DALLAS - Ten of the 11 Conference USA teams are in action in Week 2, with all 10 games slated for Saturday. WKU, who defeated Hawai’i in Honolulu last week, are on their lone bye of the season.
CHARLOTTE
Head Coach Will Healy’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
“It’s been a gradual process to get back to where you feel you can move forward, while still looking back and learning lessons on what happened on Friday night. No rest for the weary, we have an amazing opportunity for our program this week with hosting a Big Ten school in Maryland. A really good football team which finished hot a year ago. Got really good players and are very well coached. Mike Locksley has done a very good job and to host them in our place is a big deal. We’re excited about the challenge; our guys are responding each and every day. I feel good about the leadership, but also know the amount of investment in time that its going to take to get this right. I feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I think this is going to work out the way we want it to. It’s taking longer than I would like, and patience with a sense of urgency is being preached not only to myself, but to the rest of the group. Proud of our guys, we have a great group and we just have to come together and keep fighting if we want to make this a special year.”
On how the defense improves going forward:
“Some consistency in the backend, make routine plays. If the ball is in the air go attack the football, don’t wait on them to catch it or hope that you can make a tackle. Our tackling has to be better. Making the extra step and making sure we get guy on the ground has to improve. I though during Week one our front seven play was good, but I did not think it was as good this past week, and I know these guys are capable of better. We have talked a lot about Markees [Watts] and Amir [Siddiq] and those two guys having the types of games where they are disruptive is what we are expecting out of them. It hasn’t happened the first couple of weeks, but I know it will happen. It’s a group effort, and I think we all have something we can improve on drastically.”
On the message he gives to players on not focusing on too much during games:
“To me the message for us is just be present. Don’t think about what’s written on twitter or in an article. I know where we are, and I know how it looks and what you’re hearing. Just worry about how you can get better or how this football team can get to where it wants to be by the end of the season. Sometimes we try to force things to happen or we put pressure on ourselves because we want a certain result. Don’t be comfortable or protect yourself right now. This is tough, this is challenging. This is what is going to help you grow as a dad or as a husband. This is adversity, not near as much adversity as you may go through in life but it is still a great lesson. Tough people will last, and guys like Grant Dubose are tough people. That is why we will improve because we have guys that are tough and will help us get to a success we envision for ourselves.”
On QB Xavier Williams’ performance against William & Mary:
“Every time you watch practice, Xavier Williams is always trying to get better. Whether he’s getting the rep or watching behind Chris Reynolds he’s always trying to improve. He’s a freshman, but he does not act like it. He’s got an unbelievable process in how he gets ready. So, when his number was called I knew he would be ready. That’s something I need to talk more to the team about. How Xavier’s number was called and because of the way he prepares he was ready to compete.”
WR GRANT DUBOSE
On QB Xavier Williams’ performance against William & Mary:
“I saw a young guy who was ready to come in and make a play. He stepped up when his name was called. For the guys who are around this team and facility, we know what we are going to get out of Xavier. He prepares like he is the starter every day. We talked about it yesterday, when you watch him on film he’s in the back taking (mental) reps during every snap. He brought a spark to the offense and its great knowing you have three quarterbacks who can come in and get the job done.”
On Elijah Spencer’s play against William & Mary and what changed for Elijah between FAU and William & Mary:
“Elijah came in and had a great game for us, which was his first 100-yard game at Charlotte. I’m happy for him even though we did not have the result we wanted. Just having windshield wipers or a short-term memory. You don’t really want to think about what happened, because its already out of your control. Just try to stack days and try to become better. Worry about the things you can control. He did not have his greatest showing at FAU, but I’m proud of the way he bounced back. He took it on himself to improve his process and have a great game against William & Mary.”
FIU
Head Coach Mike MacIntyre’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
On being on the road for a month…
“The early bye week is always kind of tough. But, I personally like it because, us being a young team, understanding we can play these first two games. We can evaluate where we are and then we can take that bye week and really work at it and really fine-tune some of the things we’re doing. Kind of find out, okay this really is our identity, this is what we do best. This is what our quarterbacks do best. This is what our running backs do best. This is what our D-line and secondary do best. So that kind of gives us that option to be able to do that.”
