University of Houston Athletics
Houston Football Weekly Press Conference
9/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE
After the Louisville Victory
Carl Lewis Auditorium • Houston, Texas • Monday, September 14, 2015
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tom Herman
On Ben Dew's injury
"Ben Dew is unfortunately out for the season. He tore some ligaments in his toe and will have surgery I believe either Wednesday or Thursday. It's a shame. He's a senior leader on this team. His position quite frankly is probably our least deep or thinnest position, which is our offensive line. It's a major blow to that unit. We'll regroup and they'll find a way to respond as they have all offseason and certainly during the season. Credit to Ben. The injury I believe occurred in the first quarter, and he played the entire game. He took an anti-inflammatory shot and continued to play the entire game. We rushed for how ever many yards we rushed for to beat Louisville the way we did."
On Hayden Daniels' return
"Hayden Daniels should be back sometime this week, which will add some depth to the tight end position. He's a little bit different guy than Tyler McCloskey. He doesn't quite have the strength on the line of scrimmage that Tyler does, but he has a background in playing receiver and he's a little bit more athletic and can add some things in the throw game."
On the bye week
"From a team standpoint, the off week came at a great time, in my opinion, from having the completely exhausting grueling and taxing training camp that we had then going right into the season. We were at Louisville on the road in front of 55,000 people, a very physical ACC opponent in Louisville. It was much-needed for our guys to take a deep breath. We practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week, and we gave them Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. We'll get back at it today on the field. Hopefully we'll be a lot fresher and have a little bounce in our step."
On the offensive line adjustments
"At the end of the day, you don't want the offensive line to get stuck at any position. 'He's only a left tackle. He's only a left guard.' Your backup right guard might be your tenth-best offensive lineman. If your backup left guard is your tenth best offensive lineman, it doesn't make much sense that just because the guy in front of him got hurt now you get to step in. No you're the tenth-best. We're going to play sixth-best and find a way to get the sixth-best in there, which at this point is Marcus Oliver.
In order to do that, with Marcus being pretty new to the position and being a young guy, he's much more comfortable playing left tackle. Whereas Alex Cooper is a very seasoned guy that will slide in at right guard and should provide immediate stability there. Zach (Johnson) will move over to right tackle which assignment-wise is the same as left tackle, just doing it from a different stance. Carter (Wall) will go to left guard."
On Josh Thomas' recovery
"You'd like to say that Josh Thomas could go in, but I am a little disappointed, not in him as a person, but his recovery is going a little slower than I thought. He practiced every practice last week but kind of looked around doing it last week. Hopefully, these three days off have been good for him. He would have the opportunity to go. He would be the next one in and he would go in and play inside guard then Cooper would be the swing."
On the offensive line's play
"The bye week came at a really good time. Those guys got the chance to move around a little bit. We didn't know that Ben would be gone for the season until Friday. There was still some hope that it was a turf toe, but it wasn't improving over the course of a few days. He had an MRI, and it turns out that he tore a ligament and turned out that if he didn't get it fixed now, he could have some permanent damage to that big toe with it not being able to function properly for the rest of his life. Obviously we're going to do what's right for him and get that fixed. Earlier in the week we experimented with some different configurations, so it won't be new for those guys coming in this week."
On Ben Dew's request for a sixth year of eligibility
"Ben was a transfer from Hawaii, so I would imagine he's a fifth-year guy. He graduated in three years from Hawaii. He came here, from what I understand, redshirted, and then played two years here. So I'm not quite sure and usually to get a sixth year the NCAA has been pretty consistent. You usually need two season-ending injuries for them to give you that sixth year. We will certainly apply for it, but to say we're confident we will get it is an inaccurate statement."
On keeping the team focused and consistent
"You watch college football any weekend and you are probably flabbergasted by eight to ten different results. 'What the heck happened! How could that be?' The biggest thing is one, to constantly as a coach be aware of your target audience. That's never going to change. That needs to be on the forefront of your mind every day when you wake up. 'How are we going to do practice today?' My job as the head coach is to make sure that we have a great day of preparation. It's Major's (Applewhite) job is to figure out how we get first downs. It's Todd's (Orlando) job to figure out how we're going to stop them. It's Coach Washington's job to make sure we cover kicks. It's my job to make sure we have a great day of preparation today.
To have that on the forefront of your mind every day, and the psyche of an 18-22 year old, we're playing amateur psychologist. Not many of us have psychology degrees in this profession. You kind of learn as you go. You can never take your thumb off of them. We're constantly going. There is never a 'going through the motions.' They show up at 2:45 and sit in special teams meetings, offensive meetings, and defensive meetings. There is never any of that. There is always music blaring, chaos going. There is a message of the day from me and maybe their position coach. It gets tiring.
There is a reason the season is such a grind, but I think if you don't, 18-22 year old men are prodded to put it on autopilot and revert back to being primal and the human side of things that says 'I'm just going to cruise through the day and do what's easy.' What's easy is to just go through the motions. A head coach who constantly challenges them every day of preparation - it's exhausting. But certainly if you see some of the results from this weekend it's necessary to do this."
