Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes
November 21, 2005 | Football
Nov. 21, 2005
Greenville, N.C. -East Carolina University head football coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media prior to the season finale against Conference USA foe UAB. The following are selected comments:
Reviewing the victory over Marshall:
"It was a great win for us as a program on the road to play a team in Marshall that was 103-7 at home in the last 15 years. It was the most complete game that we have played all year as a football team. Offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game it was the best game that we have played all year. I don't have an answer for why it took us this long to get that complete game, but those guys went up there and played extremely hard and gave great heart. They also showed a lot of character for a team that everyone had talked about how `there is nothing to play for,' and how much Marshall had to play for with bowl eligibility and other things as well. This football team, with all of the goals and aspirations that they had, couldn't get into a bowl game and have a winning season,all that we had to play for was the continuation of building this program. The leadership of this team was very evident by the way that a lot of these seniors played and what they went up there and did on Saturday. I am very proud of this football team.
"A couple of things that came out of the Marshall game were obvious to me. Our kickers are playing extremely well and I can't say enough positive things about (Ryan) Dougherty and Robert Lee with what they are doing for us right now. Dougherty punted and kicked off extremely well, both into the wind and with the wind. Robert Lee continues to be a mainstay for us. I ran a bootleg at the end of the game and figured that even if we lost five to ten yards (Lee) would still make it. I felt comfortable doing something like that because of the kicker that we have. If you don't have a kicker like that then you don't run that risky play, just run it off tackle put the ball in the middle, and kick it from there.
"On the offensive side of the ball a number of people stepped up for us. Up front Gary Freeman and Chris Sellers really played a good game. Eric Graham hurt his back early in the game and did not play as consistently as he has up until this point, because of the injury. I can't say enough positive things about Guy Whimper, not that he caught the safety (C.J. Spillman) streaking down the sidelines which turned out to be one of the plays of the game with the way that our defense responded, but the impressive thing was that Kevin Roach and James Pinkney couldn't catch Spillman. At the running back position it was nice to see Chris Johnson come back and run with the attitude, spirit, and enthusiasm that he did. He did really well the week before at Tulsa, but he had that blemish with the turnover. A lot of Chris Johnson motivation and determination is coming from within, and the two guys behind him (Lindsay and Fractious). Brandon Fractious came in and had that long run down the sidelines and if you are Chris Johnson you say to yourself `I better start breaking some tackles or I am going to be sitting on the bench watching for a long time.'
"Kevin Roach really had a big game for us, after stepping in, and did a really nice job. Phillip Henry played very well, Bobby Good made some key blocks for us, and Steven Rogers who has played well two weeks in a row has stepped in really started to make an emergence."
Defensively against the Thundering Herd:
"If you can take out the first and the last drives of the game, and the 60-yard run, our defense played a good football game. They did some nice things against an offense that was averaging a lot of yards. Our defense really stepped up, and the way that this defense played in the red zone is a tribute to the leadership. This defense started on their own one-yard line and they gave up no points. They started after a punt return on their own 18-yard line and they gave up three points. And they started on the 37-yard line, that is three times inside the 40, twice inside the 20-yard line and they came away 10 points. The difference is the week before at Tulsa we had two breaks go against us and we give up 14 points that quick. The play that Chris Moore and Josh Chisholm made on first down at the goal line, after Whimper's stop, which made them snap the ball for second down and turn the ball over was text book. Both of them had their shoulders squared, they shuffle-shuffle-slide, and go over the top and meet him in mid-air, Shauntae Hunt came around the corner and made a great play, it was a text book goal line play."
Individual highs against Marshall:
"Shauntae Hunt consistently plays week in and week out. We got some great snaps out of Dontre Brown this week, who has been playing a limited role, and he played in 53 snaps so he gave us some productivity at the defensive line position. At the linebacker position, Richard Koonce played his best game of the year and was all over the field. Chris Moore played very well. We had made the transition by putting Pierre Bell at middle linebacker and he responded with 11 tackles, was productive as he could be, and he had been Moore's backup but we slid him over to be the middle linebacker and he responded nicely. Dashaun Stephens played his best game of the season. When talking about Moore, Koonce and Stephens, all seniors, which are playing some of the best football that they have all season long, all that is coming when everything was off the table. That is another reason that we won this football game. Kasey Ross did an excellent job and was very productive for a field corner, had five tackles, one interception and broke up a pass played extremely well for us."
Major difference in the game:
"Offensively we were in the red zone six times. We were able to put the ball into the end zone, score some points, and defensively we were able to keep them out."
Previewing the UAB Blazers:
"Wow, this is one heck of a football team and I am not saying that to blow smoke in their ear, over promote them, or over sell them. They came into the game last week with UTEP, changed some things from where they have been. They lined up in a two-back set, ran off the tackle 23 times, they ran right at the Miners and through the line. The offensive line is huge up front (300 lbs.-Matt Batusic; 310 lbs-Adam Truit; 330 lbs-Quinton Harris; 320 lbs-Cornelius Rogers). They have great size across the front line, they are big, physical and athletically they have an excellent offensive football team. When you say that they are big, physical and athletic it is their quarterback, offensive line and the same of their running backs. This is one of the more talented teams in this league.
"Looking at it defensively their strength is in their front four. They are extremely impressive and when you look at the two inside players (300 lbs-Williamson; 310 lbs-Respress), their defensive ends are (6-5 McElveen; 6-1 McSwain) are very athletic and physical up front with great range. When you put them on film and they have got the long arms and legs, they are tall and lanky and can run do to some of the things that they can do, from a talent standpoint this is one of the more athletic football teams that we are going to lineup against to play. They are very active with five guys that have at least two interceptions, they play a lot of people, do a lot of different things and this will be a challenge for our football team."
Emotions riding on the game:
"This will be a challenge for us this week because they have a lot to play for with that sixth win on the line. Our players are ready for it, excited for it and for our football team it should be an emotional day with this being the senior's last trip into this stadium to play. I just hope that we don't get so teary-eyed that we don't see who to block and tackle because we are so emotional over it."
Play of Darrell Hackney:
"Everybody in the stands will watch him warm up and say `wow, look at him throw the ball.' He has got an incredible arm, experience, intelligent, and he has not throwing interceptions with only nine on the season. He stands in the pocket and can throw it all over the yard making every throw in the book. He has a lot of experience and has been back there. You are not going to disguise and give him a lot of problems like you do a young quarterback. What is so impressive is his confidence, because of how much he has played, his intelligence and their timing passing game is hard to stop because they are so efficient at what they do."
Improvements made this season:
"I have never put a number on it by saying `four, if we can reach that level, that would be progress.' I never looked at it in that light. When you look at it from where we are right now, we have never looked at it from that level. It wasn't about four, five, or six (wins). It was about being as good as we can be. To me being really successful this season would have been to put these seniors in a bowl game. That is what they wanted and what they haven't done. They want to lay a foundation, build the program, establish work habits, attitude and all the characteristics of this football program that they have been working at so hard this year. I would have liked to have been able to get to six to let some of those guys reap the benefits and rewards of their hard work and labor that have gone into building this program over the last eight months."
