DALLAS - For the second straight week, 10 of the 11 Conference USA teams are in action in Week 3, with all 10 games slated for Saturday. FIU is on its lone bye of the 2022 season.
Every week head coaches take to the podium to answer questions from the league's media members - let's see what they're saying this week:
CHARLOTTE
Head Coach Will Healy’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
“I want to start once again by thanking our students. They were incredible on Saturday and we’ve been fortunate with how they’ve had our back. We are working each and every day to make sure we can put a product on the field that they are proud of. I wanted to give them a special shout out because they are absolutely unbelievable. When you get a chance to watch film of other teams in your conference or other group of five programs, you really realize how rare it is to have a student body that supports you like ours does.
“Obviously, Saturday was not the result we wanted and it was all about response. I have been proud of our guys’ effort. Today was a very physical practice. We need to learn from the mistakes and make sure you don’t make them again. Yet, we have to have the confidence to move forward and the motto for this week is “beat our best”. That means we need to beat our best week of practice, beat our best week of preparation, beat our best meetings, whatever it is and continue to get better and improve.
“I’ve seen drastic improvement and it's going to show up on the field, it’s just a matter of time. I am excited about the challenge that’s at hand. I know we are playing a great football team this week in Georgia State, whose had two really good opportunities to knock off two Power-Five conference opponents. They have had a very difficult schedule to start the season. They are a very physical team. We know what kind of football they play and we know what that kind of environment is like, so our work its cut out for us. Excited about this week and how much better this football team can get this week is all that we’re worried about.”
On the status of QBs Chris Reynolds and James Foster this week:
“I feel better than I did a week ago. I think James and Chris have made tremendous improvement, so we will see what Wednesday and Friday look like. I know that they are progressing very well. It’s probably going to be one of those things where all three need to be ready, but all three are doing a really great job. I can guarantee that Chris and James are working very hard to get back.”
On Georgia State:
“I think the interesting thing is that they gave up 35 points to South Carolina and two of the touchdowns were on blocked punts. They return 18 or 22 starters from last-year’s team that won six out of their last seven games. This is the same group we played last year, but a year older and more experienced. They made the quarterback change going into this game last year and the guy is a really good athlete. They went through a sort of culture change this time last year. They have gone through the heartache like we have and they were able to come out on the other side. They started like we did last year and our game last year was their breakthrough game. Both teams are going through that right now and are hungry to get into the win column.”
LB PRINCE BEMAH
On the progression of the defense:
“Each day we are getting better than our past day. We all have this desire to get better and we all know what we have to do to get better. It’s all about working on the little things and I know we will get to the position we want to be in as a unit.”
RB CHAVON MCEACHERN
On Georgia State’s defense and what they present in the matchup:
“From watching film, I feel like they are a very aggressive team, their defense loves to fly to the ball. Every player on the defense is hustling. The linebackers and the defensive backs come downhill hard towards the ball. I’m ready for the match-up and what they bring from a talent standpoint and I think our guys are ready to rise to the moment.”
FIU
Head Coach Mike MacIntyre’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
On progressing through the bye week:
"I like it to be honest with you … It's good for us to sit down and evaluate. Now the kids have seen what we practiced, gone over it, had two games. One was successful, one wasn't. You know, all these different things that happen in a game and now you're able to show it to them. And when they see themselves on film, they go, 'Oh that's why you told me that coach.' … So, seeing it all fast speed happening, once they've done it enough, they kind of just – you've heard people say it before – it kind of just slows down for them and then they can see it and make more plays. It's definitely a process.
"We had a good practice today and they understood it. We were able to show them the film from the game and we're showing them film from the Bryant game kind of saying okay here's how different people are attacking you, here's how you're doing this, here's how you're seeing this. So the process will keep going and we'll keep finding ways to creep up and get better."
On JUCO transfer DB CJ Christian:
"CJ is doing really well. You know, he started the first two games and very athletic. Has ability to close and tackle in space. Has good ball-eye-hand coordination. You know, we just got to get him a little bigger, he's a little thin right now, but he's playing well. He really is playing well. Sometimes his eyes get out of place. He tries to watch the quarterback too much sometimes when he should just be viewing the receiver or vice-versa. And so we're training his eyes and that's just a process of playing and playing and playing. He's going to be a really good player."