On Shaun Peterson Jr’s switch to LB…
“Shaun is still learning how to play the position, but he’s extremely athletic. He has a natural gift of pass rushing. He’s powerful. He has a nose for the football. They’re some little nuances here and there when he’s dropping into coverage or if he’s rushing on a certain guy when the guy hard sets him or soft sets him to understand that a little more. He’s getting better and better and better at that. Coach Brumfield’s doing a good job working with him on that so I think just getting more reps, more practice reps. Practice reps really help him get just more knowledge of the game.”
On DB Hezekiah Masses:
“Hezekiah, I would say, is a competitor beyond competitors. I mean, he was the guy they caught on him. He’s back there right there on the guy. Throw on me again. I mean, he really was that way. And he made some really good plays and did some really good things and he will progressively get better and better and better. I’ve been very, very pleased with him and what he’s doing. I think he’s going to be an excellent player, I really do.”
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Head Coach Willie Taggart’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
On his message to the team after the loss:
"I just talked to them about our keys to victory. Each week, I give our guys the keys to victory. and they don't change much on what we feel like we need to do in order to win ball games. We feel if we do these things, we'll win. Number one is playing with fanatical effort. I thought our guys did that for three quarters. Number two is playing smart, no selfish penalties. We didn't do a good job of playing smart. We had too many costly penalties at really bad times in that ball game. (Number three is) dealing with adversity in the ballgame, because everything is not going to go the way we wanted, but you keep fighting and find a way. We got ourselves in a hole, but we kept fighting and we had a chance there at the end, but some of those selfish penalties hurt us, and then some other aspects of the game hurt us too that we couldn't control. It's disappointing, because we know we can't do those things, and we made some bad decisions and bad plays at a critical time that cost us…But I like this team because it's different. I really love the way they fought and came back and gave themselves a chance there. I know they're going to work their tails off and see to it that they are not in that situation again."
On defensive linemen stepping up with players out:
"I thought those guys did some good things, guys that during the week for the most part didn't think they were going to have to start and play as much. It wasn't always perfect, but those guys did some good things. I was impressed with (Jacob) Merrifeld, I thought (Keem) Green did good things throughout the game. But I thought overall defensively, we have to be better fundamentally. I thought we were not really fundamentally sound in what we are doing and that cost us at times."
On preparing to face Southeastern Louisiana:
"It's good for us to finally get an opponent that we can scout for what they did this year. (Both first opponents have new defensive coordinators with no previous film to scout). Last year they threw the ball around and they had a really good quarterback. This year they have a different style quarterback. He's a big kid that can run a little bit. They used him last year with some gadgets and things of that nature. You watch him against Louisiana-Lafayette, it's a different style of play. And they have some talent receiver wise. It's a good football program. They have won a lot of ball games and are one of the top FCS schools out there. They have some skill guys that can run. At the end of the day for us, we have to be better at what we do."
On Southeastern Louisiana's team compared to last year:
"On offense, they lost a lot of guys from last year, but they've still have some skill guys. Again, the quarterback is different and plays a different style. You can tell they're good coaches because they play to the strengths of their players. They have some quarterback runs. The running backs are explosive and they have some fast receivers out there. We know the things that they do, we just have to play our defense the way we're supposed to and not have as many mistakes. We have to tackle better. There were a lot of missed tackles last week that were critical in that ball game."
LOUISIANA TECH
Head Coach Sonny Cumbie’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
“I have known Colby Carthel for quite some time. I have a lot of respect for SFA and his staff. We are looking to take a big step forward from last week. It is important for us to improve in a lot of areas. Offensively protecting the football is a key for us and defensively it is tackling. So the fundamentals of football… We have a lot of work to do. Our players came in and practiced well Sunday night. I am looking forward to getting back to it today as we prepare for a really good team on Saturday.”
