Holtz' Weekly Press Quotes
August 31, 2009 | Football
Aug. 31, 2009
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University Head Football Coach Skip Holtz addressed members of the media prior to this week's game against Appalachian State. The following are selected comments:
Opening Comment:
"I am excited that the season is finally here. Anytime we leave one phase and go to another, it's another step forward in getting done what we need to get done."
On Finishing The Preseason:
"We're finishing up what we call phase four, which is camp. Looking back at some of the things we were trying to get accomplished, we wanted to make sure that we took the experience we had coming back and got it polished up and get it ready to go. I feel really good about so many of the guys who are returning and the experience they had.
"We also wanted to make sure that we got a lot of scrimmage reps for the guys who are inexperienced. I felt like we did that. I wish we were farther along than we are with our No. 2's and No. 3's, but I think we're a lot farther along than we were when we started.
"I think they worked extremely hard and we got an awful lot done. It was nice to get out there and not have to teach so much of the retention stuff. Instead, we were able to teach how to do the little things in order to make an offensive or defensive play successful. I was really excited about what we got done in camp. Now we're able to get into the season."
On Being In Game Week:
"As we went out to practice last night, there is a little bit more enthusiasm. Everybody is excited and vocal. In flex there is a lot of chatter going on. I think they're tired of hitting each other and I think they're ready to play a football game. This is what they have trained for and prepared for through last fall, winter workouts, spring practice, summer conditioning and fall camp. I think they're really excited to play."
About Playing Appalachian State:
"We're excited to have the opportunity to play Appalachian State and renew this in-state rivalry. There is some history and tradition here with the two schools.
"We're excited to have the opportunity to open the season at home with the excitement, enthusiasm and energy in Dowdy-Ficklen. It ought to be a great atmosphere.
"It's a game that is past overdue and we're excited to be a part of the rivalry again.
On Appalachian State's Offense:
"When I look at Appalachian State, I know we have our hands full. Everybody wants to make the biggest issue about their quarterback, Armanti Edwards, and if he's going to play. At this point, I don't know if he's going to play or not. We're not getting ourselves tied up into whether he will play because I think this football team is much more than just Edwards. He is a great player who has had great success. When you watch him on film, he has done some incredible things.
"But he didn't play against Western Carolina last year and his back-up accounted for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
"They have recruited very athletic quarterbacks. That is their mindset. I think we're going to see a very good quarterback, whoever that is.
"They have very good wide receivers. I've really been impressed with CoCo Hillary and Brian Quick. I think they've got a couple big-time receivers.
"When we were at Connecticut, one of the biggest differences between us and some other programs was not at the skill position. When you look at NFL rosters, the skill position players come from all over the country and all different size schools. App. State is no different. They have some great receivers.
"I think Devon Moore is an excellent tailback who we recruited here. I think is a very talented player who runs hard and is physical.
"Their offensive line is all about the same size at 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 and between 275-285 pounds. They're quick, athletic and do a great job in their system.
"On offense, I think they are very similar to what West Virginia does. I think they do a really good job with it. I think Coach Moore has built a great program. Their offense is one of the best in their league. They're extremely explosive and can put up a lot of points."
On Appalachian State's Defense:
"On the defensive side of the ball, they have two senior defensive tackles in the middle. I've also been really impressed with their young defensive ends who all run very well. But I think the heart and soul of that defense is right in the middle with Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith. Those two are active, physical, tough and run hard. I've really been impressed with those two linebackers. They make a lot of plays and are all over the field.
"They like to play man coverage. They led their league in pass defense. They have two very athletic corners and they have put a free safety back there that ended up with 10 interceptions a year ago. They're a very athletic defensive group and I think we're going to have our hands full."
On Appalachian State's Special Teams:
"Their placekicker is also coming back and he was 8-for-12 kicking field goals last year. I'm sure he will improve upon that. They have a new punter and kickoff specialist, but being the opening game, you don't really know what to expect. The biggest thing we're trying to do right now is control what we can control, which is our team and trying to prepare them for everything."
