Coach Houston’s Weekly Press Conference Quotes
October 04, 2022 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Fourth-year East Carolina Head Football Coach Mike Houston addressed members of the media Tuesday prior to Saturday's American Athletic Conference contest at Tulane. The following are selected comments:
Opening statement
"Solid weekend down in Florida with everything. First off, what an incredible job by Jake Kirkendall and Ryan McManus on our operations staff to quickly put together a trip at a location we'd not planned on and being able to coordinate everything and allow things to go smoothly. Allegiant did a great job with our flight and kept everybody safe on what turned out to be a great day for the Pirates. It was a big road win against a very talented conference opponent and a very explosive first half for our offense. It was great to see that all come together. I'm really pleased with the performance. It's good to get that first conference win and first road win but not much time to celebrate that with what we have coming up on Saturday night. You look at the schedules in the offseason and I knew this was going to be a tough game going to New Orleans. I felt strongly that Coach Fritz would have a pretty good bounce back year this year and obviously, he's off to an extremely strong start. I know he is kicking himself, because he probably thinks he should be 5-0 and I would probably agree with him. They did some uncharacteristic things in the Southern Miss game but a very strong football team, very solid in all three phases. If you need more evidence, playing without your starting quarterback last Friday night in Houston, and knocking off the Cougars. That's an impressive win and I was very impressed with them. Defensively, I think they're in the top 10 in the country in multiple categories and top five in several. One of the strongest defensive units in the country, maybe one of the better if not the best defensive unit in our conference. We'll be challenged Saturday night; we do expect Michael (Pratt) to play based on everything that we've kind of gathered but I was very impressed with the the young quarterback last Friday night. I thought he handled everything very well and obviously played well in the second half and overtime to get the win. Tough test for us. We've got to continue to improve and build upon our performance last Saturday and try to put together our best game of the year in New Orleans."
On C.J. Johnson's performance and the team rallying around him after the loss of his grandmother
"This is something we've kind of been supporting C.J. for a couple of weeks now in anticipation that this could happen. When it did happen, we offered all support that he needed. I just think that he was as prepared as you can be for this. It was very emotional for him because she was a huge part of his life, but one thing that he was very clear with us about was that he wanted to play Saturday and he wanted to honor her. She was a big factor in him being here at East Carolina. Even through some of the maturing phases that he's gone through in his early years, she was a big factor in him pushing through that and was great counsel for him. I think it was important for him and his family that he did play and what an incredible performance. I can't say enough positive things about it. Just so happy for him. What a great way to honor someone that was a huge part of his life in just doing that for her on Saturday."
On more impressive goal-line stands by the defense
"Well, I think the play in the first half it's 14-0 and South Florida drives the length of the field, and they've got it inside the five-yard line. Julius (Wood) makes a great strip of Gerry (Bohanon) and Xavier (Smith) recovers it in the pile right there. It was a huge turning point in the game because they get ready to punch it in to make it 14-7, we get the ball there on the two-yard line and we score three plays later to make it 21-0. Obviously, it's a huge momentum swing there in the first half and then there in the fourth quarter is as big as it gets with 8:06 remaining. It looks like Michel (Dukes) has scored to cut it to 13 points. They review it, he didn't quite get in, so they've got it on the six-inch line and for us to stand and turn them over on downs in combination with the offense's ability to get off the goal line in that situation? That was the game. I'll be honest, I didn't feel comfortable that the game was put away yet. I don't think anybody did because we were preparing our hands team. They would have obviously done an onside kick, or I felt like they would have with eight minutes to go, but to be able to turn it over right there and the offense respond with a six-and-a-half-minute drive to never give the ball back is impressive too. I think just that sequence there at the end of the game was the story."
On Julius Wood's forced fumble
"It was a called pressure. Julius was the edge blitzer off the backside and so he's bending hard the whole way. He's responsible for trying to chase anything down going away from him and anything coming at him, he should blow it up. I think it's a good play call and I think it just shows his athletic ability and his tenacity to run it down. Not only get it on the ground but we work it a lot and it takes a lot to execute in that setting right there to punch the ball out as he's making the tackle."
On Rahjai Harris' season-ending injury
"He's obviously very disappointed as we are, and my heart sunk for him on the field Saturday. Down deep I knew, but we wanted to get the test results to confirm it. I think everybody has rallied around him. I think it's a good word for it. He and I have had a couple of talks. I've talked to his parents. We're going to support him. He's such a people person, so I'm probably more worried about him mentally than I am physically. He will make a full recovery. He'll wear the Purple and Gold and be a great player for us again, just not tomorrow. My biggest concern right now is making sure we get him healthy and support him mentally through this process. He's just such an incredible young man. There's so much more to him than just his play on the field. He means a lot to this team and this team means a lot to him, so he'll still be a positive impact on our roster throughout the rest of the season. It'll just be in different ways."
