POSTGAME QUOTES : Houston 59, Texas State 14
9/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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HOUSTON COUGARS (3-0, 0-0 American)
vs. TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt)
TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas • Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tom Herman
Opening Statement
"Good team win. The offense came out again, and we scored a touchdown on our opening drive for the third straight week, which was encouraging. Defense was on its heels a little bit the first few drives, had some guys open. Then the offense goes and sputters around a little bit and can't convert on third down or fourth down on a couple of drives. I was a bit nervous there when it was 7-7 in the first quarter. Probably attributed maybe some of that to the rust from the off-week, but it's my job to make sure that there's no such thing as rust, and I didn't quite do that early in the first quarter.
"But the thing I told our guys was we responded. There's wasn't anybody hanging their head. There wasn't anybody with anything other than confidence, exuding a ton of confidence, and hats off to our defense. Another game with four turnovers and we held a really, really good offense that I believe last couple of games had been putting up 50 and 60 some odd points to really seven points before we put the two's and three's in and finished with 14 points. Then the offense clicked a little bit.
Still have to get better in the red zone. We were calling some pass plays and he's (Greg Ward Jr.) probably taking off a little too early, but those are all things we can correct. Then obviously the penalties on special teams are still just immensely frustrating. I told our guys at halftime, if they're expecting a pat on the back for being up 42-7, then they're in the wrong program, because there was a lot of things that happened in that first half that were victims of poor technique, and poor discipline and all that good stuff. So I challenged them at halftime to come out and play much more fundamentally sound and execute better, and we did that the few series that the starters at least were in there for the second half.
I'm proud of our guys. We're going to celebrate this win with our family and friends, and then tomorrow is a work day. We have to get ready for a really good Tulsa team that I believe had a week off this week, and so they've had two weeks to prepare for us. We're 0-0 in the American Athletic Conference right now, and our goal is to be 1-0 after this week."
On his team's offensive success
"We played better. That's one thing. The game plan going in was that we were going to take some shots, and we converted on some deep throws, which was encouraging to see. We were struggling to run the ball inside a little bit, but I think the offensive coaches adjusted very well. We didn't need halftime to adjust. We got the ball on the perimeter and started to throw the ball a little. They were packing the box pretty good and making it very difficult for us to run the ball inside. Rather than be hard-headed and stubborn, we found other ways to move the football. The kids played better, we connected on some shots, and the offensive staff did a good job adjusting."
On the ups-and-downs experienced by the offense
"I don't know much more to say other than that we scored in the first drive, and then those couple drives after that were not very good. They were not indicative of who we are. We challenged our guys on the sideline, and they responded. We knew it was not going to be easy, and even with the score being what it was, it was not an easy football game by any stretch, and the guys responded."
On whether or not Demarcus Ayers has become a go-to guy
"Without a doubt. He's a guy that has a tremendous amount of suddenness. He's turned himself into not just an athlete out there, but also a really crisp route runner. It has really gotten to the point where he's learning the intricacies of perfecting his craft at being a wide receiver first and then getting the ball on the bubble sweeps. Getting him out in space is good for us."
On Greg Ward's field recognition
"Some of that was a product of good game-planning by our offensive staff, to put Demarcus Ayers in position to be one-on-one. The second play of the game, Greg Ward scrambled, so we had him one-on-one on the post corner that was open, and then Greg kind of got blinded by the offensive line and didn't see him. So we made a conscious effort to try and get him the ball one-on-one and Greg Ward did a good job of finding him."
On the injury to quarterback Adam Schulz
"The first thought that goes through your mind is not about the team and its effect on the team. It's about the young man. So I don't know anything preliminarily. Obviously it doesn't look good any time a guy has got to get helped off the field and you're there examining his knee. That's never a good thing. I would anticipate him being out for a while if not longer, but we will know more tomorrow when we get an MRI done.
Its effect on the team is that we're going to have to move Kyle Postma back to quarterback, which is fine. Kyle was doing well at that position, but where it probably hurts us the most is in our depth at wide receiver. We moved Kyle there for a reason, because we were thin at wide receiver. Now if we're moving him back to the quarterback room, it not only takes a playmaker off the field for us, but now it heightens the sense of urgency to a couple of those guys in the receiving room to step up."