On LB Donovan Manual:
"When you watch our games, you can see his ability and you can see him being an older player. He makes a lot of plays for us. He's a team captain. They elected him as team captain, which is really interesting. He just got here in January. He's playing really well for us and have been excited about everything that Donovan's done. He's a very good football player. And when he hits you, he hits you. I'm excited about having Donovan here, he's doing a really good job."
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Head Coach Willie Taggart’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
On the offensive line’s performance:
"We have some guys on the o-line that have played a lot of football together. I think experience by itself really helps. I think consistency and some of the things that we're doing scheme wise is really helping. Those guys are just buying into the things that we're doing and taking pride in it. They knew they were going to be the strength of our football team, and they're taking pride in being that. I think Coach (Ed) Warriner has done a great job with those guys. Everybody is more on the same page and that is allowing us to be successful offensively."
On Redshirt Freshman DE Jacob Merrifield:
"He balled out. He has somebody blocking him, but he doesn't stay blocked. He can get off a block and then go get an assist on a tackle or get a tackle. The other night, he made a play, we had just talked the week before about when you get blocked or you fall on the ground, get off the ground and get up and go. Sure enough, he had a tackle for a loss that he missed, but he got back up, ran and got in on the tackle later within the same play. Having a big guy being able to run sideline to sideline is always good and we're going to need that from him."
On facing UCF:
"We have to play our game. There's no secret potion or anything of that nature. We just have to play FAU football. We believe in what we're doing, our guys have to trust their training and go out and play winning football. We can't go out and beat ourselves, that's for sure. They're a good football team, but just like any other team that we have played, we have to be at our best and go out there and do what we have to do. We have them here. They put on pads just like our guys do. We just have to go out there and play good, smart, tough football. Owl football."
On the key to beating UCF:
"We all have to be on our A-Game: offense, defense, special teams. It's a good football team coming in. Defensively, we have to be able to stop the run. They want to run the football. Being able to stop the run, and again, we understand the challenge that comes with it, but we're up for the challenge. We're looking forward to this game on Saturday, but again, it goes back to us, being on our A-Game and doing our jobs to the best of our ability. That's the challenge for us as we go through the week, having the best practice that we can so that we can go out and perform the way we know how. For us, our players and coaches, we understand we still haven't played our best. We're challenging our guys each and every week to go out and see if we can do that, knowing that if we do, we'll get really good results behind that. We have to play with fanatical effort. We have to take care of the football. We have to get the ball back. Those are keys."
On what a win against UCF would do for FAU's football program:
"It would be a big win for us. Whenever you're playing an in-state school, that's always good, and a program like UCF, being able to have them at home, just for our ambitions and where we're trying to go as a program. Whenever you can have a win like that, it's always good. It's just part of our goals of what we want to do. We want to win this ball game. We knew it was on the schedule and we're preparing accordingly. We're excited about it. It's a great weekend and great opportunity, how could you not be fired up about it?"
On preparing for the loud home crowd:
"Our guys know and understand that it's going to be a little different environment, which is a good thing. It's why they all decided to go to college and play. They want to play in an environment like that. I know our guys are excited about it. We just have to make sure we are able to stay focused throughout the entire game and throughout all of the other things that go on. I know once you're out on the field, typically you don't hear too much of anything else. You're just focusing on your job and what's at hand. It'll be different, but it should be fun."
On the secondary last week:
"Guys played their assignments. They were so much better fundamentally in what we're asking them to do. It paid off for us. I thought our guys did a good job of tackling, especially not allowing too many YACs (yards after catch). All of the fundamental things I talked about, I felt like our guys fixed them in the ball game, and we got better results behind it. Did we play perfect? No, we still have some things that we can correct and be better at, and that's the beauty of each-and-every week of trying to get better and knowing that if you correct those mistakes and not make them again, you're getting better. I was happy with our guys correcting those mistakes and helping us be better."
On continuing their offensive consistency against UCF:
"We want to be consistent offensively no matter who we're playing. It's important that you score points. It's hard to win college football games without scoring. We're going to need for our offense to continue to put up some points knowing that this is going to be a more challenging opponent than what we've had in the first three games, but our guys will be up for it. Our guys are confident in their ability and in what they're able to do on offense."
