Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes
November 14, 2005 | Football
Nov. 14, 2005
GREENVILLE, N.C.--East Carolina University head football coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media prior to this week's game against Conference USA match up with the Marshall Thundering Herd. The following are selected comments:
Breakdown Of Tulsa Game:
"In a recap of the game Saturday, it was as (defensive coordinator) Greg Hudson ultimately put it as we talked earlier, `it was the Tale of Two Cities, because it was the best of times and it was the worst of times.' There were a lot of positives to draw from in this football game. When you sit down and break this game down the first half was about conditions. It was about the wind because it was a huge factor. Going into the wind we were trying to run the ball, make a couple of first downs, and move the game along, get a punt off and try to play solid defense because the wind was gusting. It wasn't necessarily that we started slow, as much as it was that we had to start into the wind. Our defense did a really good job outside of that one series when they took the ball down and scored. The defense did a good job of keeping them out of the end zone in the first quarter when they had such good field position with the wind. As soon as the wind flipped and the second quarter came around, that was when we really started to open things up. We started to throw more, took a couple of shots downfield, made some big plays, and hit Bobby Good on the deep ball that got us down there to set up a score. We did some things to get some points on the board and we went into halftime leading 13-10 feeling good about where we were at that point. Statistically speaking it was a very balanced game with the first quarter in the favor of Tulsa offensively, and the second quarter in the favor of East Carolina with the wind at our back.
"We went in at halftime and talked about what we needed to do and that we were going to take the wind in the fourth quarter. I told them at halftime don't be surprised if they have the wind in the third quarter if they go up a little bit, don't panic, don't flinch because we will get the wind in the fourth quarter because that is when this game is going to be won at the very end of the game. I told our defense that if we really wanted to make a statement then hold them scoreless in the third quarter and all of a sudden the fourth quarter turns we have the lead and the wind that would make a huge statement for this football game if we could dominate the third quarter. Our defense went out and did a great job on the first two possessions, we forced them into a fourth-and-10 right around midfield, when we had the roughing the kicker penalty, which gave them a first down. We got them into first-and-25 and on third down we had a missed assignment and Garrett Mills did a great job of breaking a couple of tackles and getting into the end zone. We got the ball back on offense and we were trying to get something going, which at that point it was 17-13, and we felt like we could put a drive together and go down the field and score, then we are right back to where we were. We made a huge deal about trying to answer any score that was going against us. When we turned the ball over on the fumble, and they turned and took it into the end zone in two plays, momentum started going against us. We really didn't handle adversity very well on the road as a football team. From then on it was not about stats, it was not an individual performances or anything else. It was about momentum and a mindset that started going against us and we did not react very well to overcome the adversity that we had on the road. At that point the same cause on offense and defense that were working in the first half and even in the second half, and even in the third quarter, were not working very well. They turned and really went through us in the third and fourth quarter. I give Tulsa a lot of credit because they did not do anything to give us momentum back. We were trying to get an interception, turn the ball over, force a punt, force something to try and get some momentum back on our side and we couldn't get anything going on offense or defense."
Breakdown Of Individual Performance:
"On the kicking game side of it I could not be more pleased with the way that (Ryan) Dougherty punted, especially with the wind. The way that he has been kicking off has been fun to watch, he is really booming that ball on kickoffs and he has got a number of touchbacks. I am really proud of the way that he has progressed as a kickoff man. Robert Lee has been steady all season and has done an excellent job for us.
"On the defensive side of the ball, up front it would be Shauntae Hunt. The way that he plays with the excitement and energy that he puts into everything on the field, and gives it everything that he has. The guy that played the best game of the year was Chris Moore. Moore has really started to get better and better, because he is starting to play in the system, because he has really started to accept his role as the middle linebacker in this defense and where he is supposed to be. Through three quarters he graded at around 96 percent and was all over the field making plays; and he really played a great game on Saturday. It was a very emotional game and I noticed that this senior class really wanted to win. There were a lot of goals and objectives that we really wanted to accomplish, and with our backs up against the wall you can see the guys that really laid it on the line and Chris Moore is one of those that played one great football game. In the secondary, the same can be said about Zach Baker. As a senior Baker and Moore played outstanding in this football game and they played their best game of the year so far. Kasey Ross is another because he played a really good game at corner. Kasey is getting a little frustrated right now because one of the things that you go through as a field corner, especially when you have any kind of success, is not many people work your side. He is starting to get frustrated a little bit because he is not being challenged very much, but Kasey is playing really well for us.
