Pitt game I was proud of the effort, our guys played hard and came up a play or two short and that is what has been happening lately. Have to move on and play a talented Georgia Southern team. Have some skill guys offensively, veteran group and lots of the same guys we played here a few years ago. Tough hard fought game and they will be fired up to come in here and play.
ON PITT GAME TEAM PLAYING HARDER
It was 55-degrees and cool and not a lot of snaps on either side of the ball, the efforts are down, we understood the importance of the game
ON SHAMIRE'S SNAPS
He got hurt a couple of weeks ago and he was trying to get healthy, doesn't help his conditioning.
ON OFFENSIVE LINE DEPTH
Through attrition we've lost four or five guys, Preddy didn't want to play football left, Gary Brown decided to draw cartoons, Jake Whitley got medicaled and Chris Griffin did too. All those guys but Chris were in the same class so that gets us there and then you make a mistake in recruiting and there you are, you can't afford to have that many guys not playing.
ON PARKER BRAUN
The more he plays the better he gets, he has a bright future and I think he will be a very good player.
ON ANTONIO SIMMONS DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER
He makes some plays, he has been our best pass rusher and he seems to be productive in the game. Antonio needs to be more consistent in knowing his responsibilities and he is doing better, sometimes when you freelance as the contain guy it messes things up, but he has gotten better at that.
ON JJ GREEN
JJ has been hot and cold, he was playing because he was a better block, last week he did some nice things with the ball in his hands. After sitting out a year the more comfortable he will get, he has a few missed assignments.
ON ANY SPECIAL MEANING TO PLAYING GSU
Other than wanting to win the game, not really, I still have friends there and fond memories of the place, we were very successful. My last two years as OC and 5 years as HC 26-4, 62-10, we won a lot of games, but that is all history. Having been there, I'm making sure our guys know how excited they will be to play here, we have to match their intensity. Last time we did to start with, then we felt like it was over at halftime and they came back guns blazing.
ON TEAM GOALS
Try to win number four and try to get on a winning streak and you can't go on the rest of the season. We still have a chance to win nine games, that would be the 8th or 9th time in 50 years that it has happened here, I would consider that a great year. We won't have a chance probably to win the ACCCG, but as crazy as our division is, I've seen everyone on tape, but VT and I don't know what anyone else is way better than someone else, I think there will be a lot of players beating each other.
ON GSU QB
He is hard to tackle, he is a finisher and he keeps plays alive, he is better as a thrower and they have WRs that can really run and go get the ball. When you run an option offense you get one on ones so you have to cover them
ON OFFENSE CHANGING SINCE 2014
Similar still doing stuff Willie did offensively, defensively pretty.
ON NAVY
Happy for them, they got 3-4 turnovers on defense and that was a big win for them.
ON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY SO FAR
I think special teams in most games have been a positive, still things to correct. Having a good kicker helps, but they have been really solid. For years we heard they weren't good because of the special teams coach, a good kicker seems to trump that and more guys are involved and each guy has taken ownership of it.
ON SOUTHERN FUMBLES
We are due, we haven't had much luck, we haven't had much of it in a while. We are due, I don't like talking about that stuff, as soon as you talk about it it comes back to you.
ON LYNCH'S BLOCKING
Okay at times does well and at other times less so, he has been very productive for us. He got forced into playing last year and he is one guy who holds his composure really well and he doesn't let the minute get too big for him, he just plays, that is a heck of a quality.
ON THOMAS' PASSING
You would hope the game dictates that and we are who we are. When you run 55 plays, it is hard to throw 30xs, I think we did a better job protecting him last week and when he can see it he is very accurate. That needs to be an aspect and what we need to do is if they put everyone on the line to stop the run, we need to run 5-7 man protection and throw it.
ON HEALTHY OLS FOR PRACTICE
Normally we try to have 16 scholarship OLs at any time, we divide it. How many will we have healthy. Three starters not practicing today, two more that are out counting walk-ons we have 14 guys to practice, the numbers we have enough guys to practice, but we will see I'm expecting to have all three play. We are coming off a physical game.