LOUISIANA TECH
Head Coach Sonny Cumbie’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
“I am excited for the challenge this weekend for our program and our players taking on Clemson on the road. It is going to be a great experience for us and our players are excited for the challenge. The biggest things for us is that each week our opponents will change but we have to prepare and execute what were doing each week regardless of the opponent. We need to improve in all three phases of the game. It is an exciting week because we get o play another game and we are looking forward to it.”
On Offensive lineman Carson Bruno:
“Carson Bruno is one of our most improve players from the spring. He played defensive line in high school then converted to the offensive line. He was on the second string in the spring and improved all 15 practices while adding weight and strength in the weight room in the summer. From a technique standpoint he got with Coach (Nathan) Young and has gotten better. He grew a lot of confidence in the opener against Missouri. He is a very powerful and athletic kid with his defensive line background… I am very pleased with how he has played so far and I expect him to continue to improve.”
On prepping for Clemson:
“You really go back to their bowl game since that was the first game Wes Goodwin their defensive coordinator called and then you watch the first two games this year since he is the one calling the plays. You put a lot of preparation in the first two to see his imprint on the defense. I think anytime they go out their they are trying to play the best they can so we put a lot on stock into that.”
The opportunity at Clemson:
“That is what we talked to our players about. If we are not excited to play this week then I do not know if you can be in this locker room. This is a great opportunity for all of us to go on the road against a great opponent. The opponent is not as important as us we have to focus on our execution which drills off our practice habits.”
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Head Coach Rick Stockstill’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
Excited to finally be at home this year and open up with Tennessee State. A lot of respect for Tennessee State, their players, their program, their coach, Eddie George, their staff, they've got a really good staff. Their players are really well coached and it's a good team. They're 0-2 right now but had a tough, close opening loss (at Eastern Washington) and then played Jackson State really close last week. They're very athletic, they can run. They're very diverse on defense, we'll see a couple of different fronts, between a 3-man front, a 4-man front, they mix up their coverages really well. You can see the NFL flavor in their offense and defense, especially defense with their defensive coordinator Coach (Brandon) Fisher, who I know a little bit and have a lot of respect for. They've done a really nice job over there.
Offensively, they've got good skill players. A lot of transfers on the team on both sides of the ball, it's an athletic group. Pretty balanced on offense between run and pass, but they're going to spread you out and try to create some one-on-one mismatches. They've got a big offense line that do a nice job. Very solid in the kicking game, they've got an All-OVC kicker. So it's a good team. Like I'll probably say every week, it's about us. We've got to prepare ourselves, we're coming off a nice win last week, and get ready to play a good Tennessee State team.
On seeing a change in the team's psyche from week to week after the win:
Obviously, you have a little more confidence when you win. When you win, it breeds confidence, when you lose, it creates doubt at times. I think it was good that we played really well defensively, we played better in a lot of areas offensively. We played a lot better, very solid in the kicking game. So I think everybody should be a lot more confident going into this week. But just like last week, you look at the mistakes that you made, the things that you did good and you build on them and correct them. That's what we've got to do this week. What you did last week had no bearing on what's going to happen this week. We've just got to continue to work, stay focused and keep our eye on what's important.
On the importance of playing local rivalries on the schedule, like the one with TSU:
You go back to Middle Tennessee in the OVC days and the long history of playing Tennessee State or Tennessee Tech and all those OVC teams that you played for a long time, there's a lot of history, a lot of tradition, a lot of rivalries that have been developed over a long period of time playing these teams. So I think it's exciting for our fans, I'm sure it's exciting for their fans. It's exciting for our players, because our players know a lot of their players. It'll be an exciting game. It's generates a lot of memories for your fan base. They can talk about this game 20 years ago, 10 years ago when we played it. So I think it's pretty cool, pretty neat that we get to play this game.
On his respect for TSU head coach Eddie George:
Initially, I think everybody's thoughts go back to when he was a player. Not only at Ohio State, but here locally with the Titans, just the storied career he had as a player. I don't think I've ever met him, but what I admire the most about him, it's not what he did as a player, his accomplishments as a player. But every interview I've watched, or watched him be around people is just what a really really first class person he is. He's very humble, he's very sincere, he's very honest. I respect him as a man and don't know him that well. I know the influence and the impact he's having on those players at Tennessee State is something those guys over there are very lucky to have somebody like him talk to them every day.