"On the offensive side of the ball, Aundrae Allison showed up as he always does every week. Bobby Good played a very nice football game and it is nice to have him back, coming off that hamstring injury. He made a couple of really nice catches. The one throw that Allison made to him was a great over the shoulder catch way down the field. He really played a nice football game for us. Also it was nice to see Steven Rogers get into the mix a little bit and give us some quality catches with Tillman, Howard and a couple of other receivers down. Those guys are really stepping up and doing a nice job. At quarterback, James Pinkney protected the ball very well. James is doing a lot of very good things. We need to continue to work on his fundamentals and his speed. He is really coming around mentally and understanding the importance of protecting the football. He is also doing a pretty good job of understanding the difference of when to scramble and when to sit in the pocket and wait on something to come open. I was really pleased with the way that James was playing as well."
Preview Of Marshall:
"We have a very tough challenge this week against Marshall. They are a very good football team, and they have done a very good job in turn of building their program. They are very similar of where we are right now, a 4-5 team that are three plays away from sitting at 7-2. They are in the same boat (as East Carolina), with a close loss to Kansas State, an overtime loss to Southern Miss. They have a very good football team and this is going to be a very competitive football game. All of the games in this league right now are extremely close and the difference between winning and losing is a play here and a play there, and this week is not going to be any different.
"When you look at them from an offensive standpoint they have a very big offensive line. The left tackle is 340 lbs. and the right tackle is only 338 lbs. They have great size and are very well coached up front, and they do a very nice job up front. Their tight end is not as active in the field but he is very productive, especially in the red zone because they go to him a lot, utilize him a lot down in the scoring zone. He is a nice ball controlling tight end in the scoring zone when things start to get tight. The quarterback who makes the wheels go around on the bus is Bernie Morris and he got injured last week, so I don't know what his status is right now on whether or not he will play. It is not going to make much of a difference on whether he is back or not when you watch the job that (Jimmy) Skinner did when he came in during the second half. Marshall was down 14 points when he went in there, rallied the comeback, and really did a nice job. They both have experience, played a lot, so it is not like you are getting an immature quarterback that has never played. Whether it is Skinner or Morris, either one of them are productive with what they do. Morris is more of a runner and Skinner is a better passer. The thing that makes the most prolific offensive player is their tailback (Ahmad Bradshaw). He is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, he is their leading rusher, and he is also their leading receiver. Not only coming out of the backfield, but he leads all of their receivers with 46 catches; very productive, very active and does a nice job. Among their receivers, two that are the difference makers right now, are (Hiram) Moore and the one that scares me more than anybody is Shawn Lauzon. He is a 6-6 receiver and a very similar to the receivers that we saw here against Central Florida. They are very productive and have a very good offensive ball club.
"On defense I don't think that it is necessarily about the personnel. When you look at them defensively they have 19 players that have made a tackle for loss. They have 11 different guys that have made a sack, five different players that have made an interception, 15 players that have broken up a pass, and nine guys that have caused a fumble. When you look at them, they are playing a lot people, very active and they are playing by committee. Their defensive line is good, they are solid, and they have a big nose guard that is at 300 lbs. that clogs things up in the middle. Their linebackers are very active, they are the leading tacklers, and along with the safeties are the strength of their defense."
Similarities Of Bradshaw & Johnson:
"Chris Johnson is an excellent receiver. I don't know that I have seen enough in the film to compare everything between Bradshaw and him. I know that Bradshaw is very productive and very active. They are the same age and both are sophomores. I don't know that Chris Johnson is being asked to be the receiver out of the backfield that Marshalls asking Bradshaw to be. Chris is our second leading receiver, whereas Bradshaw is their first. They both are excellent receivers and they both have great running skills. They are both young and they are both going to continue to develop."
