University of Houston Athletics
Press Conference: Game 1 vs. OU
8/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON FOOTBALL WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES (PDF)
#15/13 HOUSTON (0-0, 0-0 American) vs. #3/3 OKLAHOMA (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
NRG Stadium • Houston, Texas • Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Tom Herman
Opening Statement
"We're excited to be playing someone other than ourselves for the first time since December 31st, and our kids are really looking forward to being able to play in a real game. The weeks leading up, the first two and a half weeks of training camp, were literally no introduction to Oklahoma. It was all about going against each other and getting better, and when we started to introduce Oklahoma on Monday you could really tell there was a new kind of pep in their step. The kids were excited and their competitive juices were flowing again. They could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. In training camp, those first two and a half weeks, it can be hard to find that light. They pushed through and now we're excited to play football games."
On how having higher expectations affects the team
"We're the same. Disrespected, little American Conference team with a giant chip on their shoulder. The media and everyone might have put us in the top-25, but that's based off of what last year's team did, not this year's, because we haven't done anything. Since January we have reminded our guys of that with everything from the question mark on the back of their t-shirts to not referring to last year's team in using 'we' or 'us.' It's always in the past, so I have not sensed an ounce of entitlement or any kind of arrogance from this team, because they've had it beat into them since January that they haven't done anything yet. There's no reason for Oklahoma to respect them because anything that Oklahoma has seen of this program has to do with last year. So we have to go out and earn people's respect."
On if he has found the players to step in and fill roles on defense
"Yes, I'm excited. Matt Adams has had a great preseason at middle linebacker. Probably never going to replace (Elandon) Roberts as the face and voice of the team, but Matt's done a great job from a production standpoint. Then on the backend, again very talented, and possibly even more athletic than the great seniors that left, (Adrian) McDonald, (Trevon) Stewart and (Williams) Jackson, but those guys in (Khalil) Williams, (Brandon) Wilson, (Jeremy) Winchester, and (Howard) Wilson have all played well, and if there had been a test they would have passed it with flying colors. Now obviously you have to go out and do it on Saturday, September 3rd, but all signs point to them doing that."
On if it's a challenge to convince the team that the season isn't about one game
"It's a challenge, but it was a challenge when we knew it was coming in January, and we prepared our team for this. And as I've said many times, if we beat Oklahoma, the commissioner is not going to jog out to the 50 yard line and hand us the American Trophy. We have to wake up the next day, play Lamar that week and then 11 days from the Oklahoma game we have a conference game, Thursday night, short week, against a team that I believe is 10-1 in their last 11 Thursday night games, which just last year they dismantled the University of Miami on a Thursday night. It'll be good. I'm not going to discount winning a football game, because anytime you win a game it's good, and anytime you beat a great team it's even better. Win, lose or draw this game has no bearing on our goals, which is to win The American Conference, because it's not a conference game. "
On his assessment of Oklahoma
"Oh man, how much time you got? They're the third ranked team in the country for a reason. They obviously lost in the semi-finals last year and went into that position with only one loss, in a rivalry game. Unbelievable offensive firepower. Everybody wants to talk about Baker Mayfield, and rightfully so, a tremendous player that can extend plays with his feet and his brain. But you look at the backfield, and if there's a better one-two punch in the country you're going to have to prove it to me. Those two guys are the real deal.
Then you look at their wide receivers: they have a guy that's 6'5. I remember recruiting Mark Andrews. I thought he was the best tight end in the country coming out of high school. He's 6'5 or 6'6 with unbelievable athleticism. Then you look at the other side of the ball, and they undoubtedly lost some of their more productive players. They had (Eric) Striker who was unbelievable at outside linebacker. Again this is Oklahoma. They have recruited at a very high level, top-5, top-10 class every year, and they are one of the most talented coaching staffs in the country, especially when it comes to defensive football. Much like playing Florida State, they are going to be better from an athletic stand point; top to bottom. It's going to take our a-game and then some with some purpose driven players to be able to compete."
On if these are the types of games that help to boost you into the national spotlight
"At the end of the day, until Baylor lost a late season game they were in the playoffs because they were undefeated, and I think winning trumps anything. Is it good to go test your skills against the best in the country? Absolutely. But to say that I want to play two top-25 teams, nonconference, in one season. Then play our team's schedule, which last year had four top-25 teams, that's a meat grinder. It's exciting for the city of Houston, especially being able to play at NRG. It's exciting for our fans who have, year-in and year-out been there. I'm not sure it's the best way to get where you want to be on a national level."