On East Carolina's Kicking Game:
"Ben Hartman was a question mark with his hip earlier. I watched him kick very well last night. I was really impressed with what Ben Ryan did in last Friday's scrimmage, going 5-for-7 on field goals. He missed his first two but then hit the next five, including a 53-yarder. I think we've got a little competition going on this week. I think either one of those is available if we need them. I just need to let them compete and figure out who it's going to be.
"Matt Dodge is back and I expect good things from him. He's had an excellent camp. There is still a lot of competition at the field goal position with Hartman coming back and Ryan and Dodge are competing for kickoff duties."
On East Carolina's Running Game:
"Coming into this week, Dominique Lindsay and Brandon Jackson have taken the bulk of the reps. Jackson hurt his thumb in the scrimmage Friday, but I expect him to play with where he is right now. It will be a little bit sore, but it will get better. I look at those two taking the bulk of the work at the tailback position right now.
"The two guys behind them who have really done well are Giavanni Ruffin, who has shown up, had a very productive camp and impressed a lot of people. Jon Williams has also had a productive camp. Those two just need to polish up from an assignment standpoint and making sure they do the little things right. Darnel Ballard and Norman Whitley have done some good things this camp as well. I would say the tailback position is probably the deepest on this team right now.
"It's a long cry from where we were a year ago when we didn't have Lindsay, Jackson, Ruffin and Williams wasn't here for the second half of the season. Right now the top four guys you're looking at are bigger, more physical backs. In the past, we have struggled in short-yardage situations and have not had the success we needed to have in the past in order to keep drives alive. I feel good we have improved the running back position tremendously and I feel good about the guys who are there and the guys who will play Saturday."
On Which Running Backs Will Play In The Game:
"Right now we're just going to play it by ear with injury. They are all going to play a more prevalent role in the kicking game because we do feel like we have some depth. Those guys can play a more active role on kickoffs and punts. They can give us some quality reps.
"They will all play. I can't say they will all see time at tailback, however. I feel like we have four backs that can play. Right now, I'd be very comfortable looking up and seeing any one of those four out there."
On Rob Kass' Move To Tight End/H-Back:
"He has done great and has adjusted well. I think it has been such a great move because he has been so positive about it. His attitude has been phenomenal, he has worked his tail off and has embraced it and done great with it. I think he's really done a great job with the adjustment."
On Appalachian State's Mindset About Playing East Carolina
"I'm sure they look at it as an opportunity to make some waves. This is a huge bragging rights game.
"I look at it as very similar to when we go to North Carolina and N.C. State with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. We're trying to prove that we're on a competitive playing field with UNC or N.C. State and that makes your players dig a little bit deeper. I think App. State is going to come in here with that very same mindset.
"We're trying to prepare our team for that and utilize that same analogy. We're trying to get our team to understand how had Appalachian State is going to play.
"They've got a very good football team. They have won three out of four national championships for a reason. I think they're a very good football team. They know how to play. They're excellent, physical and can run. They have a bunch of guys who are used to winning. We're going to have to go into this game with a mindset that is 100 percent focused on the task at hand. They're certainly going to come in with that mindset."
On Preparing The Team For Appalachian State:
"They have enough accolades behind their name that we're not going to have to sell them very hard. I hope there was an awful lot of maturity that went on last year. We learned a lot of valuable lessons with what we went through a year ago.
"I think this football team is excited about playing and playing App. State. I think it's a great rivalry game for the state of North Carolina."
On C.J. Wilson And His Impact On The Defense:
"I hope he has the same kind of impact he had a year ago. He was an impact player with a number of sacks and tackles for a loss. It's very rare to see a defensive end have 70 tackles in a year. It's not just the tackle numbers, but to see how many times he flushed the quarterback out of the pocket and hurried the quarterback. He is a great talent.
"We're looking at our whole defensive line to be our strength because it's not only C.J., but Jay Ross, Linval Joseph and Scotty Robinson. Three of those four are seniors and the other is a junior. We're counting on that front four an awful lot to make an impact on a football game."
