Mike Houston's Weekly Press Conference Quotes

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Fifth-year East Carolina Head Football Coach Mike Houston addressed members of the media Monday morning prior to Thursday's American Athletic Conference contest against SMU at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The following are selected comments:

Opening Statement
"I know it's Monday to most people. It's Wednesday to us. We've got Wednesday afternoon practice this afternoon. The kids have had a good week so far, so we're excited about getting out there this afternoon and then tomorrow will be a Thursday - getting out there to sharpen everything up for us before getting ready for the game Thursday night. Obviously, a challenging opponent, SMU is a quality football team. They have had some quality wins so far this year and a couple of tight losses against very good opponents. Big challenge Thursday night, excited to be back in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. It'll be exciting to get the student body as always. They are rowdy for these Thursday night games so really looking forward to the Boneyard rockin'. The players are excited about the match-up and we'll be excited to be on the field so looking forward to it."

On SMU's defense
"Very athletic on all three levels. Up front they're down two really good rushers on the edge. I feel like No. 40 has been there for five years. He's just a very disruptive guy inside. I think they have great length, great athleticism and run really well. It's probably the best defense that I've seen them have since we've been playing them."

On the team's bye week work
"I thought we had a positive week. We were able to really focus on certain situations. Each day we kind of broke it up to address the things we wanted to, so it was kind of a little bit of SMU last week, then a lot of us last week, then over the weekend got fully back into SMU. I thought the guys were very energized yesterday afternoon, so we feel good coming out of the bye getting ready for Thursday night."

On self-scouting during the bye week
"We looked back at all the games we've played so far. Obviously, you can look at some areas where we need to play better and really identify them. We scripted out practice to where we were good on good for those different situations. You look at last week's practice all three days, we really put the kids in competitive situations in doing the things we need to improve on. I thought it was a very positive week to come out of and got a lot of great, teachable film from all the things and scenarios we addressed last week."

On Julius Wood
"A driven competitor. If you see him out there, for a defensive back he's got an edge and intensity to him that's more like an inside linebacker. He's a great teammate. He's awesome in our locker room, but when he steps on that field he competes at a really, really high level. I think you look at his play and it's a reflection of all the work he puts in on the practice field. We go out there this afternoon and every rep he's in there. It's going to be focused. He's going to be communicating and he's going to play wide open. Those habits that he's developed over the years in practice have translated into a really solid player. Excited for him and the way he's playing and hope he continues to play at that level."

On SMU's offense and quarterback
"I think he's a really good athlete. He runs really well and throws it really well. He can really hurt you in the pocket. I think he does a good job. It's a fast tempo. We faced Gardner-Webb earlier this year and SMU is every bit as fast or faster with how they try to snap the football. The running back has been dynamic, and I think No. 13 has been dynamic. They try to get him the ball in a lot of different situations. Then No. 82, the big tight end, is a great receiving threat. I think they have weapons all across the board and the combination of the quarterback's athleticism, the weapons, and then the tempo. We'll be challenged Thursday night to slow them down."

On playing younger guys
"I think the big thing from last week is you had a chance to let the kids that are being redshirted be able to run our offense, run our defense and let them kind of go at each other a little bit each day. The travel team guys really get excited watching those young guys get out there and play, and I thought that the young guys really responded. Back during preseason camp when you try to do that, they're still trying to figure things out like how to be a college player and now you're half a season in and they've got their feet a little more on the ground. For Raheim, those reps are so valuable for him and those young linebackers, those young d-linemen, a couple of those young offensive linemen. I'm really excited about that class and what they will be one day for the Pirates."

On the student section support
"I think that student section down there is kind of the backbone of our program. When we get a big win at home the players go straight down there to celebrate with the band and the students. You have recruits on campus, and they always talk about how energetic our student section is, so I think we're fortunate to have that kind of support from our student body. These Thursday night games when some of our fans may not be able to make it, they really bring the energy and make the stadium that much more electric, which it should be Thursday night. It's a primetime matchup, a nationally televised game against a really good conference opponent. They'll be back fresh off fall break, so they'll be rested up and ready to go. I don't know how much professors are going to get out of them on Friday, but it should be a good scene Thursday night."

Players Mentioned

Julius Wood

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