NORTH TEXAS
Head Coach Seth Littrell’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
On correcting mistakes from last week’s win:
“First we had to clean up some of the tape from Sunday and make corrections. We knew they’d have good skill and speed and defensively missed some big tackles we need to clean up. There’s definitely areas we can improve. Offensively we started out strong and played physical, especially in the second half on the perimeter and we just have to be more consistent and clean a lot of stuff up. It’s a lot easier to correct mistakes after a win because especially early in the year there’s still things we have to get cleaned up in all three phases. At the same time with this team, it’s been more about us and the consistency of going 1-0 throughout a week and the preparation. That’s really what I’m focused on. Last week doesn’t matter. It’s all about this week.”
On UNLV this week:
“This is a big week for us and UNLV is a really good team and well-coached and coming off a big game against Cal. They didn’t pull it out but, played an exceptional game. We just have to make sure we rebound and clean up the right way and clean up our mistakes and get a week better. Consistency is the biggest thing we’re preaching. The mindset is there and understanding and [Austin] Aune is managing the game well and seeing the right things. There’s a couple of more shots we’d like to hit and we will. Consistency is the biggest thing. If you have a slant route, run a good slant route. Don’t try to do too much in certain situations.”
On trio of Las Vegas natives on the roster getting to go home this week to take on UNLV:
“I'm sure they'll be excited to go back home and play. They'll have a lot of family and friends to be able to come watch them, which is always exciting but the biggest thing in this game is avoiding the distractions. There will be a lot of bells and whistles and a lot of slot machines going off. There's going to be a lot of people and buzz around the hotel. We have to block all those distractions and know the biggest focus we have is to go win a football game."
On capitalizing on big-play shots:
“That's how we play. With the way we've run the ball and how we do it, you're going to get added hats in the box and when teams do that you have to be able to take advantage of stuff down the field. We're not dink-and-dunk either. It's not Air Raid stuff like I've done in the past. It's our identity now and that's what we have to take advantage of."
On UNLV QB Doug Brumfield:
“Hes going to be challenging and he has a lot of skill around him as well. They have a lot of good receivers who can stretch the field and they do a good job with their shots down the field. You have to be extremely disciplined with your eyes against this offense.”
RICE
Head Coach Mike Bloomgren’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video Available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“Saturday was a good team win. We were really good in all three phases. I’m really proud of the guys for how they responded. I thought we did have some growth from Week One to Week Two. We’ve said it many times before, the fun is in the winning. It’s great to be a part of a victory locker room after a game and see how much fun those guys were having.
“Defensively, we had five takeaways, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries as well as a fourth-down stop. We held (McNeese) to 1-of-10 on third down and had five sacks. We did some really good things. We really imposed our will on that side of the ball. There’s a couple of things, like there always will be, to clean up. We’re going to work on tackling like, probably, every team in America. We’re going to try to get better at that.
“Offensively, we converted 63% of our third downs, had 10 explosive (plays) on the day, and, I thought, did some really good things running and passing. Any time you’re flirting with 500 yards of total offense, you’re doing some good things and showing some good balance.
“Special teams-wise, we won the day. Our starting field position after a kick was 33.25 for us and 22.18 for them. It was good, complementary football, and like I said, I’m just really proud of the team.
“I think our defense as a whole is really starting to come together. I think when you get penetration the way we do up front, you have guys doing a great job on the back end and then you have guys affecting the running game and doing a great job in coverage. I just think those guys are communicating really well right now. The biggest challenge for the whole team is to keep working on technique and tackling. Technique, tackling, pad-level, those fundamental things that we’ve just got to keep moving forward with as we’re trying to take another big step this week.
“We have shifted our focus to a very good Louisiana team. A team that comes in here with the nation’s longest winning streak, 15 games in a row. I think Billy Napier did an unbelievable job building that program in a lot of ways from the ground up, and it doesn’t seem like they’ve missed a beat. They’re right in here coming into our stadium 2-0. They have a lot of the same schemes on both sides of the ball. They’re a little bit different on special teams, but, again, just doing a really good job on every phase of the game. It’s going to be an outstanding challenge for us this week. It’s one that we are excited about. It’s one that we had an outstanding practice yesterday and I expect us to have an outstanding practice today in preparation for it.”