On QB Matthew Downing:
“Matthew did a lot of really good things we had an opening drive where we converted on a lot of third downs. He had a lot of good body throws. He made a nice play on a pass to Griffin Hebert where he put it in the only spot he could make a catch. He did some really good things against a good defense that was well-coached. On the turnovers, one was a tipped pass, and his arm was hit on the other one. He probably could have came off in the progression on the third one, but I am not disappointed we just have to protect the football.”
On what he was pleased with at Mizzou:
“Our players showed a great effort level. Our sideline had a lot of good, encouraging teammates in moments when we needed it and also when we had good plays. Some of the positives on offense was our ability to hit explosive plays in the passing game. We recognized things well in the run game but we need to create more space and explosive plays. We saw some guys emerge on offense like Cyrus Allen and Griffin Hebert.
Tre and Smoke Harris all made plays and Parker McNeil came in off the bench and threw the ball well. On defense we did not allow many big plays. We have to eliminate penalties and tackle better. We have to create more of a pass rush up front but we will identify those things, work anthem and try to find solutions.”
On Starting QB:
“We will take it on a week-to-week basis and evaluate it through practice to see.”
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Head Coach Rick Stockstill’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
Opening Statement:
“Going out to Colorado State, they're a completely different team than they were last year. Last year, they were 3-9. They lost a lot of close games last year. But they've changed their team.
They've got seven new starters on offense that are transfer guys. Five of them came from Nevada with Jay (Norvell). So, they're very familiar with their offensive scheme. They've got a couple of receivers, a couple of offensive linemen, quarterback all came from Nevada, so they know that offensive system. It's a very diverse offense. They had a tough matchup in Week 1 last week against Michigan, but they do a lot of different things schematically offensively that will challenge us. They've got good skilled people, a good running back. Their quarterback, it was his first start at Colorado State, and he's a very good player.
Defensively, the same thing. They've got four new starters that are transfer guys. Their two corners are really good. Their two defensive ends are very athletic, dynamic, very good pass rushers. Their middle linebacker is a really good player as well. This is a very good defense, obviously, and their kicking game is really good also. Their punter transferred (in), he's an Australian-type punter, transferred from Nevada as well. He's experienced also. So they're very sound in the kicking game. Defensively, they're going to base out of a four-man front, they're going to pressure you. As much pressure as we saw last week, I'm sure they'll amp it up a little bit more.
We've got to be ready to go. Had a good practice yesterday and excited about this opportunity this weekend.”
On the challenges of scouting off a blowout loss, like CSU had against Michigan in Week 1:
“They were trying to do what they do, day and day out. They had five starters that were in this offense last year when they were at Nevada. They know what they're doing. There was a mismatch at times. Michigan is Top 10 in the country, they're a good football team. Anytime you're playing a new staff or new team this early in the year, you're always going to back and watch last year's game film. We'll watch last year's stuff from Nevada, we'll watch last year's stuff from Montana with their defensive coordinator. You try to watch as much film and gather as much information as you can from the previous year.”
On the biggest priorities on getting better this week after losing to James Madison:
“It was obviously a tough outing, disappointed in it, but we've got to find a way to get better and go to work. We did that yesterday. We played a lot of people that (was) their first time ever playing college football at the Division I level. Four new guys up front, two of our top five wide receivers were out with injuries. We replaced all three linebackers from last year, both safeties and a corner, so there were a lot of new people for the first time against a really good team. And that's not an excuse, it's a fact, it is what it is. We've got to get better, we've got to get more consistent.
Offensively, in trying to protect the quarterback number one, we've got to do a better job there to give Chase a little bit more time to get through his reads. We've got to be more consistent and get better in the running game. And that's not just an indictment of the running backs, it's not just the offensive line, it's everybody. We had some opportunities in short yardage there that we didn't execute the zone read, especially there on fourth down. We've got to get better on little things like that.
Special teams, we didn't cover our punts very well, and that forced our defense on the short field, especially in the second and third quarter. Field position is critical in any game. I thought we put our defense in a bad position, especially in the second and third quarter. (JMU) scored 37 points in those two quarters. They didn't score in the first and scored seven in the fourth.