On the running back room stepping up
"Well, a lot of it is obviously going to fall on Keaton (Mitchell) and rightfully so. Just like when both of them were healthy. I think in college football, you've got to play multiple backs. We felt good going into the game last Saturday with Marlon (Gunn Jr.). He had a great week of practice and I felt very comfortable with him carrying the load that he carried. He responded in a very positive manner. He'll have more on his shoulders. (Kamarro) Edmonds has continued to improve throughout the year and he'll have some weight on his shoulders. I think he's prepared for that and excited for that. You'll have some other guys who will have some opportunities. That's why you build depth. My stuff to the players all the time is that you never know when you're going to get your opportunity. We all remember the day that we got our first shot and you've just got to make sure you prepare for that shot. There's going to be some guys that are going to get their opportunities here over the balance of the season."
On Marlon Gunn Jr.'s pass blocking ability
"I thought he did a really good job on Saturday. He was matched up multiple times on linebackers. He was matched up on a lineman one time and stood in and did a good job. He'll have to continue to improve that piece. That's always the piece that young guys struggle with a little bit, but I thought he did a good job Saturday. I think the one thing with him, obviously, is that he has a lot of God-given ability and that's the reason we signed him but for him to be as prepared as he is this early in his career, I think is a testament to his work ethic and his drive and his character. The reason he has improved so much so quickly in the first five weeks of the season is because every day he pushes himself at practice. He pushes himself in everything he's doing and it's really what you want to use to encourage other young players is if you will apply yourself daily and have that drive and motivation, you will make great strides early in your career."
On Tulane's defense
"I think Nick (Anderson) and Dorian (Williams) both stand out to me on film. I remember Nick from 2020 and just thinking, 'Wow, he's a pretty special player.' I think they're very solid at all three levels defensively, but I think those two linebackers are probably the heart and soul of that defense. Nick obviously had a great game last week. They're both having a great year this year. That will be part of our challenge on Saturday."
On Keaton Mitchell's status
"We were optimistic last week that he would be ready to go on Saturday but just did not feel comfortable after pregame warm-ups. Given how confident we were in Marlon (Gunn Jr.), we thought it was best to go with Rahjai (Harris) and Marlon last week. We fully anticipate having Keaton back full go this week."
On the status of competition at kicker
"The competition is open each week. I mean with all our players. Some guys are a little more entrenched than others but there's always competition. You look at a lot of factors - the snap, the hold and the kick. It's not always just the kick. So, I think that there's some things we can do better execution wise on that one missed extra point last Saturday. I think that Owen (Daffer) had a very solid week of practice last week. I'm continuing to encourage him and coach him just like I do everybody else. I'm excited that Carson (Smith) is finally back healthy so he can start working towards competing again. I think that'll help Owen, but there's always competition."
Opening statement
"Solid weekend down in Florida with everything. First off, what an incredible job by Jake Kirkendall and Ryan McManus on our operations staff to quickly put together a trip at a location we'd not planned on and being able to coordinate everything and allow things to go smoothly. Allegiant did a great job with our flight and kept everybody safe on what turned out to be a great day for the Pirates. It was a big road win against a very talented conference opponent and a very explosive first half for our offense. It was great to see that all come together. I'm really pleased with the performance. It's good to get that first conference win and first road win but not much time to celebrate that with what we have coming up on Saturday night. You look at the schedules in the offseason and I knew this was going to be a tough game going to New Orleans. I felt strongly that Coach Fritz would have a pretty good bounce back year this year and obviously, he's off to an extremely strong start. I know he is kicking himself, because he probably thinks he should be 5-0 and I would probably agree with him. They did some uncharacteristic things in the Southern Miss game but a very strong football team, very solid in all three phases. If you need more evidence, playing without your starting quarterback last Friday night in Houston, and knocking off the Cougars. That's an impressive win and I was very impressed with them. Defensively, I think they're in the top 10 in the country in multiple categories and top five in several. One of the strongest defensive units in the country, maybe one of the better if not the best defensive unit in our conference. We'll be challenged Saturday night; we do expect Michael (Pratt) to play based on everything that we've kind of gathered but I was very impressed with the the young quarterback last Friday night. I thought he handled everything very well and obviously played well in the second half and overtime to get the win. Tough test for us. We've got to continue to improve and build upon our performance last Saturday and try to put together our best game of the year in New Orleans."
On C.J. Johnson's performance and the team rallying around him after the loss of his grandmother
"This is something we've kind of been supporting C.J. for a couple of weeks now in anticipation that this could happen. When it did happen, we offered all support that he needed. I just think that he was as prepared as you can be for this. It was very emotional for him because she was a huge part of his life, but one thing that he was very clear with us about was that he wanted to play Saturday and he wanted to honor her. She was a big factor in him being here at East Carolina. Even through some of the maturing phases that he's gone through in his early years, she was a big factor in him pushing through that and was great counsel for him. I think it was important for him and his family that he did play and what an incredible performance. I can't say enough positive things about it. Just so happy for him. What a great way to honor someone that was a huge part of his life in just doing that for her on Saturday."
