Weekly Press Luncheon Quotes
October 29, 2007 | Football
Oct. 29, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University Head Football Coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media prior to this week's game against Memphis. The following are selected comments:
Opening Comments:
"It was a great win for the program and one of the most complete games we have played in a long time. I was proud of the way we responded after the NC State game to come out and play the way we did in front of our home crowd. There are a lot of younger players that are starting to mature. Jonathan Williams had his opportunities and it was nice to see some other freshmen like Dwayne Harris and Travis Simmons play well. We got some great efforts from upperclassmen as well. I can't say enough about the job that Matt Butler and Doug Palmer are doing on the offensive line. Patrick Pinkney also went in and provided a spark as he showed the confidence he had developed earlier in the year. It was nice to see Pierre Bell and Quentin Cotton back out there at the linebacker position.
"What was great about this game was that we were able to play a lot of guys. There were 30 players who made a tackle, 10 who carried the football, 11 who caught a pass and five who played quarterback. Brett Clay got a chance to go in and run the offense in the late third and early fourth quarters and Taylor Mazzone and Joseph Sloan were able to take some snaps. All of it was good for our team's morale.
"With all that said, you have to be careful what you wish for. UCF's victory last night put us in a position to where what we talked about is playing out. We are in this single elimination tournament and the [UAB] win is just one win. We haven't won anything at this point and have given ourselves a chance to play again in round two. This is what we call our `final four conference tour' and Memphis is the next opponent.
"From an injury standpoint, the game Saturday was costly to us on the offensive line. We have had a lot of injuries and bodies are starting to get a little scarce, especially after moving Brandon Setzer back to the defensive line. Fred Hicks will most likely have surgery on his ankle this week. Davon Drew also has an ankle injury and Mark Robinson tweaked his thigh. Hicks will be out but we do not know the status of the other two."
On Memphis:
"We know that we have a challenge this week. Memphis is a 4-4 football team right now and 3-1 in the conference. They have won three of their last four and are playing well with confidence. Offensively, they are scary because they have three tailbacks that are playing by committee. All of them are averaging four yards per carry. Their two quarterbacks have completed over 60 percent of their passes and have thrown 14 touchdowns as compared to seven interceptions. Additionally, their five wide receivers have caught over 20 passes and are extremely tall, all the way up to 6-8. We have been trying to teach Travis Simmons and Travis Williams how to backpedal on stilts in order to be able to play the jump ball with some of them. They are number two in turnover margin in our conference.
"On the defensive side of the ball, [Memphis] is a stingy group. I think their secondary is extremely active and have a lot of upperclassmen, especially at the safety position. They made a change prior to the Tulane game where they took a safety out and put another linebacker in to get their more active players onto the field. They also give you a lot of different looks on the defensive front. We will have to be ready for the 4-4 or 4-3 and be really simple in what we do offensively. They are first in redzone defense, second in scoring defense and third in passing defense so we need to be ready. It will take one of our better efforts, especially playing on the road. Coach West has done a great job with this team and though it might have looked a little grim early on with some of the losses they had, they are using them for motivation."
On Stephen Heis at Center:
"We will have to move some things around behind [Heis]. I don't think the starting lineup will change much when you look at Heis, Butler and Palmer in the middle instead of [Fred] Hicks and Heis. They have been rolling off each other and we have played whoever is playing well during the game. Heis is now in the position to where he will have to play 75 plays a game. He has not done that this year and he hasn't taken every rep in practice so he will need to assume more of a leadership role. He will have to make all the calls without a safety net because Hicks would help him out with some calls here and there. We will have to get Butler some work at center this week which hopefully will not affect his productivity at guard. Sean Allen is a backup guard that we will have to move inside to get reps at center as well. It is unfortunate that Larry Lease separated his shoulder a few weeks ago because he was our third center. We may even have to bring Cory Dowless back into the mix. He started eight games for us a year ago and we are trying to redshirt him so hopefully we can still do that."
On the UCF-Southern Miss Contest and Its Ramifications:
"It's exciting for us right now but at the same time we have to remain focused in order to get ready for Memphis. We needed the help to control our own destiny but we always try to go 1-0 each week. The media and fans will do all the predicting, projecting and forecasting. People have already started talking about three games from now but we need to make sure we don't fall into that trap. I told the team, just like last week, that they have until Tuesday to get this game out of their systems to get ready for Memphis. Last week was as down as I've ever seen them and last night was as emotional as I've seen them. Everyone is feeling good about themselves and where we are. They can enjoy it now but when we get on the practice field Tuesday we will suffocate them in terms of doing the little things right."
On Learning from Last Seasons Loss to Rice:
"It is definitely a teaching tool. We were in the same situation last year that we are in now, controlling our own destiny. Hopefully the players remember that trip and that feeling after losing the opportunity to play for the conference championship. I always talk about taking two steps forward and one step back. Last year, we put ourselves in a position to play for the championship and we stubbed our toe at the last second. Hopefully that taught us to maintain our focus this year. If we don't take care of business this week then we lose the opportunity to play for it again next week."
On the Possibility of Removing Redshirts:
"I feel pretty comfortable with where we are now. At linebacker there are still some seniors there and some depth. With all the injuries, guys like Lorenzo Osborne, Danny Muhwezi and Durwin Lamb have stepped up to help fill that role. We haven't had to go to any true freshmen or guys that are redshirting. The same goes for the secondary. We are working with five safeties and five corners while also still redshirting five guys. Our offensive line has suffered the most. It started in the summer with the Terrance Campbell situation then Doug Polochak separating his shoulder in preseason camp. We have also lost Lease, Hicks and Willie Barton throughout the season so guys like Dowless are only a couple snaps away from losing that redshirt. I would love to have them redshirt but not at the expense of this football team."
On the Quarterbacks Situation This Week:
"Both quarterbacks will play. I told Coach Fitch that it was great to see Brett Clay get some experience as his last playing time came in the Virginia Tech game. You never know what is going to happen during the course of the season and he may have to win a game for us going down the stretch. Who plays will be predicated on how we are moving the football and the other team's defense. I think we have a very healthy quarterback situation. The first guy off the sideline to congratulate Patrick Pinkney after he threw that touchdown to Jamar Bryant in third quarter Saturday was Rob Kass. Everyone, not just the quarterbacks, are talking to each other and pointing things out to each other during the course of the game. It's a healthy competition and a great thing for our football team. I feel that we have two quarterbacks that merit some playing time. This is not Rob Kass vs. Patrick Pinkney, but East Carolina vs. Memphis."