But we've got to be better defensively. We gave up way too many big plays, explosive plays. We've got be better there, we've got to execute better on the back end in the passing game. I thought up front, we did a good job, we pressured him. We did a good job in the run game. We just have to be more consistent in the back seven in the run game and in the passing game.”
On preparing to play at altitude:
“Drink, make sure you hydrate. You can't really do anything about the altitude. It's a long flight, I told them yesterday, really towards the end of last week to start hydrating a little bit more because any time hydration is an issue, you don't wait until the day of the game or the day before the game. It's got to be something that you're cognizant of and you do on a daily basis for weeks, for months, that you take care of your body.
We'll talk about it, we'll continue to talk about it. It's a long flight. You know any time you fly for a long period of time, you get dehydrated. It's a three-hour flight, so we've got to do a good job of making sure we hydrate on the plane and, obviously prior to getting on the plane, do a good job of preparing our bodies for that.
But I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. You start talking about all that kind of stuff and I think it just plants a different type of thought in their head.”
NORTH TEXAS
Head Coach Seth Littrell’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
On resetting after last week’s game:
“We came in Sunday and clean up tape. Lot of mistakes we have to get corrected this week. Whether positive or negative, you have to learn from every game because there’s always things to work on and you have to put it in the past.
“They responded very well. They were obviously very disappointed in the way we played. It was all three phases. Offensively we moved the ball well down the field and put some really good drives together, but just mistakes obviously in the red zone killed us and some turnovers and missed snaps and too many penalties got us behind the chains.
“All critical situations you work on and stress and we didn’t have a great outcome this past Saturday and it didn’t feel like we would’ve called anything different. We have to execute better. First and goal at the two, there’s no doubt in my mind I expect touchdowns in that situation with the way we run the ball.”
“I know our guys will respond. We have a mature football team with a lot of great men and a great culture. We’re going to bounce back and get better.”
On WR Jyaire Shorter’s return after a tough two seasons dealing with injuries:
“It was awesome. He’s been working hard and he’s had a lot of adversity. He’s had to overcome. I’m proud of him for getting through that and it was awesome to see. He’s only going to get more comfortable and better. He hasn’t played in over a year and not really a lot in two years. It was great to get him in there and make some plays for us.
“The last two years have been difficult for him and it’s been mental warfare and it’s very challenging with all the things these men put into it to be able to play football. Having those setbacks can be frustrating and mentally draining and he’s done a great job of overcoming it.
“He’s very talented. You don’t see big guys like that who can run and are that physical. He’s a tough matchup and he’s an experienced guy too. I’m looking for big things out of him this season. It’s great to get him back and out.”
On the primary focus this week:
“I’m focused on getting better this week. I told our guys when they leave that meeting room every day, they should know what they’re being coached to work on and then are they getting better from it. This week is all about our preparation and our opponent deserves the respect of our preparation each and every week and we have to settle in and make routine plays.”
On RB Oscar Adaway’s performance thus far:
“It’s just game two. Coming off a season when you haven’t done much, I thought he ran extremely hard and it was awesome to watch him be back out there. Game one was the first taste of getting back into the flow and I think he felt more comfortable in game two. I’m looking forward to watching him this week. He’s a great player and great teammate and he puts a lot of work into it. It’s exciting to see guys like that have success.”
On this week’s opponent, Texas Southern:
“They have a lot of skill and they’re well-coached. I’ve known their coach a long time. They have an air raid system and have really good skill and athleticism. Defensively they are really multiple and have shown three and four man fronts. We’ll have to be schooled up on what they’re trying to do to us. I know they’ll be extremely excited.”
On OL Manase Mose making his 51st career start this week:
“He’s one of our captains and a great leader and another coach on the field. He makes all our calls and he’s invaluable with his experience and the way he works, it’s huge, especially in that position. If you really think about it, there’s two people who touch the ball on every snap and that’s the center and quarterback. That’s an invaluable position and he’s done a great job.”
