Oct. 28, 2008
New Orleans -
Opening Remarks:
On the Tulane/Rice Game:
I'll start by recapping the last game and I'll get it over with quickly because I know we all want to talk about LSU.
The game last week obviously was a horrible, horrible start, horrible first-quarter action, and horrible-first half. We get an interception and it's a penalty, so they get it back. Then, we get another interception; it's three downs and out and we punt the ball. We punt it all the way down to the six-yard line and (Ross) Thevenot does a great job. They go 16 plays, 94 yards, in 8:48 and they're ahead 7-0. We can't get off the field. Our guys are then exhausted; I've never seen anything like it. It's a 16-play drive and it's like all the gas in the tank was gone. We didn't perform after that drive. It was really disappointing because I think we worked hard on conditioning and I thought we were in pretty good physical shape. Then, we punt the ball again after a three and out; they go four plays, 60 yards in 1:34 and its 14-0. They kickoff to us again and we fumble the kickoff. They go 1 play, 17 yards, in six seconds, touchdown 21-0. So the first-quarter is 21-0 and we've barely touched the football and they've got all the momentum on their side and our guys are starting to drop their heads a little bit and we're trying to get after them to respond, but it was very difficult.
In the second quarter, another interception by us. They go two plays, 42 yards and its 28-0. So we get the ball back with a little bit of time left. We get in our two-minute offense called our `clutch-series' or `two-minute drill.' We move the ball down the field, throw a deep-crossing route with two seconds to go, and now we have a chance to get some points on the board before halftime to make it a 28-3 score and see if we can regroup for the second half.
Well, another deal, they get a block (on the field goal attempt) and run it back for a touchdown. I have never had this many blocked kicks run back for touchdowns in my coaching career. It's phenomenal. I think it's four or five now. We've had too many blocked kicks. But anyway, instead of it being 28-3 like I said, it's 35-0. We come back the second half and go down and kick a field goal. If we didn't get the field goal block before half it could have been an interesting game. And at that point it was too little too late. We couldn't overcome that score.
On Tulane Beating Themselves:
And the sad thing about it is I don't think we're a bad football team. But we continually do something to beat ourselves. We are our own worst enemies. I continually talk to our football team about more games are lost than won. We're losing football games right now. I don't think that many people are that much better than us, but when you hand it to them it's pretty hard to win games.
On Tulane's Offense:
Offensively, we struggled in passes. We're not scoring points. Part of it is because we're not doing a very good job in the red zone. And part of it is because we've lost some playmakers at this point. We don't have a lot of guys that can make some big plays for us.
On Tulane's Defense:
Defensively, we can't get off the field. We're making numerous mistakes defensively. We're lining up wrong at times. We're not doing a good job of covering. We're not getting off blocks. We're not tackling. It's been very disappointing.
On Tulane's Kicking Game:
Kicking-game wise, our kicking game was really good the other night, except for one play. And that put a dagger in our heart because we got it blocked and run back for a touchdown. But, we really punted the ball well, we kicked off extremely well, our kickoff returns were pretty good, except for one. So, we've done a good job there, but it looks like we're horrible on special teams because it's magnified by mistakes that we've made.
On the upcoming game vs. LSU:
We play LSU this week and I'm not going to kid anybody it's going to be a very difficult football game, very, very difficult. They are one heck of a football team. And I know they got beat last week and they gave up some big plays, but you look at them and you look at their depth and you look at their players and I tell you what, they are outstanding. And as I said, it's going to be difficult.
On Tulane's health:
Right now, we're a beat up football team and I don't like to use that as an excuse, but it's a fact. You know how I am; I'm honest to a fault. We're just beat up. We're beat up, we're banged up. Our playmakers offensively are gone, basically.
Defensively, we haven't had any sacks in a month. We haven't pressured the quarterback. We're not coming off blocks, we're not tackling people, and we're miss-aligning on coverage. We're kind of unraveled right now. We have to get back to where we were. We're doing a poor job getting kicks blocked. We've given up more points than I've ever given up.
On Andre Anderson:
The key thing is this last week we lost Andre Anderson for the season. Yesterday, he was nominated for the Doak Walker Award and then this morning we find out that he's going to get surgery next week. And they wanted to do it this Friday, but he wants to go to the game, so we're probably going to put it off until next Tuesday. But he fractured his shoulder and dislocated it. They're going to have to operate on it and put a pin in there, so it's going to be about four or five months before he can do anything and it's just a shame because he was having a great season. As I mentioned when the season started, if Andre doesn't get hurt he will be a 1,000-yard rusher and he was well on his way to doing that. And I feel just terrible for the kid because he's a great kid, he's a leader, he gives us energy on the field, our players rally around him and he's a guy that can make plays in the running game. But, he's gone.
On playing the freshman and Tulane's quarterback situation:
Right now, we'll play with a freshman fullback, two freshmen tailbacks. I'm starting a freshman at left guard, Harris Howard, because Nick Landry has a turf toe and he's out for the game. Our quarterback situation is kind of a dilemma. At this point we're not ready to totally make a decision and change everything, but Kevin Moore and red-shirt Joe Kemp will both play in this game. We haven't decided how we're going to do it at this point. Practice-wise what we're trying to do is give them equal reps and try to get them both to run the game plan and just see what happens as we get closer to game time. See who practices the best and then see who performs the best. I would venture to say that because of the opponent they are both going to play.