On what it was like to come in on Sunday after the win:
“That’s just it. We’re going to celebrate in that locker room and we’re going to celebrate that evening. As a coaching staff, you really turn the page on Sunday. You get all of those meetings out of the way. We talk about it and make any corrections that we need to make going forward. Then you kind of open the camp back up when we have our first team meeting on Monday. We get a chance to kind of celebrate that stuff again. You go through the players of the game. You show some of the great plays on all three phases because I want these guys to see what their teammates are doing. They’re such good cheerleaders for each other. Once again, they watch that film, they get the corrections, and an hour later, you’re onto the next. Then you’re on the practice field practicing.”
On how important it was for the leaders to step up between Game One and Game Two:
“It was absolutely crucial. Whomever your leaders are, in any organization, they have got to set the tone. The speed of the leaders is the speed of the pack. So, when those guys go out there and go show everyone, this is the tempo we’re going to practice at, this is the focus that we’re going to have, hopefully, and their coaches have really coached them through the years. But now that we’ve got great leaders in place, they are doing a great job. I don’t know how much we’re having to use our voice as coaches to get effort. That makes it a lot of fun.”
UAB
Interim Head Coach Bryant Vincent’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“Good morning. Obviously disappointed with the outcome of the game. It’s hard to beat anybody, any quality team, well really any football team in Division I with four turnovers. There are a lot of positives – ton of positives from this game. We went in into a great atmosphere in adverse weather conditions. I thought our kids prepared great all week. I thought our coaches prepared great all week. I thought we came in and we were prepared. We played with passion, we played with toughness. There was a lot of adversity throughout that game, and if you just want to talk defensively, we had three fumbles on offense, one fumble in the special teams – in the return game – our defense with sudden change time after time after time they handled adversity, took the field again. Liberty was not able to cash in any points off the turnovers, so that’s an extreme positive when you put one of your units, our defense, in adverse situations and they came back time after time after time and rose to the challenge.
“I’ve got extreme confidence in our coaches, in our players. I thought that, minus the turnovers, that we played extremely hard on offense. We rushed for over 240 yards – 5.6 yards a rush – our offensive line played extremely hard and our tight ends. We came off the ball. We were physical. We blocked well on the perimeter. Our running backs ran with a purpose. So, a lot of positives. We stuck together to the end. Our football team never blinked. We never pointed fingers. We stuck together all the way to the final second, and we continued to stick together after the game and that’s a good sign because we know we’re going to have setbacks and we’re going to have adversity, but the main thing is that this football team sticks together and we continue this journey. I think some of the positives on special teams, we were able – except for one – to cover kicks well and our punters kicked well, so there was a lot of positives. We just have to clean up our mistakes, we’ve got to continue to get better and we’ve got a big challenge ahead of us with Georgia Southern.”
On QB Dylan Hopkins playing the whole game:
“The plan going in was to play Jacob Zeno. The flow of the game and the situations of the game like turning the ball over on the first play. And then driving down and getting stopped. Just the flow of the game and the weather, I felt like it was Dylan’s time to stay in the game. He is our starter and being in adverse situations, I felt like we needed to go with our starter.”
On the connections between UAB and Georgia Southern:
“Coach [Richard] Owens and I worked together for six years. We have a strong relationship. Bryan Ellis – I have known Bryan for 10 years and have a strong relationship with him. I have a lot of respect for Bryan, I have a lot of respect for Richard. They are good friends of mine. They do a great job. Obviously, Richard Owens coaching here and Bryan Ellis playing quarterback here, it adds a little twist to the story. At the end of the day, we have to prepare. They have the No. 2 ranked offense in the country. They are coming off a big win against Nebraska. They have thrown the ball 102 times in two games, so they are throwing the ball over 50 times a game and are scoring over 50 point a game. They’ve given up zero sacks in 102 attempts. That tells you the QB is making good decisions. They are doing a good job up front and he is getting the ball out quick getting it to his playmakers. This is going to be a big challenge for our defense, a big challenge for our football team. We are excited about getting back home to Protective Stadium. We know we have a quality opponent who is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history. We have to prepare, take it one day at a time, and get ready for a good opponent in Georgia Southern.”