RICE
Head Coach Mike Bloomgren’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video Available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“Looking back on the game, I thought it was everything that we thought it was going to be. It was as advertised in terms of a great college football atmosphere and a really cool venue. We played an outstanding and well-coached football team. Lincoln (Riley) had his team ready. It was an outstanding football performance by their football team. It was something that I haven’t seen from the quarterback position, in terms of efficiency, probably since I was on the sideline with Andrew Luck.
With that being said, the result is disappointing. We put a lot into it. I thought that our players prepared incredibly well. I thought they did everything that we asked them to do through training camp. As we know, all that guarantees you is your best chance. Unfortunately, we didn’t really give our best shot. That’s what I wanted from these guys. I wanted them to go out and perform and do their best. Looking back I don’t think that’s in any way their best effort.
We had the score tied 7-7 and there were a lot of good things. Then there were some calls that maybe didn’t go our way. But that’s a part of football. Then there was a play that really changed the composure of the game on the pick-six. Again, it was our best players. One throwing the ball to another one. It’s a catch that we normally make that, unfortunately, got tipped up in the air and went back. As we know, the football is a weird-shaped ball that bounces funny. That day, it bounced funny for us. The thing I told our team is that we have to learn from it. We have to continue to prepare the right way and do things the right way and be able to go forward.
We all know, that the biggest growth that you have as a football team is between game one and game two. We’ve got to make that our reality this week. That’s what I think our team is completely committed to doing. The guys had 6:15 a.m. meetings this morning and they didn’t come in like a bunch of 18-to-23-year-old college kids. They came in ready to learn. They attacked it the right way and I think we’re going to have a good practice this afternoon. That’s what I’m looking forward to as we prepare for this opportunity this weekend.
It’s our home opener in historic Rice Stadium celebrating the 60
th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s speech and getting to play the game we love in front of our friends and family. There’s a lot to be excited about. We learned from the film yesterday and we’ve moved on.”
On playing McNeese:
“We’re playing a good team. That’s what we can’t look past. I think Coach (Gary) Goff in his first year has brought in 58 transfers. They went up there and played the FCS team that played in the National Championship game last week in Montana State. They had a chance to tie it right before halftime, and then that game got away from them. Coach Goff has done great every place that he’s been. I look at what he did at Valdosta State last year, taking that team to the National Championship game and then a day later he takes over as McNeese’s head coach. I can only imagine that he hasn’t had a chance to breathe since that day. In any case, he’s building a great program and we’re excited to have them come into our place this weekend.”
On what he liked best from the USC game:
“I liked that we went in there and we weren’t big-eyed. I like that we went in there from the start and we played good football. (USC) scored a touchdown and they’re a dynamic offense. They go down the field and they score. I walked over to the offense and said ‘It’s our turn. Let’s go get one.’ And they did. So I think the ability to do that and not have the moment be too big for us was huge. Now, again, when things started snowballing, it was really tough. One other thing that I thought was really good was our ability to run the rock. Especially in the first half when we were able to keep them honest. I think any time you play a Power 5 team and you go goal-line, and you pretty much walk into the end zone, that’s a good thing. That’s guys doing their job and being very physical. There’s a lot of positives. Another thing is that it is as well as we’ve played on special teams in recent memory. To the point where you’d say we beat that talented team on special teams. At least that is really good to see Tim Horn kick two balls that were touchbacks and then the one they chose to return, we tackled them at the 16-yard line on a great play by Litchfied (Ajavon). Punting the football, we did a great job. Our coverage unit did a great job on that. We averaged 40.5 yards a punt. Just unbelievable effort on all phases of special teams. Juma (Otoviano) had two really good returns. I’m really pleased with the progress we made on special teams. We need that to continue and then we need the offense and defense to play the way we’re capable of.”
UAB
Interim Head Coach Bryant Vincent’s Quotes from Tuesday’s Press Conference
Video available here:
Tuesday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“First off, I’d like to thank the fans for coming out and giving us a great gameday atmosphere. It all starts with the Blazer Walk and we want the Blazer Walk to be a tradition to set the tone for the gameday atmosphere. We had a great crowd, our fans came out, our students came out. I think that was the first time our student section was packed and that was great to see and I greatly appreciate it. It’s always great to start the season with a win, we were able to play a lot of different guys in the second half. I thought we played well in all three phases. We have a lot of things to clean up, a lot of things to get better at as we progress through this season going into Week 2. I thought our players played extremely hard. They played with passion, tremendous effort. We played with excitement, we played together, it was a great start to the season.”