On if these types of games are unnecessary because of perception of schedules
"I refuse to talk about us specifically, but if a team from the American Conference beats the No. 3 team in the country and then later in the year beats another top-25 team in the country and goes undefeated in the American Conference, and they don't get in then that's a problem. They need to blow it up and start over. Last year, losing to the Connecticut may have been the best thing to happen to that team, because it gave us the fire we needed for that late season run against Navy, Temple and Florida State. It would have been a very interesting conversation if last year's team had beat Connecticut and finished undefeated, going 4-0 against top 25 teams. The only other school in country to have done that was Stanford. History is what it is, but I can't imagine a team; if it's us, Boise State, or Temple or anybody. You play a top-5 team and beat them and then beat a top-15 or 20 team and then go undefeated in your conference, and they don't make the playoffs, then we need to go back to the drawing board."
On playing against a team with a rich football tradition like Oklahoma
"That's more for the fans and alumni than it is for us. Tradition and all that stuff, I mean we're dealing with 18-22 year old kids. Baylor as an example, they don't remember when Baylor couldn't win a conference game. They remember Baylor with Robert Griffin and Josh Gordon. That's their memory of Baylor, and the same is true for Oklahoma. So for us internally and in the program, it doesn't hold much weight. Last I checked we had 174 NFL draft picks and several Southwest Conference Championships. There's some pretty good history and tradition here at the University of Houston."
On if this game is an audition for the Big 12 talks
"No, because I've been told by the people in charge that it isn't. I believe them. I trust them. This is a big decision. For another conference to base that decision on one game would be very short sided, much like a coach deciding to take a job based off one game, win or lose. That decision has to be a very long-term, long-sided decision."
On how this game rates among others
"There's not a ring, a trophy, there is nothing on the line. This is an exhibition game for all intents and purposes, and we are going to try to play our best. When you think about those big games there is something at stake. There's a Western Division Championship at stake, there's a Peach Bowl Championship at stake, in comparison to this game, there are no rings, no trophy. It doesn't have the same feeling."
On his expectations for quarterback Greg Ward Jr this season
"Improvement. Improvement from a vocal leadership standpoint, which I've seen, so there's evidence there that it will happen. And improvement in his overall control. He wants more control of the offense, and up to this point he has earned it. I would expect to see a player that is more comfortable behind center. This is the first time that he has had back-to-back offenses that he's playing the same position. This off season he had the opportunity to dive into the offense and take control.
On if he needs the defense to show up in the box more
"No, the nature of our defense is to capture the essence of a 3-4. With that being said, we are much more explosive, much more disruptive at that position now than we ever have been. Do we need it? No. But do I expect it to show up a little more in the box, yes."
On the starting offensive line and what to expect with them against Oklahoma
"We are going to start Josh Jones at left tackle, a rotation at left guard between Mason Denley and Alex Fontana. Will Noble will start at center, our right guard will be Mac Long, and the right tackle will be Na'Ty Rodgers. This will be the best defensive front they play all year. The second best defense front they will play this year is the same defense front they have been practicing against since the spring. They are not going to be surprised by Oklahoma. They are very good up front. Very similar systems of a base of a 3-4. Again, it will be the best defensive front that we play all year."
On the running backs
"Mulbah (Car) sat out for a few days, and that set him back a little bit, but lucky for him, while he was out none of the other players stepped up. If we had to play tomorrow and Duke (Catalon) went out for whatever reason, then Mulbah and Kevrin (Justice) would rotate with Kaliq."
On the wide receivers
"(Marquez) Stevenson is not back and won't be back for the game. He is going through the concussion protocols, and he won't be back for another 5-6 weeks. We have to establish ourselves at H-receiver and replace the production of Demarcus Ayers. As we were going through practices we were feeling pretty good about where we were heading and then a bomb blew up. We went from having two strong players, and now we are at zero.
Linell (Bonner) will start the game and although it doesn't quite possess the same explosiveness for that position, I am more comfortable with putting him in that position right now over D'Eriq King, but for other positions D'Eriq is a fantastic play maker. He is just now learning that position, which is a difficult position to learn, and he is good at manufacturing ways to get him the football."
