McNeill's Weekly Press Conference
September 26, 2011 | Football
Sept. 26, 2011
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Second-year East Carolina University Head Football Coach Ruffin McNeill addressed members of the media prior to this week's game against North Carolina. The following are selected comments:
Opening Statement
“I’m glad we won the football game. That was a game with two teams hungry for a victory. I thought they had a veteran staff and it showed during the contest.
“We grinded, fought and found a way to win. With all the mistakes, turnovers and mental errors, we were still able to find a way to win. A lot of teams would have lost that game. As a matter of fact, we may have lost that game last year with that many turnovers and mental errors. But the kids found a way and stayed the course.
“I wish you could have heard them on the sideline. Whether it was the defense or offense or special teams, they were all very encouraging. I was really happy to win.
“It’s great to get back on the winning track. It was very important to get a victory, and especially a conference win. One of our goals is to put ourselves in a position to win the Conference USA championship. With a victory, we were able to do that.
“On my checklist, I thought we played hard. Yes, we made some mistakes, but we played hard. When you watch the film, you could definitely see that.”
On The Penalties
“Did we play smart? No, we didn’t really play smart. We had four penalties that cost us. Two on defense allowed UAB drives to continue. I handled that immediately during and after the game, last night at practice and will continue to take care of that today.
“That will not happen again. That’s not what we’re talking about with playing smart. Those two penalties caused UAB drives to keep going. The penalty before the half on the Danny Webster reception was a block in the back. It was due to effort and technique. We could have pulled off and just screened a little bit.
“Those first two were what I call selfish penalties. That’s not what we’re about. We’ve addressed it numerous times and it will not be tolerated by me. It got straightened out Saturday after the game, Sunday night during practice and Monday.
“The penalty on the big punt return by Lance Lewis was a result of a new rule. Our officials met with us over the summer about blocking men out of bounds. Leonard Paulk was giving great effort. He was in the running for special teams’ player-of-the-week. He was blocking the heck out of the guy, but when the player steps out of bounds, you have to pull off. We learned from that. Leonard was giving great, great effort and doing an outstanding job blocking. His block was one of them that keyed the return.
“Those penalties hurt us. The two continued drives, one took away a long run by Danny before the half and the punt return flag we learned from.
“With all that said, we’re still second in the country in fewest penalties per game. I’m proud of that fact, but I want to be number one. That’s playing smart to me. That’s one of the things we’ve been addressing. We’ve gone from one of the bottom teams to one of the top in fewest penalties per game. That’s progress. It’s not where we want it, yet. We want to go zero, or close to it, penalties per game.”
On The Turnovers
“We addressed the turnover situation right after the game and at last night’s practice. We had an emphasis on it and intense drills. We will pay very high attention to that this week.
“A few of the fumbles were due to technique. We have to make sure we keep the ball high and tight. We worked on that last night. Three of the fumbles occurred when we were for fighting for extra yards, but you still have to tuck it away and keep it tight.
“One of the interceptions was a tipped ball. The UAB guy was in the right place at the right time and was the only one there. The other two were tough throws by Dominique Davis. He realizes that. That part we have to correct and we will.”
On The UAB Win
“We competed and were in great condition again. I’m very happy about the win. Trust me, I’ve been in this business for a long time - wins are hard to get. We had two games early that we were picked to lose by a large margin and hung in there.
“This game was one I knew would be hard fought. To be able to get a win in this job is hard. I’m very happy to get one.”
On A Game Ball For The Fans
“Before we move on, Coach Holland, Nick Floyd, Lee Workman and I have all talked about our fan support. We had 50,000-plus fans on a dreary day. Our fans willed us to win the football game. There’s no doubt. I know there were some grumblings earlier, but that’s due to the passion for our team and East Carolina University.
“In the end, the energy and enthusiasm were there. If you’re not on the field, it can be hard to feel them willing us to win. But they did.
