POSTGAME QUOTES: Houston 42, Lamar 0
9/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
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HEAD COACH Tom Herman
Opening Statement
"Short and sweet, I'm really proud of the entire team for handling that kind of adversity. We do train for that kind of chaos, but for them to sit through what amounted to a three-hour rain delay and then come out with more energy and better play, to be honest with you, after a break was great. Again, hats off to the defense holding them to 73 total yards and 15 yards rushing. That's tremendous. It got a little sloppy there at the end with our twos and threes and some guys even fours in there, but I'm proud of our guys for handling that."
On the decision not to play quarterback Greg Ward Jr., and running back Duke Catalon
"Greg is hovering around maybe 70 or 80 percent, so had we played a conference game we would have probably accelerated his recovery as best as possible, but we knew this was coming, and we knew we were going to have to get ready for a short week on the road and felt it was in his best interest to get more treatment and more rehab today rather than go out and bang around.
Duke is good. Probably in the same boat as Greg. Had we had a big time game he probably could have played, but it made some sense to rest him and have him fresh for this week's preparation."
On when the decision was made to hold Duke Catalon out
"The decision was made this morning. We prepared all week as if he was going to be ready, and then like I said, could have played. Certainly nothing debilitating, but we thought it was a little smarter to not do that."
On freshmen running backs Kevrin Johnson and Mulbah Car's play
"I'm proud of Kevrin and Mulbah. That's invaluable reps that those guys got. 27 carries for Kevrin and 20 for Mulbah. Those are two guys that needed those game reps as much as possible. I was proud of the way they responded. At the end of the day, if you're a tailback, you're only as good as the offensive line. After the rain delay, the o-line did a heck of a job creating vertical movement so that the first touch was three, four, five yards down the field."
On training for situations like a delay and how they handled it
"Yeah we rehearsed it in training camp in terms of we call them in and say 'hey this is the protocol' and then we're sitting there for a 30-minute window, and that may continue to roll over based on the lightning strikes, and kind of rehearse what to do when you're in there. Basically the first 20-30 minutes were coaches coaching the guys and making some adjustments, and then from there it's just sit and wait. We let them put their headphones on and take their tape off, and after you realize it's going to be more than just a 30-minute delay you take the pads off, relax and treat it like a pregame. We had chicken sandwiches delivered, and peanut butter and jelly and all kinds of snacks and hydration. We got the call to go back out there ready."
On if the team got lethargic offensively to start the game
"Oh yes, big time. Again it showed up in the red zone. The first drive was actually pretty good. We completed a pass or two, and then Kyle (Postma) ran for the touchdown. The offense probably thought 'hey this is going to be easy,' and it's not. We finished very well. That's okay. To win the game 42-0 and still have that much work to do is a definite eye-opener for our guys."
On quarterback Kyle Postma making a hard tackle after his interception
"Mixed emotions. I love it. He's a fierce competitor. I'm sure that he was ticked off as all get out that he threw the pick and wanted to unleash some frustration on the guy that picked it off, but at the same time he has to understand that playing quarterback, and the next man in is a true freshman, you have to be a little bit smarter on how you bring those guys down."
On Postma's ability to run and pass today
"A couple of his long runs were on scrambles. He had seven rushes, and probably four of those were scrambles. That's our offense. If they're going to make the quarterback keep it, then he has to run it. Obviously when it was out of hand there we cut down on those read option plays. For the most part, three or four of those were on scrambles. We made a conscious effort after it got out of hand to not run him anymore."
On Postma's overall play
"He managed the game well. I'd like him to hit a couple of those deep shots. The way Lamar was playing, they were daring us to throw it over there head from a defensive standpoint. It would have felt better had he connected on one or two of those deep shots, but overall pretty good."
On if anything was wrong with kicker Ty Cummings
"He didn't tell me anything. I think he's fine. The guy is going to miss. I'd rather him miss in a 42-0 ballgame against Lamar than the game winner against Cincinnati. We got that out of his system. We talked about that. The second one was my fault. I thought it was a lot shorter, and I was deciding if we should go for it or run the field goal team out there, and the clock was running down to one, and Postma snapped the ball, so Ty wasn't really ready. He's fine."