On staying anonymous while recruiting local high school football teams
"To pump our tires a little bit here at the University of Houston, it is a little harder now to be anonymous. I could have walked through the Galleria mall in a Speedo in January and nobody would have known who I was. Now I go to a high school football and there are people that come up and shake my hand and congratulate us and tell us that they are rooting for us. That is a credit to our marketing staff, our coaching staff, and to where we want the direction of this program to go. I'm not saying that I want the notoriety. I certainly don't, but I like to kick back and drink a Diet Coke and watch a high school football game and enjoy it. To know that I can't walk through the Galleria in a Speedo without being recognized is encouraging."
On feedback from high school coaches after win at Louisville
"There were a lot of congratulations, not just from where we were in the season, but the legitimizing of the first nine months of our preparation and the message that we were sending out there from Cullen Boulevard. It was very well-received by the high school coaches and the fans that I came in contact with."
On throwing out first pitch tonight at UH Night at Minute Maid Park
"Our EQ guy is going to have a ball and glove out there at practice today for me so I can warm up a little bit. We are going to be cutting it close tonight. It is going to be 'get off the practice field, hop in a car and show up at Minute Maid and run out there and throw the first pitch.' Then I'm coming right back here to watch digital video with the staff."
On takeaways from his recruiting visits
"It was great for me. It was the first time I have been out since January; head coaches don't get to go out recruiting in the spring. I hit seven or eight high schools; it was a jam-packed day. I hit six or seven high schools and said hello to the coaches during the day, because at this point you are showing up on game day and with a lot of them it is the day before their game without all that in-person contact with the players.
"I am just saying hello to the coach and asking how Johnny is doing. Tell Johnny we said hello. Tell Johnny we'll see him at his game tonight and it's 'how's your team doing, catch me up, how's your wife, your kids?' I know all of these guys from 15 years ago and it is good to see them in person.
"It was nice to get out. Coach (Craig) Naivar took me around. I got a nice no. 2 with cheese from Whataburger, which was awesome because I hadn't had one in a while. I also got a chance to see my son play the first half of his football game on Friday night. It was neat to just be able to soak in the atmosphere of a high school football game because it's been a while."
On recruiting in person vs. on film
"That is very accurate. In today's day and age video is so readily available that much of our evaluation is done off of video in terms of athletic ability and change of direction. Quarterback is the one position that you never want to make a decision based solely off of video; you have got to go see them live and in person and see the ball come off their hands.
"Even at those other positions, when you go in person, you are really going to verify or nullify the opinions that you already formed based on what you have seen from the video. If you liked the video now, then you ask, 'ok is he really 6'2'' or is he really 210 pounds, is he really as fast and shifty in person than what we thought he was on film?' That is where all the in person evaluation comes from. It is more verification and nullification, not your first initial reaction because your first reaction is always going to be off of video."
On the atmosphere around the high school football games attended
"It was neat. It is the first time in a long time that I have been to a Texas high school football game. It was homecoming where I was at. It was quite the production. There was a 28-minute halftime; I forgot how long high school halftime could be because they try your patience at times. I wonder what those coaches are doing. Do they give their kids protein shakes at halftime just to keep them occupied? It was good, the stadium was packed and it was a really neat atmosphere."
On opportunity to find unexposed players on recruiting trail
"Whenever you are at a game live you have the ability to say 'Oh my gosh who is this guy,' and I ask "Hey Craig (Naivar) who is this guy and he'll say 'Well coach he is a junior and he is on our radar or he is a senior having a great year and we probably need to take a look at him. Yes it does allow you that opportunity to allow some guys that weren't on your radar to creep back into your radar."
On Texas State's coaching staff
"Any team that is coached by Dennis Franchione is going to be very well-disciplined and very sound in what they do, both offensively and defensively and on special teams. There are certainly more dynamic offensively. Their quarterback is a heck of a player. He can throw it and he can run it. They are very challenging on offense because they are going to line up in some really unusual formations. Putting five guys in the boundary and no guys in the field and then all of a sudden they are running triple-option. So you are just trying to line up for the formation. Then you have to understand your triple-option assignment. It will be a very challenging assignment for our defense and Coach Thompson is a great defensive coach. They obviously were troubled a bit this past week against Southern Miss.
They are trying to find an identity and are bouncing around from a three-man front to a four-man front to 'hey do we just sit back and play base and play very sound or do we try and blitz?' There are some teams where you know exactly where they are going to be on defense. Their philosophy is 'we are going to do it better than you are.' That is not the case with this team. They're everywhere, and so that is going to be a challenge for our offensive staff. We need to make sure we have a hat for a hat so to speak in the run because we can't afford negative yardage plays. A lot of a times you're too loose and that's what happens."