Questions:
On how the offense changes when Joe Kemp is in:
Well it doesn't really. They do the same thing. The only way it really changes is that he has the ability to escape the pressure and throw well on the run. So, we run the same offense. It's the offense that we're going to run; we've got the quarterbacks to run it. I think that the thing that he gives you is mobility.
On if Coach Toledo believes LSU is going to overlook Tulane's football team:
No, they're definitely not going to overlook us. They don't need to. Last year we played them, in the fourth game, this is the eighth game. We were relatively healthy at that time. We made a quarterback change and went to Anthony Scelfo in that game to give us more mobility. And really if you look at that game they made a bunch of mistakes. They got sacked about a half a dozen times, they got a safety early. We kind of hung in the game. We were energized by the crowd. But then we came out the second half and we fumbled the ball, throw an interception and then they score off one of those turnovers and it was over. We played them well for a half, but really, I think they were kind of looking forward to the next football game. It's like this week, they play Alabama next week. They don't need to waste all of their bullets on us.
On if the toughness of Tulane's schedule has lead to the team's current injury problems:
It might have. You play Alabama who's number two in the country right now and East Carolina, at that time was good, and we hurt three of their players and put them behind the eight ball. They lost their linebacker, their tackle and their wide receiver. None of us in Conference USA have enough quality depth to lose three players. And yeah, I think when you play them like that it hurts and now we're playing a team that could whoop us pretty good for the rest of the season playing in this game. So maybe.
On Tulane leading Conference USA with Time of Possession:
Now, I tell you what. We're leading the conference right now with time of possession. And I know it looks good; it's a nice stat, but it doesn't mean anything. It's how fast you can score and how many you can score. That's the goal, to outscore your opponent. I'm not a big guy on time-possession. I would have liked to keep it away from Rice and then ultimately score points like I talked about, but we couldn't keep it away and score points. So it didn't matter. Our problem right now is it's hard because we don't have a lot of guys that can `take it to the house.' We need 10, 12, 14 play drives, to execute and hopefully not make mistakes and then hopefully get some points in the end.
On playing true-freshman:
Well, it's interesting. Once Andre (Anderson) got hurt the two freshmen played and they made some mistakes. They don't hit the hole where they're supposed to. It's fourth and one on the goal line and we turn up inside instead of staying on track and we probably would have scored instead we got stopped in our tracks. The back releases when he's supposed to block. We get hit and almost lose our quarterback. So they have to know when they have to free-release and when to block. There's some learning experience there that hurt us in this last game. Hopefully, they'll continue to get better. They are two really good freshmen players. One is a big guy, one is a little guy and they've got ability, but they're inexperienced. And then you couple that with the fact that we have a freshman fullback playing in front of them and he's getting beat up a little bit. He was a great hitter early but after a while the shoulders start going. You can only take so many hits. And then of course if Joe (Kemp) plays then that's a red shirt freshman quarterback in front of him behind the left freshman guard (Howard). So, we're young. And I think we're playing 12 true freshmen. They're actually playing. So, we're at a point where we're trying to win games now, but we're also trying as many young people to get ready for the future as well. And having said that, you look at the seniors that we have. They're all playing. So it not one of things like I talked to them yesterday and said `hey, you're seniors and we're going to build for the future, you're done.' They're good players and we're going to keep playing them. So, we're kind of caught in between.
On young running backs and protections:
I tell you what. If you talk to a guy like Matt Forte, the one thing that helped in to pro-football was he knew protections. Protections are hard. It's very easy to want to play, but when you have to do a protection that's the hard part, particularly when you have several different protections because it's a pro scheme. Sometimes you have to block a linebacker, sometimes you get a free-release. It's just different all the time and you have to recognize defenses and you have to see the blitzes and that's the difficult thing with a young running back. Is that they have to recognize who to block and then they have to block them.
On Nate Austin:
Well, I'd say he's a physical runner. He has the tendency to want to turn back inside too often because he wants to go north to south fast. He's got to stay on his track and he's got to avoid some contact too. He hits some people pretty good; he runs into a lot of people. He's a physical runner. He runs a little high and he needs to get his pads down the thing is he needs to stay on track and stay outside. He has a tendency, for whatever reason, as soon as he gets the ball he wants to wind it back. There are two or three guys out here and there's eight or nine back there and he has the tendency to want to get back into the people and we're trying to break that right now.
On if Albert Williams will fit into Tulane's game plan now:
He has two. We've only got two left. So he has to. And of course we have J.T. McDonald as well, but he's had a sprained ankle the past several weeks and he hasn't really done much, but those two freshmen are going to play corner back.