On the team’s injuries heading into Week 2:
“We expect to be fully healthy. Trea Shropshire, Kadeem Telfort and Dewayne McBride all practiced yesterday.”
On the benefits of getting extra rest:
“It was very beneficial to have the two extra days to heal up, to rest up, to really be able to self-evaluate our football team and know what we got to do moving forward.”
On Liberty’s offense:
“Hugh Freeze is one of the best play callers in college football. We’ve got our hands full with two dynamic running backs. They’re explosive, they’re fast, they’re tough. We’ve got to be prepared for tempo, we’ve got to be prepared for both quarterbacks, tackle well, we’ve got to communicate well on the defensive side of the ball.”
On the evolution and depth of offense:
“Everybody on this team has a role. If we can understand our roles, embrace our roles, be about the team, we can evolve, grow and develop into something special if we embrace that role.”
LB KYLE HARRELL:
On setting the tone on defense against Alabama A&M:
It was really important. We talked all week about forcing turnovers. It was something we talked about all camp, so to be able to do that early in the game and show how much we’ve been working on that was big.”
On Liberty’s two quarterbacks:
“They are different QBs, but they are both dynamic players so we are preparing for them the same way. They can both extend plays and make plays. Kaidon Salter has a lot of Malik [Willis] qualities, so we are preparing for that like we did last year and learning from some of the mistakes and getting ready to contain them.”
On revenge against Liberty:
“We remember what happened last year. We just need to compartmentalize our feelings and go out there and play how we know how to play.”
OL SIDNEY WELLS:
On returning from injury:
“Considering the adversity I had to go through, I knew my role when I went down, but it was tough considering I was so used to playing. Considering the adversity, I’m just grateful to be back. I can’t really complain.”
On the offensive line adjusting on the fly (specifically Trey Bedosky):
“Coach (Cam Blankenship) operates with our offensive line. He doesn’t treat anybody different, he tells everybody every day ‘this could be you.’ The thing that Trey Bedosky does well is he pays attention, he knows exactly where to be, what to do. I felt like Trey was ready for the moment. Really anybody in the offensive line room can be ready for the moment.”
On facing Liberty’s defense:
“Based off of watching the film, the defense all around is amazing. Very talented group. They come off with speed, they have power, No. 11, No. 10, No. 91, No. 77, they get after it and we are going to have to bring it to them.”
UTEP
Head Coach Dana Dimel’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
Audio Available here:
Monday Press Conference
Opening statement:
“Okay. We'll get started. Normal protocol. We'll talk about last week's game. You know, pros and cons of what we did last week and then move on to our upcoming game this week. This thing about the pros from or just busy about last week's game that's let's put it that way. You know, obviously our first seven and a half minutes of the game were pretty scary. It got pretty scary there early on. When I go back and watch the film offensively, defensively, we've talked about our defense in their offense. They came out and really did a really nice job and had some, you know, really good schemes and executed really well. So, as I evaluated the tape, I thought that we, you know, we just didn't handle the tempo and the pace and the environment, you know, the one shot that you're going to take from a first-time head coach in that kind of an environment. But they executed very well offensively. I mean, they were, you know, really, really humming on all cylinders. And we had trouble matching that. And they had 230 yards in seven and a half minutes. Right. And then I thought offensively we just, you know, we had one dropped pass and we didn't convert some, you know, we got some first downs, I don't know if we had, but maybe one, three and out the whole game. But we didn't finish drives there and before you know there's two drives for us that we didn't we move the ball a little bit but didn't finish with any scores and they get three in a row. And then from that point on, I think we really executed our game plan.