On turning the page after a tough loss:
“Life is tough. Adversity happens in life and adversity happens during a football season. You can go back to 2022 when we lost to Louisiana and Louisiana Tech back-to-back and then have five games canceled. We were able to then go to Rice with 42 scholarship players and beat Rice, then go to Marshall for the championship game. You go back to 2019 when we lost our conference opener to Western Kentucky and we had four turnovers. We were able to come back and win the West again. You have strength through adversity. Forged in fire. Adversity – you let it weaken you or let it strengthen you. Here are UAB, we choose to let it strengthen us. We know we have a long journey ahead. We’ve got players who care about each other. We have players who are going to stay the course and we’re excited to get back to practice today and get back to playing on Saturday.”
C WILL RYKARD:
On the success of the running game:
“That is what we pride ourselves on. We knew we were going to have to do it. We knew it was going to be on us – it was a wet game, a slippery game, and that’s what we came in to do. We thought that we did it well. We feel like we still left a lot of yards and points on the field, so we have to get back to the basics this week.”
On moving on to the next game:
“It definitely was a tough one. It eats at you. It is still eating at me. But we have to turn the page. That’s the great thing about football – you get another chance. It is a big one this week. Starting Monday morning, I always like turning that page to start focusing on the next one.”
On being from Georgia:
“I am from South Georgia. I know a lot of people from [Georgia] Southern, so it means a lot playing a Georgia team. I am proud South Georgia boy, but I am definitely an Alabama native this week. I can promise you that.”
S JAYLEN KEY:
On how they played against Liberty:
“We came out and did exactly what we practiced all week and all fall camp during the scrimmages and mock scrimmages. We practice on sudden change. When our time was called, we went out there and focused on the next play.”
On handling sudden change throughout the course of the game:
“It’s not something you can really practice for because it is a sudden change. When it happens you just have to drop everything you’re doing and go back to the field. Focus on the next play, don’t worry about what just happened with the offense. Just go out there and play defense.”
UTEP
Head Coach Dana Dimel’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
Audio Available here:
Monday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“Okay, normal protocol. We'll talk about last week's game and then we'll segue into this upcoming game that we have. Again, as I talked about in the press conference after the game, just really, always really excited to get a win over our rival. Always really important for the Borderland to be able to get that victory. So, we're really very pleased about that part of it. I think our team learned again. It was a learning experience. I think we're a team that's going to obviously try to continue to improve throughout the season like everybody does. But I think it will be really important for us to do that and finding different ways to win. You know, first of all, finding our first win was really important, but finding different experiences. You know, we talked about that, the different experiences we've had through the first three football games, you know, “A,” not being very pleased with our first performance. “B,” our second performance, doing a lot of positive things and then “C,” you know, not playing near as well as we could play and getting ourselves into a dogfight and then winning is still a good learning experience for us. So, we're going to try to grow off of that and I'll try to clean things up. That's going to be important for us to clean things up as we move forward into week four.
“The things we've got to clean up, you know, we got to run the ball more consistently and better. We have to be better in the second half. Our overall performance offensively was not good and we got to be better on first and second downs. That's what was hurting us. We just didn't execute, just left things out there. We can't do that if we want to continue to improve. So, that part of it is going to be a big emphasis for us. I thought defensively when you really broke down and watched us play, I thought we played really good. We had some guys have tremendous totals. When you talk about the numbers that Kobe Hylton and Tyrice Knight and Elijah Johnson, Keenan Stewart and Cal Wallerstedt, the numbers of production that they had because we really talked about being more disruptive defensively.
“We had a lot more tackles for loss. We had sacks, we had turnovers and so we had a lot of production numbers which is what we need to have to continue to win. The reason the game was close was because we turned the ball over inside their 10 and we turned the ball inside our 10. That's tough to win games. So, those are the things that really cost us opportunities.
“The muffed punt there at the end of the second quarter where we weren't able to get on it and grab it. It gives us a chance to take either 20 or 24 to nothing lead there at the end of the half. So, just missed opportunities, bad execution, missed performance. A combination of all those things are things we're going to work on to get better. Obviously, again, let's go back to it's a win. Wins are hard and they're good. So, we're really, really pleased about that part of it. Overall performance, as I talked about the defensive guys that did some good things, I thought Ronnie [Awatt] ran the ball and had some good production all around in his game.
