Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes
October 03, 2005 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University head football coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media prior to this week's game against Rice. The following are selected comments:
Opening Comments:
"I felt like we got a little bit mentally lazy when the score got out of reach in the second half, which was disappointing. We played real hard in the first half, but turnovers were the word of the day. We were moving the ball, rushing for 150 yards in the first half, which is more than we have rushed for in the first three games.
"Our offensive line is really starting to come together. It is becoming a focal point for us. I think Jermarcus Veal is really starting to become a solid fullback.
"Jerek Hewett did a nice job. He had a couple of great catches. He is a guy you are going to start seeing more of as we work him into the system because of his big play potential. We are trying to get more playmakers on the field. So far it has kind of been a two-man show with Aundrae Allison and Chris Johnson. I also thought Shawn Levesque and Robert Tillman played well offensively."
On Aundrae Allison:
"Aundrae tweaked his hamstring flexing during warm-ups. He is still a little sore right now, but I think he is going to be fine. When your best player goes down like that you have to have somebody else you can go to as we can't put all of our eggs in one basket. We are trying to spread the ball out and that was the reason for the move to Tillman."
On Defense against Southern Miss:
"We played steady at times in the secondary but there were some plays to be made. We have to be able to turn and step up and make them. I thought Travis Williams played well in the secondary, Richard Koonce and Chris Moore played well at the linebacker position and Marcus Hands played tremendous on the line. He was all over the field and they couldn't block him."
On Rice's Record:
"I don't think you look at their record right now. The combined record for the teams they've played is 11-1, Texas is undefeated, UCLA is undefeated and UAB is 3-1. This is a football team that runs the ball. They are a ball control offense that runs every option known to man. They have a couple of extremely fast tailbacks. They have done a good job building this program."
On Stopping The Rice Option:
"Not many people stop them. In the past, teams have gotten up on them early to force them to have to get huge chunks of yardage in the air. Their offense is not a comeback kind of offense. The scary part for us is that starting fast has not been our M.O.
"The best way I know to practice against the option is practice without the ball. You need to play assignment football instead of running to the ball like so many games that we have played to this point. We are going to have to be accountable.
"At practice we are going to have to put a better athlete at that position (the scout team quarterback) so we can see what it will look like on game day."
On ECU's Team Progress:
"They have worked hard all summer. I think they've gotten better each of the first four weeks, but every week we have played an opponent that kept getting better. We are not going to flinch; we are going to stay the course because I think we are heading in the right direction.
"We are learning a lot about these players. They are still learning a lot about this offense and starting to settle in but we are starting to get our playmakers on the field across the board."
On Jerek Hewett as A Receiver:
"We talked about playing Jerek when Tillman was going through his woes during the off-season, but when Tillman came back he was a little more developed and further along as a football player. Toughness is not a question mark with Jerek. We will learn more about that as we go. Most track guys are fast on a straight line but the thing that Jerek has is the ability to make you miss. I'm anxious to see him develop. A big play potential guy is a guy who can run, and that's Jerek."
On Comments To The Team After The Third Fumble:
"After the third fumble I grabbed everybody and said `look they haven't stopped us yet we haven't punted.' I told them that if we protected the football we would be fine. I told them that we were still in the football game."