On What Makes C.J. Wilson Special:
"When you look at his size and weight, he's 6-foot-4, 278 pounds, but he can run. He brings speed off the edge, but also size and strength. He can get in a finesse game with his athleticism, but also a power game. He can play a physical game with the tackle. He's so diverse with what he can do. I think that's what makes him so good. He's not a specialist who only comes in on third down to rush the quarterback. He can play every down. When you look at his size, speed and athleticism, that's what makes him so special."
On Appalachian State's No Huddle Offense:
"You're always worried about the opener and the speed of the game. What you can't tell on film is how fast they're snapping the ball and the tempo of the game. We are preparing for the fast pace, with it being one play after another coming at us. It's a lot easier to adjust by having to slow down than to have to speed up. We're going in like it's going to be a two-minute tempo. You just don't know in the first game because you can't see those things on film."
On Armanti Edwards' Injury And How It Will Effect Him:
"I don't know. I just don't know. I hear very little about it at this point. I don't know if he's 80 percent, 100 percent, if he's going to play or if he's not going to play.
"We're preparing for him to play. I don't think this game is Edwards versus East Carolina. They have other players on their team. I know they have very capable back-ups and I know they are very excited about their new freshman quarterback they have in camp. He's doing a lot of good things. Whoever they put back there, as long as they only put one back there at a time, I think we'll be ok. Whoever plays, we're preparing for an athletic quarterback who can run around, make things happen and beat you with his feet or his arm."
On Who Is Playing Armanti Edwards This Week In Practice:
"A year ago we took defensive back Rahkeem Morgan, who was a quarterback in high school and who is a very special talent, and he went back there and played quarterback when we played West Virginia. We're going to have to look at where we are from an offensive and defensive game plan and figure out who we can take out for this week. We're going to put the most athletic person we can back there and let him run around. I'd prefer to have it be somebody on the scout team because we're going to need this week in preparation.
"Everything we've done this last week has been No. 1's versus No. 1's, so we've seen a lot of good on good situations. We've seen athletic quarterbacks before and that's part of the advantage of having so much experience back. So many of our defensive players up front have seen and played against Pat White, which is good experience."
On Changes That Holtz Has Made In His Five Years:
"We have kind of held the same formula. Camp was a little bit different this time because we had so many guys with so much experience. I think you constantly have to look at your football team, what your needs are and what you're trying to get done that year.
"We're going to prepare very similar this week in the same way we have the last four. I think you always have to make sure your team is fresh and that it knows what's going on. I think those are the two most important things in an opening game. There are so many unknown variables.
"You just need to make sure your football team is fresh and that you don't try to confuse them. You don't want them out there over thinking. You want to have an offensive and defensive game plan that they can go out and execute. That's why the scrimmage that we do on Friday is kind of like a mock game. We do a game rehearsal with coaches up in the box and using both sidelines.
"We sat down Sunday and talked about some of the mistakes that we made and need to correct. They say the most improvement on a football team is made from week one to week two, so we hope that we can eliminate many of the mistakes that we made Friday before Saturday. But we're not going to change what we do from a structure standpoint at all."
On Saturday's Weather:
"I don't know what the weather is going to do at this point. Two weeks ago they were talking about it being extremely warm. Now, the cold front this week is expected to last a little longer. I'm hearing highs around 86 degrees. I don't know how much humidity there will be, but we have had the opportunity to experience it during camp.
"That's part of the reason I like to practice in the middle of the day, to go out in the heat. If all our games were at 7 p.m., I would practice later, but with our games being at 12 p.m., we needed to acclimate them to the heat as well as we can. I don't know what the weather is going to do, but we're prepared if it's going to be hot and muggy."
On Relying On The Defense So Much Last Year:
"We had to rely on our defense because of having so many injuries and suspensions on offense. If you take the top five players off of any offense in the country, and there are going to be struggles.
"I didn't feel like we could win last year with the youth and inexperience we had by having a wide-open offense that threw the ball all over the field. I didn't think that's what our strength was.