“We’ll keep this on display upstairs, but this is the game ball from Saturday presented to our fans. It says, ‘To the 50,000-plus Pirate Nation fans who willed us to victory on 9/24/11, we were and are second to none. ECU 28, UAB 23. Thank you and go Pirates, Ruffin McNeill and staff.’
“Their emotion, enthusiasm and support for the team are different. We have the finest stadium and support of any place I’ve been. They love their Pirates. When we’re getting ready to come out before the game, I peek out the window of the Murphy Center and the place is packed. It’s incredible.
“I know this week will be full of emotions. We’ll have 50,000-plus fans again this week. That’s Pirate Nation. That’s us. I know we’ll show great class. As the great group that we are, let’s continue to show off our pride and class. Demonstrate the pride you have for our football team, program and East Carolina.
“A lot of eyes will be on us and are already on us as a university with everything going on around the country within college athletics. Our university administration, board of trustees, athletic administration, fans and everybody else have worked extremely hard to build what we have here. I always say it’s an honor for me to be a part of it.
“This Saturday night at 8 p.m., cheer hard for the Pirates. Let’s continue to show the class that was the reason for this game ball. And keep willing us to do well. That’s what we’re about here.
“I have no doubt that we’ll be out in full form cheering for our team. I appreciate that support.”
On North Carolina
“Everett Withers has taken over. I’ve known him for a long time. We have followed each other at some different jobs. His very first college job was taking over for a position I left.
“North Carolina lost Butch Davis, but its staff is intact. Everett is a really good football coach. The staff has done a great job the last two years holding everything together. They had a tough game against Georgia Tech, but I have a lot of respect for their staff and team. They have a lot of talent as we all know.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. First, we’re looking forward to preparation and then the game Saturday night at Dowdy-Ficklen. I’m really anxious to get back on the field tomorrow.
“I was asked about the continuation of the season, and I like it. Every game we have left will be tough and physical. I think our conditioning will come into play. I like playing each week now. We have a chance to correct anything we need to and continue working on our strengths as well as weaknesses.”
On North Carolina’s Defense
“They return six starters. I know Everett has to pay more attention now to the entire team, but he’s a defensive guy. I know exactly what he’s going through with having to have a broader focus.
“It all starts up front, where they have a lot of depth. Quinton Coples is the guy who people talk about. It’s well deserved talk. He’s a big-time football player. He wears No. 90 and reminds me of Julius Peppers. They have a lot of depth on defense, especially along the line. Watching them on film, they have great talent within that group.
“Kevin Reddick is the top tackler and a really good football player. He is around the ball and understands the game. He’s a leader and a great player for them at the linebacker level.
“In the secondary, Matt Merletti is a guy who just shows up all the time. He had two interceptions against Virginia. They have talented guys on the back end.
“Defensively, they’ll be ready to go. We have to be ready to go offensively and execute. One of the other things we talked about offensively is keeping up the pace.”
On North Carolina’s Offense
“We face another offensive line that has a lot of returning starters. Our defensive line will have another challenge. That’s where the game will be won – up front. Our young offensive line did a great job last week against another veteran group. I was pleased with how they established the line of scrimmage.
“Defensively this week, we have to make sure we’re ready to face an experienced offensive line. They have size and athleticism up front.
“At the running back position, Giovani Bernard and Ryan Houston are a big time combination. Giovani gets a lot of the carries and had a big game Saturday. Ryan is a football player, too. He can really run and runs well behind his pads. [Offensive coordinator] John Shoop does a great job finding plays that create yards and take advantage of the running surfaces.
“They also have talent at wide out. Everybody knows Dwight Jones and Erik Highsmith. Jones is a Biletnikoff Award candidate and I think Highsmith should be, too. We know offensively they have a fine unit.
“Casey Barth is the brother of an NFL guy who also played at UNC [Connor Barth]. Casey is a fine kicker. Thomas Hibbard is the punter while Todd Harrelson and T.J. Thorpe and are the returners. The returners are athletic and have speed and size. They do a great job.