On the difficulty of following last season
"We've raised the bar so high, and our internal expectations of the culture around here, not just with the football program, but with the whole athletic department, the student body, the campus, the city of Houston. We've created a monster and you've got to feed the monster. That's okay. We will continue to do that. Who would have ever thought a couple of years ago that you'd have over 2,000 students waiting in line since dawn to get a ticket to a football game at the University of Houston? It's really cool. I tell our guys all the time, 'we don't give very many pats on the back in this program.' Our players especially get five pats on the back after their four bowl wins, and when they graduate, and that's about it. We're going to keep pushing them. There was a split second there Saturday when I saw the kids out there lining up, basically tailgating, close to 2,000 of them. It was like 'man, this is kind of gratifying to know that in 20 months this is the kind of culture we've been able to foster on campus."
On the health of some of the players
"We'll see how Will Noble does today. He's been out a good 10 days with a concussion, so today he's fully cleared to practice. He will either make me worry a lot more or ease my mind a lot more depending on how he practices today. We'll have to have a bit of a shell game. If a corner goes down from the standpoint that Brandon Wilson will go then from nickel to corner, which then would put Garrett Davis to nickel, which would put Terrell Williams in the game. It's not as easy as 'hey, a corner goes down, so the number two corner goes in.' There are a lot of moving parts to that equation. Beyond that I feel pretty good."
On Greg Ward Jr. taking on a leadership role to prepare the younger players
"I think the one guy is D'Eriq (King). Those guys hit it off like that when D'Eriq first got here. We do a big brother program where we pair the newcomers with a veteran, and Greg was his 'big brother,' and they were attached at the hip. They're very similar guys. D'Eriq is very cerebral, very football smart. Linell (Bonner) is a veteran, not that we don't have to worry about Linell, we always will, but we have to accelerate this growth process for D'Eriq this season for him to provide us some of the things that Linell can't provide us. I've seen Greg do a great job with D'Eriq, taking him under his wing, and making sure that he's doing everything he can to get D'Eriq ready."
SENIOR Brandon Wilson
On the support of the student body
"I'm glad they are getting their tickets, because it going to be a great game. It really shocked me just seeing all of those people. The line was from the front office to the parking garage."
On treating the game against Oklahoma just like any other game
"Just going in with the mindset that it's just another game that we will be prepared for."
On the defensive front seven
"One that really stands out is Ed Oliver. It's crazy good how he makes plays in practice. He's surprising for a freshman."
On if the team with surprise the national TV audience
"I feel like we will because of the preparation and all the hard work we have put in over the summer."
On Coach Herman promoting love around the program
"At first I was skeptical, but it's a good thing to have love for each other. That's what separates us from other teams: playing for each other and loving each other."
On emotions heading into Saturday's game
"Everyone will see Saturday. I am really not an emotional guy, but I think it will all come out Saturday."
On having Oklahoma in their back yard
"It's almost going to be like a home game since it's in Houston, and just having our fans there is going to be great."
SENIOR Cameron Malveaux
On the team's approach for the Oklahoma game
"It's really the same approach that we play every team. It's not a conference game, so it's not really our main focus. It's a great opportunity for the university as far as publicity."
On playing in a game that you grew up watching
"It has always been a dream of mine, and I'm sure as well as a lot of my teammates. Ultimately we have worked so hard to win conference, so that's all we are worried about."
On the buzz around the city
"Houston has a lot of teams: Dynamo, Texans and Rockets. The buzz always keeps going around and now it's on us, so we have a great season ahead of us. It's a really exciting time of year."
On buying into Coach Tom Herman's system
"Credit to last year's seniors Elandon Roberts, Kenneth Farrow and Adrian McDonald. They did a great job buying in and leading us to believe in these coaches and their program."
On seeing all the students in line for tickets
"That was exciting. We were actually just coming back from practice on the bus when we saw the line and we were all like man this is the real deal. It made us feel good to know that we are going to have some early support."
On what he has seen from Oklahoma on film
"Just like any other team we watched their footwork: what they do and how they block."
On the changes for University of Houston football
"Really just from a culture standpoint. A lot of culture was applied last year and carried into this season. That's really the main thing. We have always had pretty good athletes."
On what the team took away from the peach bowl
"There's really nothing we can take from that game except a little momentum going into this season as far as ending last season with a win. That's always good for a program to have, but that's really all we can take from that game. Everything we have going into this game is from our offseason, summer and two-a-day workouts."
On the plan to slow Oklahoma down
"Play great defense and stop the run."
On if the defensive line this year is better suited to stop Oklahoma
"We have a great D-line. It really seems like the same. We have good depth. We have Ed Oliver coming in, and he's probably going to be playing a lot."
On the defensive line showing up in the box more
"Baker (Mayfield) is a very talented quarterback. They also have 32 (Samaje Perine) in the backfield and 25 (Joe Mixon) who make plays, so we just have to get a good rhythm early and slow those guys down."