"We went back to the Woody Hayes era of winning with defense and special teams. That's the hand we were dealt and we adjusted. We felt a punt was a good offensive play. We had a sound defense that we were going to rely on because we were healthy there. We punted the ball and made opposing teams drive 80 yards against our defense. It was successful for us.
"This year, with our tailback situation the way it is and having Jamar Bryant and Dwayne Harris back, along with Darryl Freeney and Joe Womack with another year of experience, we have many more weapons on offense and we'll have to see how we can open things up and utilize them all. We also have Alex Taylor back and Kevin Gidrey as a tight end/H back.
"Our offense has to compliment our defense and vice versa. There are a lot of people who play a wide-open brand of football. Their defensive mindset is to blitz, attack and either make them punt or let them score, but we want the football back. I think it's important that the two complement each other.
"With us being healthy, I would love to go out there and open things up and see what we can do with it."
On His Favorite Part Of The Game-Day Atmosphere:
"I love the crowd. When the quarterbacks and specialists go out and hour and a half before kickoff, you can see the students who are starting to fill in the student section.
"When we come back on the field, really about the only time I notice the crowd, is when we come out and stand there after we walk through he smoke under the goalpost. To look in that environment is a special time.
"I think it's a great college atmosphere. I think the marketing people deserve an awful lot of credit. We have a very fan-friendly atmosphere with the "First Down Pirates" cheer, the third-down bell and all the little things that are going on during the game. I think football is important in Greenville, and I think the people here have made that loud and clear."
On His Relationship With Coach Moore:
"Coach Moore and I coached together at an all-star game in Hawai'i. We were on the same team. I ran the offense and he ran the defense.
"He's an excellent football coach with a great mind. He is a disciplinary. His teams are by the book and are not unexpected. He is traditional; they're not going to change. His not a gimmick coach. He says we're going to do these 20 pays and we're going to do them better than you can defend them. They execute very well.
"He has a great system with what he has in place. I think he's an excellent football coach and a great man. I look forward to our conversation before the game and being able to visit with him a little bit.
"I think it's his tried and true methods. He's not a flash in the pan. When you look at his character and the way he's building his program, it's very impressive. He's building it on toughness, hard-nosed play, togetherness and unity. Those are all things you want in a team atmosphere. I have great respect for Coach Moore. I think the job he has done at Appalachian State has been phenomenal. It's nearly unprecedented."
On Playing True Freshman This Season:
"We go into every year saying I would like to redshirt all the freshmen. Right now, there are three who will for sure play. There are another three who we will keep warm because we're one injury away from pulling the redshirt off of them. I think there's an awful lot of talent in this freshman class. It is a great group of people and students.
"I love the freshman class. I think they have a chance to do some special things here. The type of people, character and stability in that class is great.
"On defense, Michael Brooks has really made a difference on the defensive line. He has stepped in and you will definitely see him play. Lamar McLendon and Marke Powell have lit up Coach Hudson's face. They are athletic and can really do some things. One of the things that excites me about them is that they can not only provide depth at linebacker, but also on special teams. Right now those three are going to play barring an injury to them or something along those lines.
"The other three guys who we are looking at are Kyle Tudor, another linebacker because we feel we could utilize him on special teams as well. On offense we have Rio Johnson, who I don't want to pull a redshirt off of unless I have to. I would love to be able to redshirt him. I think he's going to be a special quarterback who is very talented. But with a guy like Patrick Pinkney being our starter, I can't see pulling a sixth-year senior off the field to put a true freshman in the game. We'll worry about the future in the future. Right now what we have to do is build this football team. I would like to save that year if I can.
"The other guy is Zico Pasut, who is a tight end who has had a shoulder injury for about two weeks. He has been cleared now to practice this week so we have to see where he is and if he's ready to help us or not.
"One more is Jordan Davis, an offensive lineman. I've been really impressed with his size, athleticism and his pick-up of the offense. We would have to sustain an injury on the offensive line for Davis to see time, however."
