Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes
November 13, 2006 | Football
Nov. 13, 2006
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:
On Saturday's Win Against Marshall:
"Great win Saturday. I was really pleased with a lot of things in this game. This football team is really developing and evolving as the season moves on. They keep getting better week in and week out. The team started extremely fast in this football game. They came out fast and played passionate and hard. I was pleased with the efforts that they put out there on the field and I think the results showed.
"I think this football team is really starting to come together defensively. They are getting better and better each and ever week. There are a lot of things that we can improve on, but overall it was a great team effort from a defensive standpoint. I was impressed with the way they gang tackled, ran to the ball and again just the effort that they put forth. We have to improve our pass-rush. [Jimmy] Skinner did a really nice job of getting rid of the ball on time. They had a nice plan of spreading the field when they went to the passing game. The second half was probably not one of our better days as far as pass coverage is concerned. They took advantage of a couple of mistakes we made in the secondary but overall I was pleased with our performance.
"There were a lot of really good things in this game form an offensive standpoint. Right before the half the offense took the ball and went right down the field and put ball in the end zone to make it 20-7 and that was one of the defining moments in this game. It was definitely one of the turning points and it gave us momentum. There were a lot of good things on offense and a lot of positive things to build on. These younger players are getting better and better with Cory Dowless, Sean Allen and Terence Campbell up front. Matt Butler keeps getting better at center and had one of his better days at that position. James [Pinkney] played very well also. There are still some things that bother me offensively that we need to continue to improve on. One without a doubt is our red zone productivity. We got inside the 5-yard line three times and only put the ball in once and we had to kick two field goals. The other thing that kind of bothers me right now is that we don't have a hammer. We get in the middle of the field for second and one and or third and one and we don't have a lot of punch as far as getting a first down.
"Special Teams stood up and made a huge play for the second time this year that effected the outcome of the game. The blocked punt was on of the biggest plays they made because it helped us get up on the board early. I thought Zach Slate made a great play blocking the punt with one hand and I thought he played one heck of a football game. It was nice to see special teams come in and make a difference. We are really excited about having that win."
On Rice:
"We've got to find a way to go 1-0 on the road to play Rice. It doesn't matter how we win we just have to find a way to score more points at the end of the day. With the last two games being on the road we are back into our road warrior theme. We have challenges ahead of us. We are playing a very good football team this weekend with Rice. When you look at the job that they have done in turning that program around this year it has really been impressive. They are one of the better statistical teams from an offensive standpoint. They are really being productive right now. They have three guys that are really getting it done for them on offense. This team is good and they have gained our attention especially last week when they beat Tulsa. This is going to be a really bi game for us but as I said before but as I said before our focus right now just has to be to go 1-0."
On Rice's Jarret Dillard:
"He is powerful, elusive and he runs extremely hard. He is very hard to tackle. He has got an awful lot of talent. I have really been impressed with every time he gets the ball. He is running with a great attitude right now."
On Rice's Defense:
"They are very aggressive. They are second in the league in sacks. They are really doing a lot of great things to create pressure. They are not just sitting back and reacting they are the ones that are turning and they are trying to take the fight to the offense. Their linebackers are very active and very athletic. They are not dropping them into pass coverage they're locking up man coverage on the back. They are trying to get in your Quarterback's face and create sacks. They take a very aggressive approach and changing the field with the number of turnovers they have."
On the Approach for Playing Rice
"It is what we say going into every game. We need to stop them on defense and we have to be able to score on offense, but then you get into the flow of the game and you make a determination on how you are going to play it. Right now it is too early to say what approach we are going to take or how we are going to do it."
On Rice's Linebacker Brian Raines:
"I'm not sure what he is ranked in the NCAA but it is pretty high. He is very active, aggressive and athletic. He has a nose for the ball and he is very fast. That many tackles doesn't just find you, you have to find them and that's what he does. They returned eight starters on defense so it's not like they are trying to build this with a lot of young players.
On the Team's Progress this Season:
"We came into the season being really good. I don't know that I have had a team progress this far but as I said I don't know that I have this young. I said that preseason that we were going to be a much more talented defense than we were a year ago. There is much more talent running around on the field. They are a lot of young guys that did not play a year ago and red shirted. Now they are having the opportunity and it was just a matter of them gaining experience. A lot of credit goes to the defensive staff and those players. They are extremely mature for a young group of players. They want to be good and they are working hard at it."
On Dominique Lindsay's Return:
"In looking at what is left in the season this year, we are playing for a lot. I would hate to say that we have one of our better running backs, which is that hammer that I was talking about that we are missing, and we're going to red shirt and he's going to be really good down the road. There are still a lot of games left to play. We just felt like that we would cross those bridges, as we get to them down the road. We are tying to play for something right now and in fairness to the seniors we have an obligation to them to put our best players on the available out on the field to give them a chance to win."
On Playing on the Road Versus Playing at Home:
"There is no doubt that it is special to be at home right now. We are grateful to the Pirate Nation for the way that they have supported us and the way that they come out in droves. The student body is vocal and into it and there is just a big time atmosphere in that stadium. I can't say thank you enough and I don't think anybody has any idea the difference that it makes not only to our players but to our recruits as well. Being road warriors is part of being on the road. There are some atmospheres that are going to be extremely loud and then you may go play in a stadium that is not like playing at home and there is not enough emotion. "
On Rice's Win Against Tulsa:
"There is no doubt that that got out teams attention. We understand what a good team Tulsa is. They went in there and played extremely well."