ON OL NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE JUCOS
APR is a wonderful thing, it further inhibits academic schools, you have to have guys here. It accomplished what they want, when I took the job graduation rate was 51% it is 90% now, it prevents us from taking JUCOs because the hours won't count toward our degree, we've had a few transfers in 9 seasons and it is almost impossible to get them in. Our transfers off the top of my head Stanford, Colgate, Tim Byerly was from MTSU and they reverted back to HS, APR didn't catch him, you have to bring in HS guys and that is the way it is.
ON WHAT THE TEAM IS DOING WELL
I'm not sure Dedrick has had 100 yards in a game. I know what we need to do well to win. We need to run and be able to stop the run. You'd like to win the turnover battle and we need to hit some huge plays in the passing game. If we do those we will have a chance to win. I know Harrison Butker will kick the ball well. I think the JT will get us in the right plays in the right situations and you can count on that. I'd like to think we will play hard.
ON THE OL TAKING THE LAST PITT PLAY PERSONALLY
I hope so, but it is like I told our team. The last play magnified what happened, as much as it is physical execution it is not smart. It was a stupid play call, but when they don't work none of them. If we had lined up where were supposed to and stepped where we were supposed to. It didn't have to come down to that, we have to make more plays and be dialed in. Someone says why run at the 300-lb guy, our guy cutback in toward him and the split was too wide. If you don't win the game there you are an idiot. If you punt and they score you are in an idiot. If you toss it you are an idiot, but that part doesn't bother me, not executing bothers me. I hope the OL coaches take it personal.
ON AN IMPORTANT GAME FOR SEASON
If you were 6-0 and the expectations were to here and you lost two guys, people say there goes the season. You have to block it into one week seasons. If I answer it sounds like an excuse. We lost to two good teams and Pitt was like us. We are close, but you've got to win, you have to shut the hell up until you win the game.
ON GOING FORWARD
What happens with each team, you have to watch the tape and what you put on the tape is what you are. Guys with discipline for whatever, don't tell me you are a good kid if you are in here six times, then that is who you are. What you problem is if you are a coach is if a kid can see the tape and know no matter what I did nothing would help. That's when you know guys say enough. Our guys are not there, they can watch the tape and see if we've done this or if I do this they have a chance. They get frustrated and they don't want to fail. They can watch it and see if I block that guy it is a TD or if I do this it is a big play.
ON PITT GAME TEAM PLAYING HARDER
It was 55-degrees and cool and not a lot of snaps on either side of the ball, the efforts are down, we understood the importance of the game
ON SHAMIRE'S SNAPS
He got hurt a couple of weeks ago and he was trying to get healthy, doesn't help his conditioning.
ON OFFENSIVE LINE DEPTH
Through attrition we've lost four or five guys, Preddy didn't want to play football left, Gary Brown decided to draw cartoons, Jake Whitley got medicaled and Chris Griffin did too. All those guys but Chris were in the same class so that gets us there and then you make a mistake in recruiting and there you are, you can't afford to have that many guys not playing.
ON PARKER BRAUN
The more he plays the better he gets, he has a bright future and I think he will be a very good player.
ON ANTONIO SIMMONS DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER
He makes some plays, he has been our best pass rusher and he seems to be productive in the game. Antonio needs to be more consistent in knowing his responsibilities and he is doing better, sometimes when you freelance as the contain guy it messes things up, but he has gotten better at that.
ON JJ GREEN
JJ has been hot and cold, he was playing because he was a better block, last week he did some nice things with the ball in his hands. After sitting out a year the more comfortable he will get, he has a few missed assignments.
ON ANY SPECIAL MEANING TO PLAYING GSU
Other than wanting to win the game, not really, I still have friends there and fond memories of the place, we were very successful. My last two years as OC and 5 years as HC 26-4, 62-10, we won a lot of games, but that is all history. Having been there, I'm making sure our guys know how excited they will be to play here, we have to match their intensity. Last time we did to start with, then we felt like it was over at halftime and they came back guns blazing.
ON TEAM GOALS
Try to win number four and try to get on a winning streak and you can't go on the rest of the season. We still have a chance to win nine games, that would be the 8th or 9th time in 50 years that it has happened here, I would consider that a great year. We won't have a chance probably to win the ACCCG, but as crazy as our division is, I've seen everyone on tape, but VT and I don't know what anyone else is way better than someone else, I think there will be a lot of players beating each other.