On Tom Herman's strategy on not speaking on Oklahoma this week
"Credit to him for always keeping us focused on our goals. We approach all teams the same exact way. Preparation is always the same way. Something that I appreciate about this coaching staff is the consistency."
On the team loving each other
"That was big for us. We are a very close team. We play for each other, and that's a big thing that we take pride in. It makes a difference in ball games."
On Coach Tom Herman showing his love
"Yes, Coach Herman has hugged and kissed me. He gave me a big, wet one, and I didn't like it, but I knew it was all love. We always really had a lot of love for each other. That was just something that was reiterated. That was a big deal just knowing that a new coaching staff was coming in, and they want to get us better and make us better men."
On playing for each other
"That's what drives us. It's going to be hot outside, and we are going to be tired of hitting each other, but ultimately when we see the guy next to us with a smile on their face, that's all that matters."
SENIOR Tyler McCloskey
On if there is excitement for the start of the season
"Absolutely. You don't play football to go through camp. You play to play against other teams and we're very excited to get somebody else."
On the importance of the Oklahoma game
"We're excited to play. It's the first game of the year, and you're always excited to play that one, but we always say our goal for the season is to win our conference championship. We are going to do our best to win this game. They're going to be very well prepared. They're big, they're strong, they're fast and they're physical. When you turn on the tape they're an incredible team to watch, but like I said the goal is to win a conference championship."
On the hype of the game
"We've always said around here preseason rankings mean nothing. We obviously respect them, but we know we haven't done anything this year. We're not making this game any bigger than it is. It's the first game of the year. The conference championship is where we're trying to get, and that's our goal."
On if there is excitement of playing in a game of this magnitude
"Oh absolutely. It's exciting playing in a game on this stage and against a team that has as much tradition as Oklahoma. It's very exciting, and we are ready to play."
On the emotions prior to a game like this
"We haven't had chance for that to happen yet. We've been in camp where we're here all day, so we haven't had a chance to just stop and think about it. We're pretty well prepared, so it's not too bad yet."
On the expected atmosphere
"It's going to be exciting to walk out the tunnel and see that happen. It always has been for me whenever the game started. I'm zoned out and it's our 11 guys versus their 11 guys. Whatever happens in the stands didn't really matter."
On the relationships between the tight ends
"It's good. We've really come together. This is my fourth year playing college football, and this is the closest I've felt with a position group for whatever reason. Every single guy in that room besides me has every physical trait you can ask for. They're all big, they're all tall, fast and physical, so just get them going on the mental side a little more and get them to practice harder every day, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with."
On the tight end depth and if they will be used often
"I hope so. That's my position group. I'm biased towards us, but we've been working hard and doing whatever we can to help the team win."
On if he has noticed quarterback Greg Ward Jr. being more vocal
"Yeah, especially just flipping protections and checking his hot routes and anything like that. Something he does within the mechanics of the position are just him being loud and confident doing that, and everyone feeds off that."
On the support around campus
"It's incredible. It's so gratifying just like coach was saying earlier. We drove back from NRG Saturday, and when we left, our students lined up, and when we came back they were still there. So that was incredible to see all those students lined up and it is really fun to put something on the field they can be proud of."
On the play of offensive lineman Mac Long
"He's worked so hard and never gone away or never gotten discouraged. He was on the scout team last year, and look at him now. He's going to start against Oklahoma. Your first start in college against Oklahoma. That's pretty cool. He's excited and he has definitely earned it."
On coach's criticism of Mac Long as motivation
"It definitely got him going. All summer he was in the weight room running hard, lifting hard, doing something extra every day, and you can see the payoff in fall camp."
On watching the program change during his tenure
"Look around the walls. You can see all the graphics up. You see the wins, but more importantly the culture, which is how we do things on a daily basis is totally different from when I got here."
On the buzz around the city
"I definitely feel the hype. When I committed here people would tell me congratulations, then as we started to win more and more games people would come up to me and say 'I went to UH' or 'My son went UH,' so it's really cool."
On the impression Oklahoma gives
"You name it, everything. They play hard, they're physical, and they're fast. Pretty much everything."
On if they are intimidated by Oklahoma
"Absolutely not. Respect all; fear none. That's the old saying. We're well prepared and excited to play them, but definitely respect them."
On the team having a chip on their shoulder
"We've tried to keep that chip on our shoulder. That kind of made us who we are. Just knowing certain programs didn't want us."
