakes. That's what happens when you play true freshman. It was good to see Braeden West get back in there and make a couple of plays, but again we have some guys that are laying it on the line. They are giving every ounce of energy they have and we have to find more of those types of guys. Matt Davis is one of them, and there are several others. We have to have that type of mentality through the entire program and it's a process."
On the play of quarterback Matt Davis
"I thought he was a competitor. I thought he was just competing. He might not have made some of the right reads. He might have messed some of the reads up, but that guy has landed on the line on every play. I thought, from a competing standpoint, he did everything he said he was going to do and everything he was asked to do. I am proud of Matt. This guy has given us a chance."
On Braeden West's miscue and freshman making mistakes
"He was obviously disappointed, but he came up to me and said 'hey coach, I'm sorry.' I told him he didn't have to apologize but just respond; that's all we ask. Those guys are fighting and playing hard. When you have freshmen, sometimes that just happens, even with some of the older guys too. I can't fault his effort. I really am proud of my freshmen, and I'm proud of all our guys."
On the progress the program has made
"There just comes a point in the game that they either make a play, or we have to make a play. We're not getting off the field on third down, and that's hurting us just as much as anything. When you do that, you feel like you have to press, but again, we have no choice. We are going to come back and get some guys healthy. We are going to play a six-game season because that's what is left. At the end of the six games, we are going to figure out where we are at, and then we are going to go to the next step. We are not changing who we are. I am not changing what this culture is about and what we are building here. It's a process. I ask our fans: don't quit on us. I ask our students not to quit on us. These guys are going to battle hard. I am going to get this program turned around. I promise you: I am going to get it turned around. I'm a fighter, these guys are fighters, and the staff are fighters. We are going to continue to coach and execute our plans. We are going to go back to work, and that is all you can do."