HOUSTON SENIOR SAFETY Adrian McDonald
On how he has matured over four seasons
"Coming in as a freshmen, the game was pretty fast. Watching film, visual reps, and mental reps behind the guys helped slow the game down and helped me make a lot of plays, and be more physical when I'm out there. Transitioning from quarterback to defensive back was challenging because you have to come up and tackle more."
On his role as a senior leader
"You have to be responsible and do the right thing. Hang out with the people that are going to put you in the right places. Hang out with guys that want to be successful. For example, I hang out with Trevon a lot. We just go to the mall, walk around, or come out to the field and play ball. I like to tell myself to be productive and keep your eyes on the prize."
On the progress of the team's younger players
"I was one of those young guys at one point. I try to encourage them, telling them it's not always going to be pretty, but you just have to do the right thing. They should take advantage of study hall upstairs, make sure to get good grades along with their teammates and everything else will fall into place."
On the play of quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and how the team played against Louisville
"Someone in the press last week compared our quarterback Greg Ward to (Louisville's) quarterback and I told them nobody is (like Greg). We go against Greg a lot in practice, and he's a good fit for us. We also go against (Adam) Schulz, so when (Louisville) brought #14 (Kyle Bolin) in it was like going against Adam Schulz. He will throw the ball around a little bit, but he is not much of a mobile guy. You just have to be ready for whatever they put you up against."
HOUSTON SOPHOMORE WIDE RECEIVER Steven Dunbar
On the consistency he has developed since joining the Houston team
"This offseason coming out of spring, I was challenged to be the best I can be. Developing the routine is what really helps me be consistent. Every day I have the same mindset I had the previous day, and sometimes even better. Pushing myself to be consistent and wanting to be better and pushing to be great is what motivates me the most, and my coaches challenge me a lot."
On developing a routine as a collegiate student-athlete
"Coach stays in my ear about being a pro, taking care of my body, staying hydrated, developing as a player off the field as well and making sure I'm working hard in practice. That's what pushes me a lot, just to know I'm doing my job the best that I can."
On the growth of the wide receiver position group
"Coach stays in my ear about being a pro, taking care of my body, staying hydrated, developing as a player off the field as well and making sure I'm working hard in practice. That's what "I've definitely seen a lot of growth in our group, mainly with the little things. I feel like we take care of a lot of those things off the field that reflects back on what we do inside the meeting room and on the field as well. I feel like we've grown as a group and matured as well. People are stepping up and doing what they are supposed to do, and other people learn to feel their position. We've grown a lot from the spring."
On the growth of the wide receiver position group
"I've definitely seen a lot of growth in our group, mainly with the little things. I feel like we take care of a lot of those things off the field that reflects back on what we do inside the meeting room and on the field as well. I feel like we've grown as a group and matured as well. People are stepping up and doing what they are supposed to do, and other people learn to feel their position. We've grown a lot from the spring."
On his relationship with quarterback Greg Ward Jr.
"We work a lot during practice on scramble drills and what to do in those situations. As a team, we know what to do when (Greg) scrambles. And we know what to do when the time comes. As long as he's making five good yards, I'm fine with him running. I know he's going to make the play when he has to. Whatever is positive towards the team and our offense is good for me."
On what he does when Greg Ward decides to scramble
"Just working with him, staying in his vision and making sure I'm working to get open. If he decides to run, then I'll try to get up there and block for him and let him make some plays.
On his touchdown catch against Louisville
"That was surreal. It's something I've always dreamed of a little kid, to play college football and just an opportunity to play in that big of a stadium and score touchdowns for my team. It was crazy and it's hard to explain, but it felt good."
On what it's like to score a touchdown in an away game
"When you do something at an away game, it's an opposite reaction of what you have for yourself. It is so quiet and in your head, you're real hyped and everybody else is just quiet. One of my favorite parts about playing away games is that it's quiet when you do well."
On how the Louisville win affected practice
"Now that we've won that game we see how good we can be. I feel like it woke everyone up in a sense that we can be a legitimate football team if we work for it, and do the little things right like we've been coached to do. I feel like that win wasn't a shock. It showed that what we do works. We need to continue to stick to that plan and continue to work hard, and we can be as good as we want to be."
On whether the Louisville win altered the team's routine
"No, like I said the routine hasn't changed. Practices are always hard and tough. I feel like that hasn't changed. We always work hard, so the win was just another game that we won."
On how the team has bought in after the Louisville win
"Yeah, the buy in is constantly growing. I feel like we've had a couple of guys who have always bought in and showed other people that we can win and be great, and they want to be a part of that. I can see it in the locker room."
On how the bye week helped him recover
"It helped a lot and helped us get better. We got a chance to take that week off. We had time to get off our legs and get some treatment and get ready for the week coming up."
On how Greg Ward has matured as a quarterback
"He's definitely more assertive and more of a quarterback. He's more outspoken, loud, and more of a leader this year. They changed him so much to be that person to speak up and be a leader. It definitely feels good to have confidence in yourself and just trusting yourself when those situations come at you. I've been in that situation before. I feel like Greg has always been calm and collected, relaxed in tough situations, so he was ready when it came."