ON GSU QB
He is hard to tackle, he is a finisher and he keeps plays alive, he is better as a thrower and they have WRs that can really run and go get the ball. When you run an option offense you get one on ones so you have to cover them
ON OFFENSE CHANGING SINCE 2014
Similar still doing stuff Willie did offensively, defensively pretty.
ON NAVY
Happy for them, they got 3-4 turnovers on defense and that was a big win for them.
ON SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY SO FAR
I think special teams in most games have been a positive, still things to correct. Having a good kicker helps, but they have been really solid. For years we heard they weren't good because of the special teams coach, a good kicker seems to trump that and more guys are involved and each guy has taken ownership of it.
ON SOUTHERN FUMBLES
We are due, we haven't had much luck, we haven't had much of it in a while. We are due, I don't like talking about that stuff, as soon as you talk about it it comes back to you.
ON LYNCH'S BLOCKING
Okay at times does well and at other times less so, he has been very productive for us. He got forced into playing last year and he is one guy who holds his composure really well and he doesn't let the minute get too big for him, he just plays, that is a heck of a quality.
ON THOMAS' PASSING
You would hope the game dictates that and we are who we are. When you run 55 plays, it is hard to throw 30xs, I think we did a better job protecting him last week and when he can see it he is very accurate. That needs to be an aspect and what we need to do is if they put everyone on the line to stop the run, we need to run 5-7 man protection and throw it.
ON HEALTHY OLS FOR PRACTICE
Normally we try to have 16 scholarship OLs at any time, we divide it. How many will we have healthy. Three starters not practicing today, two more that are out counting walk-ons we have 14 guys to practice, the numbers we have enough guys to practice, but we will see I'm expecting to have all three play. We are coming off a physical game.
ON OL NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE JUCOS
APR is a wonderful thing, it further inhibits academic schools, you have to have guys here. It accomplished what they want, when I took the job graduation rate was 51% it is 90% now, it prevents us from taking JUCOs because the hours won't count toward our degree, we've had a few transfers in 9 seasons and it is almost impossible to get them in. Our transfers off the top of my head Stanford, Colgate, Tim Byerly was from MTSU and they reverted back to HS, APR didn't catch him, you have to bring in HS guys and that is the way it is.
ON WHAT THE TEAM IS DOING WELL
I'm not sure Dedrick has had 100 yards in a game. I know what we need to do well to win. We need to run and be able to stop the run. You'd like to win the turnover battle and we need to hit some huge plays in the passing game. If we do those we will have a chance to win. I know Harrison Butker will kick the ball well. I think the JT will get us in the right plays in the right situations and you can count on that. I'd like to think we will play hard.
ON THE OL TAKING THE LAST PITT PLAY PERSONALLY
I hope so, but it is like I told our team. The last play magnified what happened, as much as it is physical execution it is not smart. It was a stupid play call, but when they don't work none of them. If we had lined up where were supposed to and stepped where we were supposed to. It didn't have to come down to that, we have to make more plays and be dialed in. Someone says why run at the 300-lb guy, our guy cutback in toward him and the split was too wide. If you don't win the game there you are an idiot. If you punt and they score you are in an idiot. If you toss it you are an idiot, but that part doesn't bother me, not executing bothers me. I hope the OL coaches take it personal.
ON AN IMPORTANT GAME FOR SEASON
If you were 6-0 and the expectations were to here and you lost two guys, people say there goes the season. You have to block it into one week seasons. If I answer it sounds like an excuse. We lost to two good teams and Pitt was like us. We are close, but you've got to win, you have to shut the hell up until you win the game.
ON GOING FORWARD
What happens with each team, you have to watch the tape and what you put on the tape is what you are. Guys with discipline for whatever, don't tell me you are a good kid if you are in here six times, then that is who you are. What you problem is if you are a coach is if a kid can see the tape and know no matter what I did nothing would help. That's when you know guys say enough. Our guys are not there, they can watch the tape and see if we've done this or if I do this they have a chance. They get frustrated and they don't want to fail. They can watch it and see if I block that guy it is a TD or if I do this it is a big play.