“They had a tough run against Georgia Tech, but a lot of people have. They’ll be ready to play knowing Everett and that staff. I have known a lot of those guys for a long time.”
On Preparing For Saturday’s Game
“The biggest thing we have to do, and this sounds redundant because it is and I want it to be this way, is focus on East Carolina. We have to do everything we can this week to improve. We need to continue to play hard. We have to play smart. That’s a key.
“To win an emotional game like this will be, playing smart is critical. We have to focus on things we can do. On offense, we have to focus on execution and playing fast. Defensively, we have to have a lot of guys doing their jobs. We also have to tackle. We didn’t tackle as well Saturday against UAB. We’ll get that corrected tomorrow and Wednesday.
“Special teams, I really like the progress they’ve made since the South Carolina game. We continue to change field position with that unit. We spend a lot of time on special teams here due to my background and beliefs. It’s starting to pay off for us.
“We need a great game on special teams Saturday to win those hidden-yardage battles. We have to make sure we have great coverage and returns Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to it. They’ll pose a great challenge, but we plan on doing the same thing for them.”
On Playing In-State Opponents
“I think anytime you play somebody within the state, it’s always good. Emotion for our fans will be high. It has always been a game you have to be ready to play. I know they talk about it being a basketball institution, but they’ve done a great job football wise. They always field contending and talented teams that are well coached. We know we’ll have to be on our ‘A’ game.
“We don’t have to play perfectly, but we continue to strive for that. My thought process is to play our best game as our last game. We need to keep progressing, getting better and correcting mistakes we may have made. With a game like Saturday, we have to make sure we stay within ourselves and execute on all three sides of the ball.
“We have to continue to play hard and smart. We have to take care of the football and take it away on defense. We must also compete, compete and compete some more. We have to work as hard as we can each play and let our conditioning take over in the fourth quarter.”
On What A Win Would Mean To The Program
“I just want to make sure we play well. All we need to do is win by one. [Conference realignment issues] are up to Chancellor Ballard, Coach Holland and the rest of our administration. I think everybody knows how I feel about our product here. What we have here sells itself and can sell anywhere. The fact that we’re able to play an in-state school is always big.”
On North Carolina’s Running Backs
“They’re big, athletic and can run. You can’t have a different game plan for each guy. You can’t get that involved. I think the biggest thing for us is doing our job up front. We have to have great gap integrity on the run. We also have to do well on the back end with fitting and coverages because they have wide receivers who can stretch you, too.”
On Justin Jones’ Injury
“I love football, but I care about Justin and our players more. I rely strictly on [Assistant Athletics Director/Medical Services] Mike Hanley to tell me when Justin is ready to go. I also want Justin to be confident. It’s going to be an emotional game, but I’m not going to risk that on a player. When he’s ready to go and confident in it, we’ll put him out there and welcome him back.
“He’s doing some things in practice, according to Hanley and [Assistant Athletics Director/Strength and Conditioning] Jeff Connors. I will not rush him back. I promised him, his mother and myself that I would not do that. I’m not into that. I want to make sure our young men are well. We will not put him in the game unless he’s ready to go. That’s because I love him more than I love the game.”
On What The Game Means For His Players From Eastern North Carolina
“Well I hope we have it ingrained in them that every game is a big game. I don’t see them every day on campus, and I’m sure their classmates are talking to them about it when they’re in class. I know when I’m walking, the car horns are blowing at me from the road.
“The young men have a lot of pride in our school. I’ve tried to make sure they know what it means to play at East Carolina and be a student at East Carolina. I’m able to identify with both of those things. Our players know what it means to put the purple jersey on and that helmet on. They know what it means to play at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
“I said this last week. We sell out at 50,000-plus fans because that’s all that stadium holds. If it was 60,000-plus we’d sell that out. If it was 70,000-plus, I know we’d sell that out. That passion is very valuable to us.