On Harris Howard playing on the line against LSU:
Well, obviously you're going back to inexperience now against a really good defensive line. They've got eight guys who can play, it doesn't matter who you put in there. Obviously, it's going to be hard for him, but he's a scholarship player, he's 6'0, 290 lbs. He's had a little experience. We put him in a few times during the games so he has a little experience and he has a week to get ready for them, but I tell you what, I was disappointed that Rice physically got after us pretty good. We pride ourselves on being physical and there were a lot of times when they out-physicalled us, to be honest with you, on both sides of the ball.
On what he thinks the reasons are for not being successful:
Well that's a good question. I don't know. We look at ourselves and try to find out what the reasons are. Offensively, we're not-completing passes. We've been turning the ball over. We didn't turn the ball over much prior to that game. We had fumbles, an interception, and a blocked kick. We don't stop the fullback, we don't tackle him. And then lately, we're not getting any pressure on the quarterback. We haven't sacked the quarterback in a month. And coverage-wise, fundamentally, we're not playing sound fundamental football on that side. So, we're trying to get back to some basics, but not keep it too simple also.
On Tulane's opponents:
Well I think, if you look at the first couple of games, they (opponents) didn't quite know what we were going to do. And we kind of surprised them a little bit. And now all of a sudden they've now kind of figured us out. And they're blocking us and they're doing different things to hurt us. They're spreading us out. And when they spread you out, you're going to play man. We're going to drop off and play a seven-man front and it's easier to run the football against and they're spreading us out when the offensive line spreads. We're not getting off blocks and tackles.
On what it means for Tulane to play LSU:
Well, it used to be great in the old days. If you talk to the old-timers, it was great. But, you know, lets be honest, it's not the same right now. They're a much better football program than we are and that's being brutally honest again. They get a lot of great football players, play in the toughest conference in the country and it's hard, it's hard. They didn't recruit any of our football players. None of our guys took official visits there. And I don't believe any of their players took official visits here either.
On differences between Tulane and LSU football:
Well, it's an in-state game. I think it's good. I wish I were a little healthier and I'd like to be more competitive against them. I felt really good the first half last year, but it's hard. They beat you up, they bang you up and you try to win your conference and you look at this conference, what have we won? Two games against BCS schools in this whole conference. It's hard. We're different. And if people don't realize that, there is something wrong. There's a reason why they're a BCS conference and we're a mid-major conference. Again, I'm being brutally honest. We're not in the same leagues. People might not want to think that or wish that or believe that, but I'm just being honest again.
On having to play LSU two years in a row at Tiger Stadium:
Well, I don't have any control over that. I don't think it'd be fair to our fans and our people to have to go there every year. We can put people in our stadium too. They didn't buy all the seats to come to our game last year. So I wouldn't be in favor of that. I know we're supposed to play them two years in a row there. And then come back here two years, but I think it's only right that if we're going to play a game like this lets play there, let's play here, lets play there, lets play here.
On Tulane's strength as a team:
We have gotten stronger. We still only have about four guys that can bench press 400lbs. But we have gotten stronger as a football team. We have recruited some stronger guys, but they're not at 400lbs. But we're young. Look at our football team. Look at the guys that are playing in the depth and the numbers. We're a young football team. And you know, I'm trying to build a program. I came here a year ago when they hadn't lifted weights in a year and a half. And I got some guys like Mike Parenton who can bench almost 500 lbs. But that's one guy. We just don't have a lot of guys that can do it. We're working on it, we're gaining on it, and we're getting better. But we have a ways to go.
On if he'd rather play LSU in September rather than November:
Yeah, I think I'd rather play it early to be honest with you. Get it out of the way and get on with the league. We're the last team in Conference USA to play a BCS team. So, we're playing them in the eighth game of the season and now we're beat up as it is. We might just take the equipment down and circle it up and get out of town real quick, you know. It's hard playing a team like that and they're mad right now. They're really mad. And I don't like them being mad. They're tough enough.
On what he told the team yesterday:
I scared the hell out of them yesterday. I told them they were in for a real war. I said `you know what Custard felt like? Get ready baby, because that's what it's going to be like. We're going to have a lot of bows and arrows and bullets.' But all kidding aside, I just told them, I'm very honest with my football team, and I told them it's is going to be very, very, very difficult. You're going to have to play you're very best. We can't give them the football game by turning it over and making the stupid mistakes we've made. And somehow, we've got to come up with some plays. But we have to play with great emotion, great intensity and play smart. Not beat ourselves. And hopefully be very, very competitive.
On if it's his first time at Tiger Stadium:
No, when I was at Texas A&M I played there. I was called some bad names there too, I tell you what. They start going `Tiger Bait' it is unbelievable. When I walked in, I was scared. I was glad I didn't have to play. But all kidding aside, I think there are great, passionate fans. I love what they represent. I know they're a little crazy and wild, but I love what they represent because they are passionate. They don't care if they play at eight o'clock in the morning, two o'clock in the afternoon, seven o'clock at night; they're going to pack that stadium. And that to me is a loyal, passionate fan. I'm going to enjoy going down there and playing in that stadium, because I enjoy big, big atmospheres and big crowds like that. I'm going to enjoy it. Now, when the game is over it might be different. But I'm going to enjoy it. And our kids will enjoy it too. We're going to make it a good experience.