“I was pleased with the way our tight ends and fullbacks blocked and performed. I thought they did a lot of positive things in that game. I don't think Gavin (Hardison) played near as well as he played last week in Oklahoma. I don't think he played near as well in the New Mexico State game. He could tell you that himself. I'm always going to be candid about his performance because we have high expectations for his performance. We expect him to perform like he did against Oklahoma all the time. I think he has a great chance to do that. But he didn't perform to the level that, you know, he needs to perform to. We've got to do a better job like we did the week before against Oklahoma of getting more of our receivers involved in the game. We just got our top two guys. We didn't get a whole lot of production. We didn’t get a whole lot of reps out of out of our other receivers because of the formations sets that we used. We only played three to four or five receivers, but two of them played less than five snaps and one of them played 15 snaps and the other two played because we were in the bigger sets. We tried to stay condensed with our game plan and do things we thought would help us win the game.”
On playing at New Mexico Saturday:
“With that being said, we move into a big challenge this week against a team that is improving. They're improving as they continue to go through the maturation of their program. They, defensively, they give you a variety of looks. It's well known that (defensive coordinator) Rocky (Long) does a great job with that. That'll be a test for every team that plays them. That's a test, right? You got to have a good game plan. I think it’s going to help us because we played them last year and because we played them last year, we got to work on all those things a little last week and then this week. I was able to spend some time because of the difficulty of the preparation. You get a little bit ahead because they do so many different things defensively. So that was important for us. I think hopefully it will help our performance this week as well.
“So offensively they got a new quarterback, a transfer from KU that's very athletic. He does a lot of good things as a playmaker for them. They got a new offensive line. There's only one returning starter from last year on their offensive line, but they did a good job I think of either bringing in good, young talent that they're developing or bringing in some junior college talent at those positions that are going to help. They got some good experience coming back, a lot of returners at wide receiver coming back, got a transfer player at wide receiver that I also think is a good player for them. Defensively they have a lot of team quickness and speed on their defense and move around and so it's going to be important for us to try to navigate that as best we can. Like I mentioned about before, that's always the big challenges when you face, New Mexico. It's the first of back-to-back Mountain West opponents that we play. So, I think that's always exciting for all of us in the program, exciting for our fan base to be able to play Mountain West teams. We’re going to stay at the same hotel that we stayed in for the bowl game and obviously playing at the same site. So, there'll be some familiarity for us as a football team with where we're going to be and where we're going to be playing.”
On if it’s a rivalry game and the possibility of playing New Mexico more often:
Oh, I do. I definitely think that it's a fun game for our fans. I think it makes a lot of sense for proximity. It's a good challenge for us to be able to play New Mexico every year. A kind of a good, difficult Mountain West opponent to play. So, obviously with the proximity and the old WAC ties that we have with them, it's really a good match-up for us for sure, and one that I would like to play a lot. Absolutely.”
On if Saturday’s game is a must win:
I mean it's big to try to get back to 500. You know that's big because as we look at our schedule, I've talked about it, but our first seven games, they're not easy. Two of them are back-to-back road games down the stretch here, you know, game six and seven and then two of your first five are against Boise State and Oklahoma. Then you have a perennial high level North Texas team in your conference to open of the season. So, I wish we played an easier opponent. I don't think we had any games on our slate here in the first seven that you can say ‘gosh that's an easy win.’ You're just going to show up and win, None of those. Obviously, I'd feel really good if we get back to ,500 after four games. I think we'd be in a great position. So, that's probably what makes it a really important game for us.”
On the type of improvements he wants to see from QB Gavin Hardison:
“Not decision making as much as just execution of his throws. The execution in Oklahoma, he was flawless. I mean, completely flawless and precise. He never put a ball in a bad spot. He put it on the money, in the right spot. Last weekend in the second half, he just didn't do the things he'd been doing in the previous five, six quarters of play leading up to that second half. So, I just think he was a little bit off in the second half and he's just too good of a player to be off. He's too far along now to do that. We need him to dominate and be precise and we need that because that's how confident we are in his abilities.”