“I just want our kids to play well. I want us to play hard, smart, take care of the football, take it away on defense, compete and give 100 percent on each play.”
On Having An 8:00 p.m. Kickoff Saturday
“It doesn’t matter when we play. I’ve played in games that started at 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. and contests that started at 3:00 p.m. I’ve also played in a lot of night games out in the Big 12. There weren’t many day games there, especially early in the season.
“On a long day we have a plan. We’ll let them sleep in a little bit later Saturday. Then we’ll wake up and go through our normal routine. We don’t want to change the routine. We wake them up, eat breakfast, meet with the special teams, walk through and meet on offense and defense, send them back to their rooms, eat our pregame meal, meet and walk through again and head to the stadium. I meet them in the team room for home games and that’s when it gets a little more intense as it’s closer to getting on the field. But an 8 o’clock start is fine with me.
“I wake up all the kids every game. I’ve done that since 1985. If we played at noon I’d wake them up earlier, but we do the same things for those games, too.”
On Jeff Connors Facing North Carolina
“Coach Connors has the team all week. I think I’ll handle talking to the players before the game, but Coach Connors can talk to them all week. Trust me; he has been on them about this game since he got here.
“His message will be to play hard. He is awesome to watch game film with. He is taking meticulous notes with me and uses them to tailor his workouts to the plays. That’s the beauty of his program. He understands everything is specific to the sport, whether it’s football or basketball or whatever team he’s working with. When we watch film, he views each play and every player that is in the game.
“I’m sure he’ll know those kids because he has helped raised them. He has been around them for a number of years and knows a lot about them.
“Jeff has so much pride in taking care of business where he is now. He and his family love it here and we’re glad to have them back. He’s as professional as they come, so he’s very concerned on making sure he does his job.”
On The Impact Of Doug Polochak’s Injury
“The center position is key to this offense, but we’re working Hugh Parker and Josh Clark there. Taylor Hudson got work there as well last Thursday. Taylor will be the third guy at that position Saturday. Hugh stepped in the other day. I was so proud of him.
“When you’re a backup in meetings, you know you may or may not play. You have to approach the meetings in a way and with a focus that, when your opportunity comes, you’ll be ready. Doug got hurt, Hugh stepped in and we didn’t miss a beat. That’s because Hugh has been paying attention during meetings. I’m very proud of him.
“It’s the same thing with Josh, who has also really improved. We went to a double-tight end set with him in a few times Saturday. He is a young man who has really grown. He was not an eligible receiver, but he was in there. He has played well and is one of our backup short snappers anyway.
“Taylor also did a good job last Thursday. That’s a position we learned last year we need to make sure we have capable guys there.”
On North Carolina Quarterback Bryn Renner
“I like him a lot. His dad is a high school coach and his team and Bryn came over for our seven-on-seven camp. Bryn is a lot like T.J. Yates. I try to get along with all the guys who come to our camps so we talked a long time while he was here. He was very respectful. He’s a coach’s kid like I am so he’s not intimidated by the moment or situation.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him before the game. We had a long conversation when he was here and watched his dad coach. He talked about how much he was looking forward to this game. He’s doing a great job operating the team and will continue to get better as he goes on. I like him a lot.”
On The Success Of The Running Game Saturday Against UAB
“The offensive line starts everything. They did a great job getting movement on the line of scrimmage. They’re still young people. We had three new starters and it’ll be four this week with Doug out.
“The line is a position where you can’t sub much. They have to learn to play with one another. Last week they got it. We have to continue it now. One of North Carolina’s strengths is its depth along the defensive line. We have to do another great job of working together and having excellent communication.
“Reggie Bullock did a good job trusting his blocks and being his own blocker. He ran behind his pads and gained yardage. We need him to continue doing that. I think Reggie would also give credit to the offensive line for his performance.”