On not having a letdown after the big win
"I'm proud of them. We were without arguably our two best offensive players, and with the rain delay and a big win last week, and understanding you're supposed to win these games. I'm definitely fired up about the defense from start to finish. We have a really mature team. A lot of the players, including the captains, when we kept them longer and longer were saying they wanted to play. That was good for me to hear coming from them."
On holding Lamar to 15 rushing yards
"We have a chance to be good, really good, on defense if we'll trust our training, play within the defense and not do anything crazy. That front seven is going to be heck for opposing teams. Hopefully we can get them fresh in time to be playing at maximum effort Thursday night."
On how long they will celebrate before turning the focus to Cincinnati
"Not long unfortunately. It's an 11 p.m., curfew for our guys tonight. Tomorrow is a Tuesday practice. We're getting postgame treatment right now. That's something we only do on short weeks. Cold tanks and ice massages and all that. Usually you have Sunday and Monday to get the bumps and bruises out, but we have to accelerate that process. It'll be a little bit shorter, and we'll take out a lot of the individual stuff so we can add in Cincinnati. It's a really quick turnaround."
On quarterback Greg Ward Jr., staying involved even though he wasn't playing
"That's what you're supposed to do as a captain. I told him this morning that if he's not going to play he has to be a leader and a coach and Kyle Postma's right-hand man. He did a really good job of that. He had the headset on and got a lot of mental reps in terms of watching the plays and understanding them as they developed. As a captain it was really good to see him be as positive and present and vocal as he was."
On if there is clarity with who holds the number two spot at running back after a game like this
"It's tough to tell because of the circumstances of the game. I had a positive mind frame going into tomorrow's preparation that when Duke (Catalon) does need a spell that we're going to be serviceable. Hopefully one of those guys will separate, but for now, both of them will tag team that second-team tailback spot."
On the crowd before the rain delay being nearly a sellout
"Really appreciative of the fans, alumni and students of the city of Houston for showing up in full force. For an 11 a.m., kickoff against Lamar University that was impressive. Hats off to the student section. Holy smokes they were there 45 minutes before kickoff and loud and proud and packed into that student section. From an attendance standpoint, that part was a proud moment.
JUNIOR QUARTERBACK KYLE POSTMA
On getting the start for today and the success he had in the run game
"None of that was really planned. Coming into the game I was going to do everything I could that was going to help the team out. I pulled a few balls from the running back and then just used my feet. Things happened and people were blocking extremely hard and being really physical. and they let me run the ball. It worked out really well.
On using his experience from his previous start
"Definitely having experience last year helped me out a lot this year. I just wanted to do everything I could."
On locker room culture during the delay
"We were all in there having fun and being a big family. You can't ever expect anything like this. We do a lot of things in practice that are chaotic, and we were ready for the moment. We were just in there relaxing and being a family."
On his success coming off the bench compared to last year
"This is my first game ever running 100 yards. I wasn't expecting to do that at all. I go into the game and do everything possible to help the team win and whatever happens, happens. I try to do the best I possibly can out there on the field."
On working with freshman running back Kevrin Justice and freshman running back Mulbah Car and watching their growth and development.
"They did excellent today, whenever we had the offensive line blocking as well as they did today, it definitely helps. They did a good job taking the weight of the rushing game, and they improved. It's good to see them out there doing what they can do.
SENIOR OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Steven Taylor
On locker room culture during delay
"We have a team full of energy and juice. Everybody made the most of it. We were dancing around and just having fun, conversing and enjoying the time. We prepare for chaos every day in practice, so we were really prepared for this moment today."
On pride in shutting down the run
"That's one of our top goals; shutting down the run. We train every day and prepare mentally and physically. That's the number one on our agenda. We go inside practice and over emphasize filling our gaps. We have in my opinion the best front in football, and I just feed off of those boys. They do a great job."