The rest of the second half, you know, until about four minutes left in the second half and whole little step up from seven and a half, first quarter till four minutes second, second quarter. We played really good football, you know, and actually scored ten points to their zero and had a chance with that drive. They're starting their own 43 to get the game within one score if we can, you know, either get a field or a touchdown on the board, they're probably got a little bit too aggressive. You know, initially they're we're starting to, you know, try to win the football game. You know, that's what we were trying to do. I felt like the momentum was back and we were trying to win and we probably got a little too aggressive when trying to throw the ball down field too much on those drives and took a couple, you know, one sack and then the other sack I think was a bobbled snap that caused the second snap and or sack in a row there. So, by not scoring there, we put the ball back to him.
You know, if I want to play a little bit more conservative would have been, hey, maybe throw some, you know, put some run game, some short passes, move the sticks and maybe try to score late in that quarter and keep it, you know, to be a really respectable ballgame going into halftime. We didn't do that. We got aggressive. They went, they got the ball, went down, and executed a really fine drive again with some good plays. I don't think we executed as well defensively on that drive as we could have been, should have, you know, and they took advantage of some of our, you know, some of our situations that we were we were in with certain possessions due to maybe guys getting tired during the game or whatever. So that drive was probably our worst executed defensive drive of the game. And that gave them, you know, a bigger lead at halftime.
But our overall evaluation was 38 minutes of possession time. And yeah, some of that was because they scored quickly early in the game. But a lot of it too was we had 26 first downs. We had more first downs than they did. Right. And so, as I look at the offensive production, when you have that many first downs in a game like that, you're doing exactly what you're trying to do, right? You're trying to shorten the game. And we were trying to shorten the game to keep it make it a very competitive game. So, I felt like Gavin, I thought Phil, I thought Gavin played if his best game if not very, very close to the best game since he's been here. He put some precision passes. He made great decisions as far as not throwing the ball and in the tough areas. I just really was really, really impressed when I went back and watched him play and I was impressed with the way the offensive line played. They only had one play the whole game where a defender came up free and pass rush that didn't have a hat on and we took some sacks more than we normally have ever do, but those were covered sacks or bad snaps. But as far as getting a hat on the hat, there was only one sequence in the whole game where they had one more had that we couldn't get. We couldn't get a hat on. So, with all the pressures and blitz as they do, I was really pleased with that part. So, I thought we got a lot better. I really do. I think we got a lot better.
I thought our defensive personnel played, you know, you know, not as good as we can play well, but there's a lot of positives there as well. So, we left that game playing a very good football team and we got better as a football team. And Gavin made those two big field goals, which was really big for us. So, a lot of positives came from last Saturday. I don't think we had very many pre-snap penalty. You know, we didn't have dysfunctional pre-snap penalty in the loudest environment that we're going to play in, very minimal. I think we had less penalties than they had. We had more first downs than they had. So, there's a lot of positives to gain from that game.”
On this week’s opponent New Mexico State:
“I see plenty of talent from their team, you know, scouting report wise. I see a lot of talent out there. I really, truly do. And I see a team that I know in play, you know, they're playing really hard. They've got a lot of talent and so they're just gelling as a football team. And so, you know, that's the scouting report on them right now. They got their two quarterbacks that they're playing. You know, they're playing both the freshman and the junior college transfer. Both of those guys got potential to be very good players. They got good, talented receivers. I got to, you know, some talented running backs as well. Their offensive line couple of those three of those guys started last year form their tight ends and returning starters. So, they got some players. You know, I just think they're trying they're just a couple games into their system right now and I think they're going to continue to get better as the year goes along. And then defensively they got the linebackers that are very good players for them. They got they play a lot of guys up front, on the defensive front, they play quite a few guys in the secondary, but we just look at their overall athleticism on defense. I think they've got a good core base to work with their defense and they so that's the overall personnel scouting report on that. From our standpoint.”