UTSA
Head Coach Jeff Traylor’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
On takeaways from last week’s film:
“Some mental mistakes early were disappointing. I thought in the second half we were really clean but man that first half … you know, we just put ourselves in some bad situations. I understand there are always going to be mistakes made in a game. I say it all the time, I’m an imperfect coach who’s coaching imperfect people. There’s going to be imperfection. But we just can’t overcome those mistakes. But in the second half we were really clean. I think the biggest takeaway is just … you go up there to Army and play during 9/11 … you know, the pageantry, the cannons, the flyovers, the cadets, the on-field atmosphere … you can see why it’s so hard to win up there. Man, those kids play hard but our kids just made one more play.”
On how big it was to leave Army with a win:
“I’m not so sure we didn’t play better the week before. You’ve got to be careful in this little game of football because we played really well the week before ... we were a lot cleaner. We had a lot of mental mistakes in this game. But I repeat, in the second half we were really locked in and started playing good football.”
On returning to Austin this weekend where he got his college start:
“It’s similar, but it’s different (than Army) obviously. DKR has its own pageantry that the stadium in itself, the fanbase. That cannon when it goes off, it’s similar to the cannons that go off at Army. That thing’ll scare ya if you’re not prepared for it. I just hope we don’t hear it a whole bunch because that means that they’re scoring on us a whole bunch. That’s what I’m excited about is that for my kids to experience that place and that fanbase, it’s just really special.”
On how you prepare for a Texas team where you won’t know who the QB will be:
“You know, I feel for Steve, I’ve gone through that. My first year here we went through four quarterbacks in our first four games and that’s hard on a coaching staff. It’s hard on everybody for timing, planning. But I think coach Sarkisian is one of the best quarterback coaches in the country and designer of offenses and I know that whoever he chooses to play back there … he’ll give them a good plan.”
On if he thinks UTSA is catching UT at a good time after their game against Alabama:
“I feel for them because I understand what they went through. I’m not sure the best team won on that particular day, Saturday. After studying the video, it really looked like Texas outplayed them at home, in front of a great crowd. So, I know how that feels. We went through a similar loss the week before. Now it got my kids’ attention. I mean, it really did. My kids did not want to have that terrible feeling again … it’s just such a sick feeling when you play that well. So, I just tell our team, “I know how you guys feel today.” It’s just sickening because they played so incredibly hard and so well honestly.”
On if UTSA has enough national credibility now that they can no longer sneak up on teams:
“We have gotten better, there’s no doubt about that. I look at just how big Texas is and how fast they are. We are bigger and faster obviously three years later from when we first got here. But man, just the size … the Texas O-Line and D-Line and what they’ve done. Coach (Kyle) Flood and Bo (Davis) have done a fantastic job of improving the girth and the size up front. I told our team, you know, I’ve been in the SEC before. I feel like that is what our schedule is like right now. To play Houston and then at Army and then Texas is just … it’s the three games of attrition where that SEC gets ya. So, as hard as y’all (talking about his team) played, imagine the very next week you’ve got to do that again and then again. It’s a big man’s game and Texas has really improved up front on both sides in my opinion.”
WKU
Head Coach Tyson Helton’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
On this week’s game at Indiana:
“We’re really excited for the opportunity to go get to play a good Indiana team. I know our guys are excited and just looking forward to that opportunity.”
On whether last year’s game against Indiana factors into this year’s matchup:
“It’s a new season. Both teams have a new team with new guys playing for them. They’re a good football team. They’re doing a really good job. If you look at all three phases, they look pretty stout and pretty strong in all three phases, so it’s going to take our best game for sure to go win. But our guys are excited about the opportunity. We had a close one last year. If we can play well, I think we’ll match up well with them.”
On what he’s seen on film when watching Indiana:
“I’ve watched both games they’ve played, and again, they’re a good team. They’re doing a nice job. They scheme you up pretty good. They’ve got playmakers on both sides of the ball, so it will be challenging for us for sure, but we’re excited about the opportunity.
On Indiana’s defensive line:
“They can rush four and get to the quarterback. They don’t have to bring pressure. And when they do bring pressure, they do a nice job disguising the blitzes to match the protection scheme. They scheme you up pretty good. Their front four is doing a pretty good job, and if you can get home with just your front four, it helps you in coverage. That’s going to be a big challenge for our offensive line this week is some of those one-on-one matchups out on the edges and inside with their three techniques and all those things. Our guys have done a nice job the first two games, but this will be a real test for our offensive line for sure.”