On keys to the game
"That just comes with training with chaos. We prepare for chaos so many times during training camp. Like coach said, we were ready for the moment."
On starting off the journey to wining the conference title
"I'm really excited, because next Thursday just marks the next step in our goal, which is wining conference and playing in January. We are really prepared and seized the moment. Tomorrow we have a full padded practice, and we get to watch those guys, and we are going to give our nest effort at practice tomorrow.
SENIOR OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Tyus Bowser
On preparing for Lamar after the win against Oklahoma
"We just treat it as another game. We don't take any opponent lightly. That's not who we are. We go into every game thinking we're playing the No. 3 team in the nation. It doesn't matter if it's Oklahoma or Lamar, we're going to come in with the same mentality to go out there and give 100 percent."
On the atmosphere in the locker room during the 3-hour rain delay
"Coach (Tom Herman) preaches that we have time to relax, but we also have time to focus. On Fridays, we like to enjoy ourselves when we're in the hotel, but when it's time to lock in we lock in. We always train for chaos, so we knew what we had to do to; relax and enjoy the time to make sure our bodies were right."
On not letting Lamar's offense cross midfield
"We just put it all on the defense. The entire defense as a unit and our coaches put us in position to make plays and make sure they don't get those yards. Big props to Coach (Todd) Orlando, the entire defensive staff and all of the guys on the defense."
On the development of the defense in regards to stopping the run
"Coach (Todd Orlando) always preaches to us that we're going to stop the run. It doesn't matter what's going on. The main thing is just to stop the run, and if we don't we're going to stay in the same base defense until we do. That's just been a culture thing. It's always been a goal on the defensive side. We stop the run so that we can open opportunities for blitzes. It's always a main priority."
FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK Kevrin Justice
On his 27 carries
"It was a great experience. I have a great offensive line. I knew coming in that I would have to step up and do my job. The offensive line blocked their butts off today, and I've got to give all of the credit to them. I want to thank them for everything they did and thank the coaches for believing in me."
On rushing for almost 400 yards
"It was a great thing. We talked about running hard and having a great running game. We just punched everything, had a lot of great blocks, the offensive line stepped up and receivers were blocking down field, so it all adds up. That's how you rush for that many yards. Everybody has to work as a team."
On the mindset during training camp
"During camp you're competing for a job. We had to find a second and third guy, so it was competitive every day. We knew that Duke (Catalon) was going to be a great player, and we needed someone who could be right behind him to step up to do the same thing and be at his level. We have more than just one or two guys who can do that. We have a great offensive line that can get the job done for us."
On preparing for the next game
"The first thing is ball security and taking care of the football. If you do that, you're more likely to win the game. Getting four yards per play is an efficient play for us, so we're just going to keep running the ball to maintain yardage."
On how he feels after carrying the ball 27 times
"I feel good getting a chance to show the coaches and the team what I can do. It felt great, and it felt great to run behind that great offensive line. I have to give all the props to the offensive line, because they busted their butts today, and all the receivers for blocking downfield. They made great plays and great blocks. It all adds up to what happened today; rushing for however many yards we rushed for."
On if he's physically sore
"Yes, I'm exhausted, but that's what we talk about. If you aren't mentally drained after the game, then you didn't put forth all the effort. That's what we're coached to do. We give everything we have. 100 percent. That's a culture thing."
On if he had an 'oh wow' moment
"At one point, I thought 'Wow, we're doing it. We're doing what we need to do and what we're coached to do,' but, it wasn't a surprise, because we do this during practice. It's not new because our practices are much harder than the games. We're just prepared for what could happen in a game so we aren't surprised."
On if he had a chance to soak in what he'd done
"Yes sir. At one point I did. Just getting in the end zone felt pretty good. I thought, 'Wow. This is what it feels like. I want to get here again.' I know it was great for me and great for the offensive line, the whole offense, and the entire team."