On more impressive goal-line stands by the defense
"Well, I think the play in the first half it's 14-0 and South Florida drives the length of the field, and they've got it inside the five-yard line. Julius (Wood) makes a great strip of Gerry (Bohanon) and Xavier (Smith) recovers it in the pile right there. It was a huge turning point in the game because they get ready to punch it in to make it 14-7, we get the ball there on the two-yard line and we score three plays later to make it 21-0. Obviously, it's a huge momentum swing there in the first half and then there in the fourth quarter is as big as it gets with 8:06 remaining. It looks like Michel (Dukes) has scored to cut it to 13 points. They review it, he didn't quite get in, so they've got it on the six-inch line and for us to stand and turn them over on downs in combination with the offense's ability to get off the goal line in that situation? That was the game. I'll be honest, I didn't feel comfortable that the game was put away yet. I don't think anybody did because we were preparing our hands team. They would have obviously done an onside kick, or I felt like they would have with eight minutes to go, but to be able to turn it over right there and the offense respond with a six-and-a-half-minute drive to never give the ball back is impressive too. I think just that sequence there at the end of the game was the story."
On Julius Wood's forced fumble
"It was a called pressure. Julius was the edge blitzer off the backside and so he's bending hard the whole way. He's responsible for trying to chase anything down going away from him and anything coming at him, he should blow it up. I think it's a good play call and I think it just shows his athletic ability and his tenacity to run it down. Not only get it on the ground but we work it a lot and it takes a lot to execute in that setting right there to punch the ball out as he's making the tackle."
On Rahjai Harris' season-ending injury
"He's obviously very disappointed as we are, and my heart sunk for him on the field Saturday. Down deep I knew, but we wanted to get the test results to confirm it. I think everybody has rallied around him. I think it's a good word for it. He and I have had a couple of talks. I've talked to his parents. We're going to support him. He's such a people person, so I'm probably more worried about him mentally than I am physically. He will make a full recovery. He'll wear the Purple and Gold and be a great player for us again, just not tomorrow. My biggest concern right now is making sure we get him healthy and support him mentally through this process. He's just such an incredible young man. There's so much more to him than just his play on the field. He means a lot to this team and this team means a lot to him, so he'll still be a positive impact on our roster throughout the rest of the season. It'll just be in different ways."
On the running back room stepping up
"Well, a lot of it is obviously going to fall on Keaton (Mitchell) and rightfully so. Just like when both of them were healthy. I think in college football, you've got to play multiple backs. We felt good going into the game last Saturday with Marlon (Gunn Jr.). He had a great week of practice and I felt very comfortable with him carrying the load that he carried. He responded in a very positive manner. He'll have more on his shoulders. (Kamarro) Edmonds has continued to improve throughout the year and he'll have some weight on his shoulders. I think he's prepared for that and excited for that. You'll have some other guys who will have some opportunities. That's why you build depth. My stuff to the players all the time is that you never know when you're going to get your opportunity. We all remember the day that we got our first shot and you've just got to make sure you prepare for that shot. There's going to be some guys that are going to get their opportunities here over the balance of the season."
On Marlon Gunn Jr.'s pass blocking ability
"I thought he did a really good job on Saturday. He was matched up multiple times on linebackers. He was matched up on a lineman one time and stood in and did a good job. He'll have to continue to improve that piece. That's always the piece that young guys struggle with a little bit, but I thought he did a good job Saturday. I think the one thing with him, obviously, is that he has a lot of God-given ability and that's the reason we signed him but for him to be as prepared as he is this early in his career, I think is a testament to his work ethic and his drive and his character. The reason he has improved so much so quickly in the first five weeks of the season is because every day he pushes himself at practice. He pushes himself in everything he's doing and it's really what you want to use to encourage other young players is if you will apply yourself daily and have that drive and motivation, you will make great strides early in your career."
On Tulane's defense
"I think Nick (Anderson) and Dorian (Williams) both stand out to me on film. I remember Nick from 2020 and just thinking, 'Wow, he's a pretty special player.' I think they're very solid at all three levels defensively, but I think those two linebackers are probably the heart and soul of that defense. Nick obviously had a great game last week. They're both having a great year this year. That will be part of our challenge on Saturday."
On Keaton Mitchell's status
"We were optimistic last week that he would be ready to go on Saturday but just did not feel comfortable after pregame warm-ups. Given how confident we were in Marlon (Gunn Jr.), we thought it was best to go with Rahjai (Harris) and Marlon last week. We fully anticipate having Keaton back full go this week."
On the status of competition at kicker
"The competition is open each week. I mean with all our players. Some guys are a little more entrenched than others but there's always competition. You look at a lot of factors - the snap, the hold and the kick. It's not always just the kick. So, I think that there's some things we can do better execution wise on that one missed extra point last Saturday. I think that Owen (Daffer) had a very solid week of practice last week. I'm continuing to encourage him and coach him just like I do everybody else. I'm excited that Carson (Smith) is finally back healthy so he can start working towards competing again. I think that'll help Owen, but there's always competition."
Players Mentioned
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SAF
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