On his team's adjustments to past injuries
"They played great for having to adjust. We had 689 yards on 78 plays and 366 yards rushing. That's something that hasn't been done around here in a long time. For them to do it, being piecemealed together in a week and a half, they responded really well. Without watching the film, I'm sure they made a bunch of mistakes. We always will. But I felt them in the running game, I felt them in the pass protection and they responded to the challenge of picking up the sword when other guys went down and they did it well."
On how the defense handled the Texas State offense
"Credit to Coach Orlando and Coach Naivar and that defensive staff. There weren't a whole lot of calls in this game because of how multiple they are, and three of probably the top four or five things that can tax a defense mentally in terms of assignments: one is your triple option assignments, and this team runs some triple options and runs them well.
Two, their unbalanced formations, which this team has a ton of unbalanced formations that create extra gaps in the run game. You have to be sound in terms of who's eligible and who's ineligible when they're in unbalanced formations. We did well there. They major in that run-pass option stuff, where it's a run play with guys running pass routes. The quarterback can pull it out and throw it to them at any time. Those were three things that were extremely mentally challenging for a defensive unit. Coach Orlando and Coach Naivar had one call that was an automatic check, basically on first or second down all night. We were going to line up and play their tendencies based on formations. Our guys did a nice job of executing that."
On the impact of the fumbles on the game
"It was huge. Any time you can get a turnover is big. But knowing that they were driving on us and on the verge of making the game closer was a testament to our defense, creating those turnovers at a very opportune time. Any time you get a turnover is great, but I think you're on point there. That game could have been a lot different had those drives resulted in points and instead they resulted in turnovers and the momentum swings in our favor."
On the big plays allowed by the defense
"We had three huge plays in that first game that, again, not a guy thinking the call was left when it was right or it wasn't a true blown assignment. It was a guy that knew a coverage, knew what his responsibility was but did not execute it, and that was a concern, but they really stepped up and cut those mistakes down to a minimum."
On first half penalties and whether it will get corrected
"I hope it is. Obviously, it's an issue that's now three weeks running. Albert Einstein said 'the definition of insanity is repeatedly performing the same task and expecting different results.' So we're going to have to go back to the drawing board, myself as a head coach and our staff, and figure out why these things are happening. We know that it's a problem. We have to figure out the root of that problem and put a stop to it. But I challenged them at halftime to go out and execute better and obviously it showed."
HOUSTON SENIOR CORNERBACK William Jackson III
On the fumble recovery
"I was just in the right place at the right time. I didn't do anything spectacular. They made the play, and I scooped it up before it went out of bounds."
On his interception return
"It was cool. It was big momentum shift for me. It was big anyways, because I don't usually get the ball thrown my way, so it was a great deal for me to make that play."
On the secondary concerns
"We've just had some errors, but we've gotten better during the week at fixing them. I was supposed to be in coverage three and they threw the ball and made a play. It was all on me."
On teams not throwing the ball his way
"I kind of was surprised. I baited them. I don't get mad when they don't throw my way, my teammates will make those plays. As long as we win the game I'm cool with it."
HOUSTON JUNIOR WIDE RECEIVER Demarcus Ayers
On his career day
"First off, I want to thank the offensive line and Greg (Ward) for making great throws tonight. Personally, for me, it means a lot to come out here on Saturdays and make plays in the passing game for the offense and give them the extra spark they need. Greg is really making a lot of plays for us. What he's doing is really helping me out tremendously. The offensive line is putting us in a position to make plays on the outside as a receiver."
On being the team's top option at wide receiver
"I'm embracing the role. I really enjoy coming out and playing with these guys, and with me being the oldest guy in the receiver room, I have a lot of experience under my belt. I try and take the experiences I have and come out every weekend and prepare myself well to put on performances like I did tonight. But the main thing for me is staying consistent and being a leader for the younger guys. We have some really good guys in the room, and we've made a lot of plays we just have to keep it going."
On his combo role of receiver and rusher
"I love it, because it creates chaos on defense. It gives me another opportunity to touch the ball and make plays. I'm not just catching the ball but running the ball out of the back field and getting the ball a variety of ways is helping me become more of a two-dimensional player. Whatever the offense needs me to do, I'll do it every week."
On having to wait for his turn at the wide receiver position
"I said on media day that it was very mentally tough for me but it helped me grow as a person. Now to see my role increase, I really embrace my role right now, because I'm blessed to be in the position I'm in. Playing the role where you're not the number one guy and you're figuring out what your role is to the team can be hard at times, but it's a long season, and you never know what can happen. Down the road last year, I got my chances, and I ended the season well. This year it was about carrying that over and letting the guys know how it feels to be in that position. With the younger guys stepping up, there is never time where you can think you're never not going to have your moment. You have to be prepared."
On teams now being aware of him
"I think Louisville did a great job last week based off of what I did in the first game. But the team needed me in the fourth quarter, and I had to step up and make a play regardless of what they were doing. I struggled two weeks ago making adjustments, but this week I got in the film room more and figured out what I needed to work on and those things I didn't do well last game. They can make all the adjustment they want, but if we prepare to execute at a high level then it's going to be very hard to stop us."
On his deep end zone touchdown catch
"I thought it was a great catch. That play, we practice (it) before practice (and) during practice. We rep it probably a hundred times a week. For me to come out tonight and get that ball at the highest level and be able to tap my feet down and make a play for my teammates was a very special moment for me."
HOUSTON QUARTERBACK Greg Ward Jr.
On the many contributions by the offense
"I have to give it all to our offensive linemen. Without them, nothing would have been possible. It was all our preparation. Our practices are way harder than the games. We just went out there and had fun today."
On the strengths of Demarcus Ayers
"I would say will power. He's just going out hard every day of practice and taking everything seriously. He improved his craft by learning the game more and practicing more."
On how he was able to find his targets
"It was everything that we practiced and what our scout team showed us. We went out there and executed."
On his feelings at the start of conference play
"We still have somethings we need to fix. This week, we need to prepare harder, because Tulsa had two weeks to prepare for us. We just have to come out ready on Monday to practice and the rest of the week."
TEXAS STATE HEAD COACH DENNIS FRANCHIONE
On his team's primary focus during their bye week
"Getting better. There's no areas that we can't get better at."
On the play of Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr.
"Well, he's a special athlete. We had trouble getting him on the ground. His athleticism and speed is certainly prevalent. He got out of containment, and it was very difficult. He threw a good ball, and he's a really good player"
On if the bye week comes at a good time for his team
"This is a good time. We need it emotionally, mentally and physically. We need to have a good week of work and work on things. At least we don't have to game plan this week. We can work on ourselves. We need to figure out what we can fix and fix it."
On what he told the team after the game
"I told them that they kept fighting in the end and all those that did, I was proud of them. Nobody gave up or gave in. This was a hard night, and things didn't go our way. We are not this bad of a team. We have to get this thing going back in the right direction. It starts with me. I have to accept the responsibility of that and fix the things I know that we can get fixed. This is adversity and we'll see how we face them and handle them."
TEXAS STATE SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER JAFUS GAINES
On performance of the offense
"As a whole, we didn't do as we were supposed to. There were some points we left out on the field and mistakes we made that we shouldn't have made. We had some careless fumbles that we shouldn't have had. We didn't play to the best of our ability. We are way better than what we showed on the field. We are going to take that and move forward. We have to learn from our mistakes. We had four turnovers, two interceptions; it was the first time (Tyler) Jones threw an interception since the first game of this season. It affected the team as a whole. They also had two fumbles that they knocked out, totaling four, and any time that you turn the ball over four times in any game you will possibly lose the game.
On the improvements the team can make
"We caught the defense in a zone read that we worked on in practice and when Tyler Jones saw it he knew what was open and what wasn't. We just have to keep getting better, keep fighting; working every day and we'll get better. Practice makes perfect and that is what we will do."
TEXAS STATE SOPHOMORE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN KAREE BERRY
On the team's defensive performance
"We tried to go out there and do everything that we could. Houston was very good at everything they did. They executed their blocks and we couldn't get off of some blocks. We didn't make the right plays, and that is really what it comes down to."
On moving forward to conference play
"We have to come together. It is the start of almost a new season. It is not so much a preseason, but to see where you are. The tape that we put out there isn't exactly the best right now but we can regroup and come out a brand new team."
On his sack
"I got a good play called there and got around the edge. I was able to get around and get to the quarterback. I beat him on that play. It was speed. I swiped his hands before he could get them on me and got around the edge."