On the New Mexico State game being a must-win:
“Well, I mean, any time you know, you don't want to go in zero and three. I mean, I just dig deeper hole. Rachel for sure. So, every game is so important. Now once you start out and two, every game gets really, really critical for your football team. And so, you can't afford to take, you know, a whole lot of losses because their early losses are just things you must overcome. And the only way to overcome or a loss is to go on win streaks. And so, if you lose the first three, now you got to go on a three-game win streak just to get back to what would get us to .500 to get us to be bowl eligible. So, it's important. You know, it's like any time you go you own three or and one and two or, you know, so to me, there's a huge difference, you know, so it's really important game for us that way.”
On WR Rey Flores’ play and leadership thus far this season:
“I've been really impressed with him. What he does. He played tremendous in both games. He's just been just making plays and just working hard. And like today's practice, he just did a tremendous job of leading again. Today, he's taking that role on to be a real strong leader in our program. I really like the way I think we had ten different receivers catch passes in our game Saturday and I've always said if we can have seven, that's an ideal number ten”
On QB Gavin Hardison improving on sacks:
“He definitely had to do better with the sack. He's, you know, we were frustrated with the one at the end of the half. We ran a little smash switch concept in this boundary and double post to the field, and the double post were wide open, and he just happened to look to the smash switch. They busted their coverage. So, if he looks to the field, it's a touchdown. It's 21-17 right there. And then what he did is came back to it late, was trying to set his feet to get back and throw it in the backside and caught him. And but the clock was running out. You know, I think it was one of those bad set up circumstances. But he knows that we can't let 11 seconds roll off the clock. And then that's where the sacks came. Some of them were we had a three step and he, you know, three step wasn't open and he held onto the barn. That's where he knows he's got to get rid of it. Just throw it out of bounds. So, all the sacks were either cover sacks or, you know, or bad step one of them was a bad snap.”
UTSA
Head Coach Jeff Traylor’s Quotes from Monday’s Press Conference
On takeaways from last week’s game against Houston:
“Exactly what I thought after the game was over, which, is usually not that way, right? Usually when the game’s over you think what you saw is not what you saw but our kids gave the most amazing effort … like they always do. I’ve coached them now for … this is my third year, other than one time, I thought our kids have always given effort that’s indescribable. I’ve had so many of my coaching buddies that just … they’re starting to pay attention to us now. They were literally like, ‘y’alls effort jumps off the screen, like it comes through the screen.’ I couldn’t be more proud of them. Our execution was very much first game like and that’s on the head coach. I’ve got to get that cleaned up.”
On taking the blame for the loss postgame and continuing to do so after film study:
“Well, it’s all on me, right? Every bit of that. I don’t want to get too specific because what happens then is that assistant coaches then get blamed and then players start getting blamed. All that’s on me. There’re so many details in the game … I’ll be as vague as possible do I don’t give anybody up, but you know, substitution errors, having to burn timeouts when you don’t need to because of formations and technique of scheme … of protection, technique defensively, blitzes. The problem is vague and specific at the same time is that I don’t want to give media or my players that are listening to this or my coaches that watch this or coaches’ wives that watch this to think I’m throwing anyone under the bus. That’s all on Jeff Traylor because I’m responsible for every bit of that. And I mean that. There is no false humility there, there’s nobody trying to make anybody feel sorry for me, that’s on me. That’s my responsibility as the head coach to get that stuff taken care of and it was not taken care of.”
On offensive line’s performance last week:
“Obviously with the injury to Makai Hart, that put us at a distinct disadvantage. I was so proud of Frankie (Martinez), the way he went out there and competed. Frankie’s a walk-on … pays for his own school … was going up against a superior athlete and Frankie battled his tail off. I thought (Ahofitu) Maka played a fantastic game. I thought Venly (Tatafu), for playing left tackle for the first time in his career, did a really good job. We had a few MAs (missed assignments) there. We’ve got a lot of run game that we’ve got to get cleaned up. I expected more from that unit going into the game but with the injury, you know, there’s some combos up front we have to get better at. Our running backs have got to hug some stuff better. There’s a lot to get better at. I just don’t want to be too specific because, again, I don’t want to throw my players … my players give me all they’ve got right? And I’ve just got to be careful how … I’ve got to protect my coaches and my players after an extremely, extremely tough loss on our